The Power of Intellect & Reason

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in a hamdulillah and Mahamadou who want to start you know who want to start a fiddle. When our old Villa Himanshu Rudy and fusina woman say RTR Marlena, Maria de la who fella mobila When a young little fella heard Jana, why should you want La ilaha illa Allahu Allahu la sharika Why should you under Mohammed Abdullah? Who? rasuna yeah yo Khaled in mono topple la haka to party. While

we're into mostly moon yeah you Alladhina amanu tabula. Well, Tumblr on AppSumo PodOmatic. Raja, what tequila in Allah hobby Ron de matar Milan. All praise no doubt is due to Allah the Exalted. We praise Him, we seek His help, his guidance and his forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allah from the evils of our sins and the evils within ourselves. Whomsoever Allah guides because they sincerely and truly seek guidance, nonconvex guide and whomever he rightfully causes to be led astray, because they do not truly seek guidance, none can guide and I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah alone. I bear witness that Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam peace be upon

him is His servant and final messenger. Allah the Exalted reminds us so that we may be people of benefits people of implementation, or you who believe are believers. Be conscious, be conscious, be conscious of Allah, as he deserves and die not except in a state of worship a state of submission. May Allah subhanaw taala allow us to be consistent upon worshiping Him and allow us to die upon a state of worship Allah Amin, O you who believe be conscious of Allah.

And Let every soul reflect on what you have prepared for your afterlife for your departure for your eternal life. And be conscious of Allah. Verily, Allah is aware of all that you do.

A brother once mentioned a conversation to me,

about someone who had doubts a Muslim who started to have severe doubts in his workplace due to some pressures from colleagues and questions he was receiving and the things that he was consuming.

And he said, is Islam really not violence? Can we prove Can you prove to me that Islam is not violent?

And before we jump into a response to a question, we must always assess the question as well. What do you mean when you say proof? How do you measure violence? What is your measurement? Your reference point, when you ask is something violent? Is something good is something bad?

So what constitutes proof for you in this case? What is your framework to make such a claim that something is or is not violent?

He said violence you know, as in killing people.

And framework, I don't know what you mean by that. A framework for you to make a claim,

a foundation for you to say that such and such is true or false.

And this brings us to the crux of our homework today, which is about the power of intellect and reason in Islam, the role of intellect and reason in Islam, as Muslims, often times and of course, this affects many people in society, we are not formally taught how to reason how to think critically. And this should be a subject of study, how to think logically, what is sound reasoning, what is the role of the fifth throw in all of this, the natural disposition that Allah created us upon that we know God, we know reality as it is, and it is self evidence, but as well, in addition to the fitrah, how to use our reasoning properly, and how to understand it from the Islamic

perspective, that when someone makes a claim, whether it's in politics, in some discourse, or whether it's in some debate, or somebody asks you a question, or you read something online? How do we know in terms of assessing evidences that something is true or false? How do we analyze claims? How do we warrant our claims? How do we protect ourselves and our children and our communities and this OMA from being intellectually disarmed, offline and online?

And this brings us to the question of the role of intellect and reasoning in Islam, that some people mistakenly assume. Some people mistakenly assume that reason has no place in Islam.

But the reality is that Allah subhanaw taala mentions reason in a positive light. It is one of many faculty

is, it is one of many ways of getting to know truth, truth with a capital T in this postmodern world

in which Allah subhanaw taala says number one a five hour lumea tuffa Kuru fee for see him, do they not reflect within themselves? Do they not use their reasoning?

Meaning what something will be a byproduct of your reflection.

Now follow up Allah who some our team will oh don't don't wanna buy ina Houma in being healthy, we're earning some that Allah subhanaw taala did not create the seven heavens and the earth and everything in between without a purpose. And when we study science, we see that everything does have an end purpose, the teleological interpretation of the world around us that there is a function, a purpose and all that we see and all that we observe and all that we reflect on. For someone to think about the heavens and the earth, and then not use the reasoning properly, will lead them to the wrong conclusion.

And this is why the end of the day Allah subhanaw taala says we're in a cathedral Amina Nursey, meaning for you don't be him like a funeral home. However, the majority of people a good number of people, and especially during this age of skepticism, and age of secularism will reject the reality that they will meet their Creator that they will meet Allah subhana wa Tada. To think properly to reason properly establishes the reality that there is one Lord establishes the reality that we will die that there is a purpose in this world and it is not to live forever. And that when we depart, we will return back to the One who created death and life, we will return back to Allah subhana wa

Tada. Number two, to rationally prove the Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam is the final messenger of God and is a messenger of God. And the more a person studies the seed of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, the more obvious it becomes, and the more difficult it becomes to deny the reality what is so obvious and clear to anyone with a sound heart. And anyone who reads and studies objectively

that this person will have met sal Allahu Allahu wa salam Assad, you call me nicknamed by his people, people that he lived with for 40 years before prophethood came to him. That he was the trustworthy, he was the truthful and he received revelation from Allah subhanho wa Taala he could not come up with on his own.

So to rationally prove to the people of Quran and to the people until the end of times, that Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa Salam is a messenger of God.

And Allah subhanaw taala addresses them those amongst them who tried to run away and evade the truth. It was so obvious. Allah subhanaw taala again, begins with LLM Yatta kettle, ma Bissau Hebei, Hyndman Jinnah, their friend, their companion that they are referring to these people running from the truth, their friend that they are referring to is not insane. In fact, he's the most sane amongst them. In fact, he's preaching words from God, that they themselves consider the most eloquent of people in poetry and Bulava and rhetoric, they themselves cannot imitate information from beyond information from behind the scenes information that the Prophet SAW was and could not

have a person who was known for his trustworthy his honesty, do they not use the reasoning? Do they not see what is so clear to them in who are Ilana? You know, mobian He is simply a Warner, he is simply going to warn he will not hold them accountable, and He will not force them to believe it requires a sound hearts and correct thinking correct reasoning. And then Allah subhanaw taala reminds those who rejected the reality of the Quran from the Prophet sallallahu Sallam in terms of the conveying of the Quran, those who rejected it, and those who ignored what was obvious and they tried to look for any excuse to avoid submitting to God because they have their personal agendas.

Allah subhanaw taala commanded the Prophet salallahu Alaihe salam to tell them hello Shah Allahumma to allow to Allah eco Allah

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with trophy Komuro moron Ming Kabini he AlFalah talking to the Prophet Sarson was commanded to tell them if Allah had so willed, I would not have recited this speech to you the speech of God to you I would not have delivered it to you I would not be a messenger if God did not, will it. I lived amongst you for a lifetime before prophethood came to me a fella Taffy don't do you not think do you not use your common sense? Do you not reason correctly? Do you not see what is so evident 40 years living amongst his people and then prophethood came to him sallallahu alayhi wa sallam.

Number three reasoning is used and can be used to ponder over the creation and to marvel at Allah's power. And this is something we should do regularly.

When we see the world around us and especially when you think about the sky is the oceans of the universe, the stars, the galaxies, to reflect on the power of Allah subhanaw Wattana the reference point of all reference points, the source of all that is good, the One who created us, the one who owns us and we will return to Him inevitably.

And the reminder here is one that we should reflect on often. And levena Yet the Quran Allah huddly Gudang Jr wubi him why artifact Karuna fee hollow pay sama wa T will rob BANA holla Porter her the bow Polina super Harnack super Hanukkah fell Polina are the been

the believers are those who reflect on the creation of the heavens, they reflect on all that Allah has created. And they reflect while standing, sitting and lying on their sides, meaning in all positions in everyday life. And the reflection is what

our Lord, You did not create all of this without purpose. This is not aimless, this is not pointless, you are above such a thing, you are too perfect for that Subhanak.

So protect us because of this reflection in our submission, protect us from the punishment of the fire. Number four, to ponder over the Quran and see clearly how this is the truth from God.

And this requires us and point number two about the Prophet salallahu Alaihe salam to understand the foundations of Islam, the framework of our discussion, the framework of why you know Islam to be the truth, the proofs of prophethood. So knowing why Muhammad sallallahu alayhi salam and how clearly he is the messenger of God, the Allah Enugu and number two original Quran, the miraculous nature of the Quran. These two are the foundation of proving rationally in discourse, and different dialogues and conversations that Islam is the clear truth from God, and that it is rationally justified. In fact, it is the only irrational option when you consider and you study what is out there. When you

consider the competing isms and ideologies. It is backed up by evidence that is very crystal clear to those who are sincere and those who study the matter properly. And on this note, I recommend for those who look for these types of resources I recommend reading the series called the proofs of prophethood. On your clean Institute's website, seven articles every Muslim should study this at least once our children should have learned this by now and if not, we should be teaching them this living in this confusing time and confusing age and a skeptical world in which everything every ideology of doubt, is exported and globalized through the internet and through media and through

different types of entertainment venues. May Allah subhanaw taala protect us and number two, Jasmine Quran the miraculous nature of the Quran also on your clean Institute's website, Allah subhanho wa Taala reminds and asks rhetorically FLIR

Do they not reflect upon the Quran? Do they not study the Quran? What are all Qurna mean are in the wiring healer, up here, Tina up and Kathy law and if they were to recognize the truth, they would see that if the Quran was from other than God, then it would have a lot of logical inconsistencies a lot of problems within it. And the one who properly studies it sees that this is not the case. And number five and the last point here to reason and to think, to realize the significance of the discussion in terms of the consequence of belief and disbelief.

What do we mean by this? Allah subhana wa Tada says at the end of solid facilite, after many proofs about the Quran and the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam,

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he thought, like a fellow to be him and volumi men who are finishing calling bellied say indeed, so ask them to reflect on the following points. If this Quran that you reject or people have kurush, if this Quran that you reject is in reality from God, what is going to happen to you? Who is more misguided than you? Meaning what have you considered the weight of your decision? When you talk about the weights and the consequence of an action, we are not here referring to minor decisions. Every single day, we make hundreds if not 1000s, of decisions. Sometimes, consciously. Sometimes subconsciously, you make a decision about for example, what you want to study what you want to read,

who you want to marry, you make a decision about where you want to live the job that you're taking. We make decisions that are major and minor all the time. And some of these decisions, as we all know, have ripple effects. This is why we need the guidance of Allah and every decision. They have ripple effects, you make the wrong decision every single day it will add up and you make the right decision every single day it will add up. But the more important question is what is the weight of that one decision? When you talk about belief and disbelief? You're talking about Jana and Johanna, and this is a reality. You're talking about paradise and hellfire.

So the weight of the decision that you make in this life, this temporary world that you have, in which the end of your life, in terms of your departure is not known to that decision will have the weightiest impact. You're talking here about infinite amount of gain, and infinite blissfulness of Jannah, or infinite punishment, may Allah protect us and our loved ones along with me. So it's not a minor decision. It's not the type of research that someone could say, You know what I have a lot of time I'll research religion later. I'll think about this doubt later. And then I will come back to the truth and then I'll come back to God. We don't know if there is a leader. And the reality is,

this is the one decision you don't want to mess up with. This is the one decision you don't want to be wrong about. And this is a reminder we share with our loved ones when they go through doubts. We share with our community when they go through doubts, we share with non Muslims when they ask about religion and ask about Islam. This is the weightiest of things. So the one who uses their reasoning their intellect correctly, sees that the weight of this cannot be postponed. The weight of this makes it so important and so urgent, I need to recognize and research and pursue the truth today. And there are many other ways reasoning can be used. But one of the questions that arises amongst

Muslims who are oftentimes engaged in many conversations or study is dealing with doubts, a secular type of approach to the sciences, a secular type of approach to all the world around us. So they ask, isn't it possible that reason, correct reasoning will conflict with the Quran? With the explicit revelation? Is that possible? And the question is very obvious here, in terms of what it's trying to get at? The answer is no. correct reasoning will never conflict with explicit revelation. If you're reasoning correctly, it will lead to the right conclusion, it will lead to the right, the right consequence the consequences of success. And if you find yourself looking at or hearing about

or reading about some kind of conflict in reasoning, and explicit revelation, then it's either a misinterpretation of the Quran, or it is a misunderstanding, or it is miscommunicated. And these are very common in terms of the fallacies the errors that people deal with today. Number two, rationalism and reasoning today, since the 17th century onwards, rationalism does not have one particular definition, or one uniform, one consistent methodology. In fact, some types of reasoning were proven to be faulty, oftentimes, they are subjective. So it is not one foundational thing that is infallible true, in all the sense of the word true, whereas the explicit Revelation we take to be

true at the highest level of truth. So we understand here what the if there seems to be conflict in one person's relative reasoning, one person's philosophy, one person's claims and society, one movement that suddenly is accepted by people and it contradicts the explicit revelation. The problem is with the movement, the problems with the understanding, the problem was with the attempt to reach some kind of conclusion, but not with the explicit revelation. And number three, for those who have not heard this before, it's important to we mentioned it many times, there is nothing irrational in Islam. There is no belief in Islam that is irrational. There are beliefs that are super irrational.

What does this mean? You can believe in Islam, that because it is very clear, based on your reasoning and your FitPro, that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam is a messenger of God, that the Quran is the speech of God, and therefore everything with that I take and I submit fully without questioning, and that is rationally justified. Therefore, we believe in the jinn, we believe in angels, we believe in life after death. And there are ways to reason that as well, but they are not irrational, inconceivable. Mustafi you know, they are, they are not just basically why is it conceivable? They are things that are Allah subhanaw taala tells us about that we depend on because

of the methodology of reaching this conclusion, the way you reach the conclusion of belief leads you to accept all of it. We receive questions from many Muslims, young and old. Starting with Can you prove, prove to me prove to me prove to me once again? What do you mean when you say proof? What are you really asking for? Do you know what proof looks like? What proof will suffice for you? One atheist philosopher who was an atheist for more than 50 years of his life and became a believer in his 80s right before he died, and the shook the atheist community. He became a deist and not a theist. But when he became a believer in God, because all the evidence, he said led him back to God,

the evidence within the study of science, such as the DNA, the theological interpretation of the universe, and so on and so forth. He said, This led him back to God but the problem was what dogmatic atheist rose up and started insulting him, attacking him critiquing him, telling him there's no proof of what you're saying, the man that they followed for 50 years, the one who contributed to atheist philosophy for more than 50 years became a believer at the end of

his life.

And then he asks, in a long parable, He asks, What proof will suffice for you to finally admit that there is a God? What proof works for you? And this question here is important to always consider as Muslims as well, what's enough for you to finally take action and move forward with this advice, this reminder from God?

Because some atheist have explicitly said that if God were to reveal Himself to them, they would still disbelieve because they do not believe that what they're seeing is reality. They would believe that they are hallucinating. This is the reality of misguidance. May Allah protect us and our loved ones. When people ask for proof,

assess what they're really asking for their methodology. How do you know what is true? What is false? What justifies your belief system, how reliable is your methodology, because there is no system in the world. There is no approach in the world that is more rationally justified than Islam, and the one who studies theology properly, and Philosophy of Religion properly insert in certain areas, not all areas, and most importantly, understands the way of thinking the way of reaching a conclusion sees that there's no doubt whatsoever. But Islam is the truth. We had a young man a brought to us to myself and to a colleague,

because he said he had doubts about Islam for three years, approximately, and he left Islam, someone from a Muslim community in America, someone who had in his childhood been taught how to pray, to memorize the Quran, to do A, B and C to do such and such, but never studied properly, how to think meaning how to reach certain conclusions, how to assess and analyze a claim when it comes to you.

We had one conversation with him for about three or four hours. And part of the conversation was the intellectual evidences and the other parts the colleague was doing this was the fifth theory approach the spiritual awakening, are you really comfortable dying upon your situation right now, these types of questions.

And the approach here these, this combination of the two, the as a containment Mala refers to as after the fifth area, the evidences that are most valid are those that are both both both rational so the reasoning is correct. And they are intuitive, your fitrah is awakened by them, a pure physical will accept it. These are the most valid evidences he left at the end of the conversation because initially, he was speechless. He couldn't respond. He got quiet, he realized how wrong his conclusions were for the last few years. And then we were informed by his family that when he went, went back home, the next day he woke up, he took a shower and he left for Vegeta prayer to the

masjid for the first time in three years. And that was because he was open. He was sincere. He came asking for the evidences. He was looking for guidance. And Allah promises this is a promise that the one who seeks guidance will have guidance. Well, Lavina Jaha Delphina Lana Deanna home saguna those who strive in our path, we will guide them to our way

we ask Allah subhanaw taala to make us sincere in our claims and to guide us and to forgive us. We ask Allah subhanaw taala to protect us and our loved ones. Along the Amin We ask Allah subhanaw taala to make us from amongst those who benefits from what we hear, seek forgiveness from Allah, He is the oft forgiving the Ever Merciful God how there was stuff you know, last year when I confessed I was little in the hall.

hamdu lillah wa Salatu was Salam ala Rasulillah early he was a happy woman, whether in Allahu wa Mala yukata who you saw Luna Allah Nabi you Alladhina amanu Sallu Allah He was selling motors Lima.

Allah subhanaw taala reminds us in verse na verse that we should be reciting every night in a surah we should be reciting every night, about a group of people thrown into the Hellfire who confess for their sins, and one of their confessions is one that should cause us to reflect on the reality of reasoning. We'll call uno con Ness small I will now the Enuma Nafi. US ha this only the people of hellfire, this party, this group, they say what if we used to listen sincerely if we used to really listen, when the advice came to us when the reminder came to us, I will now can or we used to use our reasoning correctly. The faculty of reasoning, if it is correct, if it is used properly, would

lead to Jannah. The use of reasoning correctly with our fitrah our sincere or natural disposition will lead to paradise. And the wrong use of reasoning. This faculty Allah gave us with its limitations and its capacities will lead to a bad conclusion will lead to punishment and consequences. And this is not something that should cause us to become so intimidated or confused or paralyzed in our rhetoric or our discourse with others about the reality of life and the reality of the afterlife.

Again, we're living in a times in which since the 17th century onwards, secularism has become dominant for many people, secularism, where religion and God are taken out of public conversations, the public sphere public spaces out of academia as well. And so people, Muslims as well amongst other religious groups start to think more in a secular sense, the secular replaces the focus of the afterlife with the focus on this life, with how well with desire that I think what's right and I will pursue what I think. And Allah Subhana Allah warns us about that type of ideology, about a terminator or the ILA who Hawa Do you not see the one who takes his desires, his own thoughts, his

individualism, his own ideology, as a God as a deity as a way of life, this leads to a bad result. It's not the correct way of thinking, may Allah subhanaw taala forgive us an increases in goodness Allama mean, brothers and sisters, the objective here is to revive the importance of teaching our children about frameworks, not secondary matters, not arguing with people about why such and such as good or bad No, the framework itself proves itself it is self evident, that Islam is the truth, that God is the reality that he can be and Allah who will help. This is the reality, to teach our children how to think critically, and not to take everything they read online, or everything they

hear from other places as truth, even if it seems convincing, even if it seems rational, it is pseudo rational. And we have to protect ourselves as well. And I remind all of my brothers and sisters with what you read what you consume, don't play with fire. Don't play with that thing that will harm you in terms of the environment, in person or online, that you do not have a foundation to be protected from a foundation of thinking critically, a foundation of annually of clean the knowledge of truth, seeking knowledge for the sake of Allah to protect yourself. Again, read about and this is my recommendation, della Enugu with the proofs of prophethood. And urges Quran the

miraculous nature of the Quran as a framework. May Allah subhanaw taala protect us in our youth and our adults may Allah Subhana Allah guide us and guide others through us. May Allah subhanaw taala keep us amongst those who are sincere for guidance and may Allah subhanaw taala allow us to live upon and die upon Allah. Allah, Allah Allah phenylene Want me Nina wouldn't want me not well Muslim Nina well Muslim at a minimum what Allah Allah for liwan Idina, what do you want to do Ali Dena Allahumma yarmulke label pulumi One Upsource a bit Cubana de nick or Bella Allah to the collusion about data and our Hublin Urmila doing Karasuma in NACA intellia herb, Allahu Allah Who runs on

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