Asian Social Science; Vol. 9, No. 11; 2013 ISSN 1911-2017 E-ISSN 1911-2025 Published by Canadian Center of Science and Education 121 Creating Creative and Innovative Muslim Society: Bid‘ah as an Approach Muhammad Mustaqim Mohd Zarif 1 , Mohd Azmir Mohd Nizah 2 , Anita Ismail 2 & Adibah Mohamad 2 1 Islamic Science Institute, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia, Nilai, Malaysia 2 Centre of Core Studies, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia, Nilai, Malaysia Correspondence: Muhammad Mustaqim Mohd Zarif, Islamic Science Institute, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia, Bandar Baru Nilai, 71800 Nilai, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. Tel: 60-6-798-6757. E-mail: mustaqim@usim.edu.my Received: April 25, 2013 Accepted: June 28, 2013 Online Published: August 30, 2013 doi:10.5539/ass.v9n11p121 URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.5539/ass.v9n11p121 Abstract The objectives of this preliminary work on the Islamic creativity concept are to reassess the role of bid‘ah in creating creative and innovative Muslim through its conceptual and understanding framework; discover the relationship between bid‘ah and the advancement of Islamic civilization; and discuss its necessity positively as highlighted in the approach of avoiding extremism or “duna ifrat wa la tafrit” in building a just and balanced Muslim society (ummatan wasatan). By employing the qualitative method through content analysis in evaluating the necessary and relevant reports, articles and texts, it is hoped that this paper will offer a distinctive perspective of bid‘ah, its positive role and contribution in contemporary Muslim society. Keywords: creativity, innovation, ijtihad, bid‘ah, Islam, Muslim 1. Introduction Islam is a religion for all, and it is indeed a global religion. Its historical success as a universal religion and its present status as the fastest growing religion in the world (Doyle, 2011) have certainly made Islam a “mobile idea” due to its simplicity to be understood and its flexibility in meeting the changing demands of the society. There are two concepts that allowed Islam to become a mobile idea, that is bid‘ah (innovation) and ijtihad (critical legal thinking) (Umar Faruq, 2006). Yet for the majority of the Muslims, bid‘ah is generally perceived as sinful innovation, which can potentially lead to religious heresy. In many ways, this negative conception of this term is seen as impeding to the creative and innovative aspects of the Muslims. Even the issue of bid‘ah as a negative term continues to loom the religious discourse in the present day Muslim society (Saat, 2012). The source of this misconception stems from a prophetic tradition that supposedly condemned any kind of innovation as heretical as will be discussed in details in this paper. In fact, in a recent study, Goddard (2012) has also highlighted the possibility of a conflict between Islam and innovation due to this understanding of bid‘ah. On the contrary, the concept of ijtihad is often highlighted as the main vehicle that drives creativity and innovation in Islam. The critical and intellectual endeavors undertaken by enthusiastic Muslim scholars and scientists that resulted in the advancement of the Islamic civilization were mostly credited to the rigorous and active implementation of ijtihad, which is legally sanctioned and encouraged by the Islamic Law. Thus ijtihad as a topic has received a great deal of interests from scholars who studied it from various perspectives, especially in its creative role in reform and renewal (Abdullah, Ramli, Jamaludin, Marinsah & Mohd Nor, 2013; Codd, 1999) and its relation with taqlid or blind following (Khan & Ramadan, 2011; al-Alwani, 1991; Peters, 1980). However, the present paper intends to propose a new perspective on the matter. It argues that bid‘ah as an important concept in Islam plays a central role, together with the precept of ijtihad, in regulating and stimulating the creative and innovative aspects of Muslims throughout the history. At the same time, the intrinsic link between bid‘ah and the Islamic concepts of creativity and innovation is also explicated to highlight the necessity of a proper understanding of bid‘ah and its relationship with the advancement of Islamic civilization in the past. In undertaking this qualitative study, the content analysis method of research is employed, mainly through evaluating the necessary and relevant reports, articles and texts within the proper and actual context of its use