Salam everyone
There's something I have trouble understanding, and I would like some thoughts on this.
In the Qur'an, verse 17:36 states the following: And do not follow what you have no knowledge of. The hearing, and the sight, and the brains/heart—all these will be questioned.
And in 18:4-5: And to warn those who say, “The Lofty Refuge has begotten a son.” They have no knowledge of this, nor did their forefathers. Grave is the word that comes out of their mouths. They say nothing but a lie.
The Qur'an says we should not follow what we have no knowledge of, and criticizes those (Christians) who say that God has begotten a son, because they have no knowledge of this.
But... Followers of various religious beliefs have no more 'knowledge' about the factual legitimacy of their beliefs than Christians. This includes followers of the Qur'an. A follower of the Qur'an does not, cannot and will not know anything pertaining to God, or the lack thereof, until perhaps his death. He can only choose to believe one thing or another, with more or less basis in logic, history, science etc., but he can never have knowledge. This is why religions such as Christianity, Islam, etc. are called faiths.
So, can anyone inform me of why it is considered an illegitimate act due to lack of knowledge on the matter for people to have faith in Jesus as the son of God, but not an illegitimate act, despite lack of knowledge on the matter, for people to have faith in the Qur'an?
I'm wondering if the answer to my question lies in the meaning of the Arabic word used, "'ilm"? I have looked up the root in several dictionaries, but the definitions have failed to enlighten me.
People of the free-minds forum, please come to my aid and gift me with your insights and thoughts on this.
Peace
Peace Wanderer,
I think it is a healthy habit to question any and every assertion encountered during our life, from where ever it may come, even from the gospel or the quran. In fact and in reality,
no thing nor any person or any concept or idea is sacred, it all can be questioned and criticized for their value and benefit.
This is a strong foundation to build your system on --
Do not consider any thing as sacred -- all our knowledge, books, ideas about the creator god, countries, religions, organisations... all are constructions in human mind, no real link to Reality. As per science, we can sense only 5% of what is really existing, using all our scientific might. So how can anyone claim knowledge of anything?
Also, the creator of this universe is way beyond what we may think of him. BUT, with our experience in this life, we
trust him to bring back the sun the next day according to his laws, and we
trust him for keeping enough air for everyone to breath, again according to his natural laws, and we
trust him to let us wake the next morning after a good night sleep... we
trust the creator for many critical things... And the creator doesn't need our faith or trust, but we need to
trust him, as the creator is the only constant in existence, all else is in a transitory state.
His open book, accessible for everyone and in every period, is the book of this creation, written according to his law, for everyone to see and to learn from. But most of us fall into human fantasies and live confused.
So yes, you can question any thing, even the quran. And if doesn't stand scrutiny, then dump it and look elsewhere.
I hope this helps. If so, I can give you the second principle to live in peace.
