Science doubts itself all the time, it even doubts its proofs. That is why we have water tight models and theories. Doubt is an integral part of scientific development. That is what the contemporary philosophers and thinkers like who prefer science over religion. That people believe in religion without an iota of a doubt, which to them is a bad idea.
While curiosity is a major prerequisite for someone to develop scientific acumen, doubt is a major tool used to verify scientific hypotheses. Consider the case of the proof of Fermat's last theorem, as is normally the case with any scholarly endeavor and a subsequent peer-review. The theorem has a history of at least three centuries of evolution. The last of the adventurers, Andrew Wiles spent more than six years in near isolation to come up with a water tight proof of the problem. I suppose, that in doing so, he must not only have doubted the existing literature but also his own knowledge and procedures. I would not be surprised to know if someone told me that he doubted his own mental health at times. And that is healthy. And when he finally came up with a proof it was inspected by a select few of mathematicians who only had a clue about the problem. Someone had to doubt the infallibility of the proof to find a loop hole in it. Someone actually did it and that is why Wiles was sent in to isolation for another six months to come up with a cure to his proof. It finally got accepted and that is why it is considered water tight. I think that while curiosity drives scientific endeavor, inclusion of systematic doubt makes it more reliable.
Consider the importance of doubt in embracing doctrines. For instance, consider that there is a doctrine X proposed by an entity A, that considers itself to be superior and infallible compared with all other doctrines, say, Y and Z. Suppose that we humans are led in to believing it. One of the ingredients this doctrine X should have, if it should appeal so much to the humanity, is that it should be open to free inquiry. This is to say that the doctrine should allow its potential adherents not only to be able to inquire about the claims it makes about phenomena outside itself, but it should also allow free inquiry about itself. Otherwise, doctrine X stands a chance of being branded as mafia; you have to have faith in what I proclaim, or otherwise!
Similarly, if doctrine X claims to be superior than other doctrines, and is also seemingly so, it would compel the adherents of other doctrines to doubt the respective doctrines they adhere to. Suppose what would happen if adherents of other doctrines choose not to doubt their respective doctrines. They stand a chance to miss an opportunity to convert to doctrine X, which is possibly a better, or the best possible, doctrine. This is the benefit of doubt. And if one should choose to apply doubt to religion, the importance of studying comparative religion becomes clear.
Apparently nobody is born to know which doctrine is superior than the other. One only gets to know after careful inquiry of various doctrines the superiority of one over the other.
Analogously, this can be applied to religion. For instance, if Islam is the true, the most flexible, and the best religion of God, it should allow the element of free inquiry to the humanity. Incidentally, it does so. It allows people to verify its claims about anything. Islam is not a secret religion. Everything about Islam can be read and learned anywhere in the world. Moreover, it allows people the choice to adhere to it or not as per their own will. This flexibility is granted even in the case of apostasy, a topic that attracts much controversy about Islam in the West.
Islam, nonetheless, advises mankind to strive to develop certainty in belief, which is dependent upon seeing.
Every now and then these days we are asked and hinted by skeptics to contemplate on the idea on as to whether God even exists or not. I have seen many comments of skeptics who have asked this question. As a matter of fact I have seen a question lurching on the websites of many skeptics that pokes the Muslims in to thinking whether Allah is real or not. In a recent article renowned atheist Sam Harris quoted that the God Muslims believe in is almost surely fictional. We live in times in which it is very important for any person to ponder over their beliefs. Indeed, it is very important for people to know why do they believe in what they believe. More specifically, it is very important for Muslims to know that why do they believe in Allah as the sole deity, and consequently Muhammad (may Allah's peace be upon him) as the last messenger. It is equally important for non-Muslims to know as to why Muslims believe in Allah as their God. This is important not even from the point of view of faith literacy, but also to satiate one's own thirst of intellectual curiosity and skepticism.
This article is an attempt to contemplate on the word Allah, as a name or a concept. After all people have believed in various gods since millenniums and no one has ever seen a sight of a convincingly real god. To this end, no one has ever seen Allah as well. It is also important to investigate whether Allah really exists or whether it is a mere invention of the Muslims.
A casual literature survey reveals that the word Allah means 'the God' in Arabic. And even though it is widely believed that Muslims believe in Allah as their God, people from many faiths in the pre-Islamic Arabia believed in Allah as the supreme deity. Pre-Islamic Arabia had polytheism, Christianity, and Judaism as the major religions. The polytheists worshiped other sub-deities along with Allah. These included, Laat, Uzza and Manaat. Christians worshipped Allah along with Jesus Christ (may peace be upon him) as the son of Allah. And jews also worshipped Allah. And more importantly all of these three major religions had the word "Allah" solely reserved for referring to God. Polytheism gradually vanished by the advent of Islam. Christianity and Judaism remain to date as the major world religions along with Islam. And the word Allah is still used to refer to the God by the followers of these two major religions. For instance Arab Christians today still use the word Allah Al-ab (God, the father) to refer to the God and also to distinguish their usage of the word from the Muslim usage. Similarly, Jews use the words such as Allah and Elohim to refer to God, and agree that words Allah and Elohim are derivations of the same origin in a linguistic sense. The word Allah, or its close derivatives, also occur in many other languages as a reference to God.
To this end, it turns out that Muslims have not invented the name or concept of Allah. The only major thing Islam tries to do is to dissociate subordinate deities from Allah. This means, that on one hand Islam dissociates sub-deities such as Laat, Manaat and Uzza from Allah. On the other hand Islam suggests that Jesus Christ (may Allah's peace be upon him) was not a son of Allah, rather he was a prophet of Allah just like Muhammad (may Allah's peace be upon him). This notion of Islam is summarized in the following chapter of Quran-e-Hakeem titled sincerity:
AL-IKHLAS (SINCERITY)
Total Verses: 4 Revealed At: MAKKA
112.001 YUSUFALI: Say: He is Allah, the One and Only; PICKTHAL: Say: He is Allah, the One! SHAKIR: Say: He, Allah, is One.
112.002 YUSUFALI: Allah, the Eternal, Absolute; PICKTHAL: Allah, the eternally Besought of all! SHAKIR: Allah is He on Whom all depend.
112.003 YUSUFALI: He begetteth not, nor is He begotten; PICKTHAL: He begetteth not nor was begotten. SHAKIR: He begets not, nor is He begotten.
112.004 YUSUFALI: And there is none like unto Him. PICKTHAL: And there is none comparable unto Him. SHAKIR: And none is like Him.
P.S. In writing this article I took help from a Wikipedia article. And also the idea that Christians of Arabia refer to God as Allah was brought to my attention for the first time by a close friend who is a devout Roman Catholic Christian.
Sam Harris recently posted an article titled Islam and the Misuses of Ecstasy . In this there is a youtube video in which the imam is crying while leading prayers along with the whole congregation. The reason why Sam Harris has posted this is because he wants to warn the world about the nature of the Muslim piety. In his own words:
Watch the entire video with your full attention. If you cannot feel the haunting beauty of this recitation, if it is inexplicable to you that people can be moved to tears by the mere sound of these verses, then you are not in contact with the data. Indeed, if you don’t understand how someone could be willing to die to defend the legitimacy of such an experience, you are very poorly placed to understand the problem of Islam.
This video has everything: the power of ritual and the power of the crowd; tears of devotion and a lust for vengeance. How many of the people in that mosque are jihadists? I have no idea—perhaps none. But their spiritual aspirations and deepest positive emotions—love, devotion, compassion, bliss, awe—are being focused through the lens of sectarian hatred and humiliation. Read every word of the translation so that you understand what these devout people are weeping over. Their ecstasy is inseparable from the desire to see nonbelievers punished in hellfire. Is this some weird distortion of the true teachings of Islam? No. This is a recitation from the Koran articulating its central message. The video has over 2 million views on YouTube. It was posted by someone who promised his fellow Muslims that they, too, would weep tears of devotion upon seeing it. The reciter is Sheikh Mishary bin Rashid Alafasy of Kuwait. He has as many Twitter followers as Jerry Seinfeld and J.K. Rowling (2 million). In doctrinal terms, this is not the fringe of Islam. It is the center.
Here is the video again:
The verses that have been recited are from surah Fussilaat (Explained in Detail) 19--36. Three translations have been posted below for the perusal of the keen reader.
YUSUFALI: They will say to their skins: "Why bear ye witness against us?" They will say: "Allah hath given us speech,- (He) Who giveth speech to everything: He created you for the first time, and unto Him were ye to return.
PICKTHAL: And they say unto their skins: Why testify ye against us? They say: Allah hath given us speech Who giveth speech to all things, and Who created you at the first, and unto Whom ye are returned.
SHAKIR: And they shall say to their skins: Why have you borne witness against us? They shall say: Allah Who makes everything speak has made us speak, and He created you at first, and to Him you shall be brought back.
YUSUFALI: "Ye did not seek to hide yourselves, lest your hearing, your sight, and your skins should bear witness against you! But ye did think that Allah knew not many of the things that ye used to do!
PICKTHAL: Ye did not hide yourselves lest your ears and your eyes and your skins should testify against you, but ye deemed that Allah knew not much of what ye did.
SHAKIR: And you did not veil yourselves lest your ears and your eyes and your skins should bear witness against you, but you thought that Allah did not know most of what you did.
YUSUFALI: "But this thought of yours which ye did entertain concerning your Lord, hath brought you to destruction, and (now) have ye become of those utterly lost!"
PICKTHAL: That, your thought which ye did think about your Lord, hath ruined you; and ye find yourselves (this day) among the lost.
SHAKIR: And that was your (evil) thought which you entertained about your Lord that has tumbled you down into perdition, so are you become of the lost ones.
YUSUFALI: If, then, they have patience, the Fire will be a home for them! and if they beg to be received into favour, into favour will they not (then) be received.
PICKTHAL: And though they are resigned, yet the Fire is still their home; and if they ask for favour, yet they are not of those unto whom favour can be shown.
SHAKIR: Then if they will endure, still the fire is their abode, and if they ask for goodwill, then are they not of those who shall be granted goodwill.
YUSUFALI: And We have destined for them intimate companions (of like nature), who made alluring to them what was before them and behind them; and the sentence among the previous generations of Jinns and men, who have passed away, is proved against them; for they are utterly lost.
PICKTHAL: And We assigned them comrades (in the world), who made their present and their past fairseeming unto them. And the Word concerning nations of the jinn and humankind who passed away before them hath effect for them. Lo! they were ever losers.
SHAKIR: And We have appointed for them comrades so they have made fair-seeming to them what is before them and what is behind them, and the word proved true against them-- among the nations of the jinn and the men that have passed away before them-- that they shall surely be losers.
YUSUFALI: But We will certainly give the Unbelievers a taste of a severe Penalty, and We will requite them for the worst of their deeds.
PICKTHAL: But verily We shall cause those who disbelieve to taste an awful doom, and verily We shall requite them the worst of what they used to do.
SHAKIR: Therefore We will most certainly make those who disbelieve taste a severe punishment, and We will most certainly reward them for the evil deeds they used to do.
YUSUFALI: Such is the requital of the enemies of Allah,- the Fire: therein will be for them the Eternal Home: a (fit) requital, for that they were wont to reject Our Signs.
PICKTHAL: That is the reward of Allah's enemies: the Fire. Therein is their immortal home, payment forasmuch as they denied Our revelations.
SHAKIR: That is the reward of the enemies of Allah-- the fire; for them therein shall be the house of long abiding; a reward for their denying Our communications.
YUSUFALI: And the Unbelievers will say: "Our Lord! Show us those, among Jinns and men, who misled us: We shall crush them beneath our feet, so that they become the vilest (before all)."
PICKTHAL: And those who disbelieve will say: Our Lord! Show us those who beguiled us of the jinn and humankind. We will place them underneath our feet that they may be among the nethermost.
SHAKIR: And those who disbelieve will say: Our Lord! show us those who led us astray from among the jinn and the men that we may trample them under our feet so that they may be of the lowest.
YUSUFALI: In the case of those who say, "Our Lord is Allah", and, further, stand straight and steadfast, the angels descend on them (from time to time): "Fear ye not!" (they suggest), "Nor grieve! but receive the Glad Tidings of the Garden (of Bliss), the which ye were promised!
PICKTHAL: Lo! those who say: Our Lord is Allah, and afterward are upright, the angels descend upon them, saying: Fear not nor grieve, but hear good tidings of the paradise which ye are promised.
SHAKIR: (As for) those who say: Our Lord is Allah, then continue in the right way, the angels descend upon them, saying: Fear not, nor be grieved, and receive good news of the garden which you were promised.
YUSUFALI: "We are your protectors in this life and in the Hereafter: therein shall ye have all that your souls shall desire; therein shall ye have all that ye ask for!-
PICKTHAL: We are your protecting friends in the life of the world and in the Hereafter. There ye will have (all) that your souls desire, and there ye will have (all) for which ye pray.
SHAKIR: We are your guardians in this world's life and in the hereafter, and you shall have therein what your souls desire and you shall have therein what you ask for:
YUSUFALI: Who is better in speech than one who calls (men) to Allah, works righteousness, and says, "I am of those who bow in Islam"?
PICKTHAL: And who is better in speech than him who prayeth unto his Lord and doeth right, and saith: Lo! I am of those who are muslims (surrender unto Him).
SHAKIR: And who speaks better than he who calls to Allah while he himself does good, and says: I am surely of those who submit?
YUSUFALI: Nor can goodness and Evil be equal. Repel (Evil) with what is better: Then will he between whom and thee was hatred become as it were thy friend and intimate!
PICKTHAL: The good deed and the evil deed are not alike. Repel the evil deed with one which is better, then lo! he, between whom and thee there was enmity (will become) as though he was a bosom friend.
SHAKIR: And not alike are the good and the evil. Repel (evil) with what is best, when lo! he between whom and you was enmity would be as if he were a warm friend.
YUSUFALI: And no one will be granted such goodness except those who exercise patience and self-restraint,- none but persons of the greatest good fortune.
PICKTHAL: But none is granted it save those who are steadfast, and none is granted it save the owner of great happiness.
SHAKIR: And none are made to receive it but those who are patient, and none are made to receive it but those who have a mighty good fortune.
YUSUFALI: And if (at any time) an incitement to discord is made to thee by the Evil One, seek refuge in Allah. He is the One Who hears and knows all things.
PICKTHAL: And if a whisper from the devil reach thee (O Muhammad) then seek refuge in Allah. Lo! He is the Hearer, the Knower.
SHAKIR: And if an interference of the Shaitan should cause you mischief, seek refuge in Allah; surely He is the Hearing, the Knowing.
Indeed the verses of Quran are very harsh on the non-believers. There is no doubt about that. But the question is that why are the people crying so intensely. Can it not be inferred that people are crying for the salvation of humanity. It is very common in mosques to listen to such Quranic discourses and shed tears and also to pray to Allah that non-Muslims be shown a straight path. It is also common for Muslims to cry over their own plight. Why cannot one think that there are ex-non-Muslims and ex-sinners standing in the prayer who are praying for their own salvation. Why does Sam Harris have to infer that Muslims are crying tears of joy because non-Muslims are being sent to hell according to the verses. Indeed one should try to understand that the opposite could be true. That Muslims are shedding tears of empathy viz a viz non-Muslims. Islam does not teach Muslims to look at any or many non-Muslims as inferior beings as compared with themselves. On the contrary, it is a central message of the teachings of Islam to be humble in this regard. Humility is specially preached because it is believed that any amount of faith that a Muslim has can be snatched from him by the will of Allah and can be given to the non-believer. Should any one have any doubts regarding that, he/she should visit Ubqari and listen to the online lectures. Here is a link to one of the many sermons I have heard from Hakeem Tariq Mehmood Chughtai in which he has particularly prayed for non-Muslims, taught how to behave with non-Muslims, which includes Christians, Jews, Hindus and atheists etc. I have personally heard hakeem sahib literally cry while praying for non-Muslims. Particularly, it is taught that all humanity is bonded in a brotherhood in a meaningful sense. It is taught that the whole humanity is ummah. It is a pity that the lectures are in Urdu but the listener can ask an Urdu speaking person for help. An excerpt from another weekly sermon can be found here in which Muslims are strongly advised to scratch off any hatred or grudges they hold in their hearts about non-Muslims. And indeed, these kind of emotions should be sowed in the hearts of the human beings which could lead to a peaceful co-existence.
Sam Harris has nonetheless gotten the whole message wrong and has portrayed it as an equally haunting thing about Islam to his readers. But I hope that Sam would change by the passage of time. In any case, his current argument is absolutely wrong. I thought he is better than that.
Actually if you watch the video again very carefully you will observe that the congregation starts crying the most on recitation of the following verse:
YUSUFALI: And the Unbelievers will say: "Our Lord! Show us those, among Jinns and men, who misled us: We shall crush them beneath our feet, so that they become the vilest (before all)." PICKTHAL: And those who disbelieve will say: Our Lord! Show us those who beguiled us of the jinn and humankind. We will place them underneath our feet that they may be among the nethermost. SHAKIR: And those who disbelieve will say: Our Lord! show us those who led us astray from among the jinn and the men that we may trample them under our feet so that they may be of the lowest. Now, the verse just before that is: 041.028 YUSUFALI: Such is the requital of the enemies of Allah,- the Fire: therein will be for them the Eternal Home: a (fit) requital, for that they were wont to reject Our Signs. PICKTHAL: That is the reward of Allah's enemies: the Fire. Therein is their immortal home, payment forasmuch as they denied Our revelations. SHAKIR: That is the reward of the enemies of Allah-- the fire; for them therein shall be the house of long abiding; a reward for their denying Our communications. One may infer whatever one may wish from this. But clearly, it can be inferred with a high likelihood that congregation is crying on the idea that it is probably too late for the unbelievers to ask for such compensations and relaxations on part of the unbelievers to ask Allah to let them know of the jinns and humans who led them astray as they have reached the judgement day. This thought is what I guess makes the whole congregation cry. The congregation is crying in empathy for the non-believers that they should, or should have, repented while they were alive and not once they have died. Obviously one could infer any amount of bigotry from anything and it is always a personal wish.
In light of new evidence, it sounds that the materialist face of science is crumbling. More and more people in the scientific arena are getting to believe that there indeed is life after death. This is based on a great deal of evidence from NDE and OBE research and also from western spiritualism. Indeed if this turns out to be true it would mean an official end for atheism as any system of thought. As atheism is based on two basic premises. One, that there is no God. And second, that there is no life after death. Indeed, most believers would fail to show any concrete evidence for the existence of the God they believe in. But whether there is afterlife or not? A great deal of evidence suggests that there is one. The internet is full of accounts of that including lucid explanations on youtube to intricate journal publications of the past spiritualists. So while atheism crumbles, Sam Harris current articles seems to be one of his last takes on religion. In the meanwhile, Muslims lament over the plight of the humanity in the afterlife, according to their beliefs. Perhaps they are lamenting as perhaps someone would mourn over the death of a loved one. There is nothing wrong about it.
But Sam Harris is a nice man otherwise. I truly believe that he is a very good natured man. I have always given due attention to his views on religion and read them with open-mindedness. This time, even though he wrote the article very eloquently, he failed to make a point. Indeed, he has messed it all for himself. That is, from an argumentative point of view.
