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At some point in our lives, everybody asks the big questions: "Who made us," and "Why are we here?"

So who did make us? Atheists speak of the Big Bang and evolution, whereas all others
speak of God. Those who answer "I don't know" are atheist for all intents and purposes,
not because they deny God's existence, but because they fail to affirm it.

Now, the Big Bang may explain the origin of the universe, but it doesn't explain the
origin of the primordial dust cloud. This dust cloud (which, according to the theory, drew
together, compacted and then exploded) had to come from somewhere. After all, it
contained enough matter to form not just our galaxy, but the billion other galaxies in the
known universe. So where did that come form? Who, or what, created the primordial dust
cloud?

Similarly, evolution may explain the fossil record, but it falls far short of explaining the
quintessential essence of human life—the soul. We all have one. We feel its presence, we
speak of its existence and at times pray for its salvation. But only the religious can
explain where it came from. The theory of natural selection can explain many of the
material aspects of living things, but it fails to explain the human soul.

Furthermore, anyone who studies the complexities of life and the universe cannot help
but witness the signature of the Creator.* Whether or not people recognize these signs is
another matter—as the old saying goes, denial isn't just a river in Egypt. (Get it? Denial,
spelled "de Nile" … the river Ni … oh, never mind.) The point is that if we see a
painting, we know there is a painter. If we see a sculpture, we know there's a sculptor; a
pot, a potter. So when we view creation, shouldn't we know there's a Creator?

The concept that the universe exploded and then developed in balanced perfection
through random events and natural selection is little different from the proposal that, by
dropping bombs into a junkyard, sooner or later one of them will blow everything
together into a perfect Mercedes. In the color and trim of our hearts' desire, no less.

If there is one thing we know for certain, it is that without a controlling influence, all
systems degenerate into chaos. The theories of the Big Bang and evolution propose the
exact opposite, however—that chaos fostered perfection. Would it not be more
reasonable to conclude that the Big Bang and evolution were controlled events?
Controlled, that is, by the Creator?

The Arabs tell the tale of a nomad finding an exquisite palace at an oasis in the middle of
an otherwise barren desert. When he asks how it was built, the owner tells him it was
formed by the forces of nature. The wind shaped the rocks and blew them to the edge of
this oasis, and then tumbled them together into the shape of the palace. Then it blew
strands of sheep's wool together into rugs and tapestries, stray wood together into
furniture, doors, windowsills and trim, and positioned them in the palace at just the right
locations. Lightning strikes melted sand into sheets of glass and blasted them into the
window-frames, and smelted black sand into steel and shaped it into the fence and gate
with perfect alignment and symmetry. The process took billions of years and only
happened at this one place on earth—purely through coincidence.

When we finish rolling our eyes, we get the point. Obviously, the palace was built by
design, not by happenstance. To what (or more to the point, to Whom), then, should we
attribute the origin of items of infinitely greater complexity, such as our universe and our
lives?

Another classic argument for atheism focuses upon what people perceive to be the
imperfections of creation. These are the "How can there be a God if such-and-such
happened?" arguments. The issue under discussion could be anything from a natural
disaster to birth defects, from genocide to grandmother's cancer. That's not the point. The
point is that denying God based upon what we perceive to be injustices of life presumes
that a divine being would not have designed our lives to be anything other than perfect,
and would have established justice on Earth.

Hmm … is there no other option?

We can just as easily propose that God did not design life on Earth to be paradise, but
rather a test, the punishment or rewards of which are to be had in the next life, which is
where God establishes his ultimate justice. In support of this concept we can well ask
who suffered more injustices in their worldly lives than God's favorites, which is to say
the prophets? And who do we expect to occupy the highest stations in paradise, if not
those who maintain true faith in the face of worldly adversity?

I would hope that, by this line of reasoning, we can agree upon the answer to the first
"big question." Who made us? Can we agree that if we are creation, God is the Creator?

If we can't agree on this point, there probably isn't much point in continuing. However,
for those who do agree, let's move on to "big question" number two—why are we here?
What, in other words, is the purpose of life?

*To this end, and leaving all of the author’s religious inclinations aside, I heartily recommend reading A
Short History of Nearly Everything, by Bill Bryson.

The first of the two big questions in life is, "Who made us?" We addressed that question
in the previous article and (hopefully) settled upon "God" as the answer. As we are
creation, God is the Creator.

Now, let us turn to the second "big question," which is, "Why are we here?"

Well, why are we here? To amass fame and fortune? To make music and babies? To be
the richest man or woman in the graveyard for, as we are jokingly told, "He who dies
with the most toys wins?"

No, there must be more to life than that, so let's think about this. To begin with, look
around you. Unless you live in a cave, you are surrounded by things we humans have
made with our own hands. Now, why did we make those things? The answer, of course,
is that we make things to perform some specific function for us. In short, we make things
to serve us. So, by extension, why did God make us, if not to serve Him?

Our purpose, then, is to serve God. We receive this message from the prophets, as well as
from scripture, but nowhere more clearly than in the Qur'an, the holy book of Islam:
“And I [God] did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me” (TMQ 51:56).

Which brings us to the next point. If we acknowledge our Creator, and that He created
humankind to serve Him, the next question is, "How? How do we serve Him?" No doubt,
this question is best answered by the One who made us. If He created us to serve Him,
then He expects us to function in a particular manner, if we are to achieve our purpose.
But how can we know what that manner is? How can we know what God expects from
us?

Well, consider this: God gave us light, by which we can find our way. Even at night, we
have the moon for light and the stars for navigation. God gave other animals guidance
systems best suited for their conditions and needs. Migrating birds can navigate, even on
overcast days, by light polarization. Whales migrate by "reading" the Earth's magnetic
fields. Salmon return from the open ocean to spawn at the exact spot of their birth by
smell, if that can be imagined. Fish sense distant movements through pressure receptors
that line their bodies. Bats and the blind river dolphins "see" by sonar. Certain marine
organisms (the electric eel being a high-voltage example) generate and sense magnetic
fields, allowing them to "see" in muddy waters, or in the blackness of ocean depths.
Insects communicate by pheromones, the trail of which guides them to food, and then
home again. Plants sense sunlight and grow towards it (phototrophism); their roots sense
gravity and grow into the earth (geotrophism). In short, God has gifted every element of
His creation with guidance. Can we seriously believe he would not give us guidance on
the one most important aspect of our existence, namely our raison d'etre—our reason for
being? That he would not give us the tools by which to achieve salvation?

Of course not. Hence, revelation.

Think of it this way: Every product has specifications and rules. For more complex
products, whose specifications and rules are not intuitive, owner's manuals are provided.
These manuals are written by the one who knows the product best, which is to say the
manufacturer. A typical owner's manual begins with warnings about improper use and the
hazardous consequences thereof, moves on to a description of how to use the product
properly and the benefits to be gained thereby, and provides product specifications and a
troubleshooting guide whereby we can correct product malfunctions.

How is that different from revelation?

Revelation tells us what to do, what not to do and why, tells us what God expects of us,
and shows us how to correct our deficiencies. Revelation is the ultimate user's manual,
provided as guidance to the one who will use us—ourselves.

In the world we know, products that meet or exceed specifications are considered
successes whereas those that don't are … hmm … let's think about this. Any product that
fails to meet factory specifications is either repaired or, if hopeless, recycled. In other
words, destroyed. Ouch. Suddenly this discussion turns scary-serious. Because in this
discussion, we are the product—the product of creation.

But let's pause for a moment and consider how we interact with the various items that fill
our lives. As long as they do what we want, we're happy with them. But when they fail
us, we get rid of them. Some are returned to the store, some donated to charity, but
eventually they all end up in the garbage, which gets … buried or burned. Similarly, an
underperforming employee gets … fired. Now, stop for a minute and think about that
word. Where did that euphemism for the punishment due to an underperformer come
from? Hm … the person who believes the lessons of this life translate into lessons about
religion could have a field day with this.

But that doesn't mean these analogies are invalid. Just the opposite, we should remember
that both Old and New Testaments are filled with analogies, and Jesus Christ taught using
parables.

So perhaps we had better take this seriously.

No, I stand corrected. Most definitely we should take this seriously. Nobody ever
considered the difference between heavenly delights and the tortures of hellfire a
laughing matter.

In the previous two parts of this series, we answered the two "big questions." Who
made us? God. Why are we here? To serve and worship Him. A third question
naturally arose: "If our Creator made us to serve and worship Him, how do we do
that?" In the previous article I suggested that the only way we can serve our Creator is
through obeying His mandates, as conveyed through revelation.

But many people would question my assertion: Why does mankind need revelation?
Isn't it enough just to be good? Isn't it enough for each of us to worship God in our
own way?
Regarding the need for revelation, I would make the following points: In the first
article of this series I pointed out that life is full of injustices, but our Creator is fair
and just and He establishes justice not in this life, but in the afterlife. However, justice
cannot be established without four things—a court (i.e., the Day of Judgment); a
judge (i.e., the Creator); witnesses (i.e., men and women, angels, elements of
creation); and a book of laws upon which to judge (i.e., revelation). Now, how can our
Creator establish justice if He did not hold humankind to certain laws during their
lives? It's not possible. In that scenario, instead of justice, God would be dealing out
injustice, for He would be punishing people for transgressions they had no way of
knowing were crimes.

Why else do we need revelation? To begin with, without guidance mankind cannot
even agree on social and economic issues, politics, laws, etc. So how can we ever
agree on God? Secondly, nobody writes the user manual better than the one who
made the product. God is the Creator, we are creation, and nobody knows the overall
scheme of creation better than the Creator. Are employees allowed to design their
own job descriptions, duties and compensation packages as they see fit? Are all
citizens allowed to write their own laws? No? Well then, why should we be allowed
to write our own religions? If history has taught us anything, it is the tragedies that
result when mankind follows its caprice. How many who have claimed to banner of
free thought have designed religions that committed themselves and their followers to
nightmares on Earth and damnation in the hereafter?

So why isn't it enough just to be good? And why isn't it enough for each of us to
worship God in our own way? To begin with, peoples' definitions of "good" differ.
For some it is high morals and clean living, for others it is madness and mayhem.
Similarly, concepts of how to serve and worship our Creator differ as well. More
importantly and to the point, nobody can walk into a store or a restaurant and pay with
a different currency than the merchant accepts. So it is with religion. If people want
God to accept their servitude and worship, they have to pay in the currency God
demands. And that currency is obedience to His revelation.

Imagine raising children in a home in which you have set "house rules." Then, one
day, one of your children tells you he or she has changed the rules, and is going to do
things differently. How would you respond? More than likely, with the words, "You
can take your new rules and go to Hell!" Well, think about it. We are God's creation, living in His universe under His rules, and "go to Hell" is very likely what God will
say to any who presume to override His laws with their own.

Sincerity becomes an issue at this point. We should recognize that all pleasure is a gift
from our Creator, and deserving of thanks. If given a gift, who uses the gift before
giving thanks? And yet, many of us enjoy God's gifts for a lifetime and never give
thanks. Or give it late. The English poet, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, spoke of the
irony of the distressed human appeal in The Cry of the Human:

And lips say “God be pitiful,”
Who ne’er said, “God be praised.”

Should we not show good manners and thank our Creator for His gifts now, and
subsequently for the rest of our lives? Don't we owe that to Him?

You answered "Yes." You must have. Nobody will have read this far without being in
agreement, but here's the problem: Many of you answered Yes, knowing full well that
your heart is not in the Bible. Or perhaps it is in the Bible, but not entirely. You agree
we were created by a Creator. You struggle to understand Him. And you yearn to
serve and worship Him in the manner He prescribes. But you don't know how, and
you don't know where to look for the answers. And that, unfortunately, is not a
subject that can be answered in an article. Unfortunately, that issue has to be
addressed in a book.

On the other hand, the good news is that I have written this book, and its title is The
First and Final Commandment (soon to be republished under the title, MisGod'ed). So
if you like what you've read here, I invite you to read what I’ve written there.

Why Islam?

From a Muslim convert to all seekers of truth


Let's talk frankly. Almost never do non-Muslims study Islam until they have first
exhausted the religions of their exposure. Only after they have grown dissatisfied with
the religions familiar to them, meaning Judaism, Christianity and all the fashionable
"-isms"—Buddhism, Taoism, Hinduism (and, as my young daughter once added,
"tourism")—do they consider Islam.

Perhaps other religions do not answer the big questions of life, such as "Who made
us?" and "Why are we here?" Perhaps other religions do not reconcile the injustices of
life with a fair and just Creator. Perhaps we find hypocrisy in the clergy, untenable
tenets of faith in the canon, or corruption in the scripture. Whatever the reason, we
perceive shortcomings in the religions of our exposure, and look elsewhere. And the
ultimate "elsewhere" is Islam.

Now, Muslims would not like to hear me say that Islam is the "ultimate elsewhere."
But it is. Despite the fact that Muslims comprise one-fourth to one-fifth of the world's
population, non-Muslim media smears Islam with such horrible slanders that few non-
Muslims view the religion in a positive light. Hence, it is normally the last religion
seekers investigate.

Another problem is that by the time non-Muslims examine Islam, other religions have
typically heightened their skepticism: If every "God-given" scripture we have ever
seen is corrupt, how can the Islamic scripture be different? If charlatans have
manipulated religions to suit their desires, how can we imagine the same not to have
happened with Islam?

The answer can be given in a few lines, but takes books to explain. The short answer
is this: There is a God. He is fair and just, and He wants us to achieve the reward of
paradise. However, God has placed us in this worldly life as a test, to weed out the
worthy from the unworthy. And we will be lost if left to our own devices. Why?
Because we don't know what He wants from us. We can't navigate the twists and turns
of this life without His guidance, and hence, He has given us guidance in the form of
revelation.

Sure, previous religions have been corrupted, and that is why we have a chain of
revelation. Ask yourself: why would God send another revelation if the preceding
scriptures were still pure? Only if preceding scriptures were corrupted would God
need to send another revelation, to keep mankind on the straight path of His design.

So we should expect preceding scriptures to be corrupted, and we should expect the
final revelation to be pure and unadulterated. If impure, it too is due to be replaced,
for we cannot imagine a loving God leaving us astray. What we can imagine is God
giving us a scripture, and men corrupting it; God giving us another scripture, and men
corrupting it again … and again, and again. Until God sends a final revelation He
promises to preserve until the end of time.
Muslims consider this final revelation to be the Holy Qur'an. You consider it … worth
looking into. So let us return to the title of this article: Why Islam? Why should we
believe that Islam is the religion of truth, the religion that possesses the pure and final
revelation?

Oh, just trust me.

Now, how many times have you heard that line? A famous comedian used to joke that
people of different cities cuss one another out in different ways. In Chicago, they cuss
a person out this way, in Los Angeles they cuss a person out that way, but in New
York they just say, "Trust me."

So don't trust me—trust our Creator. Read the Qur'an; read books and study this
website. But whatever you do, get started, take it seriously, and pray for our Creator
to guide you.

Your life may not depend on it, but your soul most definitely does.

by RobbyG » Mon Apr 05, 2010 9:08 pm
When I have the answer in full proof, I'll be the first to admit it.

by RobbyG » Mon Apr 05, 2010 9:08 pm
If God really existed according to your preachings, he's a damn S.o.B. for letting poverty be allowed on this world. Why didn't he grow food for them and us?

Another classic argument for atheism focuses upon what people perceive to be the
imperfections of creation. These are the "How can there be a God if such-and-such
happened?" arguments. The issue under discussion could be anything from a natural
disaster to birth defects, from genocide to grandmother's cancer. That's not the point. The
point is that denying God based upon what we perceive to be injustices of life presumes
that a divine being would not have designed our lives to be anything other than perfect,
and would have established justice on Earth.

Hmm … is there no other option?

We can just as easily propose that God did not design life on Earth to be paradise, but
rather a test, the punishment or rewards of which are to be had in the next life, which is
where God establishes his ultimate justice. In support of this concept we can well ask
who suffered more injustices in their worldly lives than God's favorites, which is to say
the prophets? And who do we expect to occupy the highest stations in paradise, if not
those who maintain true faith in the face of worldly adversity?

Well, consider this: God gave us light, by which we can find our way. Even at night, we
have the moon for light and the stars for navigation. God gave other animals guidance
systems best suited for their conditions and needs. Migrating birds can navigate, even on
overcast days, by light polarization. Whales migrate by "reading" the Earth's magnetic
fields. Salmon return from the open ocean to spawn at the exact spot of their birth by
smell, if that can be imagined. Fish sense distant movements through pressure receptors
that line their bodies. Bats and the blind river dolphins "see" by sonar. Certain marine
organisms (the electric eel being a high-voltage example) generate and sense magnetic
fields, allowing them to "see" in muddy waters, or in the blackness of ocean depths.
Insects communicate by pheromones, the trail of which guides them to food, and then
home again. Plants sense sunlight and grow towards it (phototrophism); their roots sense
gravity and grow into the earth (geotrophism). In short, God has gifted every element of
His creation with guidance. Can we seriously believe he would not give us guidance on
the one most important aspect of our existence, namely our raison d'etre—our reason for
being? That he would not give us the tools by which to achieve salvation?

Of course not. Hence, revelation.

Think of it this way: Every product has specifications and rules. For more complex
products, whose specifications and rules are not intuitive, owner's manuals are provided.
These manuals are written by the one who knows the product best, which is to say the
manufacturer. A typical owner's manual begins with warnings about improper use and the
hazardous consequences thereof, moves on to a description of how to use the product
properly and the benefits to be gained thereby, and provides product specifications and a
troubleshooting guide whereby we can correct product malfunctions.

How is that different from revelation?

Revelation tells us what to do, what not to do and why, tells us what God expects of us,
and shows us how to correct our deficiencies. Revelation is the ultimate user's manual,
provided as guidance to the one who will use us—ourselves.

by RobbyG » Mon Apr 05, 2010 9:08 pm
In the mean time, lets not delude ourselves in some book of revelations that could have been written and rewritten by numerous individuals

Another problem is that by the time non-Muslims examine Islam, other religions have
typically heightened their skepticism: If every "God-given" scripture we have ever
seen is corrupt, how can the Islamic scripture be different? If charlatans have
manipulated religions to suit their desires, how can we imagine the same not to have
happened with Islam?

The answer can be given in a few lines, but takes books to explain. The short answer
is this: There is a God. He is fair and just, and He wants us to achieve the reward of
paradise. However, God has placed us in this worldly life as a test, to weed out the
worthy from the unworthy. And we will be lost if left to our own devices. Why?
Because we don't know what He wants from us. We can't navigate the twists and turns
of this life without His guidance, and hence, He has given us guidance in the form of
revelation.

Sure, previous religions have been corrupted, and that is why we have a chain of
revelation. Ask yourself: why would God send another revelation if the preceding
scriptures were still pure? Only if preceding scriptures were corrupted would God
need to send another revelation, to keep mankind on the straight path of His design.

So we should expect preceding scriptures to be corrupted, and we should expect the
final revelation to be pure and unadulterated. If impure, it too is due to be replaced,
for we cannot imagine a loving God leaving us astray. What we can imagine is God
giving us a scripture, and men corrupting it; God giving us another scripture, and men
corrupting it again … and again, and again. Until God sends a final revelation He
promises to preserve until the end of time.
Muslims consider this final revelation to be the Holy Qur'an. You consider it … worth
looking into. So let us return to the title of this article: Why Islam? Why should we
believe that Islam is the religion of truth, the religion that possesses the pure and final
revelation?

by RobbyG » Mon Apr 05, 2010 9:08 pm
Never heard of traceability? Science for that matter? Critical thinking!?

by RobbyG » Mon Apr 05, 2010 9:08 pm
If God really existed according to your preachings, he's a damn S.o.B.

But many people would question my assertion: Why does mankind need revelation?
Isn't it enough just to be good? Isn't it enough for each of us to worship God in our
own way?
Regarding the need for revelation, I would make the following points: In the first
article of this series I pointed out that life is full of injustices, but our Creator is fair
and just and He establishes justice not in this life, but in the afterlife. However, justice
cannot be established without four things—a court (i.e., the Day of Judgment); a
judge (i.e., the Creator); witnesses (i.e., men and women, angels, elements of
creation); and a book of laws upon which to judge (i.e., revelation). Now, how can our
Creator establish justice if He did not hold humankind to certain laws during their
lives? It's not possible. In that scenario, instead of justice, God would be dealing out
injustice, for He would be punishing people for transgressions they had no way of
knowing were crimes.

Why else do we need revelation? To begin with, without guidance mankind cannot
even agree on social and economic issues, politics, laws, etc. So how can we ever
agree on God? Secondly, nobody writes the user manual better than the one who
made the product. God is the Creator, we are creation, and nobody knows the overall
scheme of creation better than the Creator. Are employees allowed to design their
own job descriptions, duties and compensation packages as they see fit? Are all
citizens allowed to write their own laws? No? Well then, why should we be allowed
to write our own religions? If history has taught us anything, it is the tragedies that
result when mankind follows its caprice. How many who have claimed to banner of
free thought have designed religions that committed themselves and their followers to
nightmares on Earth and damnation in the hereafter?

So why isn't it enough just to be good? And why isn't it enough for each of us to
worship God in our own way? To begin with, peoples' definitions of "good" differ.
For some it is high morals and clean living, for others it is madness and mayhem.
Similarly, concepts of how to serve and worship our Creator differ as well. More
importantly and to the point, nobody can walk into a store or a restaurant and pay with
a different currency than the merchant accepts. So it is with religion. If people want
God to accept their servitude and worship, they have to pay in the currency God
demands. And that currency is obedience to His revelation.

Imagine raising children in a home in which you have set "house rules." Then, one
day, one of your children tells you he or she has changed the rules, and is going to do
things differently. How would you respond? More than likely, with the words, "You
can take your new rules and go to Hell!" Well, think about it. We are God's creation, living in His universe under His rules, and "go to Hell" is very likely what God will say to any who presume to override His laws with their own.

by RobbyG » Mon Apr 05, 2010 9:08 pm
Nahh, thought so you haven't. Berrin is so eager to believe, he's willing to succumb to it.

Berrin wrote:Who do you think will explain the origin of the primordial dust cloud?
and who do you think will explain quintessential essence of human life—the soul?

Berrin, one of my favourite theories of creation is that we were all created 5 minutes ago with ready-made memories. To date, no one has been able to prove this theory doesn't fit the facts.

Religious discussions often descend into a 'I believe this and you should too' and 'You are wrong' scenario. I think it is far more productive to just explain what you believe and, if asked, explain why.

The Holy Prophet, pbuh, said that between a person and his heart/soul lies God- the wisdom of this Hadith is that to change someone's heart you have to 'go through' God - that is you have to pray to God that the person's heart is changed.

by RobbyG » Tue Apr 06, 2010 2:23 pm
I think that if I try hard enough, I can even make Berrin believe that Pinoccio was a girl.
I'll leave it at that. Dream on Berrin boy.