Pathology of Bid'ah

Au'du billahi min'ashshaitanir rajeem
Bismillahi ar-Rahman ar-Raheem
Inna walhamdulillah wa-Salaatu wa-Salaam 'ala Rasulillah wa 'ala alihi wa sahbihi ajmaeen

Indeed Allah is praised whether we praise Him or not. Yet humbly we praise Him. We seek refuge in Allah from the evil within our selves (our arrogance, lowly desires, weaknesses, in general, our nafs) and from the evil consequences of our actions. Whomever Allah guides, none can misguide. And whomever stubbornly rejects faith, thinks they've figured it out on their own, refusing guidance, Allah leaves to their own path and none can guide.

I bare witness that there is NO DIETY WORTHY OF WORSHIP, of our veneration, our supplication, our sacrifice, our repentence except Allah. And I bare witness that Muhammad 'alayhi salaatu wa salaam is His final Messenger and servant.

As-salaamu 'alaikum wa Rahmatullah,

Brothers and sisters in Islam, in the coming days, especially for those considerably young in iman, I believe it is of vital importance we raise the awareness of bid'ah, that is, newly invented matters or traditions incorporated into the Deen long after it has been established, perfected and completed by Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala as underway appears to be a pathological spread of this evil. As Allah stated among the last ayat He revealed to Muhammad salallahu 'alayhi wa salaam.

"...This day have I perfected for you your religion, completed my favor upon you and have chosen for you Islam as your religion." -Surah al-Madi'ah ayah 3

Our beloved Rasul salallahu 'alayhi wa salaam has warned us in the du'a he taught to be recited before every khutbah that the worst of affairs are bid'ah (innovations in the Deen), for every bid'ah is a misguidance and every misguidance is in the Fire! We have now many practices ascribed to Islam radically differing from one another. Every alliance to these different practices claim adherence to al-Qur'an wa as-Sunnah, so how is it we determine which of these groups are truthful in this claim? Is the ibadah performed entirely for the sake of Allah and is it made exclusively and directly to Allah azza wa jall without any intercessor (aside from our own deeds) as according to the Qur'an and Sunnah? Does it acknowledge that all of mankind is flawed, forgetful and heavily mistake-prone as Muhammad salallahu 'alayhi wa salaam told us: "EVERY descendant of Adam makes mistakes" or do they propose exceptions?

So it is without specifying any labels (which in and of themselves are innovations being that no Muslim during the time of Muhammad 'alayhi salaatu wa salaam or any among the preceding three generations ever used them to describe themselves or the deen of al-Islam) I will, in'sha'Allah, keep the formula by which to distinguish pure, unadulterated Islam from an invented, cursed religion masquerading as Islam quite simple.

It certainly does not take one of any high knowledge or a student of knowledge or a student of a student of knowledge, etc. to administer the 'acid test.' Don't allow yourself to be moved or worse, deceived, by the scholarship of an individual who calls to evil and misguidance in the name of our beautiful Deen. Ya Muslimeen, it is key we bare in mind that ANY tradition, ritual, practice, theology or act that is ascribed to Islam yet is NOT found in the Qur'an or Sunnah is indubitably an innovation, a form of misguidance and as Rasul salallahu 'alayhi wa salaam warned... is in the Fire.

Further proof of innovation in one's way are exhibited in its side-effects such as having to either deny, muddle or reject certain ayat or authentic hadith to justify their practice or theology. Despite Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala Promised to guard it from corruption. They may also insist certain ayat contain hidden meanings apparent only to those endowed with great wisdom, though Allah explicitly states what means:

"He is The One Who has revealed to you the Book. Some of its verses are decisive -they are the foundation of the Book -while others are allegorical. Those whose hearts are infected with disbelief follow the allegorical part to mislead others and to give it their own interpretation, seeking for its hidden meanings, but none knows its hidden meanings except Allah. Those who are well grounded in knowledge say: 'We believe in it; it is all from our Rabb.' None will take heed except the people of understanding." -Surah al-i 'Imran ayah 3

Avoid then newly invented matters and distance and disassociate with those who obscure, mystify and ultimately taint this already perfect, most beautiful, complete and in every human aspect-fulfilling way of life; Islam. Daw'ah, naseeah, a simple and kind invitation to tawheed offered to those we personally know involved or allured to that direction is certainly in order, but do so and leave the rest between them and Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala ("no compulsion in religion...") . What should be realized is when we invent or incorporate any act of worship foreign to the Qur'an or Sunnah that indirectly we are superciliously claiming that Allah and His Messenger left out something, hid something and/or that we know better than Allah and His Messenger. Au'du billah!

Bid'ah, no matter how good or sweet Shaitan will have you feel it is, it does not bring you closer to Allah, on the contrary, it takes you further away from your Rabb and nearer Jahanam, away from His Grace and closer to His Anger, except that you redeem yourself. There is no love for Allah in disobedience to Allah. I close with the noteworthy advice of Ubayy ibn K'ab radiallahu anhu and two sayings from our beloved Rasul salallahu 'alayhi wa salaam:

"A minimal course in the path of Allah and the Sunnah is better than striving hard in a path contrary to the path of Allah and the Sunnah and consenting to innovation. See that your actions - whether they are striving or minimal - are on the path of the anbiya (Prophets) and their Sunnah." -Ubayy ibn K'ab radiallahu anhu

"There is not anything that will bring your closer to Jannah except that I ordered you to do it, and there is nothing that will bring you into Hellfire except that I prohibited that action." -Muhammad salallahu 'alayhi wa salaam (Muslim and Bukhari)

"My Sunnah is the best Sunnah. Whoever leaves my Sunnah has nothing to do with me." -Muhammad salallahu 'alayhi wa salaam (Muslim and Bukhari)

May Allah ta'ala protect us from all misguidance that we might turn and submit to Him wholeheartedly and purely as He has decreed and firmly upon the Sunnah as taught in word and action by His final Messenger and mercy to all creation, Muhammad salallahu 'alayhi wa salaam. Any good and truth is solely from Allah and all mistakes are my own. May Allah forgive me for them and protect you and I from them. Ameen.

"Guide us to the straight path. The path of those whom Thou hast favored; not the path of those who earn Thine anger nor of those who went astray." -Surah al-Fatiha ayat 6-7

Related Topics:
Tawheed 101
You Alone Do We Worship

Interfaith Debate, pt.1: NOI Encounter

Bismillah ar-Rahman ar-Raheem

As-salaamu 'alaikum and may the Peace, Mercy and Blessings of Allah be upon you all. I've quite an extensive discussion involving myself and an NOI brother with regards to my handsdown favorite subject... Islam, that I thought may be of interest to a lot of you. If you haven't caught on yet, allow me to fill you in...*ehem*...the fellowship of Farakhan (Nation of "Islam") is an extreme deviant, perverse excersence of Islam. The salutations and usage of such words and phrases as "Allah," "Muslim," "As-salaam alaikum," "Islam," "Allahu Akbar," and so on, are only as far as similarities go between Islam and Farakhan's folks. The NOI is to Islam what the film Scary Movie is to Scream or the 60s television series Get Smart was to 007 and Mission Impossible... a satire, a spoof, a parody, a blatant mockery!

As impostrous as they are, I must give credit and praise that over time they have been scooting their way closer to true Islam, although sluggishly in classic sloth-like fashion. For instance, they were never instructed to announce Al Shahadah (the first and most momentuous principle of Islam, the foundation and very backbone of Islam), until recently Farakhan has made it mandatory his followers do so. Though it's only lip-service on their part, seeing as to how they lack the FAINTEST understanding of it's meaning. How does one declare there is no diety, object, person, idol, place, entity worthy of worship but Allah while at the same time testifying to Allah appearing or incarnating in the person of Wallace D. Fard? How does one declare that Muhammad ibn Abdullah (salallahu alayhi wa salaam) was the Seal of the Prophets and Final Messenger of which there will be none after, and at once testify that Elijah Muhammad was a Messenger of Allah? How does one reject the "original sin" theory and believe that the White race is innately weak and wicked? I could spring into all kinds of tangents, but I'll proceed.

I was in course of mentioning their improvements. In addition to permitting Al Shahadah, they as well have been instructed to enjoin Ramadan on Ramadan. As opposed to beforehand when they were instructed to only fast for Ramadan on December! The last improvement I'm aware of, is Farakhan's calling for his flock to perform Hajj at least once whensoever they can afford. Their concepts, teachings and overall ideology are far off the radar of actual Islam, but at least they're coming close, Alhamdullilah. I pray they soon be guided to cross that bridge to embrace Islam as it has been ordained by Allah for all humanity. Until then, so long as they're propogating this infusion of Black Nationalism and religious doctrine/jargon masquerading as Islam, those not knowing any better will continue to be hornswoggled.

Prelude to a debate
And so quite recently was I compelled to intervene and attempt on correcting a misguided "Black Muslim" as they rambled intensively to a listless audience. My intent was to make clear the distinction between the message of the NOI and the glorious, universal message of Islam. To explain how Islam is not a Blacks-only fraternity, but a universal religion, din-ul-Fitra (the natural religion), ordained for all of humanity. What probally suit me better as a canidate for this "job", was that as an adolecent, I was part of another grossly deviant group called the 5%. As such, I've memorized and am to this today well familiar with not only the NOI's curriculum (i.e. Student Enrollment, English C Lessons, Lost-Found Muslim Lesson 1-14, 1-40, Actual Facts and Solar Facts), but their mindset as well. Allowing me to (hopefully) level with them more personally.

Let's talk about sects.
"So set thou thy face steadily and truly to the Faith: establish Allah's handiwork according to the pattern on which He has made mankind. No change let there be in the work wrought by Allah: that is the right religion. But most among mankind understand not. Turn ye back in repentance to Him, fear Him: establish regular prayers and be not ye who join gods with Allah." -Qur'an 30:30-31

A quick synopsis of our discussion: I'll tell you overall it was indeed productive and clarifying, in spite of it's combative beginings. He eventually opened up to what I was saying after my quoting the Holy Prophet during his final sermon when he told his Companions: "Islam will divide into 73 sects. 1 in heaven and 72 in hell." After which, he explained it would be Islam as they heard conveyed and demonstrated by himself that would be in heaven. Also reciting Qur'an 5:3 where Allah reveals:

"This day have I perfected your religion, completed My Favor upon you and have chosen for you Islam as your religion."

From this, we see that Islam was since re-established, complete and perfect 1400 years prior to the finding of the NOI or even the birth of it's founders. Appropriately, I explained how innovation, known as bid'ah, is forbidden in Islam. This means no revisions, no perversions, no deletions, no additions to ANY aspect of Islam whatsoever. Therefore, anything unique, contrary or irrelevant to the Qur'an and Sunnah is unique, contrary and irrelevant to Islam. Point blank. If they but chose a name besides "Islam" to identify their organization, there would be no grounds for contention.

It astonishes almost as well as it perplexes me how Islam is the only religion where groups objecting and denying the very infrastructure of Islam actually use the name of Islam! Take for example Christainity, having well over 100 sects and denominations. Even if you include the cults, all of which disagree in certain areas and on certain points, they are all in congruence on the fundamental artical of Christain faith, and that is "Jesus died for our sins". You can't be Christian and reject this idea. How is it you can reject Islam and still consider yourself an embodiment of Islam? Hilariously absurd.

**For a more in depth glance into my views on Black nationalism, afrocentricity, pride, prejudice and racism, refer to my blog "Illiberality: Unearthing a Hidden Nature". **

All these issues (and more) I've expounded with this brother. However, being pressed for time (and patience) I suggested that if he desired to prusuit the conversation any further, he should E-mail me to follow up where we left off. Gave him my e-mail address and not so long proceeding that day, behold, I receive a message from him seeking confirmation whether it was the correct E-mail. I confirmed it was me and from that point the saga continued... enjoy:

Debate with NOI believer