When we observe many great inventions or innovations of the modern world, we find that they are either very basic or simple, and used in daily life. Looking further, each invention or innovation demonstrates the good intentions of the inventors or the innovators in their endeavour to improve the quality of life of a normal human being on this planet.
Obviously, innovations have changed the pace of the human life and have revolutionised the way we live, think, or act. They expedite things to such an extent that some are even instantaneous. Indeed, so fast has our lifestyle become that we can breeze through all ordinary and routine processes. From simple chores such as cooking and washing, to more complex and complicated tasks such as long distance communication and cross border investment in financial markets, things can be done fast, on-line and at our fingertips.
Many innovations deal with our ordinary life and do not necessarily come from a great inventor. What innovation leads to is a new way of doing our usual worldly tasks or chores. What we need to have is the ability to find a need in our ordinary life to be fulfilled, and identify a problem associated with the need and solve the problem. Every one of us has our own needs to be fulfilled and problems to solve. For example, today’s technological advancement has made it possible that everything can be done or made to appear before us faster and instantaneously through the means of telecommunications and broadcasting of which the internet is the most eminent of all.
Although innovations have brought many benefits to our life and the economy, it is human nature to turn down or reject initially when a new thing is introduced. Man will not take to anything easily, for they want proof. As in the belief in God which some people do not do simply because they cannot see Him, for they want proof! Many inventions or innovations survive for several centuries to develop into their modern forms as we can see and use them today, perhaps because their benefits were impalpable when they were first shown to the society. Some inventions may look plain, some are rather complicated, and complex, but even those that were rejected or not accepted were not considered failures at all, because the merit of innovation allows us for continuous and on-going improvement.
In order to be an innovator, one must be able to defy logic, act against commonalities, see things and think differently, and have a strong desire to take risks, amidst with a purpose, that is, to make people’s life simpler, more efficient, and more economical. The way we have been brought up, and more importantly, educated on how to use our mind, eventually determines how we approach innovation and embrace it. In this context, Albert Einstein said: “Innovation is not the product of logical thought, although the result is tied to logical structure.”
Islam allows for innovation in our worldly affairs so long as it benefits the people and does not breach anything prohibited by Allah. In a hadith of the Prophet (Peace be upon him) which is narrated by A’ishah and Anas:
“The Prophet (p.b.u.h) along with some of his companions migrated from Mecca to Medina. The Meccans were merchants and traders while the Medinans were people of agriculture. One day, in Medina, the Prophet was passing by a few Medinan farmers who were climbing high up on date palms to enhance the pollination of seeds. They would manually put the males with the females instead of leaving it to the wind to do it. The Prophet, who was not a farmer, without realising the importance of this manual process, said to them, ‘Perhaps it may be better for you not to do this.’ Upon hearing this from the Messenger of God, the Medinans left what they were doing. Later, the produce came out scarcely as it was merely carried out by the wind. As a result, the Prophet clarified his role and nature as a Messenger of God to the people in very clear terms, ‘If I order you to do something that is to do with your religion, then take it (and do it), but if I order you to do something from my own opinion, then verily, I am merely a human being’, and he added, “You are more knowledgeable of the matters of your world.”
The above hadith is a clear authority from the Prophet (p.b.u.h) that Muslims should be open and more receptive towards innovation in their world affairs. Some people may have identified and found an innovative solution to a problem which we can approach with an open mind if we are not an expert in the field.
Making life simpler, removing hardships and eliminating problems in our worldly life are enjoined in Islam. These can certainly be achieved through innovations. However, in today’s environment, Muslims generally are divided into two groups; one group comprising people who are proud of using other peoples’ inventions and innovations; and the other consists of those who totally reject and condemn all forms of modern innovations. This situation needs to be demystified. Muslims must understand that innovation is not necessarily to produce something huge, complicated, and complex – it is not merely rocket science or robotics engineering or nuclear technology. What underpinned many innovations is the intention to improve the quality of people’s life by doing things in different ways.
As the world now has moved tremendously towards greater innovation, Muslims must come forward to be at the forefront of the mainstream and lead the innovation drive because the true teaching of Islam requires Muslims to be innovative and contribute to the well-being not only for the Ummah but also for the whole mankind.