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Introduction to Islam

First class presentation

- Questions About God and Religion

Course: REL 233

NOVA Community College

Professor: Dr. Daoud Nassimi

WELCOME

Islam Course !

Intro to Islam at NOVA - Dr. Nassimi

Outline

Course intro – brief

Review of course syllabus

Self-Introduction

Name and background?

Why taking this course and what to expect?

Anything else to share?

God and His existence

Questions about God’s existence

Is it possible to rationally address quest for God?

How can one rationally explore and learn about God?

Further questions about God and life

Has God answered those questions?

How to get God’s answers?

Does religion have the answers?

Religion: What is it all about?

Typical questions about religion

Can religion be studied in an objective manner?

Intro to Islam at NOVA - Dr. Nassimi

Before Learning about Islam

Addressing some of the typical questions about God and Religion

Using a general approach: common-sense and logical approach

Intro to Islam at NOVA - Dr. Nassimi

Questions Basic Questions About God

Who is God?

“The one Supreme Being, the creator and ruler of the universe” (as described in Dictionary.com)

Some initial questions:

Does such an entity (God) exist?

If yes, why can’t I see God?

How can I explore and confirm the existence of God?

Intro to Islam at NOVA - Dr. Nassimi

Existence of God

Belief and disbelief in existence of God

Belief in God

One God (monotheism)

Many gods (polytheism)

No god (atheism)

Not sure or don’t care (agnosticism)

Etc.

Differences of views in the concept of God

Why people believe in existence of God?

Most of those who believe in God, they are so confident that they never question the existence of God and they never feel a need to explain it or prove it

Why some people deny God?

Intro to Islam at NOVA - Dr. Nassimi

Denying God’s Existence

Typical claims and reasoning for disbelief in God:

Not being able to see or hear God directly

Not having a scientific proof and evidence

Not having an explanation for all types of human sufferings, injustices, and natural disasters

Not feeling the need

Feeling self-sufficient and depending on oneself

Depending on human and material resources

Not seeing result of prayers

Intro to Islam at NOVA - Dr. Nassimi

Denying God’s Existence

Following parents or other people who do not believe

Adopting certain ideologies

Not trusting religions and their teachings

Religious doctrines

Religious people

Historical religious conflicts

Concern for loss of autonomy and self-rule

…

Intro to Islam at NOVA - Dr. Nassimi

Believing in God (reasoning of believers)

If we deeply reflect, what does our intellect say about THE CAUSE of …

Creation of the universe?

Creation of human beings?

Creation of all other beings and things?

Built-in processes of births and deaths?

Division of all living beings into male and female?

Having pairs even in inanimate objects, such as + and - charges in matter

Alternation of day and night?

Sustenance and provisions of life?

Etc.

While there is a scientific explanation for each of the above, aren’t those scientific explanations focusing only on the processes of how they happen(ed), instead of who make/made them happen?

Also, since scientists and all people of knowledge agree on the principle of cause and effect

According to that principle, this world and all these phenomenon must have a cause

If that is the case, then who is the cause of this world and human life?

Intro to Islam at NOVA - Dr. Nassimi

Physical being and physical laws must have come from something initially; especially with consideration of laws of conservation; mass and energy can neither be created (added to) nor destroyed; it asserts that existence of physical being transcends time.

Reasoning of Believers in God

After observing all kinds of order, patterns, perfections, organization, regulation, coordination, cooperation, timing, distancing, established procedures in every living and non-living being and in every aspect of this universe,

And after learning about well-known processes, such as human cellular respiration, plant photosynthesis, water cycle, the astronomical planet rotations, etc.

And, after noting that everything has a purpose, every duty is performed, and everyone’s needs are fulfilled in the universe, etc.

One would ask …

Can all of the above happen through the blind forces of nature by chance, or by accident, or by coincidence, or randomly, or by itself?

Can this sophisticated universe come about through any of these conjectures?

Can all of this organization exist without an organizer?

Can all of this regulation exist without a regulator?

Can all of this design exist without a designer?

Etc.

For example, if one reflects just on the structure of human DNA, what is the conclusion of some DNA experts?

Francis Crick and James Watson who determined the structure of human DNA said "You would be more likely to assemble a fully functioning and flying jumbo jet by passing a hurricane through a junk yard than you would be to assemble the DNA molecule by chance.”

Intro to Islam at NOVA - Dr. Nassimi

Our universe is extremely complicated, but it is completely symbiotic and functioning. How can that be an accident? How can we explain this without accepting that someone designed the Sun to be close enough to give us energy and heat but far away enough to not burn us? Or how the tides follow the moons motions, or how our DNA is comprised of billions of nucleotides that are encoded to give us our traits and genes.

Reasoning of Believers in God

Further, what does the innate (original) nature of human beings feel and express about belief in the existence of God?

Why most of the people of the world say they feel in their hearts that a higher power or God exists?

Including people who have grown up in a jungle and no one told them anything about God

And anyone else who have not been exposed/influenced by some atheist ideologies

Isn’t belief in God a natural part of every human being?

What do all religions say about God’s existence?

Could they be all wrong and fake?

What does the history say?

Intro to Islam at NOVA - Dr. Nassimi

Reasoning of Believers in God

While those who deny God often claim lack of evidence for existence of God, they need to be asked: based on what evidence and proof, do they deny God?

Aren't their claims mainly based on assumptions, speculations, conjecture, and some hypothesis?

Is it reasonable to deny God simply because one cannot see God, or because the other four senses cannot perceive Him?

If God cannot be seen directly, aren’t there all kinds of signs of God visible within people and all around them?

Aren’t there abundant signs and reasons to rationally believe in the existence of an ultimate cause - God ?

Intro to Islam at NOVA - Dr. Nassimi

Faith and Rationality

Why many people react emotionally and believe blindly?

Isn’t faith the most important aspect of human’s life?

If so, shouldn’t it make sense?

Shouldn’t the heart and mind witness it?

Shouldn’t faith be adopted consciously after some careful evaluation and rationalization?

But, is it really possible to rationally address faith and quest for God?

Intro to Islam at NOVA - Dr. Nassimi

Faith in Unseen Vs. Blind Faith

Blind Faith is the belief in something that does not make sense and it can be disproved

To believe in the existence of something, a physical evidence is not always required

Faith in unseen can be based on intellectual and rational evidence

It is a rational faith as long as it makes sense to believe in something even though it cannot be seen

Therefore, faith in unseen is not blind faith

Intro to Islam-NOVA-DrNassimi

A Rational Approach to Address Quest for God

How do people usually learn about a reality? Or discover it, or prove it ?

Through sensory perceptions (perceiving by five senses)

Logical inference (reasoning, conclusion)

Reliance on expert testimony of credible witnesses

Question: Can people use these 3 methods to explore the existence of God?

Intro to Islam at NOVA - Dr. Nassimi

Use of Sensory Perceptions

Use of our five senses is a typical method in daily life to learn about a reality, or discover it, or confirm it ?

A disciplined and controlled use of this method has lead to scientific knowledge

However, all objects that can be sensed have two common characteristics:

Have to be material or tangible

Have to be finite (having specific origin, life span, size, mass, form, etc.)

Therefore, a limitation of scientific means is that they can deal only with tangible and finite objects

A proper understanding of the limitations of human sensory perceptions is important to proceed further

Intro to Islam at NOVA - Dr. Nassimi

First of all, proving the existence of something by sensory perceptions, in general, is easier than proving the NON EXISTENCE of it. In order to prove the existence of apple, you need to find one apple, and your theory will be proved. However, if you want to prove the non-existence of apples, you need to go through the whole universe: all the seas, all the mountains, under earth and even other galaxies. Unless you have done it, your theory will not be counted as valid. Since that is not in human power to do that huge research, not a single person can prove the non-existence of a certain thing. If every thing depended on the senses, then the blind wouldn't believe in existence of sky because he has never seen it, and the deaf would never believe in existence of music because he has never heard it. So, we cannot deny existence of God just because our five senses cannot perceived Him.

Use of Sensory Perceptions

Human’s limitations often lead to two extreme outlooks and mixed views:

Rejecting anything not perceivable

Worshiping any powerful or transcendent things

Wouldn’t it be appropriate to conclude that …?

Anything finite is not worthy of worship, but it is worth exploring

One cannot deny God just because not perceivable in physical terms because we all believe in many things without physical experience

Therefore, sensory perceptions and scientific tools offer limited value to confirm God who is infinite (they can neither prove nor disprove)

Note that some people may argue that they can prove the existence of God by the five senses just because they can FEEL the existence of God or because they can see the SIGNS of God, but they should remember that …

Yes, God’s existence can be felt in the heart and through that feeling, a person can confirm the existence of God for oneself. However, one’s feeling cannot be proved to others. Further, the feeling of the heart does not happen through the five senses

Connecting the signs of God to God can be done only through a logical process using logical inference.

Intro to Islam at NOVA - Dr. Nassimi

For believers, science is a big reason to believe in God because science shows that everything in the universe fits together perfectly and makes complete sense so that life is possible. Science is the way humans are gradually discovering the creation of God.

Those who believe in science should have the most reasons to believe in God. Similarly, those whose conviction in God is strong should have no fear in learning about the manifestation of His perfect creations through science. Science and God do not contradict each other. For many people, the entire validity of science is based on the idea that everything is caused by something and that something cannot come from nothing. That is why not being able to empirically sense something does not justify disbelief in it.

Use of Logical Inference

Can this universe and human life be created without a creator (by chance or accident or randomly or by itself)?

An established principle that all scientists and all people of knowledge agree about is that every finite thing is subject to law of cause and effect

Therefore, this universe and human beings should have a cause/creator

Further, the creation must be based on a plan, knowledge and wisdom

While every finite entity has creator, the Ultimate Creator (Cause of causes) could not have been created by anyone

Also, the creator must be different from the creation because if He is the same, then He will need a creator

Therefore, the creator must be eternal

If He is eternal, He is self-sufficient

So, the ultimate creator has to be infinite.

Intro to Islam at NOVA - Dr. Nassimi

Use of Logical Inference

If God is infinite, then God has to be one and unique

God being infinite means: Infinite in existence, knowledge, power, wisdom, and in all other attributes

A rational and logical conclusion can be that this infinite creator is God, the One and Unique

So, use of logical inference confirms the existence of God

Actually, infinity of God is the main reason of being beyond our sensual perception

Because we have no familiarity and experience with infinity

Example of a blind person from birth trying to understand color

Intro to Islam at NOVA - Dr. Nassimi

Everybody knows that intellect is the distinguisher of people from an animal. So, why do we limit ourselves to the use of our instinctual abilities, and not using our intellect and logic? Assuming that the universe was created by itself or randomly is equal to saying that a building was built by itself. All the never changing lifecycle beginning from the respiration, photosynthesis and water cycle, and ending with the astronomical planet rotations cannot be a coincidence. Talking about the Big Bang, has anybody ever experienced an accidental explosion creating something as fascinating as the universe? Instead, such explosions only create chaos, which never bring to positive results. These and more other examples prove that logical thinking can help us to reach the right conclusion.

Concept of Expert Witnesses

In daily life, people believe in many things based on trust of others without personal experience

So, personal observation is not a requirement to know or believe in existence of something

In fact, most of human knowledge has been developed based on this trust

However, there should be a qualification criteria for the source of knowledge

Qualification Factors: Consistency, integrity, honesty, knowledge, intelligence, and expertise

Intro to Islam at NOVA - Dr. Nassimi

Use of Concept of Expert Witnesses

Some selected individuals with such qualifications (and much more) came to humanity throughout history

They all informed people about the existence of One God – based on their fist-hand and personal knowledge, and continuous communication with God

Further, they all brought a message/book that not only confirmed the existence of God, but answered the fundamental questions of life. Some of those books are still around confirming their common and consistent claims.

These selected individuals are prophets and messengers of God

So, if the concept of testimony of expert witnesses is applied to the prophets, existence of God can be confirmed by their witness and by their special first-hand knowledge about God

Note: This concept cannot be applied to any priests, experts, or scholars of religions because only prophets had first-hand special knowledge of God and interacted with the angels

How did the prophets get that special knowledge?

God Himself selected them and gave them special knowledge in finite terms

Intro to Islam at NOVA - Dr. Nassimi

Each of these prophets has passed down a wealth of answers concerning fundamental questions of life that human beings innately search for. In addition, they were individuals highly respected and trusted in their respective communities for their honesty, integrity, and intelligence.