Is the division and categorisation of knowledge a good innovation (bid‘ah hasanah)?

Praise
be to Allah

Firstly:

The division of knowledge into various categories and
branches, and the development of ways of approaching and studying knowledge,
are all based on intellectual processes that developed over time with the
increase of knowledge and reaching a high level of mastering this knowledge.
Knowledge is something that has been accumulating throughout human history.

The process of compiling the Mus-haf during the era of the
Rightly Guided Caliphs, then the compilation of the Prophet’s Sunnah in
comprehensive volumes at the time of ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azeez (may Allah
have mercy on him – d. 101 AH) was the first stage of building Islamic
knowledge and categorising that knowledge in books arranged by chapters on
various topics. In fact, in the first documents that were written during the
Prophet’s time and the era of the Sahaabah and Taabi‘een, we see the
beginnings of the categorisation of fiqhi books into various subject areas
and chapter headings. One of the most famous of these documents is the
constitution document that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon
him) instructed should be written between him and the Jews of Madinah and
the Muhaajireen and Ansaar, and the document on zakaah that was kept with
Abu Bakr as-Siddeeq (may Allah be pleased with him). Whoever would like to
know more about that can refer to the book Tareekh Tadween as-Sunnah
by Dr Haakim al-Mutayri.

Adh-Dhahabi mentioned a generation of scholars, beginning
with Mak-hool (d. 113 AH) and az-Zuhri (d. 124 AH), and ending with Rabee‘ah
ibn ‘Abd ar-Rahmaan (d. 136 AH). They were the students of the Sahaabah and
he said of them: The elders began to compile books of Sunan and write about
various issues and about the Arabic language. Compilation of books – in the
precise sense – began at the end of the first century AH.

It was based on a general principle called al-masaalih al-mursalah
that the fuqaha’ adopted, which dealt with every new practice that could
serve an interest and that the ummah might need, but there were no
instructions concerning it in the shar‘i texts. This principle was one of
the most important means that gave Islamic sharee‘ah flexibility, and it was
one of the most important fiqhi principles that has been needed throughout
the ages.

Imam ash-Shaatibi (may Allah have mercy on him) said – after
giving some examples of al-masaalih al-mursalah and mentioning how some
people confused it with innovation –:

All that has been mentioned comes under the heading of al-masaalih
al-mursalah, not under the heading of newly invented matters (bid‘ah). This
principle of al-masaalih al-mursalah was followed by the early generations
and they acted in accordance with it, as did those who came after them. It
is one of the fiqhi principles that are well-established among the scholars
of usool; even though they may differ concerning it, that does not undermine
our argument here.

With regard to the compilation of the Mus-haf and limiting
the people to that one standard text, in reality that also comes under this
category. So the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace
of Allah be upon him) did the right thing, because there was a justification
for this action, which was the command to convey the teachings of Islam.
Just as conveying is not restricted to a specific manner, because it is a
principle, so it may be achieved by many possible means, such as memorising,
teaching, writing it down and so on, by the same token protecting it from
distortion and alteration is not limited to one way in exclusion of others,
provided that the method used does not undermine the aim of conveying it in
a proper manner, such as writing the Mus-haf in a book for the purpose of
preserving it. Therefore there was consensus on this matter among the
righteous early generations.

With regard to writing down knowledge other than the Mus-haf,
the matter is clearer and more lenient. The principle of writing down
knowledge is proven in the Sunnah. In as-Saheeh it is narrated that
the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Write it down
for Abu Shah.” The biographers stated that the Messenger of Allah (blessings
and peace of Allah be upon him) had scribes who would write down for him the
revelation and other things… Moreover, writing comes under the heading of
that without which fulfilling an obligation cannot be done, if a person has
a poor memory and there is the fear of knowledge disappearing. The earlier
generations only regarded it as disliked to write down knowledge for a
different reason, not because it was an innovation. Anyone who calls the
writing of knowledge in books an innovation is either exaggerating or he is
not using the word innovation in the right context. So it is not valid to
quote these things as evidence for it being acceptable to introduce
innovations.

If there is a dispute concerning the principle of al-masaalih
al-mursalah, and adopting this principle is not sound according to some
scholars of usool, then the argument against them is the consensus of the
Sahaabah, who agreed to write the Qur’an in the Mus-haf and make it a
reference point. If that principle is applied in one case, then it may be
applied in other cases, and then there will be no difference between the
disputing parties, except with regard to some minor details.

End quote from al-I‘tisaam (1/316-319).

Secondly: 

With regard to calling this a good innovation (bid‘ah hasanah),
that is subject to further discussion and it may be one of two things:

The first possibility
is that what is meant by innovation here is innovation in the
technical shar‘i sense which is criticised in the Qur’an and Sunnah,
especially in the words of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon
him): “Every innovation is a going astray.” Narrated by Muslim (867). So it
is not valid to call it a good innovation, because describing it as good is
contrary to the criticism that is proven on the basis of shar‘i evidence.

This is what is implied by the view of those who rejected the
division of innovation into bad and good, as Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may
Allah have mercy on him) said:

If anyone thinks that this is an innovation and that it is
good, he is wrong on two counts:

Either it is not an innovation, but he thinks that it is,
such as if he were to say: The categorisation of the Sunnah into different
subject areas is an innovation, but it is a good innovation; or if he were
to say: The building of schools is an innovation, but it is a good
innovation – and so on.

We say: You are mistaken by calling that an innovation,
because the one who does that does not intend to draw closer to Allah by
means of the mere action itself; rather he seeks to draw closer to Allah
because it is a means of achieving something that is prescribed in Islam. So
the categorisation of books, for example, is a means of making the Sunnah
and knowledge more accessible. The aim, first and last, is the Sunnah and
making it accessible to people, and this categorisation is a means of making
it more accessible to them. So it is not an innovation in the technical
shar‘i sense, because if you were to ask the author: Is this categorisation
of the book into chapters and sections is a means by which you draw closer
to Allah, so that you think that the one who differs with you in that is
going against sharee‘ah? Or are you drawing closer to Allah, may He be
exalted, because it is a means of achieving a shar‘i goal, which is making
the Sunnah more accessible to the ummah? He will say: My aim is the latter,
not the former.

Based on that, we say: the compilation of books is not an
innovation in the technical shar‘i sense.

Likewise, the building of schools for students was not
something that was done at the time of the Messenger (blessings and peace of
Allah be upon him), but it is a means of achieving one of the aims of
sharee‘ah, which is helping the students so that he can devote his time to
seeking knowledge. It is not an act of worship in and of itself, but it is a
means.

Hence you will find that people differ with regard to the
building of schools: some of them build them in one way, and some build them
in another way, and neither group thinks that the other is following
innovation just because they did it in a way different from the other
school, because each of them believes that it is a means and is not sought
in and of itself. Therefore this is not an innovation; rather it is a means
of doing something that is prescribed in Islam.

End quote from Fataawa Noor ‘ala ad-Darb (4/2)

He (may Allah have mercy on him) also said:

These things, if the doer does them as a means of drawing
closer to Allah and as an act of worship, then they constitute innovation
and misguidance, but if they are a means of achieving something that is
prescribed in Islam, such as categorising knowledge, printing books, and the
like, then they are Islamically acceptable.

End quote from Majmoo‘ Fataawa wa Rasaa’il Ibn ‘Uthaymeen
(17/380)

The second possibility
is that what is meant by saying that it is a good innovation is by way of
calling newly-introduced practices an innovation in the general linguistic
sense of the word. There is nothing wrong with that, as ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab
(may Allah be pleased with him) said, “What a good innovation this is.”
Narrated by al-Bukhaari (2010). And many of the fuqaha’ and scholars – such
as ash-Shaafa‘i, al-‘Izz ibn ‘Abd as-Salaam, an-Nawawi and others – divided
innovations into good and bad. Hence al-Haafiz ibn Rajab (may Allah have
mercy on him) said: Whenever any of the early generations described some
innovations as good, that referred to innovations in the linguistic sense,
not in the shar‘i sense.

End quote from Jaami‘ al-‘Uloom wa’l-Hikam (2/128)

Once we understand the above, it becomes clear that the
difference is in vocabulary.

Abu Shaamah al-Maqdisi (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
Another thing that is regarded as a good innovation is the compilation of
books in all beneficial branches of Islamic knowledge, of various kinds,
working out fundamentals and rules, dividing knowledge into main categories,
discussing them and teaching them, developing minor categories and assuming
different scenarios that never happened before, and coming up with answers
to these different scenarios, explaining the Holy Qur’an and Prophetic
reports, critically examining isnaad (chain of narration of hadiths) and
matn (text of hadith), studying the literature of the Arabs, both prose and
poetry, writing down all of that, and basing many branches of knowledge on
it, such as grammar, meanings of vocabulary, literature and poetic rhythms.
All of that, and whatever is like it, is clearly something good and useful,
that helps one to understand the rulings enjoined by Allah, may He be
exalted, and to understand the meanings of His Book and the Sunnah of the
Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). All of that
is enjoined, and there are no shar‘i reservations about that.

End quote from al-Baa‘ith (p. 24)

For more information, please see the following fatwas:
205, 864,
10262 and 126571.

And Allah knows best.