Innovation in the religion is returned to its introducer.
Narrated by ʿĀʾishah (عائشة)
مَنْ أَحْدَثَ فِي أَمْرِنَا هَٰذَا مَا لَيْسَ مِنْهُ فَهُوَ رَدٌّ
"Whoever introduces into this matter of ours something that is not from it — it is rejected."
A foundational legal principle. The scholars derived from this that religious practice is restricted to what the Prophet ﷺ taught — one cannot invent new acts of worship and then claim they are praiseworthy. The hadith is a check on sincere but misguided piety.
Passages that draw on this hadith
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"Regarding the prophetic traditions, the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, Marriage is my sunnah. Whoever turns away from my sunnah is not of me. He also said, Marriage is my sunnah. Whoever loves my nature should follow my sunnah."
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"And every innovation is a bid'ah, and every bid'ah is a bid'ah. is a misguidance. Let not the passage of time harden your hearts. Behold, everything that is coming is near, and indeed, what is far is what is not coming."
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"Second is the sunnah of Dhuhr, which is six rakahs, two thereafter, which are also an emphasized sunnah, and four before it, which are also sunnah, though less emphasized than the two after. Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated from the Prophet, peace be upon him,"
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"sunnah, recommended, and voluntary. By sunnah, we mean those practiced regularly by the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, such as post-prayer sunnahs, duha, witr, night prayer, and others. Sunnah describes a well-trodden path. By recommended, we mean what has been"
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"is the call to the Sunnah, and from the Sunnah is to abandon all doubt. argumentation in calling to it. Abu Umama al-Bahili reported from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, that he said, no people go astray after having been guided, except they are given to argumentation."
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"makes all other pleasures in paradise forgotten. We have discussed its reality in the Book of Love. The Book and the Sunnah attest to it, contrary to the beliefs of the people of innovation. Jarir ibn Abdullah al-Bajali said, We were sitting with the Messenger of God, peace be"
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"His Messenger has brought and follow the Sunnah of the predecessors, believing in the entirety of what the Book and the Sunnah have brought without questioning or probing for detail. Rather, they should say, We believe and we affirm, and they should focus on piety, avoiding"
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"God bless you. How are you? God make you right.'" If we followed their saying, it would be an innovation with no grace. They might get angry with us if they wished or not. He noted this because beginning with, "'How did you begin the morning?' is considered an innovation."
More on foundations
- The first hadith — the inner measure of every deed."Actions are only by intentions, and every person shall have only what they intended."
- The religion in three words: Islam, Īmān, Iḥsān."Islam is that you bear witness that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah, establish the prayer, give zakāt, fast Ramadan, and make pilgrimage to the House if you are able. Īmān is that you believe in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, the Last Day, and in divine decree — its good and its bitter. Iḥsān is that you worship Allah as though you see Him; and if you do not see Him, He sees you."
- The five pillars."Islam is built on five: the testimony that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah; the establishment of prayer; the paying of zakāt; the pilgrimage to the House; and fasting Ramadan."
- The soul and the decree written in the womb."The creation of each of you is gathered in the womb of their mother for forty days as a drop, then a clinging thing for the same period, then a lump of flesh for the same period. Then the angel is sent, who breathes the soul into it, and is commanded to write four things: its provision, its term of life, its deeds, and whether it will be wretched or blessed."