Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymīyyah devised two conditions for determining whether a newly-introduced matter is a prohibited innovation (bid`ah) or a permissible means to a valid objective (maṣlaḥah mursalah).¹ His purpose in devising these conditions was to distinguish bid`ah from maṣlaḥah mursalah — not to define bid`ah itself. This has created confusion over how his words should be understood, causing the meaning of bid`ah to be overlooked.
• Ibn Taymīyyah’s Conditions •
Here are Ibn Taymīyyah’s two conditions. A newly-introduced matter will only be bid`ah if:
- the reason for its existence was present during the time of the Prophet ﷺ, and
- acting upon it was possible during the time of the Prophet ﷺ.
This means that a newly-introduced matter will only be bid`ah — rather than maṣlaḥah mursalah — if these conditions are fulfilled and the Prophet ﷺ still did not perform the act in question. If he did not perform the act in spite of both conditions being met, this indicates that its omission from the revealed law was deliberate. Introducing such an act would therefore be contrary to the intent of the law.
In contrast, the following would fall under maṣlaḥah mursalah:
- Anything that was not needed during the time of the Prophet ﷺ (such as the first adhān of Jumu`ah, which only became a need when Madīnah expanded during the time of `Uthmān bin `Affān — may Allāh be pleased with him).
- Anything that was needed, but not possible to implement (such as compiling the Qur’ān into a single volume, because revelation remained ongoing while the Prophet ﷺ was alive).
• What Makes an Act Bid`ah? •
Ibn Taymīyyah provided a precise standard for distinguishing between bid`ah and maṣlaḥah mursalah. However, many modern researchers and supposed specialists overlook the fact that it is not a definition of bid`ah. It cannot override or replace the definition of bid`ah in matters of worship.
According to this definition, for an act to be considered bid`ah, a person must perform that act as a form of worship and religious devotion in and of itself.
Bid`ah has therefore been described as:²
- “a method in the religion that is invented, imitates the legitimate method, and is followed in order to seek what is sought through that legitimate method.”
- “a method in the religion that is invented, imitates the legitimate method, and is followed with the intention of exaggeration in worship of Allāh.”
To mention an example, the first adhān for Jumu’ah is not a form of bid`ah³ for one of two reasons:
- It is an action from a Companion that actually originated in a Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ (mawqūf lahu ḥukm al-raf`).
- It is a maṣlaḥah mursalah.
However, this additional adhān would not be a maṣlaḥah mursalah if we considered it an act of worship — in and of itself — through which we could draw closer to Allāh Most High. On the other hand, if the intent behind the act is to draw closer to Allāh by facilitating worship and aiding the realization of worship’s benefits, then it is not inherently an act of worship. It remains within the category of maṣlaḥah mursalah.
Another example of maṣlaḥah mursalah is setting up an endowment of cars to transport people to masjids, seeking closeness to Allāh through the benefit that this endowment helps to actualize — and not through the means itself, because the means is not [inherently] a devotional act.
• Modern Misconceptions •
Some people in our time overlook these details of Shaykh al-Islām’s position on the distinction between bid`ah and maṣlaḥah mursalah. What we have described is at least how his position ought to be understood, or else it simply represents the correct approach to the issue. After all, the words of Shaykh al-Islām are not proof on their own, nor are those of any other scholar.
The proper understanding of this topic eludes these individuals. If an action was possible and called for during the time of revelation, [but there is no specific precedent for it in the Sunnah,] then they deem that action “bid`ah”. In other words, they deem “bid`ah” every newly-introduced matter that meets these two qualifications. They disregard the condition for bid`ah that applies to matters of worship: believing that the newly-introduced matter itself is a form of religious devotion that brings one closer to Allāh. They fail to distinguish between:
- seeking closeness to Allāh through the [specific] means [by which one attains a benefit], which is bid`ah;
- and seeking closeness to Allāh through the legitimate benefit [that one attains through a means], which is maṣlaḥah mursalah.
The fact that these people tend to approve of Al-Shāṭibī’s definition of bid`ah further indicates that most of them have not understood the topic properly. Al-Shāṭibī’s definition requires that an intention of worship be present in order for something to be bid`ah. However, these people deem certain forms of maṣlaḥah mursalah “bid`ah” even though this condition of intending worship is not fulfilled.
For example, some of them have declared that prayer niches (miḥrābs), minarets, extra steps on pulpits (minbars), and row-straightening lines on prayer rugs are all forms of bid`ah. In other words, these things are not valid forms of maṣlaḥah mursalah. The motive for them was present during the time of the Prophet ﷺ and implementing them was possible. They claim: “The fact that the Prophet ﷺ did not do these things indicates that their omission was deliberate, because they were not legislated [by Allāh].” They say this because all of these things fulfill the conditions that we mentioned: the need for them was present, and their implementation would not have been difficult — much less impossible!
In the process, these people have ignored the condition for considering an act bid`ah: that the act be intended as a form of worship. When the intent is not to make something a form of worship, but rather a means to facilitate worship in a manner that the Sharī`ah has not prohibited, then it falls under maṣlaḥah mursalah and has nothing to do with bid`ah.
Oddly enough, they contradict themselves and overlook other matters that should be bid`ah according to their approach. One example is separating rows of men and women in the masjid with thick curtains — or, in some cases, even permanent barriers that divide them completely. Separating rows of men and women was possible during the time of the Prophet ﷺ. The same reason for doing so was present during that time: the natural attraction between the two genders. In spite of this, the Prophet ﷺ did not do it!
To be consistent, proponents of this faulty approach would need to declare this practice an innovation as well. However, it seems that the eye of tabdī` lacks objectivity: it picks and chooses what it declares “bid`ah” based on its own desires.
• Postscript: Barriers in the Masjid •
My own view is that placing barriers between men and women in the masjid is not a form of bid`ah. However, I discourage it for other reasons. Among them:
- They frequently hinder the ability of women to follow the Imām properly in prayer.
- The Sharī`ah did not intend absolute gender segregation. Exaggeration in segregating the two genders has had unintended negative consequences for gender relations. We can see this with our own eyes in societies where this sort of exaggerated segregation exists. If this had been the objective of the Lawgiver, then He would not have refrained from mandating it. However, He allowed a sort of limited mixing in order to prevent certain harms and actualize certain benefits.
Originally published 27 Jumādā al-Ākhirah 1435 / 27 April 2014.
- Maṣlaḥah means benefit. Maṣlaḥah mursalah is used here to indicate some benefit that, while a valid objective in the sharī`ah, is not supported by a specific text or an analogy with a specific ruling. For more on the distinction between bid`ah and maṣlaḥah mursalah, see this section of Sh. Ḥātim’s forthcoming book, Muḥaḍarāt fī ‘l-Bid`ah wa ‘l-Mubtadi` (PDF, Arabic).
- These two definitions were given by Imām al-Shāṭibī. See Al-`Itiṣām 1/47.
- As the author previously explained in his article, “Sunnah of the Rightly-Guided Caliphs” (Arabic).