|
ISLAM IS A WAY OF LIFE AND OF BELIEF REVEALED
BY GOD, AND
THAT WAY REQUIRES SUBMISSION TO GOD. HOW CAN
THIS BE IN
ACCORD WITH SENSE AND REASON, AS IS
CLAIMED?
Islam does
mean submission to God and Islam is indeed accord with sense and
reason. This is so because such submission does not contradict
sense or reason. Let us explain and, as we try to do so, let us do
so according to sense and reason.
It is
sensible and reasonable that the principles of the din (the
Muslim way of life), which we are required to understand and
observe in our lives, should be set forth in the Quran. How
else would we know them? The Quran is a revelation of reality.
The demonstrations therein presented concerning Divinity require
prophethood since our knowing about Divinity can not be separated
from prophethood. Indeed, it is by the prophets that the Divine is
made known to mankind.
As the
demonstrations concerning Divinity and prophethood appeal to
reason and sense, so also do those concerning death and
resurrection. The intuition of eternity possessed by mankind
actually arises from the eternal life itself. If it were not so,
no such intuition could exist within the bounds of human
experience or conception.
As for the
Divine Books: they are the Words of God. Of these, the Quran
has come down to us uncorrupted. If all the jinn and mankind
were together to attempt to produce a verse comparable to the
verses of the Quran, they could not do it.
We do not
intend here to discuss how all the branches of the principles of
the din are in accord with sense and reason. Our aim is
only to argue that all matters related to faith in Islam can be
demonstrated by reason. Yet such demonstration means little or
nothing at the level of truly profound human perception.
Every act
of God is by definition in accord with sense and reason since He
is the All-Wise and the All-Knowing Whose works are purposeful,
not in vain. We are bound to conclude that, compared to the works
of God, the works of the most skilled of men are almost of no
significance. The world given to us within which we live
exceeds, always and by far, all that our living adds to that
world; and even what we add is only by God. We can derive from
this a clearer realization that God has a definite purpose in His
every act. That is a realization wholly pleasing to sense and
reason.
We cannot
but believe in God, the All-Mighty, such is His Majesty which we
apprehend through, on the one hand, contemplation of the Divine
laws that operate in the world about us, and through, on the other
hand, inward personal conviction.
That
believing in God, that sense of His Being, whether in the outer
world or within ourselves, inevitably leads to submission to
God. In this way a path moving from sense and reason has ended in
submission. And submission means a willing, intended obedience to
God in all His commands and prohibitions - by observance of
prayer, fasting, alms-giving, and pilgrimage, and by avoidance of
usury, bribery, intoxicating drinks, adultery and the like evils.
God has
sure reasons for His commands and prohibitions, some of which we
can understand. One reason for them is, to give an example, the
benefits that we derive, individually as well as collectively,
from abiding by them. There are many reasons why each of the five
prayers must be done in its own time (self-discipline and order,
stability of faith and community, for example). The manner of
praying is also prescribed for definite reasons. The great value
of the washing of certain parts of the body in preparation for
worship (wudu) is obvious. Congregational prayer plays a
great part in enabling and sustaining the life of a believing
community. Zakat, the alms-tax, contributes significantly
to preserving responsibility and balance between the rich and
the poor in society, reminding man of his social responsibility
and purifying man of attachment to wealth. Fasting is of
undeniable benefit in respect of man’s health, his
understanding the pains of the hungry and strengthening his
resistance to the impulses of his evil-commanding self. As a
further example, let us add that the Islamic penal code (in a
social context created by the Islamic community abiding by the
Divine commands) will also, if studied in the light of sense and
reason, lead to submission to the All-Wise and All-Mighty.
Regarding hajj,
the Quran says: ‘Pilgrimage to the House is a duty to God
for all who are able to make the journey (Al-’Imran,
3.97). That is a clear command. If we hear and obey it without
question, we make the pilgrimage, and this constitutes an act of
submission. To what does this act of submission lead? To the
experience of hajj which, in turn, leads us to contemplate
its benefits. We see that the hajj operates as a
world-wide conference for Muslims, an occasion for them to be
together for the sake of God without discrimination of race or
sex or color or level of education.
Whether we
start from an act of submission and the use of our sense and
reason, or we use our sense and reason and are thereby led to
submission, Islam is confirmed. For this din is grounded
both in sense and reason and in submission. It is a system put
into operation by God and it could not have been ordered
otherwise.
|
|
