FAITH AND REASON

FAITH AND REASON Wholesome Combination I T is through reason that man justifies his faith. Rational justification strengthens his convictions. Rational argument is thus an intellectual need of every believer. Without this he would not be able to stand firmly by his faith. It is reason which transforms blind faith into a matter of intellectual choice. History shows that man has employed four kinds of argument to find rational grounds for his faith. Each of these reflect different stages in his intellectual development. Natural Argument The first kind of argument is one based on nature. That is, on simple facts or common experiences. This has been the most commonly used argument since ancient times. Some examples of this kind are found in the Quran, one of which relates to the Prophet Abraham. It is stated as follows in the Quran: Have you not heard of him (Namrud) who argued with Abraham about his Lord because God had bestowed the kingdom upon him? Abraham said, My Lord is the one who gives life and brings death. He answered, I (too) give life and bring death! Abraham said, God brings up the sun from the East, so bring it up yourself from the West. Then the disbeliever was confounded. God does not guide the wrongdoers. (2: 258) We find another example of the argument based on natural reasoning in the Quran: Thus did We show Abraham the kingdom of the heavens and the earth, so that he might become a firm believer. When night overshadowed him, he saw a star. He said: ‘This is my Lord’. But when it set, he said: ‘I love not those that set.’ Then when he saw the moon rising, he said: ‘This is my Lord.’ But when it set, he said: ‘Unless my Lord guide me, I shall surely be among those who go astray’. Then when he saw the sun rising, he said: ‘This is my Lord. This is the greatest.’ But when it set, he said: ‘O my people! I disown all that you worship besides God.’ (6: 75-78) The truth is that, without a belief in God, the universe remains as unexplainable as the entire mechanism of light is, without a belief in electromagnetic waves.