Why Islam out of 4300 Religions? Descartes's Brilliant Technique - Towards Eternity
Published on
There are 2.3 billion Christians, 2 billion Muslims, 1.1 billion Hindus 500 million Buddhists, and 15 million Jews in the world. And there are a total of 4300 religions like these. When that is the case, some people may ask "Why should I follow Islam out of this many religions?" How do we know Islam is the right religion? Can we rationally prove it? We'll answer this with a very interesting technique developed by the philosopher Descartes. It's called "Cartesian Skepticism". To summarize, he says imagine that you have a basket full of apples. You put your hand in the basket and pull out a good apple.
When you put your hand in again, and you get a rotten apple this time, do not continue to take the apples out one by one to throw the rotten ones away. Don't bother checking which one is good and which one is rotten. Instead, empty the whole basket and then put back in the basket the apples that are good. Let's apply this technique to this issue. I mean, can we look at 4300 religions one by one? I don't think so. Then, let's look at the clues in the universe using reason and logic. Let's determine the conditions that should exist in a true religion through these.
Let these clues give us the direct answer to the question, "Why Islam?" Now, when constructing a building, first you lay the foundation, right? There are stages to go through. For this issue, we need to make stage-by-stage eliminations starting from the foundation. Therefore, our filters will be these: Is there a God? Is there a need for religion? And if there's a need for religion, should there be a Holy Book and a Prophet? First of all, let's look at the foundation of the building. That is, the question of whether there is a God or not. You may be thinking of many different methods of proving this.
But today, let's make our search for the answer to this question through the universe that we all witness. Now, listen carefully to understand the example I'm going to explain. According to physics, if there is work that has been done, then there must be a force in place that is able to do that work. Meaning, whatever I see as the doer of an act, must have enough power for that work. For example, if I saw a baby pulling a plane, I'd immediately look for another doer of that act since the baby would never be able to do that work. I'd either say there is a mechanical system that moves the plane, et cetera.
Even if my eyes say that it's the baby that is pulling the plane, my mind will step in immediately and say "The baby doesn't have enough power to pull the plane." I would start looking for the actual capable doer behind that baby. And that's what makes sense, right? Just like in this example, when we look at the universe for example, we see the cow as the doer of the act of producing milk. The cow doesn't know the amino acids in the milk it makes, nor does it know the needs of the people's bodies who will drink it. But it produces exactly the milk that they need. Moreover, it produces it by consuming something that seems the most irrelevant. Grass.
When we look at the other side, we see the poisonous bee as the doer of the work of making the sweetest honey. The bee doesn't know the minerals in it when producing it. Or the bee's body, its cells, do not know the needs of the people's bodies who will eat this honey. But it produces honey that can even be a means of healing for them. We turn our heads to another side. And we see the tree as the doer of the work of making juicy, sweet, colorful fruits from a dry, tasteless, dark soil. But the seed of this tree doesn't know the taste I will enjoy. It doesn't know the smell that my nose will like. It doesn't know what my eyes enjoy seeing. It doesn't know the needs of my body.
While it was just a simple seed with no taste or smell, hundreds of fruits come out of it with a taste that is suitable for my tongue, with a smell that is suitable for my nose, with a beauty that appeals to my eyes, and with many benefits for my body. Right at this moment, my mind immediately kicks in and tells me that these doers who seem to be doing all of this don't have the necessary skills for these works. I mean, it's very interesting. Some things are giving someone else something that they don't have. But normally, that's impossible. Let's think with an example like this. Suppose this cloth in my hand is a curtain, and you don't see me.
This curtain takes a pen and writes a poem here, draws pictures. Everyone would say that this pen is apparently being moved by this cloth. But the logical thing to do is to think that there is a force behind that cloth, behind that apparent cause. Just like in this example, all these works we explained show a Creator who controls all of them behind the scenes. If we are able to fully understand these examples, then we can see with the eyes of our minds that there is a Creator, someone who knows us, who acts behind the curtains, and makes all these things happen according to our needs.
Now, if the first filter is clear, religions such as Buddhism, Jainism, and philosophical beliefs like Atheism, Agnosticism, Naturalism, and Skepticism are eliminated. Because there has to be a Creator whatever you may call Him. Now, let's move on to our second filter. Here we will use the comparison method from the science of logic. Let me put it this way. When we look around us, the following rule is constant anytime, anywhere. If there is a work, a product, in front of us, the person who made it knows it best. Also, when anyone is going to talk about it, the first person who has a say in it is the one who made it. For example, when I buy a phone, it comes with a user manual, right?
By putting that, in a way, the manufacturing company says to me, "We made this phone. Then logically, we know it best, down to the smallest detail. And by putting this manual, we demonstrate this fact." Even simple products have this. Then, our mind asks the question, when there are user manuals even in simple works, is it possible that the Creator of the universe, who created mankind and sent them to the world did not send a user manual that could guide them? Throughout history, all humanity has been asking the following questions: Who am I? Where did I come from? Where am I going to? What is my purpose in this life?
Is it possible for the Creator to give me a mind so that I can ask these questions, but not give me a message containing their answers? Of course he will not leave us astray, uninformed. He will communicate, inform us of his wants, and send a guidebook that shows the way. Then we understand that the religion we are looking for must be based on a book. It must have a guide, a manual. And with the second filter, we eliminate religions like Shintoism, or beliefs like Ietsism, Pantheism, and Nihilism. So, if I ask you a question like, do you think the book alone is enough? We are given books in schools. But is that sufficient? Don't you also need a teacher to teach that book?
In fact, we need a teacher who doesn't only teach the book, but also gathers the students in a classroom and draws their attention to that book. Even if there are students who don't want to listen. More or less, you must have understood what I mean by this analogy. Just like a teacher who explains the book by giving examples and narratives, who establishes order in the classroom; the religion we are looking for also needs an instructive leader, a Messenger. We can also think like this: In every field, there is theoretical knowledge and there's a practical application of it. The text written in the book is the theoretical knowledge.
So there is a need for someone to show how it can be turned into action applied in real life situations. When a person asks, "How can I live in accordance with the purpose of my life? In accordance with the manual of my life?" He needs to follow a role model who shows how it should be done so that he can do it himself too. So, if we return to our teacher example, it is not enough just to know the mathematical theories. It is also necessary to see and learn how they are used and applied. Don't you think it makes more sense to have a Prophet in a leadership position? In fact, there are examples of this even in the animal kingdom.
For example, when you look at a beehive, you see a colony that lives as a community and serves a common purpose. A queen bee has been appointed as the leader of that society. Or, if you visit an ant colony that serves a common purpose, you will see a queen ant as the leader. Is it possible for Allah who does not leave these groups without a leader, a guide, to leave mankind without such a guide? We're talking about humanity. The most valuable living beings far beyond ants and bees. Allah has created hundreds of flavors for man's tiny tongue. Is it possible for Him to leave humanity wandering aimlessly without a purpose? Is it possible for Him to not guide them by sending a Messenger?
If we have understood this example thoroughly too, with this third filter we have eliminated religions such as Hinduism, Caodaism, the Druze faith, which do not believe in any Prophet. Let me also point out that the religion we are looking for needs to mention the miracles of the Prophets too. We said in the beginning that there are 4300 religions in the world. When we apply these three criteria and filter all the religions and philosophical beliefs the roots of which we can access, we are only left with three religions. Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. They all have the concept of a Creator, a book, and Prophethood. Now, I want you to notice this.
The fact that these three religions have passed through all these filters shows that their foundations are based on the truth. When we look at Judaism, we see that the main figure is Moses. And in Christianity, the main figure is Jesus, peace be upon them all. Although the teachings of these two great Prophets are now corrupted in these two religions, what they initially brought was the truth. The common feature of these two religions is that they both don't accept Prophet Muhammed (saw) as a true Messenger. But Islam says that Prophet Muhammed (saw) is the final Messenger of Allah, and that Jesus and Moses were also Messengers of Him.
Based on this reality, we can conclude that if we can prove that Prophet Muhammed (saw) is a real Messenger, then Islam will be proven to be the only true religion, and that Moses (as) and Jesus (as) came to deliver the same common message from Allah. Yes, it is at this point that many proofs of this come to our minds. One of the most important proofs is His life itself (saw), Imagine, He lived among His people for 40 years before His Prophethood. For 23 years in His Prophetic life, he has been at the forefront among the same people again. And every one of His moves was being watched. We are going to look at if such a person Ma'adhallah, was a liar or not.
Logically, we know that people who are close to each other in rank and position can imitate each other. But the lower a person's position is from the other, the harder it becomes to imitate him. For example, think of Ibn-i Sina, also known as Avicenna in the West. A medical genius whose books have been taught in universities throughout the world for centuries. How well do you think an ignorant person can imitate, can pretend to be Avicenna? If he goes to a city and says, "I am Avicenna," how many people will believe him? After a while, people who spend time with him will realize that he is a liar from his attitude and actions, right? A fraud and poor person cannot imitate a Sultan.
In a short time, everything about him will scream that he's an impostor. Let's say he was able to imitate him. But how long can he continue to deceive people? After a while, his lie will come out one way or another. Shall we take this logical comparison and apply it to Prophet Muhammed (saw)? The religion He brought says the following about Him: "He is a person whom Allah has made a Prophet from among countless people. The final Messenger of Allah (azwj) that has been sent to all humanity. The most superior and the most moral of people." Now, there are two possibilities here. Either that's really the case, or Maazallah, He is a liar.
But you must remember that the person who declares Him a liar cannot accept Him as an ordinary liar. You must accept Him as the biggest liar in history because He lied about being in such a high position. You should accept Him as someone who doesn't accept God, doesn't fear that He may punish Him, and tells lies in the name of Allah. Let's say He did. Can He keep it up for 23 years? There may be those who think that the Prophet (saw) was in contact with few people. But this is not the case at all. During his Prophetic life, those around Him, thousands of people, have observed every aspect of Him one by one.
We know which hand He eats food with, which foot he puts in first when entering a place, down to the order in which He cuts His nails. I mean, they examined Him in such detail that there is no other person in history who has been examined in such depth. Do you think if they had seen any inconsistencies, any flaws in Him, they would have stood by Him and endured all these difficulties? Of course not. Besides, those who observed Him were not only the believers. Those who denied His Prophethood observed him as well. He was among them before becoming a Messenger, not only after it. He was born and raised among them. He was not an outsider. They knew everything about Him.
They trusted Him so much that before He became a Prophet, they gave Him the nickname, "El-Amin," which means "The Trustworthy." Everyone agreed that He would never lie and knew how moral He was. They were so sure of this that even those who became enemies to Him after His Prophethood, still entrusted their belongings to Him. They couldn't find a flaw in Him either before or after Prophethood. The only thing they came up with as a flaw is to slander Him by calling Him a wizard, a magician, nothing more. A person who is going to lie has to get a worldly benefit from it, right? But there was nothing to benefit Himself in what He does.
On the contrary, there were things that made things very difficult for Him. He fasts for days. Sometimes He fasts without Suhur and Iftar because of poverty. Aisha (ra) says, Sometimes there would be no food being cooked in His house for two months. He eats things like dates." He prays, makes Salah for hours at night. What is the Tahajjud prayer? Isn't it to wake up from sleep in the last third of the night and pray? For Muslims this prayer is Sunnah, optional. But for the Prophet (saw) it was Fard, mandatory. Why would He push Himself so hard at the time of the night when no one sees Him? For the sake of a lie?
He follows a religion He has brought for 23 years better than anyone, worships more than anyone, He's careful about not committing sins more than anyone. Can the world's best liar have even a little bit of these characteristics? Where is the benefit in all of this? Is He doing this for status, for money, for women? These were all offered from the opposing side, and the answer He gave was always the same. "If you put the Sun in my right hand, and the Moon in my left hand, I would not abandon this cause." So He says, "My struggle is not about any worldly benefit.
If you were to give me not only those things, but the whole world, even the Moon and the Sun, I would not give up." He received death threats all his life. He was repeatedly targeted by failed assassination attempts. None of them succeeded. And He died in His bed (saw), Why would He face all this? For the sake of a lie? Why did He put up with being stoned, being subjected to curses and insults? Many things can be counted as proof of His Prophethood. But most importantly, His own life, the way He carried himself, is more than enough to prove His Prophethood. As we said in the beginning, He was either telling the truth, or Maazallah, He was a liar.
If we were asked, "Is such a person a liar, or is the one who calls this person a liar is the actual liar?" Do you think there would be any need to answer this question? When we analyze all these things, we reach the truth we have been looking for all our lives. That is, the Creator we are looking for is Allah (swt). The book we are looking for is the Holy Quran. And the Prophet we are looking for is Prophet Muhammed (saw). Remember what we asked in the beginning. Why Islam, out of 4300 religions? This is why.
When you put your hand in again, and you get a rotten apple this time, do not continue to take the apples out one by one to throw the rotten ones away. Don't bother checking which one is good and which one is rotten. Instead, empty the whole basket and then put back in the basket the apples that are good. Let's apply this technique to this issue. I mean, can we look at 4300 religions one by one? I don't think so. Then, let's look at the clues in the universe using reason and logic. Let's determine the conditions that should exist in a true religion through these.
Let these clues give us the direct answer to the question, "Why Islam?" Now, when constructing a building, first you lay the foundation, right? There are stages to go through. For this issue, we need to make stage-by-stage eliminations starting from the foundation. Therefore, our filters will be these: Is there a God? Is there a need for religion? And if there's a need for religion, should there be a Holy Book and a Prophet? First of all, let's look at the foundation of the building. That is, the question of whether there is a God or not. You may be thinking of many different methods of proving this.
But today, let's make our search for the answer to this question through the universe that we all witness. Now, listen carefully to understand the example I'm going to explain. According to physics, if there is work that has been done, then there must be a force in place that is able to do that work. Meaning, whatever I see as the doer of an act, must have enough power for that work. For example, if I saw a baby pulling a plane, I'd immediately look for another doer of that act since the baby would never be able to do that work. I'd either say there is a mechanical system that moves the plane, et cetera.
Even if my eyes say that it's the baby that is pulling the plane, my mind will step in immediately and say "The baby doesn't have enough power to pull the plane." I would start looking for the actual capable doer behind that baby. And that's what makes sense, right? Just like in this example, when we look at the universe for example, we see the cow as the doer of the act of producing milk. The cow doesn't know the amino acids in the milk it makes, nor does it know the needs of the people's bodies who will drink it. But it produces exactly the milk that they need. Moreover, it produces it by consuming something that seems the most irrelevant. Grass.
When we look at the other side, we see the poisonous bee as the doer of the work of making the sweetest honey. The bee doesn't know the minerals in it when producing it. Or the bee's body, its cells, do not know the needs of the people's bodies who will eat this honey. But it produces honey that can even be a means of healing for them. We turn our heads to another side. And we see the tree as the doer of the work of making juicy, sweet, colorful fruits from a dry, tasteless, dark soil. But the seed of this tree doesn't know the taste I will enjoy. It doesn't know the smell that my nose will like. It doesn't know what my eyes enjoy seeing. It doesn't know the needs of my body.
While it was just a simple seed with no taste or smell, hundreds of fruits come out of it with a taste that is suitable for my tongue, with a smell that is suitable for my nose, with a beauty that appeals to my eyes, and with many benefits for my body. Right at this moment, my mind immediately kicks in and tells me that these doers who seem to be doing all of this don't have the necessary skills for these works. I mean, it's very interesting. Some things are giving someone else something that they don't have. But normally, that's impossible. Let's think with an example like this. Suppose this cloth in my hand is a curtain, and you don't see me.
This curtain takes a pen and writes a poem here, draws pictures. Everyone would say that this pen is apparently being moved by this cloth. But the logical thing to do is to think that there is a force behind that cloth, behind that apparent cause. Just like in this example, all these works we explained show a Creator who controls all of them behind the scenes. If we are able to fully understand these examples, then we can see with the eyes of our minds that there is a Creator, someone who knows us, who acts behind the curtains, and makes all these things happen according to our needs.
Now, if the first filter is clear, religions such as Buddhism, Jainism, and philosophical beliefs like Atheism, Agnosticism, Naturalism, and Skepticism are eliminated. Because there has to be a Creator whatever you may call Him. Now, let's move on to our second filter. Here we will use the comparison method from the science of logic. Let me put it this way. When we look around us, the following rule is constant anytime, anywhere. If there is a work, a product, in front of us, the person who made it knows it best. Also, when anyone is going to talk about it, the first person who has a say in it is the one who made it. For example, when I buy a phone, it comes with a user manual, right?
By putting that, in a way, the manufacturing company says to me, "We made this phone. Then logically, we know it best, down to the smallest detail. And by putting this manual, we demonstrate this fact." Even simple products have this. Then, our mind asks the question, when there are user manuals even in simple works, is it possible that the Creator of the universe, who created mankind and sent them to the world did not send a user manual that could guide them? Throughout history, all humanity has been asking the following questions: Who am I? Where did I come from? Where am I going to? What is my purpose in this life?
Is it possible for the Creator to give me a mind so that I can ask these questions, but not give me a message containing their answers? Of course he will not leave us astray, uninformed. He will communicate, inform us of his wants, and send a guidebook that shows the way. Then we understand that the religion we are looking for must be based on a book. It must have a guide, a manual. And with the second filter, we eliminate religions like Shintoism, or beliefs like Ietsism, Pantheism, and Nihilism. So, if I ask you a question like, do you think the book alone is enough? We are given books in schools. But is that sufficient? Don't you also need a teacher to teach that book?
In fact, we need a teacher who doesn't only teach the book, but also gathers the students in a classroom and draws their attention to that book. Even if there are students who don't want to listen. More or less, you must have understood what I mean by this analogy. Just like a teacher who explains the book by giving examples and narratives, who establishes order in the classroom; the religion we are looking for also needs an instructive leader, a Messenger. We can also think like this: In every field, there is theoretical knowledge and there's a practical application of it. The text written in the book is the theoretical knowledge.
So there is a need for someone to show how it can be turned into action applied in real life situations. When a person asks, "How can I live in accordance with the purpose of my life? In accordance with the manual of my life?" He needs to follow a role model who shows how it should be done so that he can do it himself too. So, if we return to our teacher example, it is not enough just to know the mathematical theories. It is also necessary to see and learn how they are used and applied. Don't you think it makes more sense to have a Prophet in a leadership position? In fact, there are examples of this even in the animal kingdom.
For example, when you look at a beehive, you see a colony that lives as a community and serves a common purpose. A queen bee has been appointed as the leader of that society. Or, if you visit an ant colony that serves a common purpose, you will see a queen ant as the leader. Is it possible for Allah who does not leave these groups without a leader, a guide, to leave mankind without such a guide? We're talking about humanity. The most valuable living beings far beyond ants and bees. Allah has created hundreds of flavors for man's tiny tongue. Is it possible for Him to leave humanity wandering aimlessly without a purpose? Is it possible for Him to not guide them by sending a Messenger?
If we have understood this example thoroughly too, with this third filter we have eliminated religions such as Hinduism, Caodaism, the Druze faith, which do not believe in any Prophet. Let me also point out that the religion we are looking for needs to mention the miracles of the Prophets too. We said in the beginning that there are 4300 religions in the world. When we apply these three criteria and filter all the religions and philosophical beliefs the roots of which we can access, we are only left with three religions. Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. They all have the concept of a Creator, a book, and Prophethood. Now, I want you to notice this.
The fact that these three religions have passed through all these filters shows that their foundations are based on the truth. When we look at Judaism, we see that the main figure is Moses. And in Christianity, the main figure is Jesus, peace be upon them all. Although the teachings of these two great Prophets are now corrupted in these two religions, what they initially brought was the truth. The common feature of these two religions is that they both don't accept Prophet Muhammed (saw) as a true Messenger. But Islam says that Prophet Muhammed (saw) is the final Messenger of Allah, and that Jesus and Moses were also Messengers of Him.
Based on this reality, we can conclude that if we can prove that Prophet Muhammed (saw) is a real Messenger, then Islam will be proven to be the only true religion, and that Moses (as) and Jesus (as) came to deliver the same common message from Allah. Yes, it is at this point that many proofs of this come to our minds. One of the most important proofs is His life itself (saw), Imagine, He lived among His people for 40 years before His Prophethood. For 23 years in His Prophetic life, he has been at the forefront among the same people again. And every one of His moves was being watched. We are going to look at if such a person Ma'adhallah, was a liar or not.
Logically, we know that people who are close to each other in rank and position can imitate each other. But the lower a person's position is from the other, the harder it becomes to imitate him. For example, think of Ibn-i Sina, also known as Avicenna in the West. A medical genius whose books have been taught in universities throughout the world for centuries. How well do you think an ignorant person can imitate, can pretend to be Avicenna? If he goes to a city and says, "I am Avicenna," how many people will believe him? After a while, people who spend time with him will realize that he is a liar from his attitude and actions, right? A fraud and poor person cannot imitate a Sultan.
In a short time, everything about him will scream that he's an impostor. Let's say he was able to imitate him. But how long can he continue to deceive people? After a while, his lie will come out one way or another. Shall we take this logical comparison and apply it to Prophet Muhammed (saw)? The religion He brought says the following about Him: "He is a person whom Allah has made a Prophet from among countless people. The final Messenger of Allah (azwj) that has been sent to all humanity. The most superior and the most moral of people." Now, there are two possibilities here. Either that's really the case, or Maazallah, He is a liar.
But you must remember that the person who declares Him a liar cannot accept Him as an ordinary liar. You must accept Him as the biggest liar in history because He lied about being in such a high position. You should accept Him as someone who doesn't accept God, doesn't fear that He may punish Him, and tells lies in the name of Allah. Let's say He did. Can He keep it up for 23 years? There may be those who think that the Prophet (saw) was in contact with few people. But this is not the case at all. During his Prophetic life, those around Him, thousands of people, have observed every aspect of Him one by one.
We know which hand He eats food with, which foot he puts in first when entering a place, down to the order in which He cuts His nails. I mean, they examined Him in such detail that there is no other person in history who has been examined in such depth. Do you think if they had seen any inconsistencies, any flaws in Him, they would have stood by Him and endured all these difficulties? Of course not. Besides, those who observed Him were not only the believers. Those who denied His Prophethood observed him as well. He was among them before becoming a Messenger, not only after it. He was born and raised among them. He was not an outsider. They knew everything about Him.
They trusted Him so much that before He became a Prophet, they gave Him the nickname, "El-Amin," which means "The Trustworthy." Everyone agreed that He would never lie and knew how moral He was. They were so sure of this that even those who became enemies to Him after His Prophethood, still entrusted their belongings to Him. They couldn't find a flaw in Him either before or after Prophethood. The only thing they came up with as a flaw is to slander Him by calling Him a wizard, a magician, nothing more. A person who is going to lie has to get a worldly benefit from it, right? But there was nothing to benefit Himself in what He does.
On the contrary, there were things that made things very difficult for Him. He fasts for days. Sometimes He fasts without Suhur and Iftar because of poverty. Aisha (ra) says, Sometimes there would be no food being cooked in His house for two months. He eats things like dates." He prays, makes Salah for hours at night. What is the Tahajjud prayer? Isn't it to wake up from sleep in the last third of the night and pray? For Muslims this prayer is Sunnah, optional. But for the Prophet (saw) it was Fard, mandatory. Why would He push Himself so hard at the time of the night when no one sees Him? For the sake of a lie?
He follows a religion He has brought for 23 years better than anyone, worships more than anyone, He's careful about not committing sins more than anyone. Can the world's best liar have even a little bit of these characteristics? Where is the benefit in all of this? Is He doing this for status, for money, for women? These were all offered from the opposing side, and the answer He gave was always the same. "If you put the Sun in my right hand, and the Moon in my left hand, I would not abandon this cause." So He says, "My struggle is not about any worldly benefit.
If you were to give me not only those things, but the whole world, even the Moon and the Sun, I would not give up." He received death threats all his life. He was repeatedly targeted by failed assassination attempts. None of them succeeded. And He died in His bed (saw), Why would He face all this? For the sake of a lie? Why did He put up with being stoned, being subjected to curses and insults? Many things can be counted as proof of His Prophethood. But most importantly, His own life, the way He carried himself, is more than enough to prove His Prophethood. As we said in the beginning, He was either telling the truth, or Maazallah, He was a liar.
If we were asked, "Is such a person a liar, or is the one who calls this person a liar is the actual liar?" Do you think there would be any need to answer this question? When we analyze all these things, we reach the truth we have been looking for all our lives. That is, the Creator we are looking for is Allah (swt). The book we are looking for is the Holy Quran. And the Prophet we are looking for is Prophet Muhammed (saw). Remember what we asked in the beginning. Why Islam, out of 4300 religions? This is why.