Muhammad West – Islam from Scratch #2

			Smilla Rahmanir Rahim Al hamdu Lillahi Rabbil Alameen wa Salatu was Salam ala should have been able
to study in Sedna, Muhammad Ali, he also have you had your mind, I will have brothers and sisters
Salam Alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh to Sokoloff here. Thank you so much for joining us. This is
lecture number two of our series, Islam from scratch and Alhamdulillah. Last week, went really well.
And looking forward to Inshallah, continuing with you on this journey. Once again, we'd like to
thank you for taking the time out to be with us. And we really appreciate the the support. For those
of you who missed like show, listen, one last week, we're going to do a quick summary. But it's also
		

			worth noting that these lectures are on YouTube. And you can go and watch episode one or lecture
number one. And then obviously, continue on with lesson number two. For those who are joining a bit
late, you can always go to YouTube and watch those things, you know, the lecture from the beginning,
we obviously also have a group of you that are on teams with me. And that allows you to answer
questions are asked, you know, kindly that you have your mics on mute. And I will try and give a
certain part of the lecture dedicate a part of the lecture for a q&a. And then with allow mics to be
unmuted, she can so much. So without further ado, we continue. So just a bit of a summary. Last
		

			week, we began the series and we introduced the course we basically said what it's about, what do we
hope to achieve from the schools? What are the objectives? Is this right for you? And we said, it's
really open to Muslims, non Muslims, it's to give a really foundational understanding about Islam,
but pitched at a level that for people that are of my age younger, you know, people that are, you
know, your high school or older, and we discussing religion, really from a perspective of is this
right for me? Does this work for me? Is this the truth? asking those very, very big, big questions?
What is the purpose of life? What does Islam even mean? And what do we do I as a Muslim? Where do I
		

			go in terms of my continuous Islamic learning? Where do I start, we also spent a little bit of a
part of the lecture before we actually got into the course, speaking about the importance of
learning that really learning is what sets us apart from any other creature in the universe. What
makes humanity special is our ability to comprehend and learn. And knowledge is that thing which
transcends a person from a state of ignorance to a state of enlightenment. And so learning is a
continuous journey. And we also they mentioned the sincerity of your heart, when you start this is a
more than just an academic exercise. This is about you, learning about your creator, learning about
		

			yourself, and that relationship between you and your Creator. And if we can try and answer those
very, very big questions, often hour every week, then I'll come to, you know, we dedicate this half
an hour for the sake of my relationship with Allah subhanaw taala. We then
		

			spoke about the the terms we started off by saying, What does Islam actually mean the word in the
Arabic language and we said Islam means to submit to to surrender. And a Muslim is the one who
submits or one who surrenders, you have no opposition, you have no more hostility, there's no more
fighting, there is only peace after submission. And so, we then ask the question, If Islam is is is
the name of the religion, and Muslims are the, the adherence of this religion, a Muslim is the one
who submits. We also then mentioned that Islam is not a title which we gave ourselves, unlike any
other religion. The religious book, the Quran, mentions the actual the name Islam, and the title of
		

			the you know, the title of it's the label of its faithful was given to it by the Creator. Most
religions, the title comes later, as I said, you won't find the word Christianity or Christian in
the Bible, you would find most religions are named after the founder of that religion. Islam
basically says that this lifestyle or this way, and this title is given to a person by the creator
of the universe. And we also then ask the very important question, that if Islam is the title given
to us by God, basically, and it wasn't only given to Muhammad and his followers, it was to all the
people before him that submitted it even trans
		

			Since it goes beyond humanity, that everything in the universe really subscribes to this way of
life, every atom, every
		

			particle in the universe is in submission to the natural law that was given to it by its creator,
and therefore everything is a Muslim. The sun is a Muslim, the moon is a Muslim, the heavens and the
earth are Muslims, every grain of sand, you know, on any planet is a Muslim. And it's that that
submission to its creator is of course one of of compulsion. Whereas we have the ability to choose,
Allah says in the Quran, to somebody who Allah who are similar to several while out that Allah says
that the seven heavens and the earth and everything in them and whoever is inside of them, praise
him continues to exalt Him. We're immune Shane Illa, your sub Jacobi Hamdi, and there is not a
		

			single thing in existence, except that it praises and glorifies its creator, without work in light
of Coronavirus. Be home, and however you owe people, you don't understand the praise and the
supplication you don't understand the birds, when they praise the almighty the wind the mountains,
you can't understand it. But every creature, every particle in creation, glorifies its creator in
the whole kind of Halima. Hoorah. Really, the Creator Allah is Most Loving, most merciful, most
forbidding for his for his creation. And another verse, Allah says that when Niger moon were
shattered, we a student, that every tree, every star, everything, prostrates and boughs, to its
		

			creator.
		

			So the consequences This is not just about a definition. When you ask, you know, why do I even
mention what does Islam mean linguistically, the fact that Islam means to submit, as an implication,
there's a consequence to it, it implies that we as humans, are not the be all and end all that there
is something bigger than us, that there is something more profound than us, that when we look at the
universe around us, we don't see anything, you know, you know, superior to two men, that we are the
top of the food chain, but Islam tells you you're not on top of the food chain, that or other, you
are subservient to a greater power, and that there is a higher purpose to your life, that there is a
		

			a responsibility upon you to do something, that you have the choice to submit or not submit that
your life has meaning and consequences, that the is meaning that there is a higher purpose. And that
is really what Islam the by, by extension, the word Islam and Muslim implies. So let's unpack this,
if Islam is you submitting to a higher power, you surrendering yourself to someone something bigger
than you and fulfilling whatever that higher power wants, then who is this higher power? How do we
even know there is such a thing as a higher power? Or surely as I said, if you look at the universe,
we have telescopes, microscopes, and we have not seen anything superior to us in the in the cosmos,
		

			at the moment we are at the top of the food chain. And what evidence is there that there is a higher
power or there is a higher
		

			you know, there is there is a higher entity than us. And I deliberately, I'm not going to use the
word God. Because God is a very subjective term. And God is a very human you can have if you say I
worship God and you answer the question is which God there are many gods and in every many cultures,
they have a plethora many a pantheon of gods many different gods that are worshipped.
		

			For our purposes, we're going to talk about the Creator. Because I think when we speak about a
creator, we talk about the Creator who made the sun the moon, the stars is the same one that made
you and me the the sand, everything has a creator. When we're talking about creator, I think most
religions will agree that the when we're talking about the Creator, we're talking about the same,
the same person, the same entity, and we don't mention, so I won't use the term Allah or God for
full time being but we're gonna get into that as we go along. So who is this higher power? Now from
the Quranic perspective, and from an Islamic perspective, one of the most beautiful passages which
		

			really explains who the God who the creator is, and who we worship is given by Nabi Brahim Abraham
Elisa Salam, for those of you who are not Muslim and there are few non Muslims here we welcome you
when I say Alaikum salaam, peace and blessings be upon him, so anyone that is in a praiseworthy
character. The prophets like Abraham, Moses, Noah, or Mary, for example, will say peace and
blessings be upon them because they are deserving of praise. So Allah says in the Quran, what Lu
Allah him never Ibrahim, let's recite to them the story of Abraham Ali Salam, if Colin Lee abhi he
called me he Marta Boone when he asked his people what is it that you're worshiping? Now he's people
		

			worship idols, so he's asking them, What are these things the statues that you are praying,
sacrificing begging, they said, Now Buddha cinema, we worship idols. For another Lola her Aki Fein
and we are devoted we remain diva.
		

			To the statues. Allah Abraham asked him at least Monaco to these statues? Are they able to hear you?
If their own when you speak to them? Can the statues actually hear you and understand what you're
saying? When you supplicate them? Oh, oh, yeah. And I'm gonna come Oh, yeah, the room. Yeah, do
rune. Are these statues able to even help you or harm you? Do they have any power to do anything,
these statues? All the people said, well, we're just an academic, if we don't know what not to do,
we haven't really thought about it. Our dads, our forefathers, our ancestors, that's what they did.
So we basically are doing the same
		

			color or authority to Malcolm to the aboon. And two more about
		

			the moon. So Ibrahim says, Have you not even pondered over what you're doing and what you are
worshiping. And then a profound point Ibrahim is making we get so engrossed in our lifestyles,
whether you're Muslim, or non Muslim, whatever it is going to work, you know, going into mosque on
Friday going to church on Sunday, and you've never took a moment and stop and ask, Am I what is what
I'm doing? Does it make sense? Is it the right ways is going to end? Is it is it what I believe to
be true? Is it really true? And that's why even as Muslims to not question your faith, but to ask
these questions, you know, is the can I trust the Quran is the message of Islam, something I can
		

			rely on? Don't go through your life living on autopilot blindly, just going from one week to the
next, the highlight being a holiday that you can get once a year, ask the big questions. So Ibrahim
is asking his people, have you ever for a moment stop to think what is this that I'm worshiping?
What are these things I'm asking for in the home, I don't want li Illa rubble element. So it's as
for me, I don't worship these things. I'm against the sign of things. The only one I turned to is
the Lord of the universe. So Ibrahim is explaining who this higher power is. And he was still a boy,
which means he didn't have revelation yet. He didn't know what to call his, you know, this higher
		

			power. He didn't know what this higher power looked like, the attributes, but he explains who this
person who is the one that I believe that I believe in and I worship, he says, Robert Alameen, the
Lord of the universe, He is the one under the holler funny, for jolla Dean, he is the one who made
me I know someone made me. So that person, that entity who made me and guides me and is with me, he
is the one I worship will love you Who are you turning money or your skin, and he is the one that
feeds me and gives me drink while either married to him or either married to for widescreen, and he
is the one that I turned to when I'm sick, and he will give me back my health. He kills me when I'm
		

			sick. What what led up to me, and he's the one that will make me die, I'm gonna die and you will
cause me to die for my Yohane and I will be resurrected again.
		

			While the Atmel Filoli hottie at yo Medina, and he is the one that I hope when I meet him, he will
be merciful and forgive my faults. And so Ibrahim Ali Salam
		

			puts God who puts this higher power in a very, very simplistic term, he is the one that made me but
is with me, that washes over me that when I die, will cause me to die. And when I am resurrected,
because I believe that I'm going to live again, I don't believe that this life ends when I die, I
believe is another chapter. And the one that I will return to that is this higher power that I
submit to. And he's the same one that made you that made me you find people in a very strange way.
So I don't believe in the God of the Christians or I don't believe in the God of the Muslims. We're
not talking about names. We're talking about the creator of the universe, the same one that made you
		

			made the stars made me made all things. That is the one we're talking about it is to him that we
submit. Right. So now, you know Islam, we're going to talk today about atheism. And just to give you
the flavor of what we're going to discuss in this lecture, maybe the next two lectures is a bit
about atheism.
		

			The vast majority of humanity believes in a creator. And it is only in modern times that you have a
phenomenon of atheism and atheism is really on the rise. If you were to take a census, in most
Western countries, they will. Many people do not associate with an organized religion anymore.
Churches are empty, synagogues are empty. Even before COVID A mosques you still find it full on
Fridays. But you know, besides besides for Friday Juma you're not going to find a mosque reform. So
people don't ascribe to organized religions anymore. And in fact, many would go to the point who
will actually say I don't identify that there is a Creator. So atheism is a new phenomenon never in
		

			the history of mankind, when you have find a society that is actually predominantly atheistic. Some
countries in the West are getting towards that numbers of being predominantly atheistic. And so it's
important therefore to discuss this theology or this religion of atheism. And and not to go into
depth in in a back and forth tennis match, but just to ask certain questions. So Islam, the Quran,
rather, does not spend too much time discussing atheism because it almost takes it for
		

			granted that most people believe in a creator, it's common sense. But there are a few verses. And
these verses are very profound. Allah asked the question, okay, if you don't believe in me, then
ponder over this. I'm Hulagu minarelli. Che in, um, who will Harlequin? So he says, if it wasn't for
me, then were they created without being anything? Did they come out of nothing? Or are they the
creators if I don't exist, if Allah is not the creator, then either they created themselves, or they
spontaneously came out of out of nothing. And really, you know, having listened to a number of
debates of atheists, and scientists and all these things, you really come down to, it's in this
		

			little verse, you really have this, these are the only options that you have. Either the universe
came from absolutely nothing, it was there was just complete emptiness, a vacuum, and *, out of
nowhere, you know, everything sprang out, or the universe has always been the, it has no beginning
it has no end and it creates itself, or it has an external creator, that made it from nothing, those
are your three options. There's nothing, there's no other option besides that. And so you'd find
that and this should give you a sense of, you know, the way you know, we are a, a species that is
intelligent, we are a species that is the most intelligent creature on this planet, and for the best
		

			of our knowledge at the moment throughout the universe. And yet every nation, every society, every
culture, as isolated to the off, whether it's in the middle of the Amazon jungle, or you know, in
the Aborigines in south in Australia, that every culture gravitated towards that they must be a
Creator, that we came to the conclusion as a collective, that they shouldn't be some creator, some
form of being that originated the universe. And this is the first and most and I'm going to talk
about the evidences for the being a god if you're asked how what evidence do we have, that there is
a Creator. The first and perhaps the most powerful one is something which the Quran calls the
		

			fitrah. That the is a natural inclination, in every person, that when you really lay down at night,
and you ponder over the big things, something inside of you tells you that there must be something
more out there, that there is a Creator, that there is something that puts that something put me
here, and is watching over me, and that this is not all by chance and from nothing. So this thing is
called the fitrah. It is what Islam calls the your pre you know, your your the primordial link
between you and your Creator, and it's always there. It's always there. Yes, you can turn from it,
you can deny it, you can reject it, you can disobey it, but ultimately, ingrained in our DNA is this
		

			link between our Creator, the fitrah analysis, so direct yourself towards this faith inclining
towards the truth, the fitrah fitrah to Allah, the fitrah of Allah, Allah, the fatness, Allah, that
this fitrah this natural disposition, which he has placed in every person, it also, you know, we'll
talk more about the nature of man, you know, in the sidenote in the Christian faith, there's a lot
of discussion about sin and the nature of man, whether we are born good or wanting to sin, Islam
basically says, every person is born pure, and born with a natural inclination towards its creator.
And all it says that this is the way of the way he made all people, and you will not find a change
		

			in his creation. And that is why every single society, you know, without exception, has this
yearning for has asked this question, looking for something bigger than us searching, even the
atheists Subhanallah those who don't believe in a creator, you find him searching the universe,
looking for more things, looking for more out there, this is part of that, that fitrah calling out
to Allah, the fact that you are here. The fact that you have these questions is this need to link up
with your with your Creator. So that's the most profound evidence that there is a Creator, but let's
get more. It's more spiritual. Let's get more to the nitty gritty, the most profound and before
		

			philosophers and psychologists and scientists have debated, you know, where did where did the
universe come from? We know we exist in a very famous saying, I think, therefore, I am the fact that
I can think I know I exist. And so the question is also where did I come from? One of the strongest
evidences from a scientific and this may be a bit dry and a bit deep. One of the strongest
scientific and philosophical arguments for the existence of a creator is something called the Kalam
Cosmological Argument. Kalam, Columbia's actually Arabic word, which means philosophy. And it was
really the Muslim philosophers were able to challenge the Greek philosophers of old to prove
		

			philosophy philosophically, that there is a creation that there is a Creator. And in modern times,
this has only been backed up by science. If anything, science corroborates that there is a Creator.
So for example, this this argument is very simple. The argument says, Whatever begins, whatever has
a beginning must have had
		

			cause something caused it to begin. And you can't really deny this because we don't find anything in
the universe popping out of nothing, you will not find if you went into the desert, and you found
like, you know, a watch lying on the floor, nothing will tell you that this watch popped out of
nothing. Rather, someone put it there or something made it. And the same that we see throughout the
universe, we do not find an occurrence where something comes out of nothing. Therefore, everything
that's out there, which has a beginning, is caused. So then we say, well, the universe has a
beginning and this point here, the universe, having a beginning was the most controversial point on
		

			this argument. Because no one could scientifically prove that the universe had a beginning, or it is
pre eternal, that was there forever. There was the from the beginning of time, it'll be there
forever. Of course, now we know with absolute certainty that the universe had a point in time when
it didn't exist, and what we call the Big Bang, it existed. So the universe we know for sure,
factually, scientifically, we know has a beginning. Therefore the universe was caused, I say that,
again, this argument really simple. Anything which has a beginning was caused, because it to begin,
the universe has a beginning, we know that scientifically, therefore it was caused. So if the
		

			universe is caused, by whom, by what it has to be caused by something outside of the universe, that
is not bound by time and space, is not bound by
		

			particles and energy. It is beyond the realm of this universe, by definition, that is God. And so,
and this, this being has to be uncaused, you know, it can't be some he could not have been caused,
because something before him would have caused that, eventually, you will get an an original cause
that has no beginning. And that, by definition is God. Now let me talk about the scientific, the
scientific side of this discussion. Because we live in an age of science, philosophy is not such a
big issue anymore. But the big bang, and the second law of thermodynamics, these are two scientific,
you know, science related principles. Really, they prove scientifically, that the universe has a
		

			beginning. And it has an end.
		

			The Big Bang, you know, it's only been around about less than 100 years, a very famous scientist,
		

			about the Belgian scientist, who was a Catholic priest, you know, he studied the universe, and he
discovered that the universe is expanding. Before Hubble, he discovered the universe was expanding.
And so he said, wonder the universe is expanding. If you reverse the clock, it actually contracts to
a point in time, when he presented this hypothesis to Albert Einstein, Albert Einstein was alive.
Albert Einstein said, your mathematics is correct. But your science is atrocious. I can't believe
this, this physics that the universe has a beginning is unacceptable, of course, with more time and
study Hubble and all those kinds of things. You know, it was proven that the universe actually has a
		

			beginning, 14 billion years ago, the universe had a point in time where it came into being it was
created. And that has to have come from something external to the universe, scientists can't explain
why or why or how, you know, obviously, from a theory, from a theistic position, we believe that
there was an originator of the universe a creator. The second law of thermodynamics is that every in
a closed system,
		

			with time we move to a state of entropy, entropy basically means like decay, it means chaos, it
means that, you know, if you have a cup of hot coffee, eventually, the energy of that coffee will
dissipate, and it will sort of move into the environment, and then eventually everything will be
neutral. And that's it, meaning you can't move from a state of chaos, to a state of building and
structure. In other words, the universe could not have come out of nothing, it could not have come
from a state of having no energy, and then, you know, a cup of coffee, spontaneously being heated.
We don't see that anyway. So the fact that the universe had a point in time, way it was formed. And
		

			now as time progresses, we see the universe slowly, dying, or decaying, the fact that it had a point
in time where it was formed, asks, we will cause it to be formed in the beginning, we actually began
the system. And this is part of the scientific proof that if there is a beginning, it must have a
cause. And if it's caused, then it must have an original originator of that cause, but heavy but
deep. We'll move on a little bit. But let's let's just pause for a second and take some questions.
So if there's anyone that wants to ask a question, it's just open up the conversation.
		

			Anyone can go ahead and raise their hand or want to ask a question at this point.
		

			So everybody
		

			can sit down
		

			and my name is cash River. Question and
		

			I wanted to ask somebody asked me this question and I couldn't answer. The question is if a couple
		

			became pretty birds, so they were Christian, they got married in court. And later on, they decided
to become Muslim.
		

			Should they get married,
		

			have a nica as well.
		

			So this is a question well beyond where we are in terms of our discussion. Okay, so Inshallah, I'll
entertain questions beyond the scope of the talk so far. But the question is to ask if two events
become Muslim, should they form a new Nikka? The standing position is the original marriage stance,
but if they wish to, and it's recommended for them to Anika, because Anika is a contract illegal,
right. And so, they might like a dowry, for example, maybe you got married in like, let's say two
Hindus got married in the Hindu faith, the woman pays the man a dowry. So when you get married as a
Muslim, the lady deserves a dowry. So if she's happy to continue as it was, it's fine. But it's
		

			encouraged that they do have a new Nica. But if they, if so, let's say they got they both reverted,
and they were living together, we're not saying that they lived in sun, they still have a marriage,
but we would recommend them have a new car as well. So that the rights the duties may be specified
in terms of the Sharia sokola discussion about any other questions? Before we continue?
		

			Right. So
		

			we mentioned that
		

			the evidences for the creation is number one, the fitrah is this thing that you and I feel and you
know, it, you feel it, I feel it, that there's a link between us and this higher power. The second
thing is, we know from the creation, that the is that, you know, it has a beginning. And the fact
that it has a beginning, we know it had to be caused by something external.
		

			We also see in the universe design, we see in the universe system order intelligence, we know that
there are certain mathematical principles, the speed of light, for example, as a set, you know, set
speed that cannot be the Congo, that you can't break the speed of light, you know, that there are
laws and rules that if you, if you do something, you will, you can, you can almost observe these
things. So we put these systems in place, who put these rules and lows down, who designed the
universe, because we definitely see intelligence in the design of the universe, the fact that there
is
		

			an, you know, a universe that has been designed by a plan or by rationality, this gives you a sense
that whoever designed it has rationality and knowledge and power. Okay, this a very, you know, deep,
profound area of morality. And I don't think we don't go too much into detail. It's a simple
question.
		

			How does it how do you feel as a person, if I told you, I mean, Adolf Hitler, one of the worst
people that even lived in human history, he killed 6 million men, women and children,
		

			in a terrible way,
		

			loved his life. And then towards the end of the Second World War, you got married, and then
committed suicide, the thing the same day or the day after, and that's it, you know, took a shot to
the head, and that was it. There's something inside of you tell you that feels that he needs to pay
for his crimes. He couldn't get away that easily. You know, exterminating, you know, massacring
committing a genocide 6 million people, do we really feel that he gets away with it, he just got
away with it. Because the concept of there not being a god, there is no morality, there's no right
or wrong, there is no consequences. There is no judgment, there is no purpose to life, all of those
		

			things come with atheism, that whatever you do doesn't matter. And so, you know, one atheist, you
know what, he became a Christian. You know, he said, when the question was asked, Do you really
believe Hitler got away with it? Is it you know, I can't except that he got away with his crimes.
But if you genuinely an atheist, you would believe that, yes, he got away with it, because there is
no consequence to your actions. And so there is a much more profound question of good and bad, right
and wrong. You cannot have objective morality. Now what is objective morality? I know we're getting
a bit deep and philosophical. Your objective morality means that there are things which are good at
		

			all times in all places, and there are things that are bad at all times, in all places. That's
objective moral, doesn't matter who you are. It is always good. It's always bad. Subjective morality
is good is dependent on what you feel is good. It's like your favorite flavor of ice of ice cream.
For you. Strawberry is good. For me, chocolate is good. So
		

			either you believe that good and bad right now, so long as you feel it's good, then that's right.
That's okay. Or do you believe that? No, there are laws like there are laws in the universe. There
are laws to morality, that there is something which is good and bad, and there are consequences to
it. And if you believe that
		

			And then you asked who put those, those loads down? Who decided what is right and wrong? If not,
it's not us, we didn't do it, there must be a higher power that determined right and wrong, that
made models of good and bad. And that by definition is God because God is the model authority. God
determines what is right and wrong. And we also on top of that, we believe in consequences.
		

			With that comes this whole notion of a purpose to your life. I mean, honestly, if you knew, and we
believe that there was really no purpose to your life, when you die, that's it, you become worm
food, and nothing else, you're so there is no such thing as a soul. That is such thing as an
afterlife. Really, I think I would, you know, spending five days a week in your office panela. What
is, you know, I don't know what I would do. Because then you realize it doesn't matter what you do,
it doesn't matter how much charity you give, it's all meaningless. It doesn't matter how much
		

			how much sin you do, how much evil you do, it's all meaningless. At the end of the day, the universe
doesn't care. Your life is just a snapshot in time, and you are like a dust, you know, like an atom
on a board of wall of sand. In a massive universe, it doesn't really care about you, you are a fluke
and accident, your trauma, your suffering, your pain, it means nothing, there is no one out there
listening. And so it really brings your life to meaningless, meaninglessness. Whereas, you know,
with the concept that we were created, some higher power made you some higher power put you here for
a reason, your life has a meaning, your life has purpose, and you are supposed to achieve a certain
		

			objective in your life. And also the fact that, you know, if you believe if you want to believe in
an afterlife, that there is more to this universe, then again, you need to buy into this concept of
a god because as an author, like so do we really believe our ancestors, our parents are like random
Jana, your grandparents have passed away, do you didn't believe they're gone, there's nothing else
that's their life came to an end. And that's it. Most people would believe that there is something
as a soul, and it transcends this world, it goes to another reality, there's an afterlife. And the
life that you play here, the life you lead here has consequences in an afterlife. This by definition
		

			really buys into this concept of a creator and you being caused. The next point is personal
experience, I think most of you would be able to tell a story with you know, things were very
difficult. We, you you felt through your through our through your play. And they were some kind of
external intervention, when the doctor said, there's no hope, when something completely unexpected
happened to you, every one of us has this little story where we, you know, we the facts, don't
explain the outcome. just coincidence, upon coincidence, we all experienced that. And it's to the
point where you realize it's not possible that all these coincidences could line up. And in this,
		

			this happened at the end, you know, people will tell me about I was, you know, in a real problem in
my life, and I just sit in it, I raised my hand, and I called out to my Creator, and miraculously
out of nowhere, you know, something opened up, something helped me and all of us have these
experiences in life. And so that is, that is the are enough of these personal experiences, to, to
say that these credibility, it's like each one of us are eyewitness to a personal creator, that
intervenes in our lives through our praise. The last point, really, this is not really an argument
for the existence of a creator. It's a very simplistic way. And I asked this to a bunch of high
		

			school kids, and they said, well, when the plane crashes, and I asked the person who doesn't believe
in God, what's he going to do? You know, most of people in the plane will pray, and you will really
see then who's gonna what's gonna happen when you know, that plane is about to crash. And so we say
at the end of the day, guys, okay, fine. If there is no God, and we all die, you won't live to
regret it. That's it, your life has come to an end, and you are basically Oblivion, you're nothing.
But if I'm right, and you're wrong, you die. And there is a God on the other side, well, then you
have got a problem. And so it makes logical sense to, as we say, hedge your bets, to take the time
		

			to think about things, what is going to be the most advantageous to you. This is the human kind of,
it's not the most, I would say, the most
		

			beautiful way of talking about the Creator. But it is it is a logical, it's logical point to make.
It's logical to believe in a God to say look out of my logic and my reason, my rationality, I think
it's safe to say that there is a God and to actually look for a purpose to my life, and to hopefully
find that purpose and then live according to that and hope for a a wonderful afterlife. That makes
logical sense, you know? And so,
		

			for most people, as I said, this conversation about the Creator, not having a creator, these
questions might have popped in you
		

			Mind, but you carry on and you love your life, you know, believing, and that's an important point to
mention belief.
		

			The reason why Allah does not show himself the Creator doesn't come to you and me and speak to us
directly, because he is, in some ways, testing our belief. He wants to, he wants to see if we will
submit willingly, it will use the tools, the intellect, the guidance he gave us to make the right
choice. I was listening to a lecture about morality. This is just something to think about that, you
know, if you programmed a robot to save people's lives, and do all the right things, would you say
this robot is morally good? We'll say No, we just following its programming, because you could
change the program to kill people and to do exactly that. And so part of being a good person is you
		

			choose to be good, you're not forced to be good. And that is why really, the only beings in this
creation that can truly be good, is humans. Because we have the pattern, the capacity to choose, the
angels can choose, they do the right thing, because that's the programming, the sun, the moon, the
stars, they do what they're supposed to do all the time, we have the ability to choose. And so in
choosing the right thing all the time, that is what makes us superior. And so and so these are just
some of the, you know, the points that we've made about the good is minimal. And I said this, this
can be a long discussion. Of course, they are questions and some very profound questions atheists
		

			ask, and I think, in our next lecture, we will discuss some of these arguments that atheism makes,
which already be profound. But I will say this, atheism asks very good questions, very difficult
questions. And in reality, we can't answer all of them. But there's nothing wrong with that. Because
the scientists, the smartest people in the world can't answer themselves. Why is the universe
expanding? We started, where did the universe begin from, you know, what have, you know, what is
dark energy, dark matter? All these things that we know, even the smartest mind con on? So we don't
have an answer. And so to really think that we will have all the answers about the Creator, external
		

			to the universe, really is, you know, over exaggerating our, our, our intelligence, and that is why
it is called faith. And it's called belief that you don't have all the pictures of the puzzle, the
piece of the puzzle, you don't have all the evidences. But when you sit down and you look at it, and
you bring your intuition, and this is where the spirit, the heart, you know, your soul comes into
play, you believe that there is something more, and that is really that belief. It's not something
you can tangibly prove it is something in your heart. And you know, it's a famous saying in the
Arabic language, other Islamic saying that the only eye or the only organ that can truly perceive
		

			God is the heart. So the eyes or the ears, can you can see Allah, you can hear him, but the heart is
the only organ that can really perceive him, the soul can perceive him, that's the only organ that
can perceive him. So we'll talk a little bit about questions of the atheists. And then we will
discuss this maybe in detail in the next next lecture. Argument number one.
		

			You know, the same way I don't believe in Father Christmas and the tooth fairy, if you ask, Why
don't you believe in him, so I can't see him. If I saw for the Christmas, I believe in him if I saw
the tooth fairy, I believe in him. So I don't believe in him because I only believe in the things
which I can prove exists. I prove it through seeing, touching, tasting, smelling, or hearing my
senses, if I can, if it can be perceived through those things, then I'll believe in it. But if I
can't, then I can't believe in it. Because then it's sort of believing in in nonsense.
		

			But a very important question. How can I believe in a God when so much evil happens in the world?
When little kids die? You know, well, when wars happened when this genocide, if there is a God, and
he's all powerful, and we say he's merciful? Why does he get involved? Why doesn't he do the right
thing he's sitting by and watching the world burn, and he's not doing anything about it. So how can
I believe in a God like that?
		

			You telling me to believe in religion, I think there's a difference between really believing in God
and religion. And I think we need to talk about that disconnect. But let's say for argument's sake,
that to believe in God implies believing in a religion, then how can I believe in religion when
religion causes so much evil in the world, most of the wars and the violence and the judgment
between groups of people has been because of religion. Religion is the cause of so much misery in
the world. So surely, without religion, we are better. You know, the world is a better place without
religion. Europe, for example, was going through the dark ages. And once they sort of got rid of
		

			religion, they became enlightened and things became better. So, you know, that argument that was
when I took God out of my life, the world is actually a better place.
		

			There are many contradictions between religion and science. Surely something which is scientifically
incorrect, could not come from an all knowing God. So we need to look at some of those scientific
arguments. And, again, the moral argument, perhaps a deeper one. Well, I want to do what is right
for me what feels good for me, and religion stops me from living the life that I want. So how can I
believe in the religion
		

			that, you know, controls my life in a negative way. So we'll talk about these kinds of arguments and
other arguments that I'm sure you had. And we'll discuss that in lecture two. As I said, atheism is
not really the subject matter of the Quran, the Quran does not really focus on atheism, because it
presupposes it assumes that most people in the world, subscribe to the belief in a creator. And
through that the actually begins of the Islam actually begins after the assumption that you believe
in a God. So we'll talk about that in the next couple of weeks in sha Allah. So I open the floor
once again to any questions.
		

			If there's anyone that has any questions,
		

			the next five minutes or so, I see you shaking your hands up.
		

			Go ahead, chain.
		

			100 I can Yes, I can hear you.
		

			Speaking about earlier on about the, you know, when we look at our purpose in life, and we're not
looking at the purpose of life, through speaking through evil, and also suppose these many times in
life, it means a lot of things that happen that are perceived to be evil at the time. But that
person change at the end of the day, and within a change that person becomes but evil was the
		

			the purpose of life? How do we find from an Islamic point of view that, you know, we're not doing
something wrong. But then later on at the end?
		

			Something comes out of that, because yesterday was a decent medical today. But
		

			you know, at the end of the day, we are Muslims. And sometimes we don't understand certain things.
So we as Muslims, and as human beings, we criticize the wrong people that's done. How will you look
at that we will look at it from a point we know there is a purpose to life. So that had to happen
within we find the purpose in life.
		

			So Okay.
		

			In a way, and let me see if I can answer it. So the first thing is, let's first define what is the
purpose of life from an Islamic perspective, Islam basically, and I think we jumping to maybe
lecture four or five, Islams fundamental basis is that you have a creator. And your purpose is to
have a relationship with a creator, to worship Him in everything you do. Worship Him through, pray,
worship Him through your business, worship Him through, you know, how you walk, how you play sports,
how you sit in traffic, everything you do, is to please Him, and you journeying towards him in this
world, so that you can actually be with him in the afterlife, that you can actually be in his
		

			company in His presence and see him in the afterlife. That is the purpose of life. Now, when
obstacles are put in your way. So let's talk about calamities, certainly a cut, you know, being
sick, and you know, losing something is not a good thing, a nice thing, but it might be that
calamity caused you to turn back to him. And so in that it was a blessing. You know, with the pain
that came with it, it was a blessing if it brought you closer to Him. And so let's talk about sin.
For example, someone says, or what about sin? Can I say that sin is a blessing, even, you know, it
was a bad thing I did. But it made me a better Muslim. So for example, someone would say, look, I
		

			committed murder, I was a bad person, or went to jail. And in jail, I found Islam, or someone could
say I, you know, committed some kind of it now, you know, whatever. But from that act, I had a
child, and that child caused me to be a good parent and that reformed my life, what we learned from
it, that every sin also has in it, the ability to bring you close to the Creator. You know, as one
scholar says, Many people will enter Paradise because of the sins What do you mean through my sins,
because that sin led you to feel regret and remorse, and led you to reform your life. And so you
actually went and through that sin and through reforming yourself and making Toba making, you know,
		

			asking for forgiveness, you actually became a better person. And that is the is the story of Adam
and Eve, you know, they come into the sun, but through that sin,
		

			the way they approached the sin was through remorse and repentance. And so they were elevated. Satan
shaytan also made a sin, but his sin led him further astray. And so what I also want you to learn
from this lecture, no one should feel that my sins or my lifestyle prevents me from being closer to
my Creator. Islam is not only for the ultra pious Islam is for every single person to have a
relationship with a creator. Islam is this personal bond between you and your Creator. So it doesn't
matter how far away you are. One of the names of Allah is the One who returns to you at all times,
no matter how far away you are, he comes back to you. And so that calamity or that sin can actually
		

			become a blessing, depending on how you act after it, how you respond to that to be a better person.
And there's a very famous Hadith and the responses that if we were a creature that never come with
its sin, then Allah would actually have replaced us with a creature that had the capacity to sin,
because it is only through sin that we can actually repent. And that actually brings about
		

			a deeper relationship with Him. Allah grants us all forgiveness I mean, any other questions before
we conclude
		

			but have any comments on the YouTube feed
		

			then JazakAllah to all of you, I thank you so much for your time. If you feel any questions or
concerns or comments, you can you can email us or you can WhatsApp us as well. This is our well
that's my email address and inshallah you can leave a comment on our on the Facebook and the YouTube
channel as well. And just go ahead Have a wonderful weekend and you Mobarak Okay, see a question
later the last minutes a question. And actually, I think
		

			Russia in February
		

			Go ahead.
		

			You might ask the question, okay.
		

			Just like a law, or some law said no Muhammad Ali. Oh, Sofia Salam mysoline noteable Onomichi grants
and Allahu obrigado.