everyone who holds it permissible, or even recommends it, must be a misguided innovator. By no means; that is a baseless fancy and a grave misunderstanding. The kind of bidʿah (innovation) whose perpetrator is censured, and against which the prophetic traditions thunder, is only “a newly-invented practice in religion that resembles the Sharīʿah and is adopted in order to exaggerate one’s devotion to Allah, Exalted is He.” Whoever consciously introduces such an innovation, seeking thereby to intensify worship while knowing full well that it is not part of the sacred law, is the very person targeted by those hadiths. But the one who slips into an innovation unknowingly, without intending any excess in devotion, is not covered by those reports at all. They apply solely to the true innovators who block the spread of the Sunnah, deem every novelty acceptable without knowledge, guidance, or an illuminating Book—indeed, without even imitating the scholars of learning and remembrance—following only their whims and pandering to the populace.

Far be it from any of the scholars famed for their knowledge, integrity, piety, and sincerity—above all the four independent Imams, may Allah be pleased with them all—to be counted among such people. We are certain they were above approving an innovation out of zeal in worship; on the contrary, they explicitly forbade it, as we shall quote from their own words in our separate treatise on innovation, Allah willing.

Yes, one of them might occasionally fall into a juristic error, yet he is not reproached for that; rather, he is forgiven—and even rewarded—as we have stated repeatedly. ⦗42⦘