In the Name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
Reason and Faith
"... The darkness sacramental of the Eucharist is unfathomable. Besides, if it were intelligible, it would not be divine. If the God we serve could be understood by reason, he would not worth to be served, said Tauler *; ... if the works of God were such that the intelligence of man could easily grasp them, they cease to be wonderful and could not be described as ineffable. "
* John Tauler, theologian of the 14th
This excerpt, by Joris-Karl Huysmans, in his book, "En route", describes the struggle of the majority of people with the concept that faith coincides with reason. The dichotomy between faith and reason is disastrous as it leads to an illusory perception of this world.
We are fortunate to live in an age where scientific and technological advances allow a better understanding of the precise physical and biological laws of this world. Unfortunately, divine grace always exposes the human's ingratitude. Most people are convinced that reason and science prove the in-existence of God rather than His existence. The more they attain knowledge about the laws and systems of the entire universe, the more they incline to believe that the creation of the universe and the repetition of creation they witness every second passes by are accidental! They, thus, conclude that those laws and systems simply exist haphazardly. How irrational and ironic! Laws and systems do not exist without a supreme intelligence and an omnipotent source to establish them. If they were haphazardly set, how would they constantly perform in such sophistication, precision, consistency, coordination and harmony? Reason that does not lead to faith in a Supreme Authority does not reveal the entire truth. It is flawed since it cannot be fully traced, backed up and verified.
"The probability of life originating from accident is comparable to the probability of the Unabridged Dictionary resulting from an explosion in a printing factory." Edwin Conklin
[12:103] Most people, no matter what you do, will not believe.
[12:104] You are not asking them for any money; you simply deliver this reminder for all the people.
[12:105] So many proofs in the heavens and the earth are given to them, but they pass by them, heedlessly!
[2:258] Have you noted the one who argued with Abraham about his Lord, though God had given him kingship? Abraham said, "My Lord grants life and death." He said, "I grant life and death." Abraham said, "God brings the sun from the east, can you bring it from the west?" The disbeliever was stumped. God does not guide the wicked.
Another irony is that the majority of those who believe in God go to the other extreme and abolish all forms of reason! Their spiritual path becomes illogical and mystical. It is based on superstition and concepts that contradict both commonsense and the physical laws of this world. Without questioning or verifying, they repeat their ancestral religious practices or follow their opinions and traditions even if they contradict the scripture they claim to uphold. Thus, they lead a life with a fake spirit and unauthentic identity that has nothing to do with the title of their faith.. They are diverted from the path of God, without knowing, supported by Satan who always promotes idol worship under the guise of monotheism. Faith without reason does not reveal the entire truth. Faith without reason is also flawed and fake since it can not be fully traced, backed up and verified.
[12:108] Say, "This is my path: I invite to God, on the basis of a clear proof, and so do those who follow me. God be glorified. I am not an idol worshiper."
[29:61] If you ask them, "Who created the heavens and the earth, and put the sun and the moon in your service," they will say, "God." Why then did they deviate?
[29:62] God is the One who increases the provision for whomever He chooses from among His creatures, and withholds it. God is fully aware of all things.
[29:63] If you ask them, "Who sends down from the sky water, to revive dead land," they will say, "God." Say, "Praise God." Most of them do not understand.
[29:64] This worldly life is no more than vanity and play, while the abode of the Hereafter is the real life, if they only knew.
[31:29] Do you not realize that God merges the night into the day and merges the day into the night, and that He has committed the sun and the moon in your service, each running in its orbit for a specific life span, and that God is fully Cognizant of everything you do?
[2:170] When they are told, "Follow what God has revealed herein," they say, "We follow only what we found our parents doing." What if their parents did not understand, and were not guided?
[2:171] The example of such disbelievers is that of parrots who repeat what they hear of sounds and calls, without understanding. Deaf, dumb, and blind; they cannot understand.
[9:31] They have set up their religious leaders and scholars as lords, instead of God. Others deified the Messiah, son of Mary. They were all commanded to worship only one god. There is no god except He. Be He glorified, high above having any partners.
[10:34] Say, "Can any of your idols initiate creation, then repeat it?" Say, "God initiates the creation, then repeats it. How could you deviate?"
[10:35] Say, "Does any of your idols guide to the truth?" Say, "God guides to the truth. Is one who guides to the truth more worthy of being followed, or one who does not guide, and needs guidance for himself? What is wrong with your judgment?"
This systematic opposition between the truth of faith and truth of reason is absurd. The truth stands by itself as ONE, VERIFIABLE and COHERENT TRUTH with no conditions or contradictions. If something is not true, then it has to be false and unverifiable. Reason, by itself, cannot and will not stand behind or justify creation, life and death. Blind, man-made faith that does not acknowledge science cannot stand behind or explain why we are here. There has to be one supremacy and one intelligence, a source and a founder of all facts, scientific and religious. That is God, the Creator, the Designer and the Artisan. He is that ONE, VERIFIABLE and COHERENT TRUTH. That is why the truth of reason & science and truth of faith are one and the same; they describe the same reality.
[10:32] Such is God, your rightful Lord. What is there after the truth, except falsehood? How could you disregard all this?
[10:36] Most of them follow nothing but conjecture, and conjecture is no substitute for the truth. God is fully aware of everything they do.
The use of our brains is crucial to process what we hear, witness or observe. In other words, there is what we see and what we need to understand of what we see. There is what we hear and that we need to understand of what we hear. This is why God recommends and commands the use of brains as a basic step to grow in spirit and to strengthen the souls.
Once we analyze and process given data, then, recognize and choose God, we need His guidance to understand, discern and perceive the reality beyond the materialistic illusion of this world. Those who choose to disbelieve are deprived of such divine guidance. Thus, the choice we make, belief or disbelief, will have a direct and a fundamental impact on our intellect (19:75-76, 10:33, 6:109-110, 21:79). By the grace of God and His guiding mechanisms, believers develop logical, objective and scientific reasoning skills to better understand God's message in His scripture. Consequently, they fully perceive it, grasp it and utilize it to grow spiritually. In other words, it is the intelligence and the reason that bring believers to the realization that they must choose to pay attention to and develop their souls to be able to rejoin God's kingdom. It is the intelligence and reason that empower them to reach the inner balance of persevering on the straight path to achieve the eternal bliss with God while enjoying, appreciating and sharing His blessings during this temporary life.
[3:18] God bears witness that there is no god except He, and so do the angels and those who possess knowledge. Truthfully and equitably, He is the absolute god; there is no god but He, the Almighty, Most Wise.
[17:36] You shall not accept any information, unless you verify it for yourself. I have given you the hearing, the eyesight, and the brain, and you are responsible for using them.
[30:44] Whoever disbelieves, disbelieves to the detriment of his own soul, while those who lead a righteous life, do so to strengthen and develop their own souls.
[9:69] Some of those before you were stronger than you, and possessed more money and children. They became preoccupied with their material possessions. Similarly, you have become preoccupied with your material possessions, just like those before you have become preoccupied. You have become totally heedless, just as they were heedless. Such are the people who nullify their works, both in this world and in the Hereafter; they are the losers.
God granted us the intelligence to analyze, process and distinguish all the seen and heard around us. Then, He communicated with us through a Quran containing a message that this intelligence we are equipped with can and must understand. A Quran that is formulated in civil, moral, spiritual and physical laws and is structured by mathematical laws for its constant authentication and preservation.
[55:1] The Most Gracious.
[55:2] Teacher of the Quran.
[55:3] Creator of the human beings.
[55:4] He taught them how to distinguish.
[55:5] The sun and the moon are perfectly calculated.
[55:6] The stars and the trees prostrate.
[55:7] He constructed the sky and established the law.
[55:8] You shall not transgress the law.
[55:9] You shall establish justice; do not violate the law.
When Quran is processed by those who choose to use their intelligence (their brains), God intervenes so they properly grasp the reality of this journey on earth (2:257), its meaning and purpose (51:55-57, 90:4, 44:39, 14:19, 15:85). They witness the complete and verifiable one truth that sound reason must lead to true faith, to one God, one source and authority of all laws and values. They see, hear, comprehend and perceive the phenomenon of God. They persevere to redeem their souls and securely return to God in peace, contentment and dignity.
[38:45] Remember also our servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They were resourceful, and possessed vision.
[38:46] We bestowed upon them a great blessing: awareness of the Hereafter.
[3:190] In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alternation of night and day, there are signs for those who possess intelligence.
[3:191] They remember God while standing, sitting, and on their sides, and they reflect upon the creation of the heavens and the earth: "Our Lord, You did not create all this in vain. Be You glorified. Save us from the retribution of Hell.
[3:192] "Our Lord, whomever You commit to Hell are the ones You have forsaken. Such transgressors have no helpers.
[3:193] "Our Lord, we have heard a caller calling to faith and proclaiming: `You shall believe in your Lord,' and we have believed. Our Lord, forgive us our transgressions, remit our sins, and let us die as righteous believers.
[3:194] "Our Lord, shower us with the blessings you promised us through Your messengers, and do not forsake us on the Day of Resurrection. You never break a promise."
Peaceful Friday, salaam and God bless.