The Psychology Behind Innovation | How the Sahabah Viewed Bid'ah

About this lecture

In this lecture, Sheikh explores the psychology of motivated reasoning and how our biases, upbringing, and group identities shape our religious conclusions — using the mawlid debate as a case study. He examines key historical precedents from the Sahaba, including the compilation of the Quran, Uthman's second adhan, and Umar's establishment of Tarawih, to show how bid'ah idaafiyyah (relative innovation) has always been a legitimate area of scholarly tension. The lecture calls for humility, empathy, and intellectual honesty across Muslim communities, while grounding the discussion in a profound ayah from Surah al-Hadid.