An-Nawawi's Forty Hadith (05): Abolishing Evil Deeds and Religious Innovations

The fifth hadith of An-Nawawi's Forty Hadith highlights a crucial principle in Islam: the rejection of every action that contradicts the teachings of the Prophet ﷺ. This hadith, narrated by Aishah رضي الله عنها, warns against introducing religious innovations (bid'ah) and emphasizes the obligation to abolish evil deeds (munkarat). In this article, we explore the meaning and lessons of this hadith based on Tuhfatus Saniyah Syarah Arba'in Nawawiyah by Shaykh Khalid Mahmud Al-Juhani. Understanding this hadith strengthens our commitment to following the pure Sunnah and protecting our faith from distortion and deviation.

إِبْطَالُ الْمُنْكَرَاتِ، وَالْبِدَعِ

إِبْطَالُ (The nullifying / abolishing) | الْمُنْكَرَاتِ (of evil deeds / wrong actions) | وَ (and) | الْبِدَعِ (innovations in religion)

ABOLISHING EVIL DEEDS AND RELIGIOUS INNOVATIONS

عَنْ عَائِشَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهَا قَالَتْ:

From Aishah[1] (may Allah be pleased with her), she said:

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ:

The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

مَنْ أَحْدَثَ فِي أَمْرِنَا هَذَا مَا لَيْسَ مِنْهُ فَهُوَ رَدٌّ

Whoever introduces[2] something into this matter of ours[3] that is not from it,[4] it[5] will be rejected.[6]

رَوَاهُ الْبُخَارِيُّ وَمُسْلِمٌ

رَوَاهُ (Narrated it) | الْبُخَارِيُّ (Al-Bukhari) | وَمُسْلِمٌ (and Muslim).

Narrated by Al-Bukhari (2697) and Muslim (1718).

وَفِي رِوَايَةٍ لِمُسْلِمٍ:

وَفِي (And in) | رِوَايَةٍ (a narration) | لِمُسْلِمٍ (by Muslim):

And in a narration by Muslim (1718):

مَنْ عَمِلَ عَمَلًا لَيْسَ عَلَيْهِ أَمْرُنَا فَهُوَ رَدٌّ

Whoever does an action that is not in accordance with our command, it will be rejected.

LESSONS FROM HADITH 05

Lessons that can be taken from hadith 05 of An-Nawawi’s Forty Hadith are below:

تَحْرِيمُ إِحْدَاثِ شَيْءٍ فِي دِينِ اللَّهِ، وَلَوْ كَانَتِ النِّيَّةُ حَسَنَةً

1 – The prohibition of introducing anything into the religion of Allah, even with good intentions.

الْعِبَادَةُ إِذَا فُعِلَتْ عَلَى خِلَافِ الشَّرْعِ تَكُونُ مَرْدُودَةً

2 – If an act of worship is done contrary to the Sharia, it will be rejected.

الْبِدْعَةُ هِيَ إِحْدَاثُ مَا لَيْسَ فِي الدِّينِ

3 – Bid‘ah (innovation) is to introduce something that is not part of the religion.

مَنْ ابْتَدَعَ فِي الدِّينِ بِدْعَةً كَانَ إِثْمُهَا عَلَيْهِ، وَإِثْمُ مَنْ عَمِلَ بِهَا

4 – Whoever introduces an innovation in the religion bears its sin and the sin of those who practice it.

تَقْرِيرُ أَحَدِ شَرْطَيِ العِبَادَةِ، وَهُوَ المُتَابَعَةُ لِلرَّسُولِ ﷺ

5 – Affirming one of the two conditions of worship, which is following the Messenger ﷺ.

كُلُّ الْبِدَعِ فِي دِينِ اللَّهِ بَاطِلَةٌ، فَلَا يُوجَدُ بِدْعَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ

6 – All innovations in the religion of Allah are false; there is no such thing as a good innovation.

إِبْطَالُ جَمِيعِ الْعُقُودِ الْمَنْهِيِّ عَنْهَا، وَعَدَمُ وُجُودِ ثَمَرَتِهَا الْمُتَرَتِّبَةِ عَلَيْهَا

7 – The invalidation of all prohibited contracts, and the absence of their consequent outcomes.

ADDITIONAL LESSONS

شُرُوطُ قَبُولِ الْعِبَادَةِ A - Conditions for Accepting Worship:

قَالَ الْعُلَمَاءُ: لَا تُقْبَلُ الْعِبَادَةُ إِلَّا بِشَرْطَيْنِ: الشَّرْطُ الْأَوَّلُ: الْإِخْلَاصُ فِيهَا لِلْمَعْبُودِ:

The scholars said, “Worship is only accepted with two conditions:”

The first condition: Sincerity in it for the One being worshipped.

وَالْإِخْلَاصُ هُوَ التَّنْقِيَةُ، وَالْمُرَادُ بِهِ أَنْ يَقْصِدَ الْعَبْدُ بِعِبَادَتِهِ وَجْهَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، وَمَرْضَاتَهُ، وَالْفَوْزَ بِجَنَّتِهِ فَلَا يَقْبَلُ اللَّهُ مِنَ الْعَمَلِ إِلَّا الْخَالِصَ لِوَجْهِهِ سُبْحَانَهُ.

Sincerity means purification, and its intended meaning is that the servant, through his worship, seeks the Face of Allah Almighty, His pleasure, and attaining His Paradise. Allah does not accept an action except that it is purely done for His sake.

Allah Almighty said:

«وَمَا أُمِرُوا إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ الدِّينَ»

"And they were not commanded except to worship Allah, [being] sincere to Him in religion," [QS Al-Bayyinah: 5].

And He (Allah) said:

﴿أَلَا لِلَّهِ الدِّينُ الْخَالِصُ﴾

"Unquestionably, for Allah is the pure religion," [QS Az-Zumar: 3].

And He (Allah) said:

﴿قُلِ اللَّهَ أَعْبُدُ مُخْلِصًا لَّهُ دِينِي﴾

"Say, 'Allah alone do I worship, sincere to Him in my religion,'" [QS Az-Zumar: 14].

الشَّرْطُ الثَّانِي: المُتَابَعَةُ لِلرَّسُولِ ﷺ. فَلَا يَقْبَلُ اللهُ مِنَ العَمَلِ إِلَّا المَوَافِقَ لِهَدْيِ الرَّسُولِ ﷺ.

The second condition: Following the Messenger ﷺ. Allah does not accept any deed except that which is in accordance with the guidance of the Messenger ﷺ.

Allah the Exalted said:

﴿وَمَا آتَاكُمُ الرَّسُولُ فَخُذُوهُ وَمَا نَهَاكُمْ عَنْهُ فَانْتَهُوا﴾

"And whatever the Messenger has given you - take; and what he has forbidden you - refrain from," [QS Al-Hashr: 7].

And He the Exalted said:

﴿فَلَا وَرَبِّكَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ حَتَّى يُحَكِّمُوكَ فِيمَا شَجَرَ بَيْنَهُمْ ثُمَّ لَا يَجِدُوا فِي أَنْفُسِهِمْ حَرَجًا مِمَّا قَضَيْتَ وَيُسَلِّمُوا تَسْلِيمًا﴾

"But no, by your Lord, they will not [truly] believe until they make you, [O Muhammad], judge concerning that over which they dispute among themselves and then find within themselves no discomfort from what you have judged and submit in [full, willing] submission," [QS An-Nisa: 65].

And from Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) who said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

«مَنْ أَحْدَثَ فِي أَمْرِنَا هَذَا مَا لَيْسَ مِنْهُ فَهُوَ رَدٌّ» أَيْ مَرْدُودٌ عَلَيْهِ.

"Whoever introduces into this matter of ours (Islam) that which is not part of it, it will be rejected." Meaning, it will be returned to him.

Regarding the verse of Allah Almighty:

لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ أَيُّكُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلًا

That He may test you as to which of you is best in deed, [QS Al-Mulk: 2. QS Hud: 7],

Al-Fudayl ibn 'Iyad, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

أَخْلَصُهُ وَأَصْوَبُهُ

The most sincere and the most correct.

He was also asked, “O Abu Ali, what is the most sincere and the most correct?” He said:

إِنَّ الْعَمَلَ إِذَا كَانَ خَالِصًا، وَلَمْ يَكُنْ صَوَابًا لَمْ يُقْبَلْ، وَإِذَا كَانَ صَوَابًا، وَلَمْ يَكُنْ خَالِصًا لَمْ يُقْبَلْ حَتَّىٰ يَكُونَ خَالِصًا صَوَابًا. وَالْخَالِصُ مَا كَانَ لِلَّهِ، وَالصَّوَابُ مَا كَانَ عَلَى السُّنَّةِ

Indeed, the deed if it is sincere but not correct, it will not be accepted, and if it is correct but not sincere, it will not be accepted until it is sincere and correct. The sincere is what is for Allah, and the correct is what is according to the Sunnah, [Hilyah Al-Aulia: 8/95].

خَطَرُ البِدْعَةِ

B – The Danger of Innovation

Innovation (bid'ah) implies that the Shariah is incomplete, and this contradicts the words of Allah the Almighty:

ٱلْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ وَأَتْمَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعْمَتِى وَرَضِيتُ لَكُمُ ٱلْإِسْلَٰمَ دِينًا

This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favor upon you and have approved for you Islam as your religion, [QS Al-Ma'idah: 3].

Al-Hafiz Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

This is the greatest blessing that Allah, the Almighty, has bestowed upon this nation, as He has perfected their religion for them. Thus, they do not need any religion other than it, nor any prophet other than their Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). That is why Allah made him the Seal of the Prophets and sent him to both mankind and jinn. There is no lawful thing except what he has made lawful, and there is no prohibited thing except what he has prohibited. There is no religion except what he has legislated. Everything he has informed us of is true—there is no falsehood or contradiction in it, [Tafsir Ibnu Katsir: 3/26].

أَهَمِّيَّةُ الْحَدِيثِ

C – The Importance of the Hadith

Ibn Daqiq al-'Id, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

هَذَا الْحَدِيثُ قَاعِدَةٌ عَظِيمَةٌ مِنْ قَوَاعِدِ الدِّينِ، وَهُوَ مِنْ جَوَامِعِ الْكَلِمِ الَّتِي أُوتِيَهَا الْمُصْطَفَى ﷺ، فَإِنَّهُ صَرِيحٌ فِي رَدِّ كُلِّ بِدْعَةٍ، وَكُلِّ مُخْتَرَعٍ

This hadith is a great principle of the principles of religion, and it is one of the comprehensive words given to the chosen one (ﷺ), for it is explicit in rejecting every innovation and every invention, [Sharh Al-Arbain An-Nawawi li ibni Daqiq Al-Ied: 41].

Imam al-Nawawi, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

هَذَا الْحَدِيثُ مِمَّا يَنْبَغِي حِفْظُهُ، وَاسْتِعْمَالُهُ فِي إِبْطَالِ الْمُنْكَرَاتِ، وَإِشَاعَةِ الِاسْتِدْلَالِ بِهِ

This hadith is one that should be memorized and used to nullify evils and to spread the use of it as evidence, [Sharh Sahih Muslim li An-Nawawi: 12/16].

In conclusion, the fifth hadith of An-Nawawi's Forty Hadith serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of preserving the purity of Islamic teachings by rejecting evil practices and religious innovations. By following the authentic Sunnah and staying away from actions that have no basis in the Shari’ah, Muslims protect their faith and uphold the integrity of Islam. The insights from Tuhfatus Saniyah Syarah Arba'in Nawawiyah by Shaykh Khalid Mahmud Al-Juhani help us apply this hadith to our daily lives with clarity and sincerity. May Allah guide us to remain steadfast on the true path of His Messenger ﷺ. Wallahua’lam

Sukoharjo, 5 April 2025

Irfan Nugroho (May Allah forgive his sins, accept his deeds, and grant his duas. Amen).

EXPLANATION

[1] Who is Aishah? Here’s a brief about her:

هِيَ أُمُّ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ الصِّدِّيقَةُ بِنْتُ أَبِي بَكْرٍ الصِّدِّيقِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا، تَزَوَّجَهَا النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بِمَكَّةَ فِي شَوَّالِ سَنَةِ عَشْرَةٍ مِنَ النُّبُوَّةِ، وَبَنَى بِهَا بِالْمَدِينَةِ فِي شَوَّالٍ مِنَ السَّنَةِ الْأُولَى مِنَ الْهِجْرَةِ.

She is the Mother of the Believers, the truthful daughter of Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with them. The Prophet, peace be upon him, married her in Mecca in Shawwal of the tenth year of prophethood, and consummated the marriage with her in Medina in Shawwal of the first year of Hijra.

[2] Whoever introduces means:

ابْتَدَعَ، وَاخْتَرَعَ شَيْئًا لَيْسَ لَهُ أَصْلٌ

Innovated or invented something that has no basis.

[3] Into this matter of ours means:

دِينِنَا وَشَرِيعَتِنَا

In our religion and our law.

[4] That is not from it means:

مِنَ الدِّينِ مِمَّا يُنَافِيهِ وَيُنَاقِضُهُ، بِأَن لَا يَشْهَدُ لَهُ شَيْءٌ مِنْ أَدِلَّةِ الشَّرْعِ، وَقَوَاعِدِهِ العَامَّةِ

From the religion that contradicts and opposes it, as nothing from the evidence of the law and its general principles supports it.

[5] It means:

الْأَمْرُ الْمُحْدَثَاتُ

The invented matters.