EXPLAINING THE VERSE OF SURAH AL MAIDA QURAN [5:3] ABOUT THE PERFECTION AND COMPLETION OF THE DEEN
REGARDING THE VERSE OF SURAH MA'IDAH WHICH SAYS:
"Today I have perfected your din for you, completed My Blessing upon you, and have chosen for you Islam (as) din"
[Qur'an 5:3]
It means that Islamic Aqeeda is completed now. Any addition in Islamic beliefs [aqeeda] will be considered an evil innovation. Where as innovation in Fiqh or Hadiths [branch of sciences of hadiths , Fiqh is a new innovation as well] is a Good innovation and mustahab in most cases. Ahlus sunnah wa jammah interpret Quran and hadith is correct way so there no contradiction is present between the two. Unlike others.
When Prophet Mohammad (SAWS) appeared, the Islamic laws were made most comprehensive in the shape of Quran. Before that, the scriptures of other prophets did not contain so much details. The basics of Islam were completed during Prophet’s (SAWS) time. If a scientist tells us more details about the solar system and discovers new planets which were unknown to us, it will be treated as the development of science. But if someone says that the Sun has hands and eyes and ears, but these are not visible and not similar to human beings, he will be treated as a innovator, liar, because he is reporting against the fact of the matter. The same rules apply in religion. The basic faith of Islam is Allah (SWT) is one, independent and everything else is dependent upon Him. He is free from the limitations of face, body, limbs and direction. If a group of people say that Allah (SWT) has hands, eyes and face and other limitations, they will be treated as liars and will be counseled to change their attitude and come back to the truthful teachings of Islam. If they do not heed to the good counsel, they will see the consequence of their beliefs on the Day of Judgment.
Imam Ibn Kathir writes that the meaning of this verse is that:
"...they do not need any other religion or any other Prophet except Muhammad (peace & blessings be upon him)...Therefore, the permissible is what he allows, the impermissible is what he prohibits" [Tafsir ibn Kathir, under Qur'an 5:3]
What Ibn Kathir means here is the same, that do not invent new things which are contradictory to the Qur'an and Sunnah, by making haram into halal and vice versa, and follow the Prophet (peace & blessings be upon him) for he has made things clear.
Thus “an innovation would become a bad Bid’ah only, when it is in contradiction to any specific commandment of the holy Quran or specific hadith of holy Prophet (pbuh), in all other cases, the Bid’ah is termed as a good Bid’ah. Celebration of Moulid-un Nabi (SAW), U’rs and birthdays comes under the category of good Bid’ah, they cannot termed as bad Bid’ah, because, they do not contradict with any of the commandments of holy Quran and Hadith.”
There is an oft repeated concept held by some Muslims today, that any practice in religion that was not done by the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam or his companions should be rejected because our deen is completed. However one must go beyond slogans and oversimplifications and reach a correct opinion by examining the facts based upon the Qur’an and Sunnah. As we have seen, new practices are not rejected, but are accepted and even rewarded. However, the practice concerned should be compatible with the dictates of the Shari’ah, otherwise it will be rejected. The opinion of those who condemn any new act without qualification comes from a misunderstanding of the sources of the Qur’an and Hadith, for example by quoting passages out of context or without the true meaning. It is apparent that the classical scholars, who probably had a greater knowledge of Qur’anic or Hadith exegesis than any living person today decreed that newly introduced practices are allowed as long as they do not contradict the Qur’an or Sunnah. This stands in marked contrast to the opinion of many so-called learned people today. They should be careful of condemning an act as Haraam or prohibited if it is not specifically prohibited by the Qur’an or Sunnah, as judging a permissible act as Haraam may lead to Shirk. In fact, the introduction of new things into the deen ensures that Islam can apply itself to any given time and situation because ISLAM IS A PERFECT DEEN (As Allah swt said: "Today I have perfected your din for you, completed My Blessing upon you, and have chosen for you Islam (as) din" [Qur'an 5:3]) , and some new things have even been essential for its preservation and propagation.
[FOR MORE INFO VISIT: VIDEO: Concept of Bid'ah (In the Light of Qur'an and Sunna) by Dr. Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri : Session Two [ EXPLAINING THE VERSE OF SURAH MAIDA QURAN 5:3] {ABOUT TWO HOURS}