The Importance of Reason

The Importance of Reason T he Quran gives great importance to the faculty of reason. There are dozens of verses in the Quran that emphasize the importance of rational thinking. One such verse is found in the chapter Al-Anfal (The Spoils of War). The translation of this verse is as under: The worst creatures in God’s eyes are those who are deaf and dumb, and who do not use their reason. (8:22) What is reason? Reason is the power of the mind to think, understand, and form judgements by a process of logic. This power is given to every human being by the Creator. Reason is the greatest faculty of every man and woman. Reason alone is the distinctive quality of a human being. Reason is not an isolated faculty. According to the Quran, the fact is that the whole creation is based on reason. The religion revealed by God is also a rational religion. Everyone is required to plan one’s life by using reason. Those who fail to do so are according to the Quran deaf, dumb and blind (2:18). Only that belief is a valid belief which is based on reason and understanding. Reason is so important that it is said that man is a rational animal. Man has an unlimited mind, full of unlimited capacity, but mind is like a hidden treasure. It is everyone’s first duty to unfold his or her potential. One who dies without unfolding one’s intellectual potential, is dying like an animal. Such a person fails to fulfil the creation plan of God. Reason needs to be developed. According to the Quran there are several ways of this intellectual development—study,