There is a big difference between Religion and Reality

ON 24 FEBRUARY 2014.

THERE IS A BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN RELIGION AND REALITY

In Islam, all attributes of God have to be God-like; otherwise God would not be God. For example, the Christian teaching of TRINITY does not demonstrate a God-like attribute of God because “God Alone is enough as Defender of the universe” (Al-Qur’an). He does not need a Son. Likewise, in idol worship, the idols do not possess God-like attributes of God because they cannot hear or benefit us in anyway. (Al-Qur’an)

There are different ways in which different religions downgrade or degrade the different attributes of God. For example, Ibrahim (AS) refused to worship the celestial bodies because they set and rose with sunrise and sunset and vice versa. This did not demonstrate a God-like attribute of the celestial bodies because they followed the laws of someone who created them.

Thus, it was in this way Ibrahim (AS) found all God-like attributes of God in reality, outside of religion, in the Intelligence Design of God’s creation. He could not have done so if he did not question what his parents, their ulama and he believed. Furthermore, he gave us the wisdom not to trust any of the teachings and practices of religion if we could not verify them with the Work of God in the Intelligence Design of His creation or His Word in the revealed knowledge of the Qur’an.

Therefore, using Hadith or fabricated tales, which are written by man, to undermine the knowledge of the Qur’an is like attaching partners to God and degrading some of His attributes. For example, to state that “the Prophet (SAW) did not have a shadow” and make this an issue of faith, while the Qur’an states that “he was a man like you” is in total contradiction of the Qur’an. Likewise, to state that everything in this creation was created from the “noor” of the Prophet (SAW) is wrong because the Qur’an states that everything in this creation was created from “smoke” (earth in gas form).

Likewise, to use Hadith to preach and follow Islam according the religious methodology of taqlid, aqidah, silsila, khanqah, sainthood, sects, and madhabs is in total contradiction of the Qur’an because the Qur’an teaches and promotes Islam according to the secular methodology of ilm-ul-yaqin (certainty of knowledge by inference or reasoning), ayn-ul-yaqin (certainty of knowledge by seeing and observing) and haqq-ul-yaqin (absolute knowledge, like this is a pen, etc).

Using Hadith or fabricated tales does not only distance us from the truth and reality of our creation but it also subjects us to religion which is in total contradiction of the Sunnah of Ibrahim (AS). Let’s take for example the Arabic word “ibbadat” in the Qur’an. It has nothing to do with the “worship” of God because Ibrahim (AS) was chosen by Allah (SWT) to “serve” Him as caliph (vicegerent) and khalil (friend).

Similarly, the word “sujood” has nothing to do with “prostration”. It means “submitting one’s self to the laws” of Allah (SWT). For example, in surah 16 verse 48 “the shadows of things” are not due to the religious injunctions of prostration. They are due to the rotation and revolution of the earth around the sun which were designed by Allah SWT) for their specific condition. And, there is no Shia and Sunni or Hanifi and Shafi way of doing this (that is, submitting to the laws of Allah for any one specific reason).

Hence, Islam is not a religion but din (way of life). Therefore, to divide its teachings and practices of Islam to that of sects and madhabs is totally wrong. Those who do this are outside the fold of Islam. Likewise, the ulama who preach and follow Islam according to the religious methodology of taqlid, aqidah, silsila, khanqah, sainthood, sects and madhabs are outside the fold of Islam. In the same way, the salaah is not a “prayer” but a “pledge” where “submission” is found by rukhu and sujood “to the Will of God” by the recitation of the Qur’an and so on.

The reason why the Qur’an wants us to function according to science and not according to religion in all aspects and dimensions of our lives is because we are created from the earth, which functions according to the laws of physics and mathematics in all its form and not according to religion. This is the undercurrent of all life on earth. In other words, we are no different from plant life, which functions in all aspects and dimensions of its life according to science and not religion. That is why more than 50% of the Qur’an refers us to the Signs of Allah (SWT) in His creation.

There are also other important functions of the Qur’an. One of them is to establish PEACE. This involves respecting all God-given DIVERSITIES and establishing UNITY among them with utmost JUSTICE. For example, in plant life, it is wrong to state that the flower of the rose plant is Islamic and all others are un-Islamic. Similarly, the different races, nationalities, etc, and their different cultures, customs, traditions, languages, etc, are like the different plants bearing their own flowers and fruits. Therefore, to state that it is Islamic to keep a beard and wear the kurtha and un-Islamic to shave the beard and wear a suit and tie is totally against the knowledge of the Qur’an.

Therefore, in order to preserve every truth and reality of every teaching and practice of Islam, every word of Islam has to be defined by the knowledge of the Qur’an and not the Hadith. For example, the Sunnah of the Prophet (SAW) is not something he said and did “outside” of what is written in the Qur’an. This is a false definition of Sunnah because it does not convey the true message of the Qur’an in the context of the diversity of our creation, time and space and the truth and reality of our creation outside the realms of religion. And, this has happened only because Muslims have used the knowledge of the Hadith and not the Qur’an to define the Sunnah.

The Sunnah is a very important term of the Shariah. When the Sunnah does not convey the true teachings and practices of the Qur’an, then secular people, both Muslims and non-Muslims, who have found truth and reality by questioning religion and their experience of life in the diversity of our creation, do not accept the Shariah that is based on such a religious concept of Islam, which is a total contradiction of the Qur’an. Hence, it is legitimate to reject Shariah laws and Muslim brotherhoods that do not uphold the true knowledge of Qur’an and Sunnah, which adhere to universal values and norms of our creation.

In addition to this, we are also persuaded to note that the exclusive knowledge of the Qur’an in the context of the Intelligence Design of God’s creation is a means of eliminating sects and madhabs and even the Shia and Sunni divide and uniting the ummah, while religion in general, with the aid of Hadith, which is written by man, will not only distance us from the truth and reality of the Qur’an and Sunnah but will also divide us into sects and madhabs and secular and religious. And, when we distance ourselves from the truth and reality found in God’s Work and Word then He forsakes us like He has forsaken the Jews and Christians for losing sight of what was revealed to them.

And, when Allah (SWT) forsakes us then He doesn’t listen to us or answer our pleas. Today, we are fighting the western world of Judaism and Christianity on our own accord without the help of Allah (SWT) like the Jews and Christians are fighting us without His help. Surely, we can’t win because we have not progressed in the way they have progressed militarily, politically, economically and otherwise. Our only chance now is to join hands again with Allah (SWT) by developing “the straight path” of the Qur’an.

The Qur’anic way of doing this is by making shurah and ijma with the diverse opinions of those Muslims who are regular in salaah. These opinions and resolutions can be networked by forming Muslim Assemblies at local, regional and national levels. In this way, the judiciary and constitutional progress and developments of the ummah can be kept separate from the elected democratic governments of the day. Furthermore, it is wrong for us to bar the Shias, Ahmedis, Islmailis, etc, from joining our Assemblies in search for the truths and realities of our creation because our crime for deviating from the truths and realities of the Qur’an and Sunnah is just as great as theirs. The parable of this is like that of a thief. Whether he or she steals a big amount of money or a small amount, the crime is the same.

There is also another way of verifying all what I have stated in this article. It is by using the worldview teachings of Tawhid (an Arabic word for unity and universality), which are found in the Qur’an to explain the Qur’an. For more information on this subject, please share my blog at http://www.tawhidiislam.wordpress.com

There is no copyright to this article or any of my other articles in my blog. You may improve on it or translate it in any language and circulate.

AK SAYED.