Translation by Aboo Khadeejah al-Atharee (2014), as culled from the book, Innovations, Inventions and Baseless Matters in Islaam, A Compilation Work of Mahmood Bn Abdillaah Al Matar, published by Daar Ibn Khuzaymah 

It is not doubtful that adherence to the Kitaab and Sunnah is the salvation against falling into Bid’ah and perversion. Allaah - The Exalted – says:

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"And Verily, This (i.e. Allaah’s Commandments mentioned In the above two Verses 151 and 152) is My Straight path, so follow it, and follow not (other) paths, for they will separate you away from his Path. (Al An’aam: 153).

The Prophet of Allaah (salla laahu alayhi wa aalihee wa sallam) has explained that in the narration of Ibn Mas’ood (may Allaah bestow His mercy on him) who said: ‘the Messenger of Allaah (salla llaahu alayhi wa aalihee wa sallam) drew a line with his hand and said: “This is the forthright path of Allaah”. He also make other marks by its left and right sides and said: “These are paths and there is none among them except that there is a Shaytaan upon it making invitation to it.” He then recited the following verse:

وَأَنَّ هَذَا صِرَاطِي مُسْتَقِيمًا فَاتَّبِعُوهُ وَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا السُّبُلَ فَتَفَرَّقَ بِكُمْ عَنْ سَبِيلِهِ ذَلِكُمْ وَصَّاكُمْ بِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ (153)

‘And verily, this (i.e. Allaah’s Commandments mentioned in the above two verses 151 and 152) is my straight path, so, follow it, and follow not (other) paths, for they will separate you away from His path.  This He has ordained for you that you may become Al-Muttaqûn (the pious) (Al An’aam: 153)’ [1]

Whoever turns away from the Kitaab and Sunnah and dissents into other defiant paths and innovated matters, the cause leading to the appearance of Bid’ah could summarized in the following issues; Ignorance of the rulings of matters of the Deen, self desire, fanaticism to ideologies and personalities and imitation of the disbelievers. The followings are some elaborations as regards the above mentioned:

1 - Ignorance about the Rulings concerning Matters in the Deen: The later the period and the distancing of the people to the impacts of the mesaage, the lesser the knowledge and the more pronounced is ignorance as the Prophet (salla laahu alayhi wa aalihee wa sallam) informed as in his saying: ‘whoever would live long among you shall witness a lot of discrepancies’[2]. He (salla llaahu alayhi wa aalihee wa sallam) also says: ‘Verily, Allaah does not withdraw knowledge by seizure from His slaves. However, He withdraws it by the death of the scholars such that when there remain no scholars, people will take the ignorant ones as their leaders. They will be asked questions (concerning the matters in the Deen) and they will give verdicts without knowledge. They are perverted and will lead others into perversity ’[3]. Nothing can challenge innovation except knowledge and the scholars and as such, in the absence of knowledge and the scholars, innovation spreads and its people gain strength.

2 – Self Desire: He who turns away from the Kitaab and the Sunnah will unavoidably follow hios lself-desires as Allaah - The Exalted – says:

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‘But if they answer You not (i.e. do not believe in your doctrine of Islaamic Monotheism, nor follow you), Then know that they only follow their own lusts. And who is more astray than one who follows his own lusts without guidance from Allaah? Verily! Allaah guides not the people who are Zâlimûn (wrong-doers, disobedient to Allâh, and polytheists).’(Al Qasas: 50)

Allaah - The Exalted – also says:

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