A COMPARISON

A COMPARISON clear declarations, the true purpose of testimony is to inform mankind that Islam alone is the guarantor of man’s salvation in the Hereafter. Yet even at the final stage of your struggle, the testimony you offered was only that Islam is the guarantor of man’s well-being in this world. The truth is that this fact alone is enough to prove the error of the interpretation under discussion: it reduces Islam to a concern with worldly problems, and when it does mention the Hereafter, it treats it as though it were Kant’s “practical reason” or Voltaire’s “moral hypothesis”—a mental construct meant merely to provide a psychological basis for improving life in this world. The philosophy of “practical testimony” did not develop on its own; it is, in fact, an inevitable result of the above interpretation of Islam. When testimony (shahadah) is defined as something to be demonstrated through action, then naturally, there must be something that can be expressed practically. Clearly, beliefs or states of piety and humility are not things that can be demonstrated practically, nor can Heaven and Hell be shown to anyone. The only aspect that can be practically displayed is the visible, ongoing life in this world. Therefore, when interpreting testimony, the mind naturally gravitates