The nature of religious faith is quite
mysterious. As part of their religious faiths, people believe in a
variety of deities. There are people who have religious faith in the
unseen supreme inimitable power, and then there are others who believe in some
humans as Gods, or animals (e.g. monkeys), fire, idols made of stone, and
the list goes on.
A lot is associated with having a religious
“faith”. Part of it has to do with beliefs passed on through
generations. People’s identities therefore get tied to it. Many
times, these beliefs and associated feelings are not completely demonstrable by
reason or any rational arguments. There is nothing right or wrong with
this, but that’s just how the nature of religious faith has come to be.
Almost everyone thinks they are right in their faith
and beliefs. Being with people and groups with similar faith further
strengthens people’s faith, and they see it as right, even though logical
reasoning and argument sometimes can’t explain it all. That’s simple
human psychology.
Islam’s arguments based on intellectual reasoning
Muslims believe however, that the Islamic religion is
different in this context. One may argue that similar to other faiths
there are aspects of it which are not completely demonstrable by reason, but on
the other hand the Quranic text, which is God’s words addressing humanity at
large, uses intellectual reason, critical thinking, and the process of
reflection as a means not only to reinforce the faith of the believers, but
also to call non-believers to ponder about the authenticity of Islam as the way
of life for humanity at large. Although no religious beliefs can be fully
based on logic and reasoning, Islam and Quran provide more than enough examples
and an opportunity to examine the truth and the soundness of its message through
the lens of empirical evidence and knowledge.
No one (Muslim or otherwise) would argue that critical
thinking and reflection can be a major catalyst for changing ones life.
Critical thinking has been used by many to improve their lives simply because a
critical thinker asks probing questions about a situation, collects as much
information as possible, reflects on the ideas collected and generated in
context of the information available, keeps an open and unbiased mind, and
carefully scrutinizes assumptions and seeks alternatives.
This is the reason, therefore, that new Muslim
converts would attribute the use of intelligent reasoning, reflection and
critical thinking when explaining their journey to Islam. Such people cut
through the hysteria created in the media to view Islam from a critical lens
and following the truth thus comes naturally to them as part of this
process. How else can one explain the increase in conversions with the
increase of anti-Islamic rhetoric? How else can one explain that more
non-Muslim preachers have been converting to Islam than ever before? Although,
as Muslims, we believe that guidance comes only from Allah, the use of a
person’s God-gifted intellectual reasoning has a very powerful role to play in
Muslim converts making that destiny changing decision. And once
converted, they rarely go back to their old faiths, simply because a faith
whose foundations are built on logic and reason is much less likely to be
shaken down than one which simply builds upon a set of rites and sacraments.
Reasons attributed by new Converts
Some of the reasons given why people convert to Islam
are the eloquence of the Quran’s language, its overwhelming scientific evidence
and proofs, arguments rooted in intellectual reasoning, and the Divine wisdom
behind various social issues. The uniqueness and beauty of the
Quran’s text has been marveled by the best of Arab linguists and scholars, both
Muslim and otherwise, from the days it was revealed until today. The more
knowledgeable people are in the language, the more they appreciate the wonders
of the textual fluency of the Quran. Revealed more than 1400
years ago, the Quran also has numerous scientific facts that are being
validated by science only in this era. Furthermore, it is the
only known religious text that challenges mankind to think, reflect and ponder
over the creation at large, social issues, God’s existence, and more. The
Quran, in many instances, challenges people to reflect and think on their own,
rather than heeding the loose talk of those whose criticism is based on
baseless foundations. Finally, the Quran provides a solution
to numerous social issues, deviation from which has been known to cause
societal chaos at all levels.
The Quran is a confident assertion of a Supreme Being;
the only known religious book that has a confident assertion of a Supreme Being
on all issues ranging from the creation of the universe to most particular
components of the social milieu. Moreover, its Divine Text - the
language and prose of the Quran - is very different from the language in the
Prophet’s sayings, which demonstrates that the Quran is not from the creative
imagination or inspired words of Prophet Muhammad, as many doubters have
alleged in the past, and continue to do even today.
We can see that most of these reasons can only be
attributed to the process of critical thinking and intellectual
reflection. However, cold reasoning is not enough. The
heart has to be engaged in the search: a search whose aim is to reach for the
truth at its core. No wonder, then, that when such sincere people
hear the Quran for the first time, and understand it, they say:
“We believe in it; surely, it is the Truth from our Lord.
Indeed, even before it, we were Muslims!” (Quran 28:53)
The Quran challenges humanity at large to think,
reflect and ponder over their affairs on numerous occasions. This is some
of what the Quran states:
· Thus do We explain the
verses (and their signification) in detail for the people who reflect.
(Jonah, Quran 10:24)
· Do they not think deeply
about their own selves (being)? Allah has created not the heavens
and the Earth and all that is between them except with truth and for an
appointed term. And indeed many of mankind deny the Meeting with their
Lord. (The-Romans, Quran 30:8)
· He it is Who has
appointed for you the night that you may rest therein, and the day to make
things visible. Verily, in this are signs for a people who listen.
(Jonah, Quran 10:67)
· Does man think that he
will be left to no purpose? (The Resurrection, Quran 75:36)
· Did you think that We had
created you in play, and that you would not be brought back to Us?” (The
Believers, Quran 23:115)
· Or do you think that most
of them hear or understand? They are only like cattle; nay, they are even
farther astray from the Path. (The Criterion, Quran 25:44)
· Do they not reflect?
There is no madness in their companion (Muhammad). He is but a plain
Warner. (The Heights, Quran 7:184)
· Had We sent down this
Quran on a mountain, you would surely have seen it humbling itself and rending
asunder for the fear of God. Such are the parables which We put forward
to mankind that they may reflect. (The Overcrowding, Quran 59:21)
When studying the many cases of new Muslim converts,
we see that engaging in critical thinking and intellectual reasoning have led
people to change their non-Islamic faiths – the same faiths that would earlier
supposedly have moved mountains, but were diluted by the voice of reason easily
heard in the roots of Islam. A mere process of thinking and reflection
brings so much into light that otherwise would remain veiled by the
distractions and forces of anti-Islam pundits. Those who are bent on
seeing only the negative fail to see the light of truth. Rather, they engage in
a never ending superficial analysis to unsuccessfully prove their misguided
philosophies.
There are many statistics in the media that highlight
the phenomenal rate at which people are converting to Islam. Although,
the authenticity of all these sources has not been validated for the purpose of
this article, some of them include the following:
· …many more examples exist.
What about Muslims?
If voices of reason embedded in the teachings of Islam
are causing non-Muslims to revert to Islam in droves, why is it that so many
Muslims born into the religion usually fail to fully follow, and thus enjoy,
the teachings of the religion? The fact is that it may just be the lack
of critical thinking and reflection on the part of some Muslims that is forcing
the Muslim world to have a substandard way of life as a whole. Islam and
its teachings hold the promise of a fulfilling and peaceful life for all.
Yet Muslims continue to ignore the basics and get mired in social and moral
issues causing unnecessary pain and suffering on themselves and their
families. The fact is that only if they would think and reflect on the
teachings of their own religion, they could escape the many problems and
challenges that face them.
The Message
To non-Muslims who have only scratched the surface of
Islam and may be getting distracted by those who are the wrong torch bearers of
this religion and by the biased voices in the media, the message is simple –
try to view the teachings of Islam with a critical lens. It may be that
you will be able to see more reason than you may initially have thought was not
present. To Muslims, the message is that sometimes we do not appreciate
the teachings of our own religion simply because we never think and grow beyond
the few religious practices in our operating lives. A focused effort to
learn, think and reflect more will help us get closer to the religious
teachings in ways that can drastically improve our lives.
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