1. What belief in Allah Entails
Recognizing Innovation

2. In order for our acts of worship to be accepted by Allah the following 2 conditions must exist:
1. The act must be done with the sincere intention of pleasing Allah alone
2. The act must be done the way the prophet (sa) legislated

3. How do we know if an action is an act of worship?
If it can be proved that the Prophet (sa) did the act
If it can be proved that any of his companions did the act
This prove is gathered from the authentic hadith books

4. There are 6 signs that may be indicative of an action being innovative.
If any of these signs exist, then you should immediately ask the person telling you of the act to please provide you with the evidence from the authentic sources proving that either the prophet did this or his companions.

5. The First warning sign – A certain cause or reason
When a person worships Allah with an act of worship linked to a cause or reason which is not legislated by Allah or the prophet then this is an innovation
An example of that is when people awaken on the seventeenth night of the month of Rajab saying that it was the night in which the Prophet ascended to the heavens.
The tahajjud prayer is indeed an act of worship but when it is linked to this reason it becomes an innovation because it is based and constructed upon a reason which is not established from the Shari'a

6. The second warning sign – A certain type or kind
It is also vital that the act of worship agrees with the Shari'a in its type. If a person was to worship Allah with an act of worship whose type or mode has not been legislated, it would not be accepted.
An example of that is when a man sacrifices a horse, his sacrifice would not be correct. Sacrifice is not performed except with lamb, cattle, sheep and camels.

7. The third warning sign – A certain quantity or number
If a person desired to increase the prayer (with respect to the number of rakahs) this would become an innovation which is not acceptable since it opposes the Shari'a in terms of quantity.
If a person was to pray Dhuhr with five rakahs for example, his prayer would not be correct nor accepted

8. The forth – A certain manner of performance
If a person was to perform wudhû by washing his feet first then wiping his head then his hands and then the face we would say: His wudhû is void as it is in opposition to the Shari'a in the manner of its performance.

9. The Fifth – A certain Time
If a man was to sacrifice an animal in the first days of Dhul-Hijjah the sacrifice would not be accepted due to its opposition to the Shari'a with respect to time. I have heard that some people sacrifice sheep during the month of Ramadân seeking nearness to Allah with this sacrifice.
This action is an innovation with respect to time because there is nothing by which a person draws nearer to Allah with sacrificing except the sacrifice of Adhâ, Aqeeqah and that which is given as a gift.
As for sacrificing in the month of Ramadân while believing that there is a reward for this sacrifice similar to the sacrifice on Eedul-Adhâ then that is an innovation.
And as for sacrificing merely for the meat then that is permissible.

10. The sixth- A certain Place
If a man was to perform I'tikâf in other than a mosque his I'tikâf would not be correct.
This is because I'tikâf is not to be performed except in the mosques.
Also If a woman was to say: I wish to perform I'tikâf in the place of prayer in the house, her I'tikâf would not be correct

11. There are some common Innovations that many of you indulge in such as:
Making wudoo every time one answers the call of nature
There is no daleel (evidence) to say that it is obligatory to do wudoo’ every time one passes wind, urine or stools, so long as one is not going to pray. In fact we have the following:
The Prophet came out of the toilet and food was brought to him. They said “Shall we bring you water to make wudoo’?”, and he said,
“I have only been commanded to do wudoo’ when I intend to pray.”
(Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, al-At’imah classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Sunan al-Tirmidhi,).

12. Wiping the hands over the face after Du'aa
It is not prescribed to wipe the face after making du’aa’. There are many ahaadeeth which describe how the Prophet called upon his Lord in du’aa’, and there is no proven report that he used to wipe his face after making du’aa’.
Those who say that the face should be wiped quoted some ahaadeeth as evidence, but upon further examination they are not suthentic, and do not support one another.

13. Setting a date to gather and read Quran for the dead
There is no indication in either the Qur’aan or the Sunnah that would prescribe these actions.
Based on this fact, these actions are bid‘ah (a reprehensible innovation) which is not permitted; we should avoid it and warn others not to do it.

14. Wearing gloves while changing a diaper
Changing the baby;s diaper does not affect the wudoo neither does touching the stoll or urine, nor the private parts.
It has been reported that there is scholarly consensus on this point, as stated in the book Al-Awsat by Ibn al- Mundhir (1/203).
All one has to do is wash one's hands to get rid of any naajis material.

15. Thus innovation is a most terrible thing and must be avoided
Thus innovation is a most terrible thing and must be avoided. The way to avoid it is by:
Seeking knowledge of the Sunnah
Surrounding yourself with righteous people
When in doubt ask the people of knowledge