ভূমিকা

Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books Wahabism At The Crossroads Section 5: Obduracy in accepting any innovation The founder of the Wahhabi creed campaigned against all sorts of heresy, something that fundamentally was not denied by the other Islamic sects, because they all wholly rejected the heresies in religion.[^1] But he committed a grave mistake in the meaning of heresy, and for this reason he led a campaign against anything that was new. What is meant by heresy?

Is every novel issue, every new invention heresy? Should we campaign against every new man-made invention and call a bicycle the steed of Satan and refrain from it, shred to pieces the telephone line that connects the palace of the Saudi king to the central army?! They regarded as forbidden photographic cameras and their sale and purchase was banned until recently, and the the head of the Taliban, Mulla Omar , never allowed himself to be photographed.

He opposed educating girls and women even in his own special schools, considered Haram (forbidden) the driving of women even with full Hijab (covering), and considered and forbid as heresy the celebration ceremonies on the Prophet's (S) birth and other similar events! They condemn all other Sunni and Shia Muslims for committing this logical and humanistic act! Certainly, according to prominent jurist-consults and the scholars of Jurispridence[^2], heresy has a different meaning.

"Heresy"[^3] has its own particular interpretation, which is: "Heresy means to include that which is not from religion into religion" [^4] Certainly no body makes use of the new inventions such as bicycle, telephone, picture camera and computer… for being an obligatory[^5] affair or a recommended[^6] religious practice, but just as an ordinary matter, like different kinds of food, clothing and buildings that change with the passage of time and take on a new form.

Some acts that we perform are conventional acts, which are not related to religion, akin to the examples mentioned above: disparity in clothing fashions, means of travelling, domestic goods, foods, rituals and habits. Heresy (Bid'ah) implying beneficial innovations in these matters is certainly a very admirable act and is an indication of the development of human civilization, therefore neither is a bicycle Satan's steed nor a picture camera Satan's eye.