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The question

What is the comprehensive definition of innovation (bidʻah) that can be used as a standard for measuring daily acts of worship, such as supplicating after prayer, reciting the Qur’an before supplication, prostrating in gratitude to Allah for possessions, and saying "O Allah, grant me healing through it" after taking medicine? And what is the difference between these matters and saying "Allah the Almighty has spoken the truth" after reciting the Qur’an, knowing that nothing of the sort has been narrated from the Salaf?

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Source: FtawySummarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 20261 min readAlso available in العربية
The answer

Prostration of thanksgiving (Sujud al-Shukr) is only prescribed with a specific proof. It is a Sunnah according to the Shafi'is and Hanbalis, and disliked (makrooh tanzeehi) according to the Malikis and Hanafis. As for its cause, it is the sudden occurrence of a manifest blessing or the repulsion of an affliction. It is not prescribed for the continuation of blessings. Praising Allah after eating and drinking is recommended, and the matter of supplication (du'a) is broad, unless it is with a specific wording or number, in which case it requires a specific proof, such as the du'a for the sick person seven times. Among the times when du'a is answered are after the prescribed prayers and after reciting the Qur'an.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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