Importance of Knowledge to avoid Bid'ah
Knowing what is in the Qur’an and Sunnah helps us from falling
into bid’ah. Muhammad (saw) warned us about what will happen
when we do not have knowledge. He (saw) said, "Allah does not
erase knowledge by erasing the knowledge from slaves. Rather
He erases knowledge through the death of scholars. When He
leaves (the earth) without scholars, people will take the
ignorant as
leaders. They will be asked and then give religious rulings
without knowledge. Then they will be led, and will lead
(others) astray."
(Ahmad)
Allah warns us about blindly following somebody."When it is
said to them, ‘Follow what Allah has sent down.’ They say,
‘No!We
shall follow what we found our fathers following. What! Even
though their fathers were void of knowledge and guidance?’
(Al-Baqarah 2:170)
Allah also says (what means):"If you were to follow most of
them on earth they will lead you away from the way of Allah.
They
follow nothing but conjecture, they do nothing but lie." (Al-Anam
6:116)
So whenever we do an act pertaining to Islam, we should know
why we are doing that act. We should know the proofs from the
Qur’an and the Sunnah to save ourselves and to better educate
people.
We might find people opposing us if we turn away from customary
acts and other deeds (such as Mawlid (Milad), having 786 as
Bismilllah Hir Rahman Nir Raheem, saying one’s intention out
loud before prayer, etc.) which people have incorporated with
Islam,
but we know Muhammad (Saw) said the following: "Islam started
as something strange, and it would go back to being strange, so
good tidings for the strangers." (Muslim) and in another
narration, "So give glad tidings to the strangers, those who
put right what the
people have corrupted of my Sunnah." (Tirmidhi)