Bid‘ah (innovation) and maslahah mursalah (consideration of public interest); and the similarities and differences between them

Firstly: 

Al-Haafiz Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali (may Allah have mercy on him) gave a
comprehensive definition of bid‘ah (innovation) when he said:

If
anyone introduces something new and describes it as part of religion, when
it has no basis at all in religion, then it is misguidance and it has
nothing to do with religion. 

Jaami‘ al-‘Uloom wa al-Hukam
(2/128) 

So the
pillars (essential parts) of bid‘ah are as follows: 

1.It is something newly introduced

2.This newly introduced matter is described as part of the religion

3.This newly introduced matter has no basis or shar‘i proof. 

You
will find a detailed discussion of this matter in the answer to question no.
118225 

Please
see also the answers to questions no. 10843 and
128530 

Secondly: 

The
linguistic meaning of maslahah (translated above as (public) interest)
refers to something beneficial, whether it has to do with this world or the
hereafter. 

The
linguistic meaning of mursalah is general, pertaining to all. 

The
technical term maslahah mursalah refers to a benefit concerning which there
is no specific evidence of approval or disapproval. 

Shaykh
al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said, explaining the
meaning of maslahah mursalah: 

This
refers to a case where the mujtahid thinks that this action is more likely
to bring benefit and there is nothing in Islamic teaching to disallow it. 

Majmoo‘ al-Fataawa
(11/342, 343). 

Thirdly: 

Here
we will quote some scholarly discussions giving guidelines on the
differences and similarities between bid‘ahs (innovations) and cases of
maslahah mursalah (consideration of the public interest), with which we will
conclude our answer and hope that it will be beneficial and useful. 

Shaykh
Muhammad ibn Husayn al-Jeezaani (may Allah bless him) said: 

A.Similarities between bid‘ah and maslahah mursalah: 

1.Both bid‘ah and maslahah mursalah have to do with things that did not
occur at the time of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him),
especially in the case of maslahah mursalah, as in the case of bid‘ahs, they
were rare. However there may be some bid‘ahs – although this is rare – that
occurred during his time, as in the story of the three people who came to
ask about the worship of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon
him) [and they thought it was too little and that they had to strive
harder].

2.Both bid‘ah – as is usually the case – and maslahah mursalah have no
specific textual evidence, because all they can use for proof is texts that
are general in wording and meaning. 

B.Differences between bid‘ah and maslahah mursalah: 

1.What makes bid‘ah different is the fact that it only has to do with
rituals of worship and similar religious matters, unlike maslahah mursalah,
because maslahah mursalah is examined within a framework of rational
analysis and thought such that, if (a matter) is presented to people of
understanding they would accept it (on a purely rational basis), and it has
nothing to do with rituals of worship or similar shar‘i matters.

2.Another difference is that bid‘ah is intended in and of itself by
those who do it (and they have no reason beyond that). So they usually seek
to draw closer to Allah by doing it, and they never drift away from it. It
never occurs to give it up, because they think that their bid‘ah is superior
to any argument that could differ from it. This is unlike maslahah mursalah,
which is intended as a means to achieve some objectives and it is not done
for its own sake. Thus it comes under the heading of means, because it is
only prescribed as a means of attaining some of the goals of sharee‘ah. That
is indicated by the fact that this action may no longer be valid and will no
longer be of any value from a shar‘i point of view, once it has led to a
harm that outweighs any benefit (because it is not sought in and of itself).
In that case, it is not possible to examine bid‘ah from the same angle as
maslahah mursalah.

3.Another difference is that bid‘ah usually leads to an additional
burden on the worshipper and making things too strict, unlike maslahah
mursalah, which leads to a reduction of burdens and protects people from
hardship, or it leads to protection of something that is important to them.

4.Another difference is that bid‘ah is contrary to the aims of
sharee‘ah and undermines them, unlike maslahah mursalah which – in order for
it to be regarded as having value from a shar‘i point of view – must be in
harmony with the aims of sharee‘ah and must serve to achieve them, otherwise
it is not to be allowed.

5.If a maslahah mursalah did not occur at the time of the Prophet
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), that was only because the reason
for it was not there, or there were some impediments that prevented it from
occurring. This is unlike bid‘ah; if a bid‘ah did not happen at the time of
the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), that is in spite of
the fact that there may have been reasons or motives for it to occur and no
impediments. 

To sum
up: if the conditions of maslahah mursalah are met, it is the opposite of
bid‘ah and differs from it. Maslahah mursalah cannot be classified as
bid‘ah, otherwise – if that were to happen – it would become invalid and
would no longer be called maslahah mursalah; rather it would be called an
invalid maslahah or a harmful maslahah. 

Qawaa‘id Ma‘rifat al-Bida‘
(p. 19,20) 

And
Allah knows best.