The Meaning of the Hadith "Man Ahdatha fi Amrina Hadha"

Question

The hadith "Man ahdatha fi amrina hadha ma laysa minhu fa-huwa radd" [Whoever introduces into this matter of ours something that is not part of it, it is rejected] — is this a sound (sahih) hadith? The word "amr" means command, matter. "Ihdath" refers to something new, that did not exist before. To what does the pronoun in "laysa minhu" [that is not part of it] refer, given that [its referent] is not explicitly present [in the text]?

Answer

[ar]مَنْ أَحْدَثَ فِي أَمْرِنَا هَذَا مَا لَيْسَ مِنْهُ فَهُوَ رَدٌّ[/ar] This is a sound (sahih) hadith, agreed upon (muttafaq ‘alayh) — it is found in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim. By "amr" is meant the matter of religion; to invent something not belonging to the matter of religion and introduce it into the religion is a grave sin — this is precisely what is meant by…

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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