Benefits & Rulings:

➊ The phrase (فِيْ أَمْرِنَا) refers to religious and legal matters, or the commands of Allah and His Messenger ﷺ. That is why we have translated it as "religion." In religious matters — especially those related to acts of worship or beliefs — adding or removing anything based on personal opinion is termed "innovation" (bid‘ah). Concerning this, the Prophet ﷺ said: “Every innovation is misguidance.” (Saḥīḥ Muslim, Book of Jumu‘ah, Chapter on Shortening the Prayer and Khutbah, Hadith: 867) However, worldly matters such as clothing styles, regional methods of cooking, or the use of modern farming tools are not categorized under religious innovation — unless they clearly contradict established principles of Shariah. For example, wearing attire that does not fulfill the basic requirement of modesty or adopting dress associated specifically with non-Muslims would be impermissible.

➋ The phrase (فَهُوَ رَدٌّ) means "it is rejected." This implies that Muslims should not accept such an act; rather, they must refute it and prevent its practice. It also means that the act will not be accepted by Allah and, instead of reward, the person will incur sin for it.

➌ Any action from which the Prophet ﷺ refrained for a specific reason — even if he wished to perform it — is fundamentally permissible. Once the reason for refraining is no longer present, performing that action does not fall under innovation (bid‘ah). For instance, the Prophet ﷺ did not lead the Tarāwīḥ prayer throughout the entire month of Ramadan in congregation, fearing it might become obligatory upon his ummah. Likewise, during the Prophet’s lifetime, the companions did not compile the Qur’an into a single manuscript due to the ongoing revelation and possible abrogation of verses. After the Prophet ﷺ passed away, this concern ceased, and the companions compiled a standardized version of the Qur’an. Similarly, Caliph ‘Umar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb رضي الله عنه organized the congregational Tarāwīḥ prayer as a formal and regular practice.