TRADITIONAL VERSUS CREATIVE MINDSETS — Closed- and Open-Mindedness

Imam Bukhari has included this Hadith in his chapter on Hajj. Now, if we were to consider the Hadith simply in this manner, reflecting a traditional approach, all that we would gain from it would be some information about the glories of Makkah. If, on the other hand, we adopted a creative approach to this Hadith, we would be able to have a new understanding of what may be called the wisdom of practical living. To leave the Kabah on the foundations laid down by the Quraysh, instead of reconstructing it on the foundation laid by the Prophet Abraham, might appear to have been incorrect. But, despite this, the Prophet chose not to reconstruct it in the latter way because, in the given circumstances, this would have posed additional problems. Some Muslim leaders have sought to impose Shariah laws on society without first seeking to prepare society to willingly accept them, in total contrast to what the Hadith suggests is the right way. From this practice of the Prophet we can derive the principle that, in life when sometimes faced with certain challenges, for the moment we should look not at what is right and what is wrong, but, instead, at what is possible and what is not. Abiding by this principle is a key to succeeding in this world. In today's world, many of the failures of Muslims have been because they have not abided by this principle. They have not looked at problems or challenges from the point of view of what is possible and what is not, but have rather considered them only from the perspective of what is right and what is not. Accordingly, they have rushed into action, hoping to attain what they thought was ideal, although, in the given circumstances, achieving it was not actually possible. Many of the sacrifices that Muslims in modern times have made, but that have not borne any fruits, have been the result of disregarding the principle that this Hadith refers to. The major cause of this attitude is the traditional mind-set of the people Gradualism in the Revelation of Islamic Commandments According to another Hadith in the Sahih Bukhari, Aisha once mentioned that many of the earliest chapters of the Quran dealt with the subject of heaven and hell and that only after people's faith in Islam had become strong, were the verses dealing with issues that are