The Qur’an teaches us how to think, not what to think

By Ahmad Eldin: IslamforGreeks

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It is impressive for one to see that a book 1500 old, is approaching the truth with a revolutionary method and is arguing for wisdom. In this article we see that the Qur’an is approaching the reader with reasonable questions in order to make him aware of the truth on his own.

It is very reasonable for some to believe in error, that the Qur’an is a book strictly dogmatic in its positions. Such and other worst ideas, propagated by the opponents of Islam without any evidence or evidence from the Holy Qur’an itself. In the Qur’an of course is stressed the belief, the theological positions, the words of God, the rules. But all these are not dry without arguments.

The Qur’an as we said above, is approaching those that it considers as truths with questions. Questions raised by the Almighty which sometimes He answers Himself or at other times He lets man give the answers. The purpose is clear. Through this democratic method, man understands how to study or to explore the truth objectively, thus reaching it without logical errors. This method not only could not be characterized as doctrinal, in contrast the man learns how to think rather than what to think.

Let’s look at a few examples of this methology and these questions:

“Do you order righteousness of the people and forget yourselves while you recite the Scripture? Then will you not reason?” Al Qur’an 2:44

The question is response to hypocrisy. It makes references to those who call for justice and piety but forget to apply them themselves. It stresses a group of people “who study the scriptures.” For those the hypocrisy is worse as they read for justice first hand. They preach it but do not act it in their own lives.

In our own society we can give thousand of examples.

The important thing in this piece is that the Qur’an sets this question, although it has taught us the law. This question makes the reader understand by himself not to be a hypocrite.

The Qur’an says asking again:

“Then did you think that we created you uselessly and that to us you would not be returned?” Al Qur’an 23:115

In a simple question here the Qur’an “answers” the deniers of the afterlife and atheists. If there is no afterlife then everything we live here is futile without real meaning. Our existence itself is meaningless. Only with the existence of God and the existence of the afterlife, there is meaning in our struggles, worries, joys, etc Otherwise we are here without purpose, without substance. What is the point of morality, love, values, justice, democracy, equality,  and all that? And how the unjust will answer for their injustices and how will the righteous be rewarded?

The issue of course rouses much debate, but it should be noted that the Qur’an by putting a question, leads the reader to the logical conclusion, that there is no possibility not to be an Omnipotent Almighty, who runs the Universe and simply created us for this short life alone.

A similar question is also where the Qur’an says:

“Indeed, Allah is the cleaver of grain and date seeds. He brings the living out of the dead and brings the dead out of the living. That is Allah ; so how are you deluded?” Al Qur’an 6:95

This question is addressed to the pagans and idolaters . How can they worship something that has no power to do anything? How can they worship something that their own hands made?

Here we have once again the question that leads to a logical answer.

The Qur’an also says:

“He created man from a sperm-drop; then at once, he is a clear adversary.” Al Quran 16:4

The Qur’an here refers to the “competitor” and ” rival”. The competitor, is the one who with arrogance and pride tries to look like God. Well the place is full of them. Just take a look around you. To those people who think that due to their power they have everything ,God made a reference to the  material from which  they emanated. Semen! Seeds  they were like all of us from a humble substance and now they are standing as deniers of God through their acts and beliefs. The reference to the semen stresess that he  (the man) was weak and nearly non existent . And now he thinks he has it all.

The Qur’ran has thousands of such questions on any topic of concern to humans. Questions that God does not answer but leaves the man to answer to understand himself the truth. Such a methodology, one can find only in the Qur’an. The Qur’an is the only theological book that approaches the truth and argues on the basis of its  own readers. Is this not  a sign that we are dealing with a book of non-human?I