“Islam is in the middle of the wrong war with the wrong people.”
Dear Friend,
I hope this letter finds you in good health and high spirits. I want to take a moment to express how much I value our friendship and the open conversations we share.
I understand that your journey has led you to atheism, and I respect your compassion for exploring and questioning the universe around you. Our discussions about science and philosophy have always been enlightening, and I appreciate the depth of thought you bring to these topics about religion and atheism.
I hope to share my perspective in a way that resonates with your quest for truth, and as part of your journey, I will let you enter my brain and see my way of reasoning as a Muslim, and maybe you will see the world as I see it.
First, let me assure you that I understand where you come from and see the history behind it: After centuries of religion’s oppression, corruption and unjust dominance over science and personal freedom, followed by a bloody revolution, mankind is finally able to take a clean breath of independence and creativity and see the world in its true colors; how can you repeat that same mistake and put yourself under the mercy of any religion and walk behind ordinary man telling you what and what not do or believe, just because he claims he has access to the absolute truth?
I hope this letter finds you in good health and high spirits. I want to take a moment to express how much I value our friendship and the open conversations we share.
I understand that your journey has led you to atheism, and I respect your compassion for exploring and questioning the universe around you. Our discussions about science and philosophy have always been enlightening, and I appreciate the depth of thought you bring to these topics about religion and atheism.
I hope to share my perspective in a way that resonates with your quest for truth, and as part of your journey, I will let you enter my brain and see my way of reasoning as a Muslim, and maybe you will see the world as I see it.
First, let me assure you that I understand where you come from and see the history behind it: After centuries of religion’s oppression, corruption and unjust dominance over science and personal freedom, followed by a bloody revolution, mankind is finally able to take a clean breath of independence and creativity and see the world in its true colors; how can you repeat that same mistake and put yourself under the mercy of any religion and walk behind ordinary man telling you what and what not do or believe, just because he claims he has access to the absolute truth?
“Man will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest.”
Denis Diderot
Well, excluding religion made things better, but not right, and you are still repeating our ancestors’ blunders!
Because you, my friend, are not any different from any religious person. They filled up the emptiness triggered by the missing link to our universe and the lack of explanation about our existence (how and why) by prostrating and offering sacrifices to the next mightiest thing in their environment: the sun, a volcano, a statue, an animal…. And so did you. It just happened that the mightiest thing nowadays is science and “personal freedom.”
The paradox of Atheism
Again, I understand the appeal of scientific atheism as a possible solution… if not for Islam.
After studying Islam, I find answers that science and philosophy fail to provide; they merely offer comforting distractions, a placebo to numb the pressing existential questions.
As a truth seeker, which is a responsibility for every Muslim, I find myself in a paradoxical situation faced with every scientific explanation about how creation occurred and the philosophical approach to why it exists!
After studying Islam, I find answers that science and philosophy fail to provide; they merely offer comforting distractions, a placebo to numb the pressing existential questions.
As a truth seeker, which is a responsibility for every Muslim, I find myself in a paradoxical situation faced with every scientific explanation about how creation occurred and the philosophical approach to why it exists!
Let’s take the most notorious scientific models explaining the creation of the universe:
It created itself:
If I accept that, I must confront the paradox of the universe’s nonexistent and existence at the same point in time.
It came from nothing:
Can a thing come from nothing? Can 0+0 result in 1? Did we ever scientifically observe that phenomenon? …: No, never!
It has always been there:
You just discredited the Big Bang theory and the observable expansion of the universe deriving from it, which implies a starting point.
Time + matter + chaos = infinite possibilities:
For the creation of life, “maybe,” but not the creation of the universe because time, matter and chaos are part of the universe, and that’s called circular reasoning.
Evolution:
By definition, evolution acts on preexisting life forms and ecology and, therefore, is a post-creation phenomenon that can’t be an explanation of the creation.
If I accept that, I must confront the paradox of the universe’s nonexistent and existence at the same point in time.
It came from nothing:
Can a thing come from nothing? Can 0+0 result in 1? Did we ever scientifically observe that phenomenon? …: No, never!
It has always been there:
You just discredited the Big Bang theory and the observable expansion of the universe deriving from it, which implies a starting point.
Time + matter + chaos = infinite possibilities:
For the creation of life, “maybe,” but not the creation of the universe because time, matter and chaos are part of the universe, and that’s called circular reasoning.
Evolution:
By definition, evolution acts on preexisting life forms and ecology and, therefore, is a post-creation phenomenon that can’t be an explanation of the creation.
Now, what about the creation of life? Scientifically speaking:
Evolution, of course!
The obvious answer!
After all, life is just a list of ingredients that came together at a certain point in time, surrounded by the proper conditions. Since the universe can provide those ingredients and, with the help of infinite time and some chaos, provide the perfect conditions for life.
The way I see it:
1- Life, according to evolutionists, is created by transforming a quantity of matter and energy into a living organism. In other words, nature transformed chemistry into pure biology. Which can’t be reproduced or observed in nature.
The paradox within that theory is how the universe must provide chaos and randomness to create life, then instantly switch to a fine-tuned chemically and physically regulated universe to provide consistency and predictability for that new form of existence, so it survives or, better yet, flourishes and perfects itself.
Simply put, nature needs chaos and randomness to combine time, energy and matter into life, but it also needs to stop that randomness and chaos at the exact moment that life was created in order to preserve it:
T – 1: Randomness
T0: Creation of life
T + 1: Fine-tuning
2- Evolution theory is about body parts, environment, and structures, and I don’t have an issue with that as an adaptation process, but does it explain functionalities?!
Can it explain the eyesight and the process of the ability to catch the light emitting from the environment and turn it into brain signals, then translate it to imagery with accurate colors, distance and shades? What about hearing sounds? The DNA and RNA? What about sperm in one living being that interacts with an egg on another separate one…
You got the idea!
The obvious answer!
After all, life is just a list of ingredients that came together at a certain point in time, surrounded by the proper conditions. Since the universe can provide those ingredients and, with the help of infinite time and some chaos, provide the perfect conditions for life.
The way I see it:
1- Life, according to evolutionists, is created by transforming a quantity of matter and energy into a living organism. In other words, nature transformed chemistry into pure biology. Which can’t be reproduced or observed in nature.
The paradox within that theory is how the universe must provide chaos and randomness to create life, then instantly switch to a fine-tuned chemically and physically regulated universe to provide consistency and predictability for that new form of existence, so it survives or, better yet, flourishes and perfects itself.
Simply put, nature needs chaos and randomness to combine time, energy and matter into life, but it also needs to stop that randomness and chaos at the exact moment that life was created in order to preserve it:
T – 1: Randomness
T0: Creation of life
T + 1: Fine-tuning
2- Evolution theory is about body parts, environment, and structures, and I don’t have an issue with that as an adaptation process, but does it explain functionalities?!
Can it explain the eyesight and the process of the ability to catch the light emitting from the environment and turn it into brain signals, then translate it to imagery with accurate colors, distance and shades? What about hearing sounds? The DNA and RNA? What about sperm in one living being that interacts with an egg on another separate one…
You got the idea!
What Islam has to do with it?
Now, my friend, put yourself in my place as a truth seeker. Exploring all those scientific theories left me with more questions than answers, and not one theory dared to come near the why of our existence, forcing me to dig deeper for answers.
Religion offers an alternative explanation for the creation and its purpose. Considering only monotheistic religions, and throughout history, there has been a repetitive pattern: whenever mankind corrupted and altered a religion, God assured them of a new messenger and revelation to correct it and make it authentic again. If creation is the hardware and religion is the software, revelations are the updates pushed whenever a virus corrupts the system. Like science, religion is necessary to unveil anomalies and wrong beliefs at the time of its revelation.
And if you ask: What about the other religions, and why only monotheistic ones? You can read this article, which explains why logically.
Since Islam is the latest update, let’s stay objective here and put it under the same conditions as a scientific theory:
Religion offers an alternative explanation for the creation and its purpose. Considering only monotheistic religions, and throughout history, there has been a repetitive pattern: whenever mankind corrupted and altered a religion, God assured them of a new messenger and revelation to correct it and make it authentic again. If creation is the hardware and religion is the software, revelations are the updates pushed whenever a virus corrupts the system. Like science, religion is necessary to unveil anomalies and wrong beliefs at the time of its revelation.
And if you ask: What about the other religions, and why only monotheistic ones? You can read this article, which explains why logically.
Since Islam is the latest update, let’s stay objective here and put it under the same conditions as a scientific theory:
“ A scientific theory is a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world based on empirical evidence, observations, and experimentation. ”
A scientific theory must be falsifiable, meaning there should be a way to test and disprove it. Islam recommends the same challenges to skeptics, such as producing a text equal to the Quran or exploiting discrepancies or contradictions. It also encourages critical thinking and scientific observation to address Quranic claims and arguments. So, from the start, Islam was against the idea of blind faith or circular reasoning, respected my intellect and accepted my logical approach.
“ Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ “I advise you to do ˹only˺ one thing: stand up for ˹the sake of˺ Allah—individually or in pairs—then reflect. Your fellow man is not insane. He is only a warner to you before ˹the coming of˺ a severe punishment. ”
Quran 34:46
Islam explains not only life and its creation with no ambiguity or inconsistency but also the why and purpose behind its creation. The Quran talks about scientific facts described 1440 years ago:
“ We built the universe with ˹great˺ might, and We are certainly expanding ˹it˺. ”
Quran 51:47
“ And He is the One Who created the day and the night, the sun and the moon—each travelling in an orbit. “
Quran 21:33
“Not the sun is permitted for it – that it overtakes the moon, and not the night (can) outstrip the day, but all in an orbit they are floating.”
Quran 36:40
The book just mentioned the well-known theory of the expansion of the universe and the fact that the moon and the sun are floating in orbit, linking day and night to that floating.
Or, Mountains act like stakes or tent pegs that hold the earth’s crust and give it stability as a geological concept known as isostasy; the earth has a protecting sphere, and the sun and moon orbit again for confirmation, three signs in three consecutive verses:
Or, Mountains act like stakes or tent pegs that hold the earth’s crust and give it stability as a geological concept known as isostasy; the earth has a protecting sphere, and the sun and moon orbit again for confirmation, three signs in three consecutive verses:
“Have We not made the earth as a wide expanse, and the mountains as pegs?”
Quran 78:6-7
“And We have placed firm mountains upon the earth so it does not shake with them, and made in it broad pathways so they may find their way. And We have made the sky a well-protected canopy. Still, they turn away from its signs. And He is the One Who created the day and the night, the sun and the moon—each travelling in an orbit.
Quran: 21: 31-33
And many, many more…
The observable miracle
As a divine revelation, the Quran not only challenges science, history and major corrupted theologies but also is described as a miracle of eloquence, confounding the speakers of its original language, the Arabs, who bragged about it in all styles of poetry and art of speech, challenging them and all humankind on the impossibility of producing something like it:
“And if you are in doubt about what We have revealed to Our servant, then produce a surah (chapter) like it and call your helpers other than Allah, if what you say is true.<br>But if you are unable to do so, and you will never be able to do so, then fear the Fire fueled with people and stones, which is prepared for the disbelievers.”
Quran: 2:23
“ Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ “If ˹all˺ humans and jinn were to come together to produce the equivalent of this Quran, they could not produce its equal, no matter how they supported each other.”
Quran 17:88
That’s a straightforward falsification test put by the author itself. All you have to do to debunk the whole religion is to produce a chapter like it, and by the way, the most minor chapter in the Quran is only three lines.
A three-line challenge that remains unbreakable for 1400 years, even in the era of Ai.
Now, that’s what I call a divine challenge!
A three-line challenge that remains unbreakable for 1400 years, even in the era of Ai.
Now, that’s what I call a divine challenge!
Now, let us continue with the rest of the scientific falsification test:
Experimentation:
From the first day of revelation, Islam transcends the conventional boundaries of being merely a religion. It is a consistent and unbreakable force in the face of societal, political and scientific changes; that is, the Islam of the first Muslim 1400 years ago is the same Islam of the last one on earth. It is time- and place-proof (experimentations).
Observations:
The Quran, purporting to be a guide for humanity, extends its influence far beyond matters of faith alone. It provides spiritual direction and encompasses a comprehensive set of guidelines that touch upon the personal, economic, and social facets of human existence. This divine guidance is not confined to rituals but extends its expertise to every nuance of our daily lives — from the details of our dietary choices and the words we speak to the complexities of governance on a societal scale. The Quran and Sunnah collectively form a meticulous blueprint for the fundamental guidance they impart for our human experience.
Consistency:
Any man may express a particular opinion or theory on a given topic relying on the knowledge and conclusions he has accumulated but later renounce that opinion in the light of continuing knowledge buildup or new discoveries. However, although the Qur’an was revealed over twenty-three years, it is entirely uniform and lacks contradiction through time. The uniformity, unity, and consistency of the ideas in the Qur’an signify it’s coming from the Unique One, Allah, who says:
Experimentation:
From the first day of revelation, Islam transcends the conventional boundaries of being merely a religion. It is a consistent and unbreakable force in the face of societal, political and scientific changes; that is, the Islam of the first Muslim 1400 years ago is the same Islam of the last one on earth. It is time- and place-proof (experimentations).
Observations:
The Quran, purporting to be a guide for humanity, extends its influence far beyond matters of faith alone. It provides spiritual direction and encompasses a comprehensive set of guidelines that touch upon the personal, economic, and social facets of human existence. This divine guidance is not confined to rituals but extends its expertise to every nuance of our daily lives — from the details of our dietary choices and the words we speak to the complexities of governance on a societal scale. The Quran and Sunnah collectively form a meticulous blueprint for the fundamental guidance they impart for our human experience.
Consistency:
Any man may express a particular opinion or theory on a given topic relying on the knowledge and conclusions he has accumulated but later renounce that opinion in the light of continuing knowledge buildup or new discoveries. However, although the Qur’an was revealed over twenty-three years, it is entirely uniform and lacks contradiction through time. The uniformity, unity, and consistency of the ideas in the Qur’an signify it’s coming from the Unique One, Allah, who says:
“Do they not reflect on the Quran? If this book were from other than GOD, they would certainly find much variation and contradiction in it”.
Quran (4:82)
There you have it again. If you wish to debunk the entire religion, all you have to do is find one contradiction in the book.
Logically, how do you expect me to renounce all those evidences and data for some abstract and subjective “scientific” scenarios, occasionally pushed by hidden agendas?
Logically, how do you expect me to renounce all those evidences and data for some abstract and subjective “scientific” scenarios, occasionally pushed by hidden agendas?
Stop limiting your horizons
My dear friend, as a truth seeker like you, I know that you are not allergic to faith; you are allergic to lies and deception of men.
what you call freedom is just an illusion. It is a series of predetermined daily choices and actions you take to serve your God.
Your desires, political loyalty, career, partner and fear of what’s coming… are your God, and you just follow another religion made by …men!
Islam is not a religion of a man or about a man.
Islam is not an enemy of freedom, reason and science, and more importantly, it is not your enemy. Therefore, all you have to do is open your heart and mind and seek more knowledge.
God assures you that faith is about knowledge, and you should go for it.
what you call freedom is just an illusion. It is a series of predetermined daily choices and actions you take to serve your God.
Your desires, political loyalty, career, partner and fear of what’s coming… are your God, and you just follow another religion made by …men!
Islam is not a religion of a man or about a man.
Islam is not an enemy of freedom, reason and science, and more importantly, it is not your enemy. Therefore, all you have to do is open your heart and mind and seek more knowledge.
God assures you that faith is about knowledge, and you should go for it.
“Those of His servants only who are possessed of knowledge fear Allah; surely Allah is Mighty, Forgiving.”
Quran 35:28
May God guide us all.
