REASONING

REASONING Highest Mental Faculty I N answer to a question the Prophet Muhammad said: “Seek the answer from your heart” (Musnad Ahmad). From this answer we learn that the Prophet has guided us towards using common sense for discerning the demands of faith. Islam is a religion of nature. And so, whatever is in accordance with the demands of nature will also be considered part of Islam. For instance, every person loves his or her parents. They think this is in accordance with religion, although nowhere is it written in words in the Quran and Hadith that one must love one’s parents. An Islamic scholar during a discussion disagreed about the example of love for parents being not mentioned in the Quran. He cited the following quranic verse to support his disagreement. Your Lord has commanded that you should worship none but Him, and show kindness to your parents. If either or both of them attain old age with you, say no word of contempt to them and do not rebuke them, but always speak gently to them. (17: 23) The above verse does not prove his claim. The commandment that is contained in this verse is not about loving one’s parents, but, rather, about dealing kindly with them, that is, fulfilling all of one’s moral duties towards one’s parents. It is a case of illogical reasoning to derive a commandment of loving one’s parents from a verse that refers to ethical behaviour. What is logical reasoning? It is but another name for correct reasoning. Reasoning that is based on facts, in which while making an assertion, the distinction between what is relevant and what is not, is clearly made. Logical reasoning is a way of reasoning that is accepted by both the speaker and the listener, and is not a one-sided hypothetical claim of the speaker. Logical reasoning is founded on certainty, not conjecture. It is completely free of emotion-based thinking. It is characterized by completely objective thinking. And it is only logical reasoning that is correct reasoning. Logical reasoning is a way of reasoning that is accepted by both the speaker and the listener, and is not a one-sided hypothetical claim of the speaker.