Al-Shāṭibī (d. 790 AH) says that the labels “Ahl al-ahwāʾ” and “Ahl al-bidʿah” applies only to those who originate innovations, defend them, and argue for their correctness. It does not apply to the ʿawāmm (common people) unless they engage with such ideas by reasoning and judging for themselves.
He divides people into two categories: the mubtadiʿ (مُبْتَدِع) innovator, who invents or argues for the innovation, and the muqtadī bihi (مُقْتَدِي بِهِ) follower.
The mubtadiʿ (مُبْتَدِع) is the one truly deserving of the label, while the follower who supports and approves the innovation shares in the sin with the originator, though ordinary laypeople who merely imitate without reasoning are not counted among the people of innovation.
The one who deserves the label “Ahl al-ahwa” (people of desires) and “Ahl al-bidʿah” (people of innovation):
«إن لفظ: أهل الأهواء، وعبارة: أهل البدع؛ إنما تطلق حقيقة على الذين ابتدعوها، وقدموا فيها شريعة الهوى بالاستنباط، والنصر لها، والاستدلال على صحتها في زعمهم…»
“The term ‘people of desires’ and the phrase ‘people of innovation’ are in reality applied only to those who originated the innovation, who advanced it as a law of desire by deriving it, defending it, and arguing for its correctness in their view…”
We exclude the common people who only imitate:
«فلا يُطلق على العوام لفظ أهل الأهواء، حتى يخوضوا بأنظارهم فيها، ويحسنوا بنظرهم ويقبحوا.»
“The term ‘people of desires’ is not applied to the common folk, unless they themselves enter into it with their own reasoning, declaring things good or bad by their own judgment.”
The division of people in this matter:
«فحقيقة المسألة أنها تحتوي على قسمين: مبتدع ومقتد به.»
“The reality of the matter is that it contains two categories: the innovator and the one who follows him.”
The definition of an innovator:
«والمبتدع هو المخترع، أو المستدل على صحة ذلك الاختراع…»
“The innovator is the one who invents, or the one who argues for the correctness of that invention…”
The follower who supports and defends innovation:
«وكل من اتبع… في بدعته… مقلداً فيها على حكم الرضاء بها ورد ما سواها، فهو في الإثم مع من ابتدع.»
“And everyone who follows… in his innovation, imitating in it with approval of it and rejection of anything else, then he shares in the sin with the one who originated it.”
Translation: Al-Shāṭibī (d. 790 AH) says: Let us add more explanation here, for this is important, as it clarifies the real application of the book and what it contains of issues.
We say, with the help of Allah: The wording “people of desires” (Ahl al-ahwāʾ) and the expression “people of innovation” (Ahl al-bidʿah) are truly applied only to those who invented innovations, established in them a law of desires through their own deductions, defended them, and argued for their correctness in their claim, until their opposition was considered an opposition worth noting, and their doubtful arguments were seen as matters needing to be answered and refuted.
Just as we say regarding the labels of sects such as the Muʿtazilah, Qadariyyah, Murjiʾah, Khawārij, Bāṭiniyyah, and the like, that these are titles for those who established them, whether by inventing, supporting, or defending. Likewise Ahl al-Sunnah applies only to those who support, deduce according to it, and protect its boundaries.
This is supported by the saying of Allah, (إِنَّ الَّذِينَ فَرَّقُوا دِينَهُمْ وَكَانُوا شِيَعًا) “Indeed those who divided their religion and became sects” (al Anʿam 159).
This shows that the wording applies to those who carried out the act of dividing, and that is none but the originator or the one who stands in his place. The same applies to His saying, (وَلَا تَكُونُوا كَالَّذِينَ تَفَرَّقُوا وَاخْتَلَفُوا) “Do not be like those who divided and differed” (Aal Imran 105).
And His saying, (فَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ زَيْغٌ فَيَتَّبِعُونَ مَا تَشَابَهَ مِنْهُ) “As for those in whose hearts is deviation, they follow what is ambiguous in it” (Aal Imran 7). Following the ambiguous is specific to the one who assumes the role of a mujtahid, not others.
Also the saying of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, “Until when no scholar remains, people will take ignorant leaders. They will be asked and they will give verdicts without knowledge. They will go astray and lead others astray.” This is because they put themselves in the place of deriving legal rulings to be followed in them.
This is unlike the common people, for they follow what has been established with their scholars, as this is their obligation. They are not truly followers of the ambiguous nor followers of desires. Rather, they follow what is said to them, whatever it may be.
Therefore, the wording “people of desires” is not applied to the common people until they begin to investigate with their own opinions, considering things good and bad on that basis.
At this point, the wording “people of desires” and “people of innovation” has a single meaning. It refers to those who stand up to invent innovations and promote them over others. As for those who are heedless of this, and who follow their leaders only by imitation without thinking, they are not included.
The reality of the matter is that it contains two groups, the innovator and the one who follows him.
The follower, simply by following, is not included in the wording, for he is in the ruling of one who merely imitates.
The innovator is the one who invents, or the one who argues for the correctness of that invention. It makes no difference whether that argument is by specialised reasoning in knowledge or by a general kind of reasoning. Allah the Exalted condemned those who said, “Indeed we found our forefathers upon a religion, and indeed we are guided by their footsteps” (al Zukhruf 22). It is as if they used as a general proof their fathers, whom they considered intelligent, and since they were upon this religion, it must be correct, for had it been false, they would not have adopted it.
This is like those who argue for the correctness of an innovation by the practice of the shaykhs or of those pointed to for their piety, without considering whether they are people of ijtihad in the Sharia or of imitation, or whether they act with knowledge or with ignorance.
Such an argument is still counted as reasoning in a general way, since it is taken as the basis of following desires and discarding other than it. Whoever takes this path has taken innovation as his proof and entered into the label of people of innovation. It was required of such a one that if the truth comes to him, he examines it, waits, asks, until it becomes clear to him, then follows the truth and avoids falsehood.
For this reason Allah said, refuting those who argued in that way, (قُلْ أَوَلَوْ جِئْتُكُمْ بِأَهْدَى مِمَّا وَجَدتُّمْ عَلَيْهِ آبَاءَكُمْ) “Say, even if I bring you better guidance than what you found your fathers upon?” (al Zukhruf 24). And in another verse, (وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمُ اتَّبِعُوا مَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ قَالُوا بَلْ نَتَّبِعُ مَا أَلْفَيْنَا عَلَيْهِ آبَاءَنَا) “When it is said to them, follow what Allah has revealed, they say, rather we follow what we found our fathers upon.”
Allah said, (أَوَلَوْ كَانَ آبَاؤُهُمْ لَا يَعْقِلُونَ شَيْئًا وَلَا يَهْتَدُونَ) “Even if their fathers understood nothing and were not guided?” (al Baqara 170). And in another verse, (أَوَلَوْ كَانَ الشَّيْطَانُ يَدْعُوهُمْ إِلَى عَذَابِ السَّعِيرِ) “Even if Shaytan calls them to the punishment of the blazing fire?” (Luqman 21). And there are many similar examples.
The sign of one whose case is like this is that he rejects what opposes his madhhab with whatever doubtful proof he can find, whether detailed or general, and clings to what he is upon without considering anything else.
This is pure following of desires, and when following desires becomes clear, then he is truly blameworthy and bears the sin. For one who is sincere leans toward the truth wherever he finds it and does not reject it. This is the habit of one who seeks the truth. For this reason, those who investigated carefully hastened to follow the Messenger of Allah when the truth became clear to them.
If he does not find anything except what has reached him of the innovation, and he does not join the obstinate ones, but he practises it, then if we say that the people of the interval are punished absolutely if they follow an originator among them, then the followers of innovators who do not find a person of truth are also held accountable.
If we say that they are not punished until a messenger is sent to them, even if they practised disbelief, then these are also not held accountable so long as no one of truth is present. When one of truth is present, then they are accountable, because they face two options, either to follow him in the way of truth and leave what they were upon, or not to follow him. If they do not follow him, then some form of obstinacy and partisanship is necessary, and then they fall under the wording “people of desires” and are sinful.
Every person who followed Bayān ibn Samʿān in his innovation, which continued among the scholars, while imitating him and being content with it and rejecting other than it, then he shares in the sin with him. For he claimed that his god is in the form of a human being, that all of him perishes except his face, and that the spirit of the god entered into Ali, then into another, then another, until it entered into Bayān himself.
Likewise, those who followed al-Mughira ibn Saʿid al-ʿAjali, who claimed prophethood for a time, claimed that he could raise the dead with the greatest name, and claimed that his god had bodily members represented in the letters of the alphabet in a manner that makes the heart of a believer recoil, along with other heresies.
Also, those who followed the Mahdi al-Maghribi, to whom many of the innovations of the Maghrib were attributed, they also fall under the name and the sin of those they followed, if they stood as defenders and arguers for them.
May Allah protect us from partisanship without insight into the truth, by His grace and His mercy.
Al-Iʿtiṣām By Al-Shāṭibī (d. 790 AH) Pages 212-216
