The Eighth Right: To Avoid Innovations in Religion, Especially to Do with the Prophet
While Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) deserves the aforementioned rights, it is also important that we do not go to extremes regarding his rights. Many Muslims have innovated practices and included them as part of the religion concerning his rights, mainly in an attempt to show that they love him. It is indeed correct that Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) deserves certain rights, but to innovate practices that go against his very teachings under the guise of loving and respecting him is Bid’ah and will only deviate believers from his straight path. The Prophet (ﷺ) said: “Beware of newly invented matters (in religion) for every invented matter (in religion] is a cursed innovation which leads astray.”
Many Muslims have gone astray in their attempts to foster and kindle their love for their Prophet (ﷺ). In what follows, a summary of the most important areas of innovations is given:
Bid’ah in deifying him:
One such innovation that Muslims must avoid is to deify Muhammad (ﷺ). This is how Christians went astray with their belief in Jesus. After his death they, i.e., Christians, began to worship him as their god and left Tawheed that he brought them. Allah says about them: “They have certainly disbelieved who say that Allah is Christ, the son of Mary. Say, ‘Then who could prevent Allah at all if He had intended to destroy Christ, the son of Mary, or his mother or everyone on the earth?’” [5:17] Likewise, deifying Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) wuld throw a person into disbelief. Muhammad (ﷺ) was a servant and a worshipper of Allah. He was a Prophet and a Messenger. Allah says: “Muhammad is not but a messenger.” [3:144] Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) said: “Do not exaggerate in praising me as the Christians exaggerated in their praise of the son of Mary. Indeed I am but a servant of Allah. So say, ‘The servant of Allah and His Messenger.’
” We cannot claim that Muhammad (ﷺ) could tell the future, or could bring harm or benefit, or even guided anyone out of his own accord and will. These are things that only Allah knows and has the power to do. Muhammad (ﷺ) only knew what knowledge Allah revealed to him and he did not have the ability to decree anything. Allah says: “Say, “I do not know if what you are promised is near or if my Lord will grant for it a [long] period.” [He is] Knower of the unseen, and He does not disclose His [knowledge of the] unseen to anyone.” [72:25-6]
In keeping away from deifying the Prophet we must also accept his death. He was human and all humans must die. Allah says: “Indeed, you are to die, and indeed, they are to die.” [39:30]
Bid’ah through Istigatha:
Some Muslims have gone astray to the point of calling upon the Prophet (ﷺ) for help, instead of Allah. This is tantamount to Shirk, which Allah does not forgive. Allah says: “And do not invoke besides Allah that which neither benefits you nor harms you, for if you did, then indeed you would be of the wrongdoers.’” And if Allah should touch you with adversity, there is no remover of it except Him.” [10:106-7]
Bid’ah through Tawassul:
Another innovation that has become popular is making Tawassul by the Prophet (ﷺ).
The meaning of Tawassul is to draw near to what one seeks after, and to approach that which one desires. Allah says in the Qur’an: “O you who have believed, fear Allah and seek the means [of nearness] to Him and strive in His cause that you may succeed.” [5:35]
Three types of Tawassul are allowable in Islaam.
The first is by Allah’s names and attributes. The proof for this is the verse: “And to Allah belong the best names, so invoke Him by them.” [7:180] The meaning of this verse is: “Call upon Allah, the Most High, by means of [performing Tawassul with] His beautiful Names and Attributes.” Also the Prophet (ﷺ) used to seek Allah’s refuge with the words: “O Allah, I seek refuge in Your Might, none has the right to be worshipped but You.”
The second is by means of a righteous deed, which one has done. Allah says: “Those who say, “Our Lord, indeed we have believed, so forgive us our sins and protect us from the punishment of the Fire.’” [3:16] So it is allowed to use a righteous action that one has performed in one’s supplication as a means of Tawassul so that his supplication is more likely to be responded to.
The third is through supplications made by a righteous man, such as in going to a man whom one deems to be righteous and asking him to supplicate. There are numerous examples of this in the Sunnah of the Prophet (ﷺ). A man once came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and asked him to ask Allah for rain because they were having a drought. The Prophet did so and it rained heavily for a week. Then the same man came back and asked the Prophet (ﷺ) to ask Allah for the rain to stop and so the Prophet (ﷺ) asked Allah to divert the rain to the surroundings of Madinah and the clouds made a circle around Madinah and continued to rain.
After the Prophet’s death, Umar used to ask the Prophet’s uncle, Al-Abbas, to ask Allah for rain for them. None of the companions, as a matter of fact, supplicated to Allah for anything using as their Tawassul the right or the status of the Prophet (ﷺ) after his death. They understood that: “… a created being can only benefit another by means of his supplication or means of help while alive. So Allah, the Most High, loves that we seek nearness to Him by means of believing, righteous actions, sending Salaah and Salaam upon His Prophet (ﷺ) loving him, obeying him and allying ourselves with him. These are the things which Allah loves to see us seek nearness to Him by means of,” as explained by the scholar Ibn Taymiyah.
Bid’ah through Shafa’ah:
Some Muslims are now asking the Prophet for Shafa’ah. Shafa’ah is linguistically defined as: “The intercessor’s speaking to a king about a need which he is requesting for someone else, and the intercessor is the one seeking something for someone else, through whom he intercedes to attain what is desired,” So people ask the Prophet (ﷺ) to ask Allah to forgive them or to respond to their need. This was done during the Prophet’s lifetime but after his death his companions stopped doing this, and instead, they went to his uncle.
One might argue that prophets are alive in their graves, and therefore can respond to calls for intercession. The answer to this is that we have on record that: “… neither the Prophet (ﷺ) nor any of the prophets before him prescribed that the people should supplicate to the angels, the prophets, or the pious, nor that they should ask them to intercede for them, neither after their death, nor when they were absent,” as explained by the scholar Ibn Taymiyah.
Bid’ah through celebrations:
Other innovations, which have crept into the practices of Muslims, include the celebration of the Prophet’s birthday or the day of Hijrah. Celebrating these events has no place in the Sunnah of the Prophet (ﷺ) or in the religion of Islaam. Neither the Prophet (ﷺ) nor his companions celebrated these days. Celebrating the Prophet’s birthday is in fact: “… due to imitating the Christians in their celebrating Jesus’ birthday or due to a claimed love for the Prophet (ﷺ). These are the reasons behind it. To celebrate the Prophet’s birthday, even when many scholars dispute the date, is an innovated act the Salaf did not do. If this were a good act, then the Salaf would have done it before us,” as explained by the scholar Ibn Taymiyah.
Two celebrations have been prescribed for the Muslim nation, namely, Eid Al-Fitr and Eid Al-Adh-ha. Anas said: “The Prophet (ﷺ) came to Madinah and the people of Madinah had, before Islaam, two days for play and amusement. So the Prophet (ﷺ) said: ‘I came to you and you had in Jahileeyah two days for play and amusement. Indeed Allah has replaced them for you by that which is better than them: The day of Al-Adh-ha and the day of Fitr.’” Any religious celebration, other than these two, is innovation and has no part in this religion.
These innovations have no part in the religion but are a result of going to extremes in giving the Prophet (ﷺ) his rights. Certainly, the Prophet (ﷺ) has a high position of honor among us. But to deviate by adopting practices that go against his teachings is not an expression of love and respect, but rather an expression of disobedience that instead of giving the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) his rights, denies them to him.
A middle-of-the-road approach is what Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) taught us as Muslims, and this is precisely what we are asked to practice when we give the Prophet (ﷺ) his rights.
