Bid‘a
(Arab., ‘innovation’). Belief or practice for which there is no precedent in the
sunna
of Prophet
Mu
ammad
. Generally speaking, bid‘a as ‘innovation’ has a bad sense, since it implies unconsidered disruption of what God has revealed and intended in
Qur'
n
. However, jurists such as Im
m
al-Sh
fi‘i
recognized that allowances must be made for changes in environments and other conditions, and in the development of knowledge. He therefore taught that there were good and even necessary innovations as long as they did not contradict Qur'
n,
sunna
, and
ijm
‘
.
Big Wild Goose Pagoda
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