Some sceptics say that if Allah has ceded the command of holding religious ceremonies and other religious customs to common sense and wisdom, there will be mistakes in distinguishing what is unlawful [haram] as proscribed by Islamic law from the lawful [halal] because common sense and wisdom are not infallible. People are liable to make mistakes in perception and hence discern mistakenly.
With use of common sense and wisdom, we are at risk of perceiving wrongly and of failing to distinguish correctly what is halal from what is haram and vice versa. Sometimes, something can be perceived to be halal when in actual fact it is haram. Sometimes the opposite could happen and an act that is halal will wrongly be perceived to be haram.
Response
Legalising that which is haram and making illegal that which is halal can only happen when one that is duty-bound makes a judgement about an act without presenting any sound reason, evidence or proof. In this instance, the above-mentioned protest put forth by the skeptics could be acceptable.
However, if the act of putting forth new edicts is based on proper evidence which conforms to divine law, even when that evidence is general in nature, there is no problem with such a decree because the evidence offered is correct.
With use of common sense and wisdom, we are at risk of perceiving wrongly and of failing to distinguish correctly what is halal from what is haram and vice versa. Sometimes, something can be perceived to be halal when in actual fact it is haram. Sometimes the opposite could happen and an act that is halal will wrongly be perceived to be haram.
Response
Legalising that which is haram and making illegal that which is halal can only happen when one that is duty-bound makes a judgement about an act without presenting any sound reason, evidence or proof. In this instance, the above-mentioned protest put forth by the skeptics could be acceptable.
However, if the act of putting forth new edicts is based on proper evidence which conforms to divine law, even when that evidence is general in nature, there is no problem with such a decree because the evidence offered is correct.