Wisdom provides us with the capacity to solve real life problems. So, acquiring wisdom becomes a must if we want to live meaningful lives. As we live through life and its experiences, it is vital that we reflect on such experiences to make our subsequent steps in life easier. As Immanuel Kant, a famous philosopher said that “Science is organized knowledge. Wisdom is organized life.”
One of the issues that Muslims struggle with today is drawing the line between innovation (Bidaa’) and that what is lawful from an Islamic standpoint. All Muslims know the strict prohibition of the prophet against innovating things into religion. For example, celebrating of certain events such as the birthday of the prophet (SAWS), the night of the israa’ and maraaj in middle of the month of Shaban etc. have always been a topic of keen interest and debate among the Muslims for a long time. While the protagonists always argue that such events present great opportunity to renew the faith and show our love for the religion, the antagonists always dismiss such events as innovations in religion (Bidaa’) and warn of dire consequences both in this life and the hereafter. In addition, the proponents argue that Islam encourages the act of ijtihaad. Moreover, they say that the environment was very different during the days of the Prophet Muhammad SAWS so why should Muslims indulge in certain luxuries (say riding a car or plane) that was not prevalent during the early times.
