The quest to justify the source of certain knowledge – which would be able to define the ultimate truth about life and existence – is still an ongoing debate between thinkers and philosophers. Yet, the question of the ultimate truth still remains unanswered. This quest, in fact, originated in the revolt against religion and religious thought. From an Islamic creed perspective, it came into being only because of the distortions by people in the teachings of previous prophets (pbut) and mainly the teachings of Isa (pbuh). Now, unlike the philosophical concept – which originates in the thought of human and remains in the abstract realm of ideas – the Divine revelation from its side (in an attempt to present an exhaustive worldview), addresses the conscience, interacting with feelings and intermingling with practical life. Divine revelation is, in fact, a living relationship between human and the world, and between human and the Creator of the world. It provides a comprehensive view of life and the world in which the human being is honored with the noble mission of safeguarding balance within the universe, thereby establishing justice and spreading good in accordance with the Divine light of guidance.
How can the human, bound within the limits of his/her created nature (being a mortal, neither absolute nor all-knowing, nor being from pre-eternity) be able to conceive the view of the ultimate truth of life and the world? Was it not the reliance on the secular “certain” source of knowledge that led to the deduction that life is pointless? In his book "The First Three Minutes," the Nobel Prize-winning theoretical physicist Steven Weinberg wrote that "the more the universe seems comprehensible, the more it also seems pointless." In effect, Weinberg in this statement is attesting that science paints a picture of the universe as a vast purposeless place in which one cannot see any evidence of a point for human beings. What can a purposeless life offer to a human being, except confusion, deception, despair and depression? One should compare this statement to the Divine revelation, the likes of the following Ayat: “We have not created the heavens and the earth and everything in between except for a purpose. And the Hour is certain to come, so forgive graciously. Surely your Lord is the Master Creator, All-Knowing” (15:85-86). “Did you then think that We had created you without purpose, and that you would never be returned to Us? So exalted is Allah, the Sovereign, the Truth; there is no deity except Him, Lord of the Noble Throne” (23:115-116).
The very profound issue in today’s society is that every aspect in the human life is bound to be regarded, analyzed and treated according to this so believed certain knowledge, which excludes completely Divine guidance. Its view is purely materialistic, treats every aspect from beginning to the end, from the diagnosis to providing solutions, in a closed materialistic realm: devoid of absolute morals, unseen realities and Divine existence.
Many Muslim minds today are clouded with this dominant creed to the point that many of them advocate for excluding Divine guidance from most aspects of life. They claim that professionals, thanks to science and technology, have the precedence in treating these aspects more than religion, which is confined to only the spiritual aspects! No wise Muslim disregards the merits of science and technology, but excluding Divine guidance means devoiding the life from its soul, preventing it from attaining its well-being, as well as disregarding the Divine laws that govern human life and the universe. This view embraced by many Muslims is practically a secular view with an Islamic creed cover. In this view, faith serves to appease the spirit, and the mind ruled by the secular creed, then, shapes the lifestyle. It is saddening to see many Muslim minds soaked with this creed,
Comments