Are All Deeds of Innovators Rejected?
Question

                I read the question on your website about praying behind a person who commits innovations (bid’ah) in which you said that it is permissible to pray behind that innovator whose innovation doesn’t involve shirk. But I went through this hadeeth in Ibn Majah and Darmi which states that the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “ Allah doesn’t accept the fast and prayers and sadaqah (charity) and other voluntary deeds of an innovator and he gets out of Islam like the hair taken out from the flour.” If the hadeeth is sahih (authentic), then how can we pray behind an innovator even if he doesn’t do shirk? In the above hadeeth it is mentioned in general i.e. innovator. In my locality there are only those mosques that commit innovations and the mosque of rightly-guided people is quite far from my house. In this case what should I do? Please guide me by giving proofs from the Quran and Sunnah (prophetic teachings). May Allah bless you for the great work you are doing.
Praise be to Allah.
    Firstly: 

    The ruling on praying behind an innovator has been stated 
    previously in the answer to questions no. 
     and 
    
    
    26152. There is no need to repeat it here. 

    Secondly: 

    With regard to the hadeeth (narration) mentioned in the 
    question and other marfoo’ hadeeths (reports attributed to the prophet) 
    about the good deeds of the innovator not being accepted, they are da’eef or 
    munkar ahadeeth (i.e., weak) and are not saheeh (authentic). A detailed 
    discussion follows. 

    1.

    The first hadeeth: It was narrated from Hudhayfah (may Allah 
    be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of 
    Allah be upon him) said: “Allah will not accept any fasting, prayer, 
    charity, Hajj, ‘Umrah (major and minorpilgrimage), jihad (physical struggle 
    against oppression), or any other obligatory or nafil (voluntary) action 
    from a person who follows innovation (bid’ah). He comes out of Islam like a 
    hair pulled out of dough.”

    Narrated by Ibn Majah in al-Sunan (no. 49). He said: Dawood 
    ibn Sulayman al-‘Askari narrated to us, Muhammad ibn ‘Ali Abu Hashim ibn Abi 
    Khaddash narrated to us, Muhammad ibn Muhsin narrated to us, from Ibraheem 
    ibn Abi ‘Ablah, from ‘Abd-Allah ibn al-Daylami, from Hudhayfah (may Allah be 
    pleased with him). 

    Al-Shaykh al-Albani said in al-Silsilah al-Da’eefah (no. 
    1493): 

    It is mawdoo’ (fabricated); the fault lies with Ibn Muhsin 
    who is a liar as Ibn Ma’een and Abu Hatim said. Al-Hafiz said in al-Taqreeb: 
    They regarded him as a liar but al-Boosayri was more lenient concerning him 
    in al-Zawaid (1/10). This is a da’eef (weak) hadeeth; its isnad (chain of 
    transmission) includes Muhammad ibn Muhsin, and they are agreed that he is 
    da’eef. The reason for this lenient view is that the narrator is unanimously 
    regarded as da’eef but not as a liar. In that case, mentioning the consensus 
    concerning a narrator without mentioning the reason does not give a proper 
    idea about the narrator.  

    2.

    The second hadeeth: It was narrated that ‘Abd-Allah ibn 
    ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace 
    and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Allah refuses to accept the good 
    deeds of one who follows innovation until he gives up that innovation.” 

    Narrated by Ibn Abi Hatim in al-Jarh wa’l-Ta’deel (9/439); 
    Ibn Majah in al-Sunan (no. 50), Abu’l-Fadl al-Muqri’ in Ahadeeth fi Dhamm 
    al-Kalam wa Ahlihi (3/111), Ibn Abi ‘Asim in al-Sunnah (no. 32), al-Khateeb 
    in Tareekh Baghdad (13/185), via Ibn al-Jawzi in al-‘Ilal al-Mutanahiyah 
    (1/144). All of them narrated via Bishr ibn Mansoor al-Khayyat from Abu Zayd 
    from Abu’l-Mugheerah from ‘Abd-Allah ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with 
    him). 

    Ibn Abi Hatim said, after narrating it: Abu Zu’rah was asked 
    about them –  meaning Abu Zayd and Abu’l-Mugheerah – and he said: I do not 
    know them, and I do not know Bishr ibn Mansoor from whom al-Ashajj narrated 
    it. End quote. 

    Ibn al-Jawzi said in al-‘Ilal al-Mutanahiyah (1/145): 

    This is not a saheeh hadeeth (authentic report) from the 
    Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him); its isnad 
    includes majhool (unknown) narrators. End quote. 

    Al-Shaykh al-Albani said in al-Silsilah al-Da’eefah 
    (1/1492): 

    It is munkar (denounced). This is a da’eef (weak) isnad, full 
    of majhool (unknown) narrators. Abu Zur’ah said: I do not know Abu Zayd or 
    his Shaykh, or Bishr. Al-Dhahabi said concerning the first of them: He is 
    unknown. And he said concerning the other two: I do not know who they are. 
    And al-Boosayri agreed with him in al-Zawaid (1/11). End quote. 

    Thirdly: 

    But some people may be confused by what is mentioned in the 
    hadeeth of ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him), according to 
    which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said concerning 
    one who introduces innovation in Madeenah: “Allah will not accept any 
    obligatory or nafil act of worship from him.” Narrated by al-Bukhari (7300) 
    and Muslim (1370). 

    Something similar was narrated from a number of the Tabi’een, 
    such as al-Hasan al-Basri, from whom it was narrated that he said: “Allah 
    does not accept from the one who follows innovation any fast, prayer, Hajj 
    or ‘Umrah, until he gives it up.” End quote. 

    Narrated by al-Ajurri in al-Sharee’ah (64); Abu Shamah in 
    al-Ba’ith ‘ala Inkar al-Bida’ wa’l-Hawadith (p. 16); and elsewhere. A 
    similar report was narrated from al-Awza’i, as it says in al-Bida’ wa’l-Nahi 
    ‘anha by Ibn Waddah (27). It was narrated that al-Fudayl ibn ‘Iyad said: “No 
    good deed is taken up to Allah for the one who follows innovation.” Narrated 
    by al-Lalkai in Sharh Usool I’tiqad Ahl al-Sunnah (1/139). 

    Al-Shatibi remarked in his commentary on such reports. He 
    said in al-I’tisam (1/108-112): 

    Either it means that his good deeds are not accepted from him 
    at all, regardless of whether they are in accordance with the Sunnah 
    (prophetic teachings) or not, or it means that the deeds in which he follows 
    innovation in particular will not be accepted from him, to the exclusion of 
    those in which he does not follow innovation. 

    With regard to the first scenario, it may be understood in 
    three ways: 

    1 – it may be understood according to the apparent meaning, 
    i.e., that for every innovator, no matter what his innovation is, none of 
    his good deeds will be accepted when he follows that innovation, whether any 
    particular deed comes under the heading of that bid’ah or not. This is very 
    harsh on those who introduce innovations into Islam. 

    2 – it may be understood as referring to a type of bid’ah 
    that may form the basis for all other deeds, such as if he holds the view 
    that ahad reports are to be rejected, as most deeds prescribed in Islam are 
    based on ahad reports. 

    3 – The third way of understanding it is that bid’ah in some 
    acts of worship or other deeds may lead the one who follows that particular 
    bid’ah to form some understanding that makes his belief in sharee’ah 
    (Islamic teachings in general) very weak, which invalidates all his good 
    deeds. 

    With regard to the second interpretation, it means that 
    specifically their deeds in which they follow innovation are not accepted, 
    and that is possible. This is indicated by the hadeeth: “Every action that 
    is not in accordance with this matter of ours will be rejected.” End quote. 

    But the correct view concerning this issue is what was 
    mentioned by Dr. Ibraheem al-Ruhayli in his book Mawqif Ahl al-Sunnah min 
    Ahl al-Ahwa wa’l-Bida’ (1/292-293), where he says: 

    What is indicated by the apparent meaning of the texts and 
    the words of the Salaf (pious predecessors) is that for the one who follows 
    innovation, Allah will not accept his deeds, and it may be interpreted in 
    the following ways: 

    1 – The words may be taken at face value, and that what is 
    meant is that all the deeds of the innovator are rejected, those in which he 
    follows innovation and those in which he does not follow innovation. This 
    applies to the innovator who is a kafir (disbeliever), and no one else. 

    2 – What is meant is that only the innovated actions are 
    rejected, whether they are pure innovation or they were prescribed in Islam 
    but some innovations were introduced into them and spoiled them. 

    3 – The innovations may cause the reward for the deed to be 
    erased by way of punishment, until it is as if it is not accepted. 

    4 – The texts may be understood as a rebuke for innovation 
    and as a deterrent. 

    The reason why we need to find a proper understanding for 
    these texts and the words of the salaf here is that the apparent meaning of 
    the texts seems to contradict the basic principles of sharee’ah, which 
    indicate that the Muslim’s deeds are accepted if they fulfil the conditions 
    of sincerity towards Allah and following the Sunnah, regardless of any 
    innovations, sins, etc., that the person may be doing in other deeds, 
    because they have no effect on the acceptability of this particular good 
    deed. End quote. 

    With regard to the third interpretation here, it should be 
    understood as referring only to any bid’ah that a shar’i (religious) text 
    indicates that this particular bid’ah erases the good deeds of the one who 
    commits it, and not every single bid’ah falls into this category. 

    The scholars commented on this hadeeth and explained what is 
    meant by the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon 
    him): “Allah will not accept any obligatory or nafil act of worship from 
    him.” 

    Al-Qadi said: And it was said that what is meant is that his 
    obligatory and nafil acts of worship will not be accepted in the sense of 
    Allah being pleased with them, even though they may be acceptable in the 
    sense that he will be rewarded for them. And it was said that acceptance 
    here refers to being acceptable as expiation for sin. 

    Sharh al-Nawawi ‘ala Muslim (9/141). 

    To sum up: It is permissible to pray behind one who follows 
    innovation so long as his bid’ah is not one that constitutes blatant kufr 
    (disbelief). Allah will call people to account on the basis of their deeds.
    

    “So whosoever does good equal to the weight of an atom (or a 
    small ant) shall see it.  And whosoever does evil equal to the weight of an 
    atom (or a small ant) shall see it.”

    [al-Zalzalah 99:7-8]

    And Allah knows best.