How is the concept of Bida'ah reconciled with the following hadeeth, which is apparently 'authentic':

If anyone establishes a good Sunnah in Islam he will have a reward for it and the equivalent of the reward of those who act upon it after him without theirs diminishing in any respect. But he who establishes a bad Sunnah in Islam will bear the responsibility of it and the responsibility of those who act upon it after him without theirs being diminished in any respect. [Reported by Jarir transmitted by Muslim]

Is there a flaw in the narration of this particular hadeeth? If this hadeeth is taken out of context, to which context does it refer?

salaam `alaykum

Razwan

The narratives ascribed to the Prophet (pbuh) should be seen and interpreted in the light of the general overall corpus and teachings of Islam.

In the referred narrative, the word "Sunnah" is used in its literal meaning, rather than as a religious term. Thus, "establishing a good Sunnah" should more accurately have been rendered as "initiating a good tradition".

Seen in the light of the foregoing clarification, the referred narrative of the Prophet (pbuh) implies that if a person initiates a good tradition, which, later on, finds the general acceptance of the society, then the initiator of such a tradition shall not only be rewarded for his own actions but shall also be rewarded for the actions of those, who followed his 'good tradition'. On the contrary, if a person initiates a 'bad tradition', then he shall not only be punished for his own wrong actions but shall also have to share the burden of those, who followed his path.

From a practical perspective, the information entailed in the cited narrative relates to the allowable scope of activities, not to the corpus of Islam. Thus, an example of setting a 'good tradition' can, for instance, be the initiation of sessions for the study and comprehension of the Qur'an.

I hope this helps.

Regards,

Moiz Amjad
January 8, 2002