He commanded us to think: The religious question
“That’s the whole problem with science. You’ve got a bunch of empiricists trying to describe things of unimaginable wonder,” Calvin & Hobbes.
As a Muslim living in the western world, I feel obligated to convey the true message of Islam, but I used to avoid talks or conversations on religion, because I always feared I would say the wrong message. However, I have been involved in several conversations with my non-Muslim friends, in which most of them are females, and they have helped me in strengthening my knowledge in Islam. I always wonder why it is always my female friends who ask me about my religion. Rarely do I talk about Islam with my male friends and I don’t know why. Anyway, my female friends’ questions always range from “Why are you (Muslim men) allowed to have more than one wife?” to “How does Islam explain theodicy?” The good thing about them is they don’t judge.
About several weeks ago, I had a conversation with a female friend from central Europe. I am impressed with her knowledge about talaq (Divorce), but we talked more than just about it. We talked about the foundations of Islam, the Qur’an and the Sunnah, the way of the Prophet. Honestly, I was surprised with her comment “(In that case), Islam is a religion for smart people,” after she listened to my explanations. I was even more surprised, because the sentence is uttered by a non-Muslim; and she repeated it several times.
In the Qur’an, there are a lot of ayah (verse) that end with the question afala ta’qiloon (Will you not then use your reason?) [Al-Baqarah 44, 76; Ali Imran 65; Al-An'am 32; Al-A'rof 169; Yunus 16; Hud 51; Yusuf 109; Al-Anbiya 10, 67; Al-Mukminun 80; Al-Qoshosh 60; Ash-shoffat 13] or the question afala tatafakkaroon (Will you not, then, take thought?) [Al-An'am 50] or the statement inna fee dzalika laayatil liqawmiy yatafakkaroon (There are messages indeed for people who think!) [Ar Ruum 21].
When I reflect upon the meanings of these ayah, I fully understand and agree with my friend’s comment. Of course, the literal meaning of these ayah challenges ALL mankind, not only Muslims, that we always have to use our reason to understand His existence or to study the science of God. There is indeed a deep message that Allah has given us through these ayah, especially if we tie it to the “marriage” between science and religion. As we all know, science is empirical, meaning that it is dependent on evidence or consequences that are observable by the senses.
We often hear or read that science and religion cannot go together, because science cannot explain the unseen. Religion, however, is mostly based on faith, which is about the Unseen. To some extent, somehow I also believe that science is also based on faith. For example, have we ever seen an atom? No; and yet, we believe in its existence and its mass. With this in mind, I believe that science and religion can go together, because, in order to believe in science (and religion), one MUST believe in the unseen. Take a look at the verses that are mentioned above and reflect upon their meaning.
The basis of the ayah above challenges human beings to think not only about Allah’s creation, but also about Allah’s existence. In Surah Ar Ruum, for example, several verses are dedicated to the signs of His existence, which, of course, are related to science. One of them says, “And among His signs is that He shows you the lightning, for fear and for hope, and He sends down water from the sky, and therewith revives the earth after its death. Verily, in that are indeed signs for a people who understand” (Ar Ruum 24). We all know that rain is important for agriculture, because plants need water to survive. Therefore, the agrarian society depends heavily on rain to boost its economy through the exports of crops, such as cotton, rice and so on. As an agrarian society, India, for example, accounts for 25 percent of the GDP and employs 70 percent of the nation’s population. Imagine what will happen to the agrarian society if Allah does not send down rain. In (an indirect) relation to the ayah, Allah said in a number of verses in Surah Ar-Rahman, “Then, which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinns and men) deny?”
To put it simply, Allah challenged us to think about His existence and His creation through aqil, intellect and reason, that He bestowed upon us. Refer to Surah Az-Zumar 42 that states, “In these creations are signs for those who think.” A Muslim convert, Dr. Jeffrey Lang, an Associate Professor of Mathematics at the University of Kansas, said, “Math is logical. It consists of using facts and figures to find concrete answers. That is the way my mind works…Having a mind that accepts ideas on their factual merit makes believing in a religion difficult because most religions require acceptance by faith; however, Islam appeals to man’s reasoning.” So, if we combine logic, aqil and the question on His existence, we will find it easy to understand the science of God from the Islamic perspective, because, in order to believe in His (Allah’s) existence, we have to use our reason to prove it. The Qur’an and the Sunnah do NOT teach a “faith alone” concept.
I have been thinking and rethinking about my friend’s comment, “(In that case), Islam is a religion for smart people.” Honestly, I learned something from her, because, those ayah really reveal that we, as humans, have to be smart and knowledgeable about Whom we worship. However, I emphasize that those ayah are addressed to ALL mankind. Prophet Muhammad (Peace and blessings be upon him) said, “…spread the good news and keep people from running away.”
28 March 2008
