Hakikat Kitabevi Publications No: 10 answer to an enemy of islam

Ahl as-Sunnat wa ’l-Jamâ’a. The opposite of the bid’a in ’ibâdât
is called 
Sunnat al-hudâ. The former represents the belief of
Rasûlullah (sall-Allâhu alaihi wa sallam), and the latter are the
’ibâdât which he continously did but sometimes omitted and
which he did not prohibit others from omitting. Those which he
prohibited to omit are called 
wâjib. It is not sinful to omit a
sunnat hudâ without any excuse. He who omits them
continuously will be reproached on the Day of Resurrection.
Examples of them are the adhân, the iqâma, performing salât in
jamâ’a and the sunnas of the five daily prayers of salât. However,
if all the inhabitants of a location omit them, they are to be fought
against.
It is not heresy to do bid’as in customs. It is wara’ and better not
to do them. Building houses higher than necessary, eating until
being fully satiated, drinking coffee and tea, and smoking are
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bid’as in customs. We cannot say that these are harâm or makrûh.
A sultan’s commands and prohibitions compatible with Allâhu
ta’âlâ’s commands and prohibitions are valid. Obeying the orders
which he gives following his nafs and intellect are not wâjib, yet it
is not permissible to revolt against them. Moreover, it is wâjib to
obey a cruel sultan in order to be safe from his injustice and
oppression. For, it is not permissible for one to put oneself in
jeopardy. 
Ulu ’l-amr, whom the âyat commands Muslims to obey,
means the sultan, ruler or judge who is a Muslim. It is wâjib to
obey their right and equitable commands. The opposite of the
bid’as in customs is the 
sunnat az-zâ’ida which comprises
Rasûlullah’s (sall-Allâhu alahi wa sallam) habitual actions.
Examples of this are the mustahabs such as the styles of his
clothes, beginning with his right side when putting on his clothes
and dressing up, eating, drinking, giving and taking something with
his right hand, cleaning himself with his left hand after relieving
himself, and entering the toilet the left foot first. [As it is seen,
changes that take place in men’s and women’s clothing in the
process of time, their wearing clothes like those of sinners, are
bid’as in customs. Women’s dresses large enough to cover the
whole body other than their hands and faces are not bid’as in the
religion. Nor are they sinful. In using such coverings they must
follow the customs in their country. Using coverings and dresses
that are not customary will cause repute and fitna, both of which
are harâm.]
As it will be understood from what has been told so far, bid’a
generally, in its lexical sense, are of two kinds: bid’a in customs
and bid’a in the religion. When the word ‘bid’a’ is used alone,
bid’a in the religion is meant. And bid’as in the religion pertain to
belief and ’ibâdât. All of those pertaining to belief are sayyi’a.
And there are two kinds of bid’a in the ’ibâdât: sayyi’a and
hasana. Bida’ sayia are those bid’as which are in belief but do not
cause disbelief and those which are in ’ibâdât and do not serve
Islam. If a bid’a in belief causes disbelief it becomes ilhâd. Bida’
hasana are the innovations which serve Islam. They also are of
two kinds: mustahab and wâjib. The minaret is a bid’a hasana
which is mustahab. For, it is sunna for the muadhdhin to call the
adhân by mounting a high place. The minaret serves this sunna. [It
is not sunna to call the adhân with a voice louder than a man’s
natural voice. It is makrûh. Therefore, calling the adhân through
an electrical apparatus called a loudspeaker serves not the sunna,
but the makrûh. For this reason, using a loudspeaker is a bid’a
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sayyi’a and prevents the sunna of calling the adhân by mounting
the minaret. It is not commanded to make the call of the adhân
reach everywhere. It is commanded to raise the voice as loud as to
be heard in the quarter. It is commanded that Muslims should
build a mosque at every quarter and that the muadhdhin in every
mosque should mount a high place and call the adhân separately.
It is a bid’a sayyi’a, an ugly bid’a, for muadhdhins to call the adhân
through loudspeakers so that the adhân called at one place may
be heard in every quarter or to call it at one place and use
loudspeakers installed in all the mosques. Allâhu ta’âlâ declared,
“The religion has been perfected. It has been explained how
’ibâdât are to be done. Nothing is left incomplete.” And the Salaf
as-sâlihîn called the adhân and performed salât the same as
commanded for a thousand years. It would be an ugly bid’a to
dislike, or to find incomplete and unsatisfactory, what they did
and to attempt to call the adhân through loudspeakers or to
perform salât with loudspeakers. The hadîths above state that
none of the ’ibâdât of those who commit ugly bid’as will be
accepted, and that they will go to Hell. By ignoring Islam’s
command to build a mosque at every quarter, to try to defend the
bid’a of calling the adhân through loudspeakers under the pretext
that otherwise it is not heard everywhere means to try to wash
away faeces with urine. Yes, when washed off with urine, the
faeces will disappear, and the ignorant will like it. But the case is
that faeces spreads everywhere, and urine fouls the places it
touches.] The innovations that are bida’ hasana are permitted,
and even commanded, by the Shârî’, the Prophet (’alaihi ’s-
salâm).