Bid'ah and its Harmful Effects

WHAT IS BID'AH?
To include anything in religion not made so by Allah () or the Prophet  (sallallahu alayhi wasallam), or to do it with the hope of attaining merit or propinquity to Allah (), or to follow it with the same meticulous care as a religious observance is acted upon, amounts to bid'ah. It really means grafting of a man-made system to the Divine Order of laws or creation of a state within state.

Bid'ah has its own legalism with obligatory, commendable and voluntary observances which run parallel to the Divine Legislation and sometimes even exceed them in number and importance.

Bid'ah overlooks the fact that the Sharee'ah given by Allah () is complete and that no addition or alteration can now be made in it. Imaam Maalik  rahmatullahi alayh was correct in his remark when he said:
"Whoever introduces a Bid'ah in Islaam and also considers it a salutary act, in fact enunciates that the Prophet  (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) was (Allah forbid) () not faithful in preaching his message, for Allah () says: 'I have this day completed your religion.' Thus, whatever was not religion in the Prophet  (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) life-time cannot be deemed as religion today."
DEEN OF ALLAH -- PRACTICAL IN ALL TIMES