The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (402 page)

BOOK: The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions
12.27Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
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
:
see
SIAN
.
Bihbah
n
, Vahid
(Aqa Mu
ammad Baqir ibn Mu
ammad Akmal
,

Other books

SEALs of Honor: Dane by Dale Mayer
All in Time by Ciana Stone
Shatter by Michael Robotham
Out of Control by Roy Glenn
Snowy Encounters by Clarissa Yip
Taken by the Con by C.J. Miller
The Mysterious Maid-Servant by Barbara Cartland