Tag: faith

Videos: Epistemology: How Do We Know?

Zia H Shah

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Is Revelation also a Source of Knowledge?

Written and collected by Zia H Shah MD, Chief Editor of the Muslim Times

Modern philosophers often do not mention revelation, intuitions and eureka moments as source of knowledge. I beg to differ. In the second video above meteorological knee is mentioned by Robert Audi as a source of knowledge.

I believe the holy Quran to be the literal word of God and find it a source for not only spiritual and moral truths but sometimes also scientific ones.

Astronomy, mathematics and science started with the study of the Quran during the Golden age of Islam from the 7th to the 12th century.

Let me go to the Quran, where devout, learned or even skeptical, all kinds of Muslims generally start:

If there had been in the heavens and the earth other gods besides Allah, then surely both would have gone to ruin. Glorified then be Allah, the Lord of the Throne, far above what they attribute to Him. (Al Quran 21:22)

One of the interpretations of the above verse:

If there had been in the heavens and the earth other gods besides Allah, then there would have been chaos in the Universe. An organized study of nature would not have been possible. I propose that scientific development occurred because of Judeo-Christian-Muslim paradigm of Monotheism. To demonstrate what monotheism had to do for the scientific progress, here, I quote from Paul Davies from his book ‘the Mind of God.’ He writes:

Much of this early thinking was based on the assumption that the properties of physical things were intrinsic qualities belonging to those things. The great diversity of forms and substances found in the physical world thus reflected the limitless variety of intrinsic properties. Set against this way of looking at the world were the monotheistic religions. The Jews conceived of God as the Lawgiver. This God, being independent of and separate from his creation, imposed laws upon the physical universe from without. Nature was supposed to be subject to laws by divine decree. One could still assign causes to phenomena, but the connection between cause and effect was now constrained by the laws. John Barrow has studied the historical origins of the concept of physical laws. He contrasts the Greek pantheon with the One monarchical God of Judaism: ‘When we look at the relatively sophisticated society of Greek gods, we do not find the notion of an all, powerful cosmic lawgiver very evident. Events are decided by negotiation, deception, or argument rather than by omnipotent decree. Creation proceeds by committee rather than fiat.’

The view that laws are imposed upon, rather than inherent in, nature was eventually adopted by Christianity and Islam too, though not without a struggle. Barrow relates how Saint Thomas Aquinas ‘viewed the innate Aristotelian tendencies as aspects of the natural world which were providentially employed by God. However, in this cooperative enterprise their basic character was inviolate. According to this view, God’s relationship with Nature is that of a partner rather than that of a sovereign.’ But such Aristotelian ideas were condemned by the Bishop of Paris in 1277, to be replaced in later doctrine by the notion of God the Lawmaker.

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In Renaissance Europe, the justification for what we today call the scientific approach to inquiry was the belief in a rational God whose created order could be discerned from a careful study of nature. And, Newton notwithstanding, part of this belief came to be that God’s laws were immutable. ‘The scientific culture that arose in Western Europe,’ writes Barrow, ‘of which we are the inheritors, was dominated by adherence to the absolute invariance of laws of Nature, which thereby underwrote the meaningfulness of the scientific enterprise and assured its success.’

For the modern scientist, it is sufficient only that nature simply have the observed regularities we still call laws. The question of their origin does not usually arise. Yet it is interesting to ponder whether science would have flourished in medieval and Renaissance Europe were it not for Western theology. China, for example, had a complex and highly developed culture at that time, which produced some technological innovations that were in advance of Europe’s. The Japanese scholar Kowa Seki, who lived at the time of Newton, is credited with the independent invention of the differential calculus and a procedure for computing pi, but he chose to keep these formulations secret. In his study of early Chinese thought, Joseph Needham writes: ‘There was no confidence that the code of Nature’s laws could ever be unveiled and read, because there was no assurance that a divine being, even more rational than ourselves, had ever formulated such a code capable of being read.’ Barrow argues that, in the absence of “the concept of a divine being who acted to legislate what went on in the natural world, whose decrees formed inviolate ‘laws’ of Nature, and who underwrote scientific enterprise,” Chinese science was condemned to a ‘curious stillbirth.’[1]

The contributions of the Jews and the Christians are well known to the world but those of the Muslims are lost in history because of political reasons. Here is a collection of articles to brush up that information:

How Islam Taught Medieval Christian Europe Religious and Political Tolerance

How Europe Came to Forget its Arabic Heritage

Muhammad: The Light for the Dark Ages of Europe!

Al-Khwarizmi’s book Al-kitab al-mukhtasar fi hisab al-jabr wa’l-muqabala was translated into Latin in the 12th century, from which the term Algebra is derived. The tradition that had been started in Baghdad and Cordoba was picked up in Europe at the time of Renaissance. The verses of the Quran that are thought to have jump started his work in astronomy and mathematics are:

هُوَ الَّذِي جَعَلَ الشَّمْسَ ضِيَاءً وَالْقَمَرَ نُورًا وَقَدَّرَهُ مَنَازِلَ لِتَعْلَمُوا عَدَدَ السِّنِينَ وَالْحِسَابَ ۚ مَا خَلَقَ اللَّهُ ذَٰلِكَ إِلَّا بِالْحَقِّ ۚ يُفَصِّلُ الْآيَاتِ لِقَوْمٍ يَعْلَمُونَ 

إِنَّ فِي اخْتِلَافِ اللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ وَمَا خَلَقَ اللَّهُ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ لَآيَاتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يَتَّقُونَ 

Allah it is Who made the sun radiate a brilliant light and the moon reflect a luster, and ordained for it stages, that you might know the number of years, reckoning of time and mathematics. Allah has not created this but in truth. He details the Signs for a people who have knowledge. Indeed, in the alternation of night and day, and in all that Allah has created in the heavens and the earth there are Signs for a God-fearing people. (Al Quran 10:5-6)

وَجَعَلْنَا اللَّيْلَ وَالنَّهَارَ آيَتَيْنِ ۖ فَمَحَوْنَا آيَةَ اللَّيْلِ وَجَعَلْنَا آيَةَ النَّهَارِ مُبْصِرَةً لِّتَبْتَغُوا فَضْلًا مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ وَلِتَعْلَمُوا عَدَدَ السِّنِينَ وَالْحِسَابَ ۚ وَكُلَّ شَيْءٍ فَصَّلْنَاهُ تَفْصِيلًا 

And We have made the night and the day two Signs, and the Sign of night We have made dark, and the Sign of day We have made sight giving, that you may seek bounty from your Lord, and that you may know the computation of years, reckoning of time and mathematics. And everything We have explained with a detailed explanation. (Al Quran 17:12)

Before the Arabs the Roman numbers were used in Europe.  There used to be experts like modern day accountants for simple additions and subtractions.  Now these are taught in the second grade.

Try adding Roman numbers:

XXIV + LXXVI = C.
See if you get the answer

Now add Arab numerals:

100,005
1003
205
_______
101,213

Precise and quick quantification was the first step in the development of nascent science.  No wonder, Carly Firoina, Ex CEO of Hewlett-Packard said, “Although we are often unaware of our indebtedness to Islamic civilization, its gifts are very much a part of our heritage. The technology industry would not exist without the contributions of Arab mathematicians.”

In contrast to a concise and clear paradigm of Monotheism, polytheism did not provide the clarity of thought, which could jump start a detailed scientific enterprise.  According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, as it defines polytheism:

The belief in many gods. Polytheism characterizes virtually all religions other than Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, which share a common tradition of monotheism, the belief in one God. Polytheism identified natural forces and objects as divinities:
Surya, the sun god.
Indra associated with storms, rain, and battles.
Agni the fire god.
Zeus use of lightning as his thunderbolt.

Science not only started with Monotheism and the Quran but now as a much bigger discipline after a few centuries keeps reaffirming the Quran:

Why is the Quran a Sign or a Miracle, According to Itself?

The Quran: Allah has bound the sun and the moon into service, each running its course for an appointed term

The Quran and the Breathtaking Universe: Is This God Speaking or Muhammad?

The Quran and the Expanding Universe: Is This God Speaking or Muhammad?

The Quran and Creation Ex Nihilo: Is This God Speaking or Muhammad?

Skeptics would like to deny much that I have written about corelating science and the Quran. But, the fact of the matter is that the burden of proof is much higher on them. Because, Even a Single Profound and True Revelation Defeats Materialism or Physicalism.

Sometimes, skeptics suggest that the Quran seems to be adding scientific knowledge only in retrospect and it is nothing more than Monday morning quarterbacking. But, let me here quote two passage from the Quran about extraterrestrial life. It is impressive that a text from the 7th century Arabia should even talk about multiple earths and life forms in them. It not only talks about earth like planets, life in them but also their meeting:

Allah is He Who created seven heavens, and of the earth the like there of. The divine command comes down in their midst, that you may know that Allah has power over all thing. (Al Quran 65:13)

And among His Signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and of whatever living creatures He has spread forth in both. And He has the power to gather them together whenever He pleases. (Al Quran 42:30)

Articles for broader understanding of revelation and their biology:

Video: Laughter is the best cure for psychics

Neurobiology of Dreams and Revelation

Al Aleem: The Bestower of true dreams

The Nature of Revelation

True Nature of Divine Revelations

We Dream, Therefore God Is!

References

1. Paul Davies. The Mind of God. A Touchstone Book, 1992. Pages 75-77.

The Primordial Covenant of the Prophets: Did it Literally Happen?

Zia H Shah
Epigraph:

And [remember] when God made the covenant of the prophets: “By that which I have given you of a Book and Wisdom, should a messenger then come to you confirming that which is with you, you shall surely believe in him and you shall help him.” He said, “Do you agree and take on My burden on these conditions?” They said, “We agree.” He said, “Bear witness, for I am with you among those who bear witness.” Then whosoever turns away after that, they are the iniquitous. (Al Quran 3:81-82)

Do they seek other than God’s religion, while whosoever is in the heavens and on the earth submits to Him, willingly or unwillingly, and unto Him they will be returned? (Al Quran 3:83)

Written and collected by Zia H Shah MD, Chief Editor of the Muslim Times

In a different article we have examined the nature of the covenant that happened with the whole of humanity: The Primordial Covenant of Humanity: Did it Literally Happen?

Today, we will discuss the other prominent covenant mentioned in the holy Quran.

The verses 81 and 82 quoted as epigraph above from Surah Ale Imran are regarded as Covenant of the Prophets. What is most important to note is that in the very next verse the subject matter begins to consider the submission of the whole universe to the will of God, a subject apt for our times as the study of cosmology came to be a science only in the last few decades.

Now, let us take the commentary of these verses from Seyyed Hossein Nasr before we go onto discuss the other verses from Surah Al Ahzab, where this covenant is again discussed:

3:81–82: The particle lamā, rendered here as by that which and as should (in should a messenger), gives rise to different possible translations that are nonetheless substantively similar. It can be interpreted to mean that the Book and Wisdom are invoked in a covenant that binds a prophet, and by extension his followers, to follow a later, true messenger, should he come confirming that which is with you. Here by that which I have given is understood to be an oath (Ṭ). Some commentators see this as a direct command to the various prophets to affirm Muhammad, should he appear during their own lifetime. The verse may actually be referring to the followers of the prophets, since prophets would never turn away or become iniquitous, though their followers might (Q, R); that is, since belief in the Prophet Muhammad or any true prophet is incumbent upon prophets themselves, it is also incumbent upon their followers (R).

Do you agree and take on My burden can be understood to be spoken by God to the prophets or to be spoken by the prophets to their followers (R), though the commentators seem to agree that Bear witness, for I am with you is spoken by God (Q, R, Ṭ).Commentators typically emphasize that it is the Prophet Muhammad to whom reference is made here, and they mention the foretelling of the coming of Muhammad, whom they find inscribed in the Torah and the Gospel that is with them (7:157), though al-Rāzī, for example, acknowledges that the covenant pertains to any prophet who fulfills the criteria in the verse.

3:83: For some, whosoever is in the heavens refers to the angels, while those on the earth refer to human beings (IK, R). Submits (aslama) is the verbal form of islām, or ‘submission.’ Willingly (ṭawʿan) can also be rendered “obediently,” while unwillingly (karhan) can mean ‘grudgingly.’ In an apparent paradox, this verse asserts that all beings submit to God, and some do so unwillingly. Some explain this by saying that all beings must in some sense succumb to God’s Will (IK), implying a passive rather than active submission. Others mention that believers submit in life willingly, while disbelievers submit in death unwillingly (R), but their submission at the moment of death does them no good (Q), as mentioned in 40:85: But their believing benefited them not when they saw Our Might.

The willingness and unwillingness of those in the heavens and on the earth are also mentioned in 41:11; 13:15: And unto God prostrates whosoever is in the heavens and on the earth, willingly or unwillingly, as do their shadows in the morning and the evening. This verse is related to many other verses that speak of all creatures prostrating before God (e.g., 22:18) or glorifying God, as in 17:44: The seven heavens, and the earth, and whatsoever is in them glorify Him. And there is no thing, save that it hymns His praise, though you do not understand their praise.

The Quranic words are chosen carefully to continue to make sense to the 7th century illiterate Arab and the 21st century scientific mind.  Hence, I think the verse 83 covering cosmology is brought into the discussion of theology and prophethood.

Now, let us move on to Surah Ahzab, where the covenant of the prophets is discussed again:

And [remember] when We made with the prophets their covenant, and with you, and with Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus the son of Mary; We made with them a solemn covenant, that the truthful may be questioned concerning their truthfulness.(Al Quran 33:7-8)

There is a frequently quoted hadith: “Truly I was [already], in the sight of Allah, the Seal of Prophets, when Adam was still kneaded in his clay. I shall inform you of the meaning (ta’wil) of this. It is the supplication of my father Ibrahim (Q 2:129) and the glad tidings of my brother `Isa to his people (Q 61:6); and the vision my mother saw the night I was delivered: she saw a light that lit the palaces of Syro-Palestine so that she could see them.”[1]

The mention of the Prophet Muhammad, may peace be on him, existing before prophet Adam, will suggest that the Primordial Covenant and the Covenant of the Prophets were literal. But, many learned contemporary scholars do not take these to be literal any more.

Likewise, I am proposing that the meeting of Adam with God, angels and satan be not taken literally, in light of modern biology and evolution.

Let us review a recent commentary by Seyyed Hossein Nasr of these verses:

33:7: Covenant (mīthāq) can be understood as a reference to the covenant made by all of humanity while they were still in Adam’s loins (Mw) or to the pacts (ʿuhūd) made by the messengers to convey the message and call to the upright religion (30:30; Bg, Mw, Q, Z). According to some commentators, this verse pertains to a covenant that is particular to the prophets in which they pledged to worship God, call others to worship God, and confirm one another (Mw, Sh). Some say that this was an additional covenant made after the covenant to which all of humanity bore witness on the Day of the Covenant (see 7:172; IK). These five prophets are said to be mentioned for their exalted status as the resolute among the messengers (46:35), who brought the known Divine laws (Bg, Q, Sh) and revealed books (Q). The mention of the five prophets can also be understood to stand for all prophets. With regard to the order in which the prophets are mentioned, the Prophet is reported to have said, “I was the first prophet to be created and the last of them to be sent; so He began with [the mention of] Me before them” (IK, Mw, Q). In this regard, a Companion of the Prophet said, “I asked, ‘O Messenger of God, when were you a prophet?’ and he replied, ‘While Adam was between spirit and body.’” Another ḥadīth states, ‘Truly I was with God, the Seal of Prophets, when Adam was still kneaded in his clay.’

The second mention of covenant in the verse can be seen as a repetition and reaffirmation of the first; or the first mention can be seen as a covenantal affirmation of God’s supreme Sovereignty and the second as pertaining to the particularities of prophethood; see 3:81. According to al-Zajjāj, “[God] made the covenant when they were brought forth from Adam’s loins as progeny, then He affirmed the covenant He had made with the prophets by repeating the mention of it and describing it as a solemn covenant, meaning ‘a pact firm in fulfillment’ of that which they had been made to carry and of that which God had enjoined upon them” (Sh).

The present verse could also be understood to mean that God made a covenant with them twice, the first time without “making it solemn” (taghlīẓ) and without firmness (tashdīd), then a second time making it solemn and firm, as in 3:81 (Sh). Its being solemn can also be understood as a reference to the sobering obligation of bearing God’s message and conveying Divine laws (Ṭs). Although the covenant is mentioned throughout the Quran (see the essay “The Quranic View of Sacred History and Other Religions”), a solemn covenant is only mentioned here, in 4:21, where it describes the marriage pact, and in 4:154, where it describes the covenant with Moses and the Israelites.

33:8: God made the covenant with the prophets so that He could ask ‘the believers who confirm their pact when He makes them testify about themselves regarding their truthfulness toward their pact’ (Bg); for had God not enjoined the prophets to deliver revelation, it would be unjust to hold human beings accountable for having failed to uphold the covenant, as they would have received no specific reminders. In this respect, al-Zamakhsharī relates the mention of the covenant in the previous verse to the pretemporal covenant alluded to in 7:172. When they are questioned, the response of the truthful will be, The messengers of our Lord certainly brought the truth (7:43; IK).

A 2017 Pew Research Center survey of U.S. Muslims, using slightly different questions than the 2014 survey, found a similar estimate (24%) of the share of those who were raised Muslim but have left Islam. Among this group, 55% no longer identify with any religion, according to the 2017 survey. Fewer identify as Christian (22%), and an additional one-in-five (21%) identify with a wide variety of smaller groups, including faiths such as Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, or as generally “spiritual.”[2]

The same 2017 survey asked converts from Islam to explain, in their own words, their reasons for leaving the faith. A quarter cited issues with religion and faith in general, saying that they dislike organized religion (12%), that they do not believe in God (8%), or that they are just not religious (5%). And roughly one-in-five cited a reason specific to their experience with Islam, such as being raised Muslim but never connecting with the faith (9%) or disagreeing with the teachings (7%) of Islam. Similar shares listed reasons related to a preference for other religions or philosophies (16%) and personal growth experiences (14%), such as becoming more educated or maturing.

One striking difference between former Muslims and those who have always been Muslim is in the share who hail from Iran. Those who have left Islam are more likely to be immigrants from Iran (22%) than those who have not switched faiths (8%). The large number of Iranian American former Muslims is the result of a spike in immigration from Iran following the Iranian Revolution of 1978 and 1979 – which included many secular Iranians seeking political refuge from the new theocratic regime.

In USA the number of people joining Islam is balanced by those who leave Islam. So, the importance of practicing, professing and presenting the best and the most rational understanding of Islam cannot be overstated.

In the past centuries many Muslims believed that all the human souls were created first and they are sent into fetus at some suitable time. However, here is a clear passage from the Quran to understand that souls get created as the human brains develop in the wombs of the mothers:

It is God who created the heavens and the earth and everything between them in six Days. Then He established Himself on the Throne. You [people] have no one but Him to protect you and no one to intercede for you, so why do you not take heed? He runs everything, from the heavens to the earth, and everything will ascend to Him in the end, on a Day that will measure a thousand years in your reckoning. Such is He who knows all that is unseen as well as what is seen, the Almighty, the Merciful, who gave everything its perfect form. He first created man from clay, then made his descendants from an extract of underrated fluid (semen). Then He molded him; He breathed from His Spirit into him; He gave you hearing, sight, and minds. How seldom you are grateful! (Al Quran 32:4-9)

The Quran is a dynamic book and as human understanding evolves so does our appreciation of the holy scripture. And as we see our understanding evolving in one area we can use it sometimes as an example or metaphor to understand other teachings in the modern light.

For instance the understanding of Primordial Covenants have application on human evolution and the meeting of Adam with God, angels and Satan.

  1. Narrated by Ahmad, Musnad al-Shamiyyin, from al-`Irbad b. Sariya (al-Zayn ed. 13:282 §17086, 13:285 §17098; al-Arna’ut ed. 28:382 §17151, 28:395 §17163), among others.
  2. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2018/01/26/the-share-of-americans-who-leave-islam-is-offset-by-those-who-become-muslim/

Why do Christians leave their religion?

Zia H Shah
Epigraph:

Say, ‘O People of the Book! come to a word equal between us and you — that we worship none but Allah, and that we associate no partner with Him, and that some of us take not others for Lords beside Allah.’ But if they turn away, then say, ‘Bear witness that we have submitted to God.’ (Al Quran 3:64)

We have a large collection of articles about Christianity and on the theme of Religion & Science
Collected by Zia H Shah MD, Chief Editor of the Muslim Times

Charles Darwin had procrastinated for 20 years before publishing his epic making book for good reason. William Tyndale, Michael Servetus and Giordano Bruno had been burnt on the stake for lesser offences in the previous centuries in Christendom. William Tyndale was burnt on the stake for translating the Bible into English on 6th October, 1536. Michael Servetus was burnt on the stake on October 27th, 1953 for writing two books refuting trinity and finally Giordano Bruno was burnt on the stake for more than one count of heresy on 17th February, 1600. After his death, he gained considerable fame, being particularly celebrated by 19th and early 20th century commentators who regarded him as a martyr for science.

According to Richard Dawkins, who is well known for his advocacy of atheism, “Although atheism might have been logically tenable before Darwin, Darwin made it possible to be an intellectually fulfilled atheist.” Since the writing of his book, On the Origin of Species, in 1861 there is a constant tug of war between atheism and Christianity in the West.

Let us examine this duel in USA, a similar conflict is playing out in Europe and Australia.

The religious landscape of the United States continues to change at a rapid clip. In Pew Research Center telephone surveys conducted in 2018 and 2019, 65% of American adults describe themselves as Christians when asked about their religion, down 12 percentage points over the past decade. Meanwhile, the religiously unaffiliated share of the population, consisting of people who describe their religious identity as atheist, agnostic or “nothing in particular,” now stands at 26%, up from 17% in 2009.

Church attendance has declined substantially in recent decades. The U.S. is seeing an unprecedented increase in the number of “nones,” those who do not identify with any religious tradition. As of 2023, this population is 28% of U.S. adults! The “nones” include ex-evangelicals, ex-mainline protestants, ex-Catholics and more. About a third of the “nones” do not have any religious background. The departures are happening for all ages, especially young people. 

For all of these groups, science issues are a substantial factor in why they doubt Christian beliefs. People stop attending church for many reasons, as explored in books like “The Great Dechurching” by Jim David, Michael Graham, and Ryan Burge. What many ministry leaders don’t realize is that the “nones” cite science as one of the top reasons they doubt Christianity. By handling science issues better, the Church can lead young people to a more robust faith and invite the “nones” to (re)consider Jesus Christ. 

The impact of “science” on people’s beliefs has been growing since well before the pandemic. In 2019, the Barna Group surveyed young people all around the world, ages 18-35, asking “What causes you to doubt things of a spiritual nature?” Young people of all religious views and backgrounds listed “science” as one of the top reasons they doubt. In fact, “science” was second only to “the hypocrisy of religious people.” This was confirmed in 2022, when the Barna Group surveyed Americans of no religious affiliation, age 13 and up. Science is one of the top reasons they gave for doubting Christian beliefs.

The above two surveys didn’t ask in detail what exactly about science is causing people to doubt, but other research has. In 2020, John Marriott in “The Anatomy of Deconversion” reported on in-depth interviews with 24 ex-evangelicals, aged 20-55. He determined the top 3 cognitive reasons people leave: problems with the Bible (including Genesis, miracles, and the resurrection), the acceptance of Darwinian evolution, and the influence of new atheists like Richard Dawkins. All three of those areas are tied to science! Now, it is possible that some of the “nones” have left religion for other reasons, but now blame it on science. But the interviews by Marriott don’t sound like that.

Is atheism pulling people away from Chrisitanity? Some Christians say yes. They talk of science vs the Bible, framing it as a battle between “man’s word” and God’s word. They say that learning science will cause you to doubt scripture and lose your faith. For some of the “nones,” this is unfortunately the case. Marriot writes: “While many believers, when presented with the evidence for Darwinian evolution, manage to retain their faith by becoming theistic evolutionists, the deconverts in this study appear to have presupposed that, for various reasons, if evolution were true, then God could not exist. Convinced of the truthfulness of evolution, they believed they were forced to reject belief in God’s existence.”

But there is another dynamic here. While some of the “nones” are pulled away from Christianiy by atheistic arguments, more are pushed away by the posture of the church toward science. In 2011, Kinnaman in his book “You Lost Me” surveyed millennials who had grown up in the Church and then left. He found that 29% said “churches are out of step with the scientific world we live in,” 25% said “Christianity is anti-science,” and 23% said they were “turned off by the creation-versus-evolution debate.” And it’s not just the millennials. In 2018, Barna surveyed teenagers still attending church and reported their findings in GenZ. They found that 49% of GenZ teenagers felt “the church seems to reject much of what science tells us about the world.” That’s half of GenZ in church! An entire generation is being impacted.[1]

Whey born Christians learn biology and evolution what challenges do they face? These are examined in separate articles:

Charles Darwin: An Epiphany for the Muslims, A Catastrophe for the Christians

Video About Historical Adam: Is it a Landmine for the Christian Dogma?

The Pew Research Center estimates that in 2020, about 64% of Americans, including children, were Christian. People who are religiously unaffiliated, sometimes called religious “nones,” accounted for 30% of the U.S. population. Adherents of all other religions – including Jews, Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists – totaled about 6%.1

Depending on whether religious switching continues at recent rates, speeds up or stops entirely, the projections show Christians of all ages shrinking from 64% to between a little more than half (54%) and just above one-third (35%) of all Americans by 2070. Over that same period, “nones” would rise from the current 30% to somewhere between 34% and 52% of the U.S. population.[2]

But, what will in reality happen over the next fifty years will also depend on another powerful phenomenon in the West, which is introduction of Islam and Muslims. There are possibly 40 million Muslims in Europe and up to 5 million in USA.

Among those who have converted to Islam in USA, a majority come from a Christian background. In fact, about half of all converts to Islam (53%) identified as Protestant before converting; another 20% were Catholic. And roughly one-in-five (19%) volunteered that they had no religion before converting to Islam, while smaller shares switched from Orthodox Christianity, Buddhism, Judaism or some other religion.

When asked to specify why they became Muslim, converts give a variety of reasons. About a quarter say they preferred the beliefs or teachings of Islam to those of their prior religion, while 21% say they read religious texts or studied Islam before making the decision to switch. Still others said they wanted to belong to a community (10%), that marriage or a relationship was the prime motivator (9%), that they were introduced to the faith by a friend, or that they were following a public leader (9%).

In recent years, the number of American Muslims has been growing steadily, by around 100,000 annually. But the fact that the shares of people who enter and leave Islam are roughly equal suggests that conversions to and from the faith are having little impact on the group’s overall growth.

But a large number of those born in Islam leave the religion as well.

About a quarter of adults who were raised Muslim (23%) no longer identify as members of the faith, roughly on par with the share of Americans who were raised Christian and no longer identify with Christianity (22%), according to a new analysis of the 2014 Religious Landscape Study. But while the share of American Muslim adults who are converts to Islam also is about one-quarter (23%), a much smaller share of current Christians (6%) are converts. In other words, Christianity as a whole loses more people than it gains from religious switching (conversions in both directions) in the U.S., while the net effect on Islam in America is a wash.

A 2017 Pew Research Center survey of U.S. Muslims, using slightly different questions than the 2014 survey, found a similar estimate (24%) of the share of those who were raised Muslim but have left Islam. Among this group, 55% no longer identify with any religion, according to the 2017 survey. Fewer identify as Christian (22%), and an additional one-in-five (21%) identify with a wide variety of smaller groups, including faiths such as Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, or as generally “spiritual.”

The same 2017 survey asked converts from Islam to explain, in their own words, their reasons for leaving the faith. A quarter cited issues with religion and faith in general, saying that they dislike organized religion (12%), that they do not believe in God (8%), or that they are just not religious (5%). And roughly one-in-five cited a reason specific to their experience with Islam, such as being raised Muslim but never connecting with the faith (9%) or disagreeing with the teachings (7%) of Islam. Similar shares listed reasons related to a preference for other religions or philosophies (16%) and personal growth experiences (14%), such as becoming more educated or maturing.[3]

Majority of the Christians leave Christianity because they find it in conflict with science. Many Muslims leave Islam because they have a problem with it in general. Rationality will win in this century in a three way struggle between Christianity, Islam and atheism.

Are the Muslims ready for a rational and scientific construction of our faith and our understanding of the Quran, the literal word of God?

Reference

  1. https://biologos.org/articles/science-a-major-reason-nones-are-skeptical-of-christianity
  2. https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2022/09/13/modeling-the-future-of-religion-in-america/
  3. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2018/01/26/the-share-of-americans-who-leave-islam-is-offset-by-those-who-become-muslim/

What Would Happen If Everyone Truly Believed Everything Is One?

Zia H Shah
Epigraph — The Crown verse of the Quran:

Allah — there is no God but He, the Living, the Self-Subsisting and All-Sustaining. Slumber seizes Him not, nor sleep. To Him belongs whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is in the earth. Who is he that will intercede with Him except by His permission? He knows what is before them and what is behind them; and they encompass nothing of His knowledge except what He pleases. His knowledge extends over the heavens and the earth; and the care of them burdens Him not; and He is the High, the Great. (Al Quran 2:255)

Research suggests a belief in oneness has broad implications for psychological functioning and compassion for those outside of our immediate circle.

Scientific American

  • By Scott Barry Kaufman

We experience ourselves, our thoughts and feelings as something separate from the rest. A kind of optical delusion of consciousness.” — Albert Einstein

“In our quest for happiness and the avoidance of suffering, we are all fundamentally the same, and therefore equal. Despite the characteristics that differentiate us – race, language, religion, gender, wealth and many others – we are all equal in terms of our basic humanity.” — Dalai Lama (on twitter)

The belief that everything in the universe is part of the same fundamental whole exists throughout many cultures and philosophical, religious, spiritual, and scientific traditions, as captured by the phrase ‘all that is.’ The Nobel winner Erwin Schrodinger once observed that quantum physics is compatible with the notion that there is indeed a basic oneness of the universe. Therefore, despite it seeming as though the world is full of many divisions, many people throughout the course of human history and even today truly believe that individual things are part of some fundamental entity.

Despite the prevalence of this belief, there has been a lack of a well validated measure in psychology that captures this belief. While certain measures of spirituality do exist, the belief in oneness questions are typically combined with other questions that assess other aspects of spirituality, such as meaning, purpose, sacredness, or having a relationship with God. What happens when we secularize the belief in oneness?

In a series of studies, Kate Diebels and Mark Leary set out to find out. In their first study, they found that only 20.3% of participants had thought about the oneness of all things “often” or “many times”, while 25.9% of people “seldom” thought about the oneness of all things, and 12.5% of people “never” had thought about it.

The researchers also created a 6-item “Belief in Oneness Scale” consisting of the following items:

  1. Beyond surface appearances, everything is fundamentally one.
  2. Although many seemingly separate things exist, they all are part of the same whole.
  3. At the most basic level of reality, everything is one.
  4. The separation among individual things is an illusion; in reality everything is one.
  5. Everything is composed of the same basic substance, whether one thinks of it as spirit, consciousness, quantum processes, or whatever.
  6. The same basic essence permeates everything that exists.

Those who scored higher on this scale were much more likely to have an identity that extends beyond the individual to encompass wider aspects of humankind, life, nature, and even the cosmos. In fact, a belief in oneness was more strongly related to feeling connected with distant people and aspects of the natural world than with people with whom one is close! Also, while a belief in oneness was related to actual experiences of oneness (“mystical experiences”), there was no relationship between a belief in oneness and feeling closer to God during a spiritual experience.

In their second study, the researchers looked at values and self-views that might be related to the belief in oneness. They found that a belief in oneness was related to values indicating a universal concern for the welfare of other people, as well as greater compassion for other people. A belief in oneness was also associated with feeling connected to others through a recognition of our common humanity, common problems, and common imperfections. At the same time, there was no relationship between a belief in oneness and the degree to which people endorsed self-focused values such as hedonism, self-direction, security, or achievement. This means that people can have a belief in oneness and still have a great deal of self-care, healthy boundaries, and self-direction in life.

Read further

Video: Fool Proof Presentation for Common Ancestry of Humans and Chimpanzees

Zia H Shah
Epigraph

What is the matter with you? Why will you not fear God’s majesty, when He has created you stage by stage? Have you ever wondered how God created seven heavens, one above the other, placed the moon as a light in them and the sun as a lamp, how God made you spring forth from the earth like a plant, how He will return you into it and then bring you out again, and how He has spread the Earth out for you to walk along its spacious paths?” (Al Quran 71:13-20)

Presented by Zia H Shah MD

According to a Pew Research Center poll, among the Muslims in Southern and Eastern Europe, a majority of Muslims in Albania (62%) and Russia (58%) believe in evolution. In Tajikistan and Turkey, the predominant view is that humans have remained in their present form since the beginning of time, 55% and 49%, respectively.

At least six-in-ten Muslims in Lebanon (78%), the Palestinian territories (67%) and Morocco (63%) think humans and other living things have evolved over time, but Jordanian and Tunisian Muslims are more divided on the issue. About half in Jordan (52%) believe in evolution, while 47% say humans have always existed in their present form. And in Tunisia, 45% say humans have evolved, 36% say they have always existed in their present form, and 19% are unsure. Iraq is the only country surveyed in the Middle East-North Africa region where a majority rejects the theory of evolution (67%).

It is hoped that those Muslims who do not believe in evolution will have a change of heart after watching the above video.

Scientific Commentary of the Quran

Zia H Shah

Source: The Study Quran: A New Translation And Commentary By Seyyed Hossein Nasr

By Muzaffar Iqbal: A Pakistani-Canadian Islamic scholar

The Quran invites its readers to reflect on various aspects of the three manifest realms from which it draws most of its arguments: the cosmos (āfāq), the human self (nafs), and history (āthār). This Quranic invitation is directed toward instilling an unshakable certitude about its message in the hearts and minds of its readers. The first and foremost message of the Quran is tawḥīd, the uncompromising Oneness of God—the Originator (al-Mubdiʾ) of everything, the absolute Sovereign, Who has set signs (āyāt) throughout His creation, so that Truth (al-ḥaqq) can be distinguished from falsehood (al-bāṭil): We shall show them Our signs upon the horizons and within themselves till it becomes clear to them that it is the truth. Does it not suffice that thy Lord is Witness over all things? (41:53).

All that exists, the Quran tells us, exists because of God, because unto God belongs sovereignty over the heavens and the earth (e.g., 2:107; 3:189; 9:116). This ontological dependence on the Creator ennobles existing things; they become signs (āyāt) of a transcendent Real (al-Ḥaqq), Who, nevertheless, remains beyond them. Thus the “sign verses” of the Quran have an irresistible urgency,1 drawing our attention to what lies beyond the phenomena they mention. Viewed from the Quranic perspective in this way, the rhythmic alternation of the day and the night (2:164) and the regularities in the movement of the sun and the moon traversing their courses by the decree of the Mighty, the Knowing (36:38–39) are not merely cosmic processes; rather, these are signs pointing toward the existence of the Compassionate (al-Raḥmān) and the Merciful (al-Raḥīm), Who made neither the night nor the day perpetual, for if God should make night come over you unceasingly until the Day of Resurrection, the Quran asks rhetorically, what god other than God would bring you light? (28:71). Likewise,

If God should make day come over you unceasingly until the Day of Resurrection, what god other than God would bring you night, that you might rest therein? Will you not, then, see? Out of His Mercy He made for you night and day, that you may rest therein, and that you may seek of His Bounty, and that haply you may give thanks. (28:72–73)

The Quran presents the entire cosmic order as proof for its message. Observable processes of the manifest cosmos—such as the movement of stars and planets—are not orderly merely because they observe certain laws of nature, but rather because the One Who created them has set a specific course for them. In fact, the concept of “laws of nature” independent of a Lawgiver is essentially a secular concept, because it makes “nature” a giver of law or at least imbues nature with some inherent order independent of the Creator. The Quran asserts, however, that authority to make laws rests with God alone —the Sovereign and Ruler of the Cosmos:

The sun runs to a dwelling place of its own. That is the decree of the Mighty, the Knowing. And for the moon, We have decreed mansions, till it returns like an old palm stalk. It befits not the sun to overtake the moon, nor the night to outstrip the day. Each glides in an orbit. (36:38–40)

Thus placed within the broader thematic structure of the Quran, these references to nature have traditionally been understood as integrally linked to its overall message. These signs were considered worthy of deep reflection, and it was understood also that one cannot fathom the mysteries of these signs without understanding their scientific content in the traditional sense. The sign verses, therefore, remained a central focus of scientific activity in Islam, and generations of scientists and commentators of the Quran wrote on their significance.

Read further on page 2936/3800 of the PDF file:

The Study Quran: A New Translation And Commentary By Seyyed Hossein NasrDownload

Comments by Zia H Shah MD, Chief Editor of the Muslim Times

The above is one of the 15 articles at the end of the above commentary and it nicely summarizes the scientific commentary of the Quran till the 20th century.

I believe, it serves as a good foundation for my work of the last two decades, as I continue the never ending task of understanding the word of God, the Quran, in light of His works or creation, which is the cosmos. In my endeavor, I am not only learning from the Muslim theologians and scholars but also the Jewish, Christian, agnostic and atheist philosophers and scientists.

Given all my sources, I believe that the 21st century travelers will find it a useful resource. With this in mind and seeking Allah’s Grace, I am presenting my collection on the following themes, to be read in continuity of the above:

 ABRAHAMIC – FAITHS MONOTHEISM

QURAN AFTERLIFE  COSMOLOGY  EVOLUTION 

RELIGION & SCIENCE

If Francis Collins And Christopher Hitchens Can be Friends — So Can Monotheists of All Shades

Zia H Shah
Epigraph

God may still bring about affection between you and your present enemies – God is all powerful, God is most forgiving and merciful.

He does not forbid you to deal kindly and justly with anyone who has not fought you for your faith or driven you out of your homes: God loves the just.

But God forbids you to take as allies those who have fought against you for your faith, driven you out of your homes, and helped others to drive you out: any of you who take them as allies will truly be wrongdoers.  (Al Quran 60:7-9)

Francis Collins talks about Christopher Hitchens towards the end of his above Templeton Award speech.

Below a brief CV of both and let the 21 minute speech do the talking to overcome hatred among Monotheists of different shades among the Abrahamic faiths and the perpetual sectarian prejudice bordering on hatred among the Muslims of different sects.

Francis Sellers Collins (born April 14, 1950) is an American physician-scientist who discovered the genes associated with a number of diseases and led the Human Genome Project. He served as director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland, from 17 August 2009 to 19 December 2021, serving under three presidents.[1][2]

Before being appointed director of the NIH, Collins led the Human Genome Project and other genomics research initiatives as director of the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), one of the 27 institutes and centers at NIH. Before joining NHGRI, he earned a reputation as a gene hunter at the University of Michigan.[3] He has been elected to the Institute of Medicine and the National Academy of Sciences, and has received the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the National Medal of Science.

Collins also has written books on science, medicine, and religion, including the New York Times bestseller, The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief. After leaving the directorship of NHGRI and before becoming director of the NIH, he founded and served as president of The BioLogos Foundation, which promotes discourse on the relationship between science and religion and advocates the perspective that belief in Christianity can be reconciled with acceptance of evolution and science, especially through the idea that the Creator brought about his plan through the processes of evolution.[4] In 2009, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Collins to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences.[5]

Christopher Eric Hitchens (13 April 1949 – 15 December 2011) was a British author, journalist and educator.[2][3] Author of 18 books on faith, culture, politics and literature, he was born and educated in Britain, graduating in the 1970s from Oxford with a degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics. In the early 1980s, he emigrated to the United States and wrote for The Nation and Vanity Fair. Known as “one of the ‘four horsemen'” (along with Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris and Daniel Dennett) of New Atheism, he gained prominence as a columnist and speaker. His epistemological razor, which states that “what can be asserted without evidence can also be dismissed without evidence”, is still of mark in philosophy and law.[4][5]

Presenting a Psychiatrist and a Writer in a Muslim Paradigm to Understand Meditation

Zia H Shah

Epigraph:

And remember when Jesus, son of Mary, said, ‘O children of Israel, surely I am Allah’s Messenger unto you, fulfilling that which is before me of the Torah, and giving glad tidings of a Messenger who will come after me. His name will be Ahmad.’ And when he came to them with clear proofs, they said, ‘This is clear sorcery.’ (Al Quran 61:6)

By Zia H Shah MD

Jeffery Schwartz was a Jew, who became an evangelical Christian. It is not a big stretch to imagine, what if he were a Muslim.

He is a famous research psychiatrist and also a writer. His focus has been on obsessive compulsive disorder but his insights have much wider applications on human consciousness, our habits, personality and practice of mindfulness or meditation.

In the above video he quotes the Biblical verses about Paraclete that means advocate, comforter or councilor in English and Schwart interprets the term to mean our inner voice. The Muslims believe these verses to be a prophecy about the coming of the Prophet Muhammad, may peace be on him, six centuries after Jesus, may peace be on him.

The term Paraclete (παράκλητος) appears four times in the Gospel according to John (Jn 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7):

If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. (John 14:15-17)

All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. (John 14:25-27)

When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me. And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning. (John 15:26-27)

But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. (John 16:7)

What is referred to as Paraclete in the Gospel of John, the Muslims believe is mentioned in a verse of Surah Saff that has been quoted above as epigraph:

And remember when Jesus, son of Mary, said, ‘O children of Israel, surely I am Allah’s Messenger unto you, fulfilling that which is before me of the Torah, and giving glad tidings of a Messenger who will come after me. His name will be Ahmad.’ And when he came to them with clear proofs, they said, ‘This is clear sorcery.’ (Al Quran 61:6)

Ahmad was another name of the prophet Muhammad, may peace be on him.

We are not going into a Muslim versus Christian debate about these verses. All I am suggesting is that if Muslim readers enjoy the above video in a Muslim paradigm, we can really learn self analysis and meditation from the insightful psychiatrist.

Some of the other videos by Dr. Schwartz to learn how his presentation helps us better understand mindfulness, human conscious, cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) and a refusal of absolute materialism / physicalism in contemporary philosophy and science:

…

…

How Even a Single Profound and True Revelation Defeats Materialism or Physicalism

Zia H Shah

Written and collected by Zia H Shah MD, Chief Editor of the Muslim Times

If God exists strict materialism or physicalism is not true.

What is a true dream? If the content of a dream cannot be explained by the conscious or subconscious mind of the recipient and it carries specific, new and useful information then it suggests a Transcendent source. A source that can communicate with the recipient during his or her sleep.

In philosophy, naturalism is the idea that only natural laws and forces (as opposed to supernatural ones) operate in the universe.[1] In its primary sense[2] it is also known as ontological naturalism, metaphysical naturalism, pure naturalism, philosophical naturalism and antisupernaturalism. “Ontological” refers to ontology, the philosophical study of what exists. Philosophers often treat naturalism as equivalent to materialism.

For example, philosopher Paul Kurtz argues that nature is best accounted for by reference to material principles. These principles include mass, energy, and other physical and chemical properties accepted by the scientific community. Further, this sense of naturalism holds that spirits, deities, and ghosts are not real and that there is no “purpose” in nature. This stronger formulation of naturalism is commonly referred to as metaphysical naturalism.[3] 

On the other hand, the more moderate view that naturalism should be assumed in one’s working methods as the current paradigm, without any further consideration of whether naturalism is true in the robust metaphysical sense, is called methodological naturalism.[4]

I believe in methodological naturalism as I aspire to be a scientist, but not in ontological or metaphysical naturalism, as I believe in God and Afterlife. A single true revelation will defeat ontological naturalism, because it suggests a Transcendent source, for the new information in the dream.

Four-Horsemen of the Apocalypse in the Book of Revelation in the Bible

I don’t specifically believe in Four-Horsemen of the Apocalypse specifically. But, I found the picture as a suitable representation for revelation in general.

If a Jew or Christian feels sure of a single Biblical verse and is able to demonstrate that it does not have a human explanation then materialism or physicalism is defeated. Likewise, if a Muslim like me knows of a single Quranic verse that rises above human explanation it becomes a defeater for materialism or physicalism. Even a true dream of a scientists, a poet, a musician, which gives him or her any new information that cannot be derived from the subconscious mind of the recipient defeats materialism or physicalism. Three articles are linked at the end of this article.

Below is a recent survey of academic philosophers on 30 different questions including, atheism, naturalism and mind:

What-do-philosophers-believe-1Download

In the above survey 72% of the academic philosophers are atheist, 50% are naturalists and 57% regard mind to be also physical.

Now, I quote from the magazine Nature, about demographics of belief in God or Afterlife among the leading scientists:

The question of religious belief among US scientists has been debated since early in the century. Our latest survey finds that, among the top natural scientists, disbelief is greater than ever — almost total.

Research on this topic began with the eminent US psychologist James H. Leuba and his landmark survey of 1914. He found that 58% of 1,000 randomly selected US scientists expressed disbelief or doubt in the existence of God, and that this figure rose to near 70% among the 400 “greater” scientists within his sample1. Leuba repeated his survey in somewhat different form 20 years later, and found that these percentages had increased to 67 and 85, respectively2.

In 1996, we repeated Leuba’s 1914 survey and reported our results in Nature3. We found little change from 1914 for American scientists generally, with 60.7% expressing disbelief or doubt. This year, we closely imitated the second phase of Leuba’s 1914 survey to gauge belief among “greater” scientists, and find the rate of belief lower than ever — a mere 7% of respondents.

Leuba attributed the higher level of disbelief and doubt among “greater” scientists to their “superior knowledge, understanding, and experience”2. Similarly, Oxford University scientist Peter Atkins commented on our 1996 survey, “You clearly can be a scientist and have religious beliefs. But I don’t think you can be a real scientist in the deepest sense of the word because they are such alien categories of knowledge.”4 Such comments led us to repeat the second phase of Leuba’s study for an up-to-date comparison of the religious beliefs of “greater” and “lesser” scientists.

Our chosen group of “greater” scientists were members of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS). Our survey found near universal rejection of the transcendent by NAS natural scientists. Disbelief in God and immortality among NAS biological scientists was 65.2% and 69.0%, respectively, and among NAS physical scientists it was 79.0% and 76.3%. Most of the rest were agnostics on both issues, with few believers. We found the highest percentage of belief among NAS mathematicians (14.3% in God, 15.0% in immortality). Biological scientists had the lowest rate of belief (5.5% in God, 7.1% in immortality), with physicists and astronomers slightly higher (7.5% in God, 7.5% in immortality). Overall comparison figures for the 1914, 1933 and 1998 surveys appear in Table 1.

The whole of the article in Nature is available in PDF version:

Leading scientists still reject GodDownload

In this debate very early on Michael Egnor asks David Papineau as to what is the physical cause of Big Bang and does not get a straight forward answer. Around minute 46 he asks Papineau for a cogent explanation of quantum physics in the materialistic framework? Does Quantum physics and / or extra dimensions of string theory provide for materialism to be false ontologically?

I do believe in methodological naturalism and that I believe is perfectly in keeping with the Quranic theology, given the following two very well known verses:

Eyes cannot reach Him but He reaches the eyes. And He is the Incomprehensible, the All-Aware. (Al Quran 6:103)

His is the kingdom of the heavens and the earth; He gives life and He causes death; and He has power over all things. He is the First and the Last, and the Manifest and the Hidden, and He knows all things full well. (Al Quran 57:2-3)

God being the Hidden implies that he operates through laws of nature and we cannot see Him or His providence directly.

Now, I will share articles to suggest that sometimes scientists, mathematicians and others have received very convincing revelations from the All Knowing:

Al Aleem: The Bestower of true dreams

Revealing Dreams of Scientists

Movie: Ramanujan: A Prophet of Mathematics Born in a Hindu Family

Periodic Table in Chemistry was Revealed in a Dream

Why is the Quran a Sign or a Miracle, According to Itself?

The Quran: Allah has bound the sun and the moon into service, each running its course for an appointed term

The Quran and the Breathtaking Universe: Is This God Speaking or Muhammad?

The Quran and the Expanding Universe: Is This God Speaking or Muhammad?

The Quran and Creation Ex Nihilo: Is This God Speaking or Muhammad?

Let Francis Collins Guide You into Guided Evolution

Zia H Shah
Epigraph

What is the matter with you? Why will you not fear God’s majesty, when He has created you stage by stage? Have you ever wondered how God created seven heavens, one above the other, placed the moon as a light in them and the sun as a lamp, how God made you spring forth from the earth like a plant, how He will return you into it and then bring you out again, and how He has spread the Earth out for you to walk along its spacious paths?” (Al Quran 71:13-20)

Collected by Zia H Shah MD, Chief Editor of the Muslim Times

One good way of understanding Monotheism in an era when most scientists and mathematicians are atheists is to listen to all the Templeton Prize winners and review their main work.

Francis Sellers Collins (born April 14, 1950) is an American physician-scientist who discovered the genes associated with a number of diseases and led the Human Genome Project. He served as director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland, from 17 August 2009 to 19 December 2021, serving under three presidents.[1][2]

For the sake of pluralism and truth seeking, we, the Muslims can fully enjoy the science and religion correlation presented by pluralistic Christian scientists and philosophers, by a simple realization: We believe in a Unitarian God of Judaism, Unitarian Christianity and Islam, who defined simply is God the Father in the Trinitarian Christian tradition.

Francis Collins book, The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief, is one of the best books to present guided evolution, rather than a godless metaphysics, given the realities of biological evolution. The brief review of the book in Amazon:

An instant bestseller from Templeton Prize–winning author Francis S. Collins, The Language of God provides the best argument for the integration of faith and logic since C.S. Lewis’s Mere Christianity.

It has long been believed that science and faith cannot mingle. Faith rejects the rational, while science restricts us to a life with no meaning beyond the physical. It is an irreconcilable war between two polar-opposite ways of thinking and living. Written for believers, agnostics, and atheists alike, The Language of God provides a testament to the power of faith in the midst of suffering without faltering from its logical stride. Readers will be inspired by Collin’s personal story of struggling with doubt, as well as the many revelations of the wonder of God’s creation that will forever shape the way they view the world around them.

Additional reading for guided evolution

Video: The Best Argument for Guided Evolution by Alvin Plantinga

Time: Is God the Creator Atemporal or in Time, and Guided Evolution

Video: William Lane Craig in Quest of the Historical Adam and My Muslim Perspective

Video: If God, What’s Evolution? | Closer To Truth

The Quranic Challenge to the Atheists: Make a Fly, if You Can

Video: Some Scientists Denying Darwin, Truth or Not, God of the Gaps?

Surah Al Baqara (The Cow): Section 4: Adam and Eve

Meeting the Quranic Adam with Charles Darwin

The Single Quranic Verse that Can Convince You about Evolution

Biology of Our Human Family: Who are We Related To?

Was Evolution Guided By A Divine Hand? | Science Vs God | Spark