The reality of following (the Sunnah) and the principles of innovation

Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih Al-'Uthaymeen (rahimahullah), said as follows:

“That following (the Sunnah) is not realised except if the action coincides with the legislation in six affairs:

1) The reason (why the action is done)

If a man was to worship Allaah on the basis of a reason that is not legislated then this is Bid’ah (an innovation) and it is rejected from its companion.


For example:
Some of the people stand in the night of the 27th of Rajjab arguing that it is the night that the Messenger of Allaah, (ascended to the heavens), the night prayer is worship, but when they linked it with this reason it became Bid’ah, because the worship was built upon a reason that is not legislatively affirmed.

This is the description - of when the reason for the act of worship coincides with the legislation - and this is an important affair by which many innovations from what is thought to be the Sunnah whilst it is not the Sunnah become clear.

2) The type of worship

Thus it is a must that the type of worship coincides with the legislation. So if a man was to worship Allaah with worship which its type is not legislated then it is not accepted.

For example:
If a man was to sacrifice a horse, then his sacrifice is not correct; because it oppose the legislation in the type (of action), for the sacrifice cannot be from anything other than beasts of cattle; camels, cows, sheep and goats.

3) The amount

If a man wanted to pray and increase the amount he prays in the obligatory prayer then we say: this is Bid’ah which is not accepted because it opposes the legislation in its amount, more so if a man was to pray Luhr (prayer) for example 5 (units of prayer instead of 4) indeed there is a consensus that his prayer is invalid.

4) The manner (the action is done)

If a man done Wudhu and started by washing his feet then wiped his head then washed his hands then washed his face, we would say: his Wudhu is invalid; because it is in opposition to the legislation in its manner.

5) The time (when an action is carried out)

For indeed if a man was to make the sacrifice (of hajj) in the beginning days of Thul-Hijjah then this sacrifice would not be accepted due to its opposition of the legislation in the time (the action took place). And I have heard that some of the people in the month of Ramadhaan slaughter sheep seeking nearness to Allaah - Ta'Alaa - with the slaughtering, and this action would be an innovation from this angle; because there is no nearness that is sought to Allaah by slaughtering except the Al-Udhhiyyah (the sacrifice that is made by the non-pilgrim on the day of 'Eid), the Al-Haddi (the sacrifice that is made by a pilgrim) and the Al-A’qeeqah (the sacrifice that is made upon the birth of a child). As for slaughtering in Ramadhaan with the belief that the reward of the sacrifice (at this time) is like the sacrifice that is made on 'Eid Al-Adhaa, then this is a Bid’ah. As for slaughtering for the meat then this is permissible.

6) The place (that the action is done)

 And from the examples of this: if a man wanted to make Tawaaf (circumambulation of the Ka’bah) and he found the place of Tawaaf to be constricted and the area around it to be constricted and began to make Tawaaf behind the Masjid, his Tawaaf would not be correct; because the place of making Tawaaf is the house (of Allaah in Masjid Al-Haraam).”
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[Fataawaa ibn 'Uthaymeen. 5/253-254]

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