# Is there such a thing as good bid'ah?

*Is there good and bad bid'ah? The question and a definition*

- URL: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/wirt3dxsvd8/s/1/
- Date: 2015-03-03 · Kind: lesson · Transcript tier: machine · Recording: Innovation in Islam? | Mufti Abu Layth alMaliki (0:01–1:58)
- Status: general teaching
- Watch from the start of the segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIrT3DXSvd8&t=1s
- Recording page: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/wirt3dxsvd8/

**Topics:** Legal theory and method; The Maliki school

**Summary (not a quotation; machine-made, unchecked):** Mufti Abu Layth frames the question of whether bid'ah divides into good and bad, defining it as innovation in religious matters, not worldly ones.

## Longer summary

Mufti Abu Layth opens with a question people repeatedly write to him about, though it has been answered on many forums: whether bid'ah has a division, that is, whether there is such a thing as good and bad bid'ah. He explains that people ask because certain controversial practices are classified as good bid'ah. For those unfamiliar with the topic he says bid'ah linguistically refers to innovation and here means a religiously innovated matter, something to do with the deen, not with worldly matters.

## Sources and names cited

- bid'ah (innovation in religion)

## Transcript (machine tier, 0:01–1:58)

[0:00] salam ala alaikum wa rahmatu who the ILA oberek Otto Thomas Allen we're taking a look at a question that comes time and time again it is one which people have often written to me about they've asked me they've asked many people and sometimes I've actually even thought that the is there much point into going into this discussion again since it has been repetitively answered on so many different forums on different whether

[0:40] it's Fattah well this courses and discussions nevertheless the question is on be da that can I shed some light on the understanding of Buddha does it have a division the division of Buddha is that valid so what this means so first of all let me simplify the question what that means is is there such thing as a good and bad Buddha right so and the reason people are asking is that there are certain practices at times which are

[1:19] considered somewhat controversial they have some controversy surrounding them and they are grouped and classified as a good bit ah so this is where just to give you some background where this is coming from for those of you for those of us who are completely unfamiliar with this topic a bit are linguistically is referring to an innovation an act of innovation within the Deen so we are talking about a religiously innovated matter not something which obviously is to do with the dunya talking about matters of the Deen and

[1:57] what is the ruling on them now first of all just to clarify the ruling traditionally there has been and I mean by traditionally classically there has been a divergent a kind of split which I suppose has led further down the path increased to some extent and then maybe also reunited the there was classically ace this divergence between the methods the method of Imam Malik Rahim Allah in my

## Cite

Mufti Abu Layth Archive, segment WIrT3DXSvd8/s/1. https://muftiabulayth.org/r/wirt3dxsvd8/s/1/

Not a fatwa: these answers were given to specific people at specific times. Ask a qualified scholar about your own situation.