The source of Revelation (Wahi) is transcendental Reality, which is beyond the ken of
reason, but as Revelation is the purpose of guiding them, it is, naturally, couched in a
language which is intelligible to them. Reason, therefore, can apprehend the content of
Revelation.
Reason has its own distinctive approach to Reality and apprehends it, albeit to a
limited extent. The greatest achievement of reason is science. Science employs methods
which are perfectly valid and yields true knowledge within its proper sphere. Reason
certainly has its limitations but sceptics declare it to be absolutely unreliable. This is
not true. The telescope enables us to see heavenly bodies which we cannot see with
the naked eye. It would be unreasonable to react its aid on the ground that it does not
extend our vision to the outermost regions of the universe. Similarly, it is no doubt true
that reason cannot give us absolute knowledge, nevertheless the knowledge it does achieve,
however small, is useful and valuable. The old adage, "A little knowledge is a
dangerous thing" is only partially true, as traditional maxims are. A little
knowledge is only dangerous when we take it to be complete knowledge. Every fragment of
knowledge is useful if we apply it with intelligence and with full awareness that it
reveals only a fraction of reality. But if it is wrong to despise and reject human reason
as an unreliable guide, or belittle its value, it is equally wrong to exaggerate it and
claim that the whole of reality is within its ken. Only a few aspects of reality are
accessible to reason and about them it does supply true and useful knowledge. Reality,
however, has an infinity of aspects, and all of them as well as the very core of reality,
reason will always find inaccessible. Reason can legitimately function within its own
sphere and ceases to be reliable the moment it steps beyond it. Wisdom requires that we
should form a correct estimate of the capacity of human reason as well as of its
limitations. We can put it to the best use only when we know what it can do and what it
cannot. Some scholars, dazzled by the spectacular and soaring success of modern science,
believe that the time is not far off when science will have solved the riddle of the
Universe and will be able to answer any question that we care to ask regarding man and the
world. The universe to them is a gigantic machine, which, though immensely complex, can
yet be understood fully and exploited by human reason. This presumption attitude is hardly
justified and, if not corrected soon, can do us great harm. Wise men, including great
scientists, are aware that reason can never fathom reality. What Shakespeare wrote in the
seventeenth century is still true when science has seemingly reached its meridian:
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in
your philosophy.
The same sentiment is echoed even by some scientists of today. Dr. Aitken, the Director
of Lick Observatory, California, while discussing the formation of the universe frankly
admitted: "Of the origin of the universe and its ultimate fate, we know practically
nothing."1 Besides, there is no finality about scientific theories. With
the discovery of a new fact, even a well established theory may have to be modified
or even set aside. We cannot, therefore, place absolute reliance on them nor can a
philosophy of conduct valid for all human beings, be built upon the shifting sands of
scientific theory Dr. Crowther aptly remarks: "The last word
of science on any topic may perhaps be left for the last man to
utter."2 It will be sheer folly then, if we were to depend on
reason alone for acquiring a set of right principles of conduct. Reason has repeatedly
failed to give eight guidance in regulating social relations. Experimenting with social
affairs has often led to disaster. Kingship was tried at first, then imperialism and
finally democracy, and that too is on trial today. Man has paid a heavy price for
experimenting with various forms of government-centuries of bloodshed, internecine wars,
revolutions, class struggle, and economic and political unrest. Man is still yearning for
justice, equality, freedom and peace. For two centuries men have pinned their faith on
democracy but there are now unmistakable signs of disillusionment. Later on we will
undertake a fuller discussion of democracy.
II. The Function of Reason
Man is a finite being and the powers with which he is endowed are necessarily limited
in scope. Human reason is no exception. On this ground, however, we are not justified in
despising it and refusing to employ it in solving the problems of life. The guidance that
reason gives is not the less valuable because it is not perfect. It is reason that has
raised man far above the animal level; to repudiate reason is to sink to the animal level
or even lower. Man cannot fall back on instinct which is the mainstay of animals. Man outgrew
instinct when he developed reason. The glorious successes of reason however, led man to
overestimate its capacity: he expected that reason would give him absolute knowledge. When
this expectation was not fulfilled, he became disillusioned with reason and went to the
other extreme in rejecting reason outright. Among religious people too, both the:. mystics
and the dogmatists are in revolt against reason. The mystics seek guidance in mystical
experience and the dogmatists strictly in the letter of the scriptures. They forget that
both these things have to be interpreted by human reason if they are to be of any use to
man. They forget that reason is the distinctive attribute of man and to repudiate
it is to repudiate the best in him. They forget that the Qur’an does not lend
support to this deprecation of reason. Rather, it exhorts us to make full use of our
rational power.
The Qur’anic view of reason and its place in human life deserves careful
consideration. Briefly stated, this view is that the long evolutionary process culminated
in the emergence of man, characterized by the Qur'an as a "new creation" (23 :
14). It was at this stage that "He breathed in him His Ruh" (32 : 9), and
endowed him with the capacities of "seeing, hearing and apprehending" (32 : 9).
Man was granted a mind (fuad) which enabled him to think and, through the
instrumentality of intellect, to build up a system of knowledge. Man will, indeed, be an
ungrateful creature if he refuses to value and make use of the best of Divine gifts.
Reason converts the raw grist collected by the senses into knowledge. The Qur'an rightly
assigns to reason an important role in human life:
The worst of beasts in Allah's sight are the deaf, the dumb, who do not use their
intellect to understand (8 : 22).
This is a graphic description of the degradation of man when he does not press reason
to his service. Such a man, the Qur'an tells us, not only lives a worthless and debased
life in this world but also renders himself unfit to live in the higher plane on
which he enters after death :
There are many a people, both among the civilized and the nomadic tribes, who lead
such a life as makes it obvious that they are meant for hell (7 : 179).
It is so, because, as the Qur'an puts it:
They have hearts with which they discern not, and they have eyes with which they see
not, and they have ears with which they hear not ; these are as the cattle-nay are worse ;
they are the heedless (7 : 179).
The point is a again emphasized in the chapter entitled
the Furqan. The Rasul is addressed in the following words :
Do you think that most of them hear or have sense ? They are but as
the cattle—nay but they are farther astray (25 : 44).
The denizens of Hell are consumed with remorse because they had possessed understanding
but did not use it to any purpose:
Had we been wont to listen or have sense, we had not been among the dwellers in flame
(67 : 10).
In the chapter entitled Yasin, they are again reminded of their sinful
negligence of their duty to use their understanding :
And yet Shaitan has led astray of you a great multitude. Had ye then a sense.
This is the Jaahannam with which ye were threatened (if ye did not use your
sense and follow him blindly) (36:62-63).
It is clear, therefore, that Islam is no enemy of reason and does not
regard it as a hinderance to "spiritual" progress. It will be worthwhile to
consider the role that the Qur'an assigns to reason both in the "secular" and
the "spiritual" spheres.
III. Reason and Faith (Iman) - The
Qur’anic View
In the Qur'an, human reason is repeatedly extolled. As already stated, the birth
of reason in man is referred to as marking a "new creation." It is
clearly stated that even Divine Revelation is not to be, accepted unquestioningly and
uncritically. Man is exhorted to ponder and reflect over it and interpret it in the light
of his reason. "Will they not ponder over the Qur'an?" (4:82). Men who find
thinking irksome are described in these words :
These are they whom God's Law of Retribution has deprived (as a result of their own
doing) of the blessings of life and has made them deaf and has blinded their eyes. Will
they not then meditate on the Qur'an or there are locks on their hearts (47 :
23-24).
The Qur'an appeals to man's reason and understanding. Its teaching is couched in a
language which is lucid and intelligible. "Thus God makes plain to you His
Revelations that haply you may reflect" (2 : 219). The great truth to be apprehended
by man is that he is the architect of his fate so that what he is in this world and what
he will be in the Hereafter depend solely on his own actions. Good acts
necessarily elevate him and bad actions inevitably degrade him. His welfare and misery are
the result of his own deeds. He cannot shift his responsibility to others.
The Qur'an insists that even success in war depends on the right use of reason. It is
generally believed that an army which is inspired with courage and fired with zeal is sure
to win. The Qur'an claims that victory falls to the lot of men who remain cool and
collected in the presence of danger and whose thinking is not clouded by passion. A
hundred such men, the believers, are said to be a match for a thousand unbelievers who are
swayed by passion, because they are, as the Qur’an puts it, "a folk without
understanding" (8 : 65).
It is clear that the Qur'an assigns an important role to reason in the life of man. The
Nabi is enjoined not to demand blind obedience from men but to exhort them to think
and ponder. The following verse leaves no room for doubt that the Qur’an encourages
and approves of independent thinking :
Say, I exhort you unto one thing. And what is that one thing ? It is that "ye
awake, for Allali's sake by twos and singly. And then, reflect" (34 : 46) .
The Qur'an expects man to think and use his power of understanding. If he does this, he
will be sure to follow the right path. The point to bear in mind is that the path which
leads to success, that is eligibility for a higher plane of existence, can be discovered
and followed only with the combined help of reason and revelation. These sources of
guidance are supplementary to each other. If they are kept within their proper spheres,
there will be no conflict between them. The Rasul, therefore, is bidden to say :
This is my way. My invitation to you to follow Allah's path is based on reason and
insight—mine as well as of those who follow me (12 : 108).
The Qur'an challenges the opponents of Islam to produce arguments in support of their
contention :
Ask them, (O Rasul) Bring your proofs if you are truthful (2:111).
They are admonished when they argue about things of which they have no knowledge:
Why, therefore, do you wrangle concerning that about which you have no knowledge ?
(3: 66).
Arguing about things of which we have no knowledge leads nowhere. The Qur'an asks us to
eschew such unprofitable disputes:
Do not pursue that whereof you have no knowledge. Verily, the hearing
and sight, and the heart, each of these will be asked (17:36).
The Qur'an lays stress on the value of correct knowledge and advises us to accept it
and act upon it. All else is dismissed as mere guess work which is far from being a
trustworthy guide to action. As the Qur'an says: "A guess can never take the place of
truth" (53: 28). As rational beings, it is our duty not to stop till we have
achieved correct knowledge. To be content with a mere "guess" is to denounce or
abdicate our rationality, and to act upon it is to risk self-fulfillment.
The Qur'an gives a sketch of the process of knowing, so far as it is germane to its
purpose, which is both scientific and ethical. The process is begun by the activity of the
senses, which furnish the raw material of knowledge. The next stage is that of attending
when the mind addresses itself to the material reaching it. This is the stage of
perceptual knowledge. The sense data are referred to external objects and events and their
objective meaning is grasped. In the third stage, through the processes of analysis,
synthesis, abstraction and generalisation, the material is converted into knowledge of
varying degrees of generality. The final stage is that of comprehension in which the new
knowledge is placed and viewed in the context of the whole of human knowledge and
experience, and its meaning for human life is assessed. The Qur'an exhorts men to aim at
this deeper understanding of the meaning of the Nabi's words, whenever he speaks to
them. It denounces those who fail to make this attempt and stop at the first or second
stage, being content with imperfect knowledge:
And you may see them looking towards you, but they see not (7:198).
These were people who appeared to be looking intently at the Nabi, and listening
to him, but their mind was making no effort to grasp the sense of his words and relate it
meaningfully to their lives. The Qur'an makes an important distinction between "nazar"
and "basar." Nazar refers to the fact of passively receiving certain
visual stimuli. Basar is insight, the grasping of the essential meaning of the
thing of which the visual stimuli are mere signs. The same distinction applies to other
senses, such as hearing, etc:
And of them are some who hearken to thee but will thou make the deaf to hear
although they have no senses (10 : 42).
What the Qur'an is driving at is that a man whose mind is clouded with prejudices and
preconceptions, will not be able to apprehend the truth, even though it
stares him in the face. To apprehend it, he must approach it with an open and unbiased
mind, must concentrate his attention upon it and must strive to comprehend it in relation
to his genuine knowledge and authentic experience. In effect, the Qur'an recommends
them an aposteriori approach to Revelation. By implication, the apriori
approach is not favoured. The Qur'an's position on this question may be summarised in this
way: rid your mind of all preconceived ill-founded notions. Give close and earnest
attention to the Revelation and have full confidence (Iman) in it. Relate the
Revelation to the well-established facts of human experience. Project your findings into
the future as far as your reason can take you along the high-roads lit by Revelation.
Enrich your experience by the experience you have yet to experience. And, in the new
vistas and the widened horizons that open up before you, identify the stars of your
destiny and address yourself to the problems of life at hand. If you approach Revelation
in a proper frame of mind, making full use of the powers with which you are
equipped—reason and hope and charity—you can apprehend the truth enshrined in
it, and guided by it, can march forward to the glorious destiny that awaits you. But you
must deliberately, and of your own free will, choose the path which is pointed out. God
could have compelled you to be good if He had wanted. But such goodness would have had no
value. Only goodness that you acquire through your own efforts has value. You are free to
choose, and if you use your faculties aright, you will make a proper choice.
This, in brief, is the advice that the Qur'an offers to man. It is reiterated in
numerous verses. When the Nabi grew worried that people did not pay attention to
his words and did not try to understand them, he was admonished in this way :
If Allah willed, all who are on the earth would have believed (in Him). Would
thou (Muhammad) compel men until they are believers? (10: 99).
To understand the Qur'an or, for that matter, and other revealed book, it is not enough
to have mastered its language. A man may be proficient in the Arabic language and yet the
meaning of the Qur'an may elude him. He should approach the Book with a receptive mind
free from preconceived ideas and notions, prejudice and bias. He should be serious about
human life and the universe in which we live, and should have an intense consciousness of
participation in a purposeful cosmic process. He should also be anxious to guard against
pitfalls in the of way of life and to steer clear of the obstacles which hinder his
progress. These are, according to the Qur’an, the essential pre-requisites for
understanding the Book. To those who do not approach it in this way, it remains a sealed
book. In the stories of the Anbiya - prophets recounted in the Qur'an- we are told
how those who were not perceptive and alive were only bewildered when they listened to
their (Anbiya's) passionate exhortations. Some of them frankly confessed that they
found their words unintelligible:
O’ Shu’aib! We understand not much what you say (11 : 91).
The Nabi (Muhammad—P) too, often came across people who were completely
unresponsive to his words, while others were stirred, who believed and were prepared to
listen. In dealing with the former, he occasionally grew impatient and felt frustrated.
The Qur'an counsels him to be patient, forgiving and tolerant. It warns him against the
temptation to impose his views on them:
Haply you will kill yourself with grief—if they believe not in this message
(18: 6).
The Nabi is assured that if he has placed the true view, in simple terms, before
the people, he has fulfilled his mission. More than this is not expected of him. It is not
his duty to see that the view is accepted by the people. His duty is only to tell them
which is the right path and which the wrong one and to acquaint them with the consequences
of following the one or the other. They are free. to choose for themselves. God does not
want to force people to accept His guidance. He has endowed man with the ponvers of
understanding, judgment and free, choice. If man makes use of these powers he can
understand the Revelation and can profit by the guidance offered therein. He must bear the
consequences of his choice, whether they are pleasant or unpleasant.
To sum up, there is no conflict between Revelation and reason: rather they supplement
each other. Iman in Revelation and reason together enrich life and make it
fruitful, provided each keeps to its own proper sphere. Iman energises reason and
reason orientates Iman to concrete reality. Without either life would be
impoverished. Reason without Iman is like a well-constructed machine which is not
geared to a motor, while Iman without reason is only a blind force. The glorious
periods in human history were characterised by a robust Iman and an active reason.
Prof. Whitehead has rightly remarked:
Ages of faith are the ages of rationalism.3
IV. Miracles
The subject of miracles bristles with difficulties and yet it challenges the attention
of every student of religion. Such a student is called upon to define his attitude towards
miracles and to explain his conception of the relation between religion and miracles. Here
he faces a dilemma. On the one hand, modern man finds it well-nigh impossible to give
credence to miraculous happenings. The only course open to him is to dismiss them as gross
superstitions. For the scientist, nature is a closed system and any incursions of the
supernatural into it are unthinkable. On the other hand, history testifies to the close
association of religion with belief in miracles. The prophets of old were generally
credited with the power of working miracles, so much so that a prophet was judged not by
the value of his teaching but by the miraculousness of his deeds.
Whatever may be the case with religion, Islam, at least, lends no support to
such superstitions. The Qur'an appeals to reason. Its professed aim is to make men
rational and clear sighted, not to make them superstitious. The Qur'an directs man's
attention to the phenomena of nature and the facts of history, as they reveal the power of
God and His wisdom. Man is invited to look at and reflect upon the grandeur of the
heavens, the beauty of the earth, the freshness of dawn, the glory of sunset and the
terrifying force of the wind as it sweeps over the open spaces of the desert. Pointedly,
it asks: "Are not these marvellous ? What more do you want ? "The phenomena of
nature, at once beautiful and mysterious, can fully gratify man's sense of wonder.
However, the people with whom the Nabi of Islam had to deal were steeped in
superstition. They were obsessed with the craving for the miraculous. They not only
believed that the laws of nature could be violated but regarded such a violation as the
only proof that could be offered for the truth of a statement. Instead of scrutinizing the
rational grounds of the statement and accepting it if adequate evidence was adduced in its
favour, they asked whether the man who made it could work wonders or not. It was not easy
to deal with and win over people whose attitude to truth was so irrational. The Nabi did
the best that he could in these difficult circumstances. With gentle persuasion he strove
to turn their attention from figments of imagination to the concrete facts of life and
history. He exhorted them to reflect upon nature and history and make a serious attempt to
understand them both. With fervent earnestness be assured them that he did not claim the
power to work miracles but that he rested his case on rational arguments and oil the
beneficial effects of his teaching. His opponents could not be expected to be
satisfied with this simple explanation. They retorted that if he were a true Nabi he would
surely have worked miracles; his inability to do so was proof that be had no valid claim
to nubuwwah. The accusation was without foundation. If the Nabi had been an
imposter, he could easily have worked on their superstitious minds. A single instance will
suffice to prove his integrity of character. Soon after the death of his beloved son,
there was a solar eclipse. People were frightened by the unusual darkness and they humbly
suggested to the Nabi that nature seemed to be convulsed by the shock of his son's
death. Without the least hesitation, he assured them that this was a natural phenomenon
and had no bearing on his personal affairs. Nature goes on its course unconcerned with the
calamities that may befall man. Only a man of his stature could have refused to seize an
opportunity of convincing people absolutely that he was a miracle worker and, therefore, a
true Nabi. The incident throws ample light on the essential honesty and integrity
of the Nabi. No prospect of immediate gain could induce him to come to a compromise
with the superstitious unbelievers.
The Nabi was consumed with the passion to reform the people and to induce them
to accept the truth which he had placed before them. Their insistent demand that he
should work miracles to convince them, made him despondent. On such occasions, the Qur'an
counsels him to remain firm and not to give way to despair. Sometimes, he might have
thought that if only he possessed the power to work miracles, he could quickly have
persuaded the people to accept his teaching and follow the right path. The Qur'an did not
leave even such a remote thought unanswered:
If their aversion (to the truth) is grievous to thee, then, if thou can, seek a way
down into the earth or a ladder into the sky that thou may bring to them a portent (to
convince them all). If Allah willed, He could have brought them all together to the
guidance; so be not thou of the ignorant (6 : 35).
God wants men to see and accept the truth through understanding and not
dogmatically and irrationally:
Those who do not use their intellect, the matter remains confused to them (10
: 100).
The Qur'an calls upon men to apply their minds to its teaching, to strive to grasp its
meaning and rationale. If they remain unresponsive to call, the Qur'an refuses to stoop to
irrational methods of influencing their minds. It would rather leave them to follow the
wrong path, if they have chosen it freely, than consent to any kind of compulsion, however
well-intentioned, to lead them to the right path. Greatness may be thrust on some but
goodness can be thrust on none. All that the Qur'an does is, it sounds the warning, time
and again, that if the thought-provoking faculties are suppressed for long, they would
ultimately lose their power to kindle the pulse of thought, It says:
Those who just go on rejecting the truth (without trying to understand it) it is all
one for them whether you warn them (against the, consequences of their actions) or
not. They will not accept the truth. (As a result of their obstinacy, the law of Allah)
has sealed their hearing and hearts and on their eyes is a covering. Theirs will be an
awful doom (for they saw not reason) (2 : 6-7).
Those who possessed reason and did not use it to acquire true knowledge and to gain an
understanding of the Revelation are denounced as the vilest of men and contempt is poured
on them :
And We have struck out for men in this Qur'an all kinds of similitudes (to
make the matter clear) but, notwithstanding all this, if you place before them a verse of
the Qur'an, those who disbelieve will surely say: You are but given to vanity. Thus
does Allah seal the hearts of those who do not try to understand (30: 58-59).
Again:
And We send not Our messengers but as bearers of glad tidings and as warners (to
those who tread the wrong path) : but those who reject the truth dispute with vain words
that they may refute the truth thereby, and they take My Revelation and what they are
warned of as a jest. And who does a greater wrong than one who being reminded of the laws
of Allah, turns aside from them and forgets what his Hands have sent on before.
(This is how Our Law of Retribution) places veils upon their hearts, so they
understand not, and a heaviness is in their ears. (The result of their obstinacy is
that) though thou call them to the right path, they will never adopt it (18: 56-57).
Again and again, in support of itself, the Qur'an directs man's attention to natural
phenomena and historical events. It justifies its teachings on verifiable grounds and on
historical evidence. The Qur'an assures man that his highest aspirations and ideals are
attainable as he lives in a friendly and sympathetic universe, which is controlled by a
wise and compassionate power. Miracles are repugnant to the consistently rational spirit
of the Qur'an. Those who demand miracles are occasionally humoured but are more often
reproved in plain terms.
The view advocated heremay, however, be challenged on the ground that the Qur'an
recounts many miracles which were wrought by the earlier Anbiya. There are several
possible interpretations of these miracles. Some scholars have had recourse to allegorical
interpretation. Others have held that the figurative language and vivid imagery served to
drive home a general truth. Another plausible theory is that the Qur'an in describing
people of an earlier age had to mention the unusual events which had psychological reality
for them. However, it is a question which concerns the scholar who is interested in the
mental development of man. It has no bearing on din as such. We subscribe to the
view that they have been narrated metaphorically and can be interpretted rationally.*
At this point we deem it our duty to put in a word of caution. Events which have been
reported in ancient books as "miracles" need not all be dismissed as the
unconscious fabrications of credulous people. The mind of man may possess powers which are
unsuspected by science. Some present day scientists are not so sceptical as their
predecessors were. A new science, parapsychology, has sprung up and for the moment seems
to be vigorously active. A few eminent psychologists are working in this field and have
already collected evidence and discovered facts in the face of which dogmatic scepticism
appears to be as absurd as the credulity of the ancients. Telepathy, clairvoyance,
clairaudience and psycho-kinetic phenomena are being experimentally studied. All we can
say at present is that the mind may well possess supernormal powers. We are learning the
lesson that intellectual arrogance is an obstacle in the search for truth. Whatever may be
the outcome of the investigations into the occult, the truly Qur'anic response to the
universe will remain unchanged. The question of miracles may enlist the interest of the
scientist but it has no vital relation to a quest which has any connection with din.
The Qur'an seeks to awaken in man the consciousness of his intimate relation to the
universe. Its main emphasis is on reason and knowledge. Its purpose is to help to build up
a free, self-reliant and rational personality, vivified with the sense of God's working in
the universe according to His unalterable laws. Therefore, miracles, if they mean freaks
of nature or any alteration in the immutable laws of God, can have no place in that
working.
We close this discussion with the following apt quotation from Iqbal which bears
eloquent testimony to his deep insight into and perceptive appreciation of Islam:
The birth of Islam . . . . is the birth of
inductive intellect. In Islam prophecy reaches its perfection in discovering the need of
its own abolition. This involves the keen perception that life cannot for ever be kept in
leading strings ; that in order to achieve full self-consciousness man must finally be
thrown back on his own resources. The abolition of priesthood and hereditary kingship in
Islam, the constant appeal to reason and experience in the Qur'an and the emphasis that it
lays on Nature and History as sources of human knowledge, are all different aspects of the
same idea of finality.4
V. Approach to the Qur'an
Our first task is to understand the real meaning of the, Qur'an with the help of all
the intellectual faculties we possess. We can then proceed to assess the value of its
teaching. How are we to test the truth and usefulness of the Qur'an teaching ? The Qur'an
itself helps us to answer this question. It proposes three ways in which it may be tested
and offers to abide by the results of these tests. It is significant that the tests
proposed are all acceptable to reason. Nowhere is the supernatural invoked. The appeal is
invariably to human reason and experience.
Before proceeding to consider the tests, let us recapitulate the teaching of the
Qur'an. The Qur'an enjoins man to believe in God, to follow His laws, to believe in one's
own self, to love and serve his fellow-beings, to act in a virtuous manner so as to
develop and express the best in him, and finally to believe in and prepare for the
Hereafter. All these we are invited to test in the light of reason. Is there
anything in this teaching that is repugnant to reason? No doubt it is possible to doubt
the existence of God and the reality of the Hereafter. But then, it is also
possible to doubt the existence of the world. There is no conclusive proof of the
existence of the objective world and some philosophers have argued, in all seriousness,
that belief in such a world is unjustified. All that we can be sure of is the actual
momentary sensation. In spite of philosophical arguments our belief in objective
reality remains unshaken. Life pays little heed to the cobwebs of philosophers. The point
to bear in mind is that suprarational realities are not less real because they cannot be
proved by logical arguments. In applying the rational test it is permissible to ask
whether there is anything in the teaching which runs counter to reason and to that part of
human knowledge which commands universal acceptance. The question as to whether every
element in it can be logically proved is inadmissible, because, the teaching, if it is to
be true to its nature, cannot avoid reference to realities which transcend reason. In this
case, the rational test will take the form of determining whether or not the teaching is
in direct conflict with reason and whether it furthers the interests of humanity. It is
needless to say that the Qur'an has stood the test of reason and proved itself to be in
harmony with the best in man :
Say (O Muhammad! to the unbelievers) : I say not unto you (that) I possess the
treasures of Allah, nor that I have knowledge of the unseen, and I say not unto you : Lo I
am malak. I follow only that which is revealed to me.
Say : are the blind man and the seer equal? Will ye not then take thought ? (6: 50 ;
11 : 24).
Secondly, the Qur'an invites people to judge it in the light of history. It asks them
to ponder over the rise and fall of nations. It assures them that if they seek the causes
of the downfall of a people, they will find that the people had contravened the principles
of right conduct and permanent values which were communicated to them by the Nabi of
their age. Right belief and right conduct enable a nation to rise to power, and wrong
beliefs and actions lead to its downfall. Time and again the Qur'anic teaching, which
confirms the teaching of earlier Anbiya, was put to the test and was found to be a
trustworthy guide to the good life. People who rejected it and followed the wrong path
inevitably fell into decay and were overtaken by a dreadful fate. The Qur'an advises men
to pay attention to the facts of history in order to discover the difference between the
ways of life of the nations which flourished and prospered and those which perished. It
will be brought home to them that the latter cherished false and harmful beliefs and their
conduct was not in harmony with the eternal laws of God:
But they deny the knowledge that they could not compass and whereof the final result
had not come unto them. Even so did those before them deny. Then see what were the
consequences for the wrongdoers (10: 39).
Finally we come to the pragmatic test. The unbelievers are repeatedly urged to apply
this test and satisfy themselves about the truth and value of the Qur'an. A tree is judged
by the quality of its fruit and creed by its effects on the life and conduct of men. The
believers who had accepted the teaching and had regulated their lives in accordance with
it, provided irrefutable evidence of its value to man. Their character had been
transformed overnight. Formerly they were mean, selfish, quarrelsome, narrow-minded and
self-centred caring only for petty gain. Afterwards, they were united in the pursuit of
noble ends, were bound to each other by ties of love and affection, were kind and just to
their enemies and lived up to the high ideals which they professed. The Qur'an had brought
into existence a new type of man-self-respecting, self-reliant, conscious of his worth and
desirous of enhancing it and fired with the ambition to set up a better social
order in the world. These men by their lives and actions testified to the value of
the Qur'an the spirit of which they had imbibed. The Nabi was fully justified in,
pointing to these men as a living testimony for the truth of the faith he preached. The
astounding effect of the faith on the life of man was the strongest proof of its truth and
values:
Say: O my people ! work in your own way. I too am working, Thus ye will come
to know for which of us will be the happy sequel.
Lo! the wrong doers will not be successful (6: 136).
Such are tests which the Qur’an desires to be applied. Even bitter critics will
have to concede that the tests are crucial, practical and provocative.
Again and again the Qur'an exhorts man to think and think hard. The man who uses his
reason is held up to admiration:
The blind man is not equal with the seeing, nor is darkness equal to light, nor is
the shadow equal with the sun's refulgence; nor are the living equal with the dead (35 :
19-22).
Those who think rightly can find the light of knowledge and can discover the path that
leads to success:
Are those who know equal with those who know not ? But only, men of understanding
will pay heed (39 : 9).
Again:
Surely those who strive for Us, We guide them to Our ways, and verily Allah is with
those who lead a balanced life of goodness (29: 69).
The Believers (Mo’minin), according to the Qur'an, are:
Those who, when the revelations of their Rabb are presented to them, do not fall
thereat deaf and blind (25 : 73).
This is Iman ! Not to accept even God's revelations deaf
and blind.