RESPECTED STEPHEN HAWKING SEARCHED FOR GOD IN THE WRONG PLACE!

Jumuah lecture on Friday 16 March 2018 (27 Jamadi-u-Thani 1439)
at the Ahlul Bait (a.s) Masjid, Ottery, Cape Town
delivered by Mowlana Syed Aftab Haider

Almighty Allah (SWT) addresses us in the Holy Quran with the following command:

Invite (all) to the Way of thy Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching; and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious

(Surah Nahl: chapter 16; verse 125)

This is a very important command, that when our beloved Prophet Muhammad (SAWA) is supposed to call people towards the path of Almighty Allah (SWT), he is commanded (and similarly all of us are commanded) to have a few principles in our strategy and process regarding this objective.

ISLAMIC PROPAGATION REQUIRES SOUND INTELLECTUAL REASONING

The very first principle in our strategy of propagation towards the path of Almighty Allah (SWT) is Hikmah, which means Burhaan (if we are talking in terms of logic and philosophy). Burhaan is a type of argument based upon CONCLUSIVE INTELLECTUAL ARGUMENTS. There is no possibility of deviation as it is not based upon guesswork or assumptions.

This principle, which the Holy Quran established towards Da’wah (invitation to our Lord (SWT)) needing to be based upon rationality and concrete, conclusive intellectual arguments, is most relevant at all times.

The society in the era of the advent of Islam did not have much intellectual capacity. Intellectual engagement was at its lowest level during the era of Rasulullah (SAWA). These people were proud of their Jahiliyyah (ignorance), and bound by their superficial beliefs of idol-worshiping and the meaningless practices associated with it.

Even in that era, which was a very low intellectual base, we see that the Holy Quran insisted that Da’wah and propagation should be based upon concrete, intellectual arguments. It should not be based upon flimsy premises to simply get something out of the people.

INTELLECTUAL REASONING ILLUSTRATED WHEN RASULULLAH (SAWA) LOST HIS SON

It is very interesting that in the life of Rasulullah (SAWA), we know of the incident of when his son passed away. It was naturally a very sad day for him and he was quite upset about it. Coincidentally, there was also a sun eclipse on the same day. People told Rasulullah (SAWA) as a means of trying to console him that the sun eclipse is as a result of this sad day of passing of his son.

Rasulullah (SAWA) could have very easily exploited this to deceive people into believing that the solar eclipse is as a result of his son’s death, since he had such great influence over the people, and in those days scientific research was limited, and hence very easy for Rasulullah (SAWA) to exploit the ignorance of people in his favor.

However, Rasulullah (SAWA) immediately intervened to prevent people from concocting a story linking the solar eclipse to his son’s passing away. He explained that the sun eclipse is a natural phenomenon, created by Almighty Allah (SWT), and has nothing to do with the death of his son. He refused to exploit the emotions of the masses for his own agenda.

Rasulullah (SAWA) continues this approach of intellectual engagement and rational discourse in his propagation of Islam. Unfortunately, the sad reality is that gradually the Ummah (Muslim nation) distanced themselves from this method which he successfully employed.

AKL (INTELLECT) IS THE FOUNDATION OF OUR ISLAMIC BELIEF SYSTEM

The principle that is very firmly entrenched in the Holy Quran and Prophetic Sunnah as recorded by the Ahlul Bait (a.s) is that Akl (intellect) is a proof of Allah (SWT) and plays the most important role.

We have a Hadith narration which is in fact the first in the compilation of Usul al-Kafi which says that the first creation of Almighty Allah (SWT) is akl ie. the complete and perfect intellect. Then, in a number of other Hadith, it is narrated that there are 2 types of Prophets (a.s) who came to lead and guide us. There is the internal and external guide.

The external guides are the Holy Prophets whom Almighty Allah (SWT) sent to the earth, starting from Nabi Adam (a.s) to Nabi Khatam (SAWA). Then there is the internal prophet with each of us, which is our intellect (akl) which guides us towards the truth and faith. This is so very important!

MULLA SADRA EXPLAINS THE ROLE OF INTELLECT IN THE DIVINE REVELATION

That intellectual giant and philosopher of the 17th century, Sadr ad-Din Shirazi, better known as Mulla Sadra, narrates a beautiful Hadith recorded in Usul al-Kafi again, that when Almighty Allah (SWT) created Nabi Adam (a.s), the angels offered 3 options to Nabi Adam (a.s) from which he needed to select one:

1. Akl (intellect)

2. Haya (modesty)

3. Deen (religion)

Nabi Adam (a.s) must make the tough choice of which one of the three he wants. Nabi Adam (a.s), who is the symbol of the whole of humanity, chose Akl (intellect)! The Hadith then explains that as a result of Nabi Adam (a.s) choosing Akl, modesty and religion came automatically with Akl to Nabi Adam (a.s)!

The very delicate point that Mulla Sadra makes in his explanation of this Hadith is that he says very interestingly that this choice of Nabi Adam (a.s) whereby he has selected akl (intellect) for which Almighty Allah (SWT) made modesty and religion to also follow with akl was not a legal order or an authoritative declaration. Instead, it was a natural order, meaning that if akl will be there, then by its very nature, modesty and religion will automatically be there too.

This means that the direct result of intellect is modesty and religion. So this is the close relationship between Akl (intellect) and Deen (religion) and especially in inviting people towards religion, and also if I may add, in defending religion.

INTELLECTUAL DISCOURSE CHALLENGES THOSE PERPETUATING LITERALIST DOGMA

Today we face this serious challenge in society and world at large, exacerbated by the viral effect of social media and free access to information. Our youth are facing challenges on multiple levels, especially when it comes to religion and our ideology, starting from the very issue of the existence of Almighty Allah (SWT) and Tauheed being questioned.

All too often our Ulema (religious scholars) unfortunately and regretfully exhaust all their efforts explaining the benefit of keeping a beard and how high above your ankles your trousers should be!!! And of course all the attempts to create fear in our innocent youth if their natural inquisition takes them in the direction of enquiring about the school of Ahlul Bait (a.s)!

This is the level of intellectual contribution that we have stooped to in this age of needing to keep up with the pace of change. Unfortunately our Ulema have not realised that our youth today are facing very serious challenges concerning the fundamentals and foundation of religion, such as the existence of God (SWT).

This cannot be answered by reading a verse from the Holy Quran or a Hadith from Rasulullah (SAWA), hoping that it will silence everybody! Not at all!

Today, our academic institutions are presented with the serious challenges to our fundamental beliefs, with atheism, materialism or agnostic approach being presented as superior due to them claiming that there is no sound proof for the existence of God (SWT), which is the atheist approach. Then we unfortunately have the increasingly “fashionable” approach of being agnostic, which says that maybe there is a God, but there is no proof or evidence of an organised religion.

How do we prepare our youth to respond to such questions or challenges?

We have to revert to this Quranic principle which commands us to have an intellectual approach and rational engagement when our Aqeedah (ideology) is being questioned.

RESPECTED STEPHEN HAWKING HAS PASSED AWAY

The reason I am discussing this issue in today’s Jumuah is because this week we heard the news of the passing of the world’s leading physicist, Stephen Hawking. He is the one who pronounced the big bang theory and quantum-physics and ultimately concludes that there is no God, claiming that if gravity exists then everything can come into existence from nothing.

While this is not the time for me to respond, the big question is, how much does the approach of Stephen Hawking impact the faith of a young person? The faith of a young person who is in an academic environment such as a university and wants to understand things rationally and intellectually tends to drift when all we can present is literalist dogma which is completely unappealing and has no attraction for his/her intellectual craving.

Who is ready to provide a rational and intellectual explanation to what we believe, for example on the very principle of the existence of God (SWT)?

The problem with physicist Stephen Hawking is that he is searching for God (SWT) in physics, whereas when WE speak about God (SWT) we are speaking about meta-physics! The God (SWT) we believe in is beyond physics! Hence, Stephen Hawking searched for God (SWT) in the wrong place!

We also believe that the God that Stephen Hawking is looking for does not exist, because he is looking for the God which can be captured by physical means ie. a material God! We also do not believe that this particular definition of God exists!

This argument, together with the multitude of other similar discussions which are floating around on social media and the internet requires us to have sound intellectual grounding in being able to reason with our youth, so that they can understand what we are saying. Our message needs to be an intellectual message based upon rational arguments. Otherwise we will not be able to save our youth on the path of Islam, as the external forces will have a more appealing offer for them.

SECOND KHUTBAH – ISRAEL APARTHEID WEEK

South African academics and universities are playing a leading role in this vitally important movement called Israel Apartheid Week, which is being commemorated globally in over 250 cities with lectures, presentations and protests.

It is almost 1 year now since the United Nations report, which very clearly admitted that Israel is an Apartheid state and their policies towards the Palestinians are Apartheid policies.

There was obviously a huge lobby pressurising for this report to be withdrawn, leading to the resignation of certain people of conscience as a result of the duress to hide the truth from the supporters of Zionism across the world.

Even though Stephen Hawking did not believe in God, he was amongst those with a conscience on this matter, who had that inner Prophet I referred to in the first khutbah above. That inner voice told him that the occupation and oppression inflicted upon Palestinians is wrong, and that injustice and exploitation cannot continue.

Some of the lectures which have been delivered in the past week have brought various new angles. One of those, which is aligned with the theme of this year’s Israel Apartheid Week, is that Israel and the Zionist system at large does not only have racism and apartheid manifested in its political policies. Instead, the very nature of this political theory, which they falsely present as a religious theory, IS Apartheid ie. it is based upon RACISM!

This year, they have said Afro-Palestinian solidarity, because of the ugly nature of this Zionist system’s treatment of African migrants (such as people from Sudan).

What was their reaction? The Zionist state of Israel did not only say that these migrants are an economical problem but rather went further to express its racism without reservation by stating that these people’s existence is a challenge to the fibre of Israeli society! This is a society which believes in the supremacy of a certain race over others, who does not believe in the equality of the whole of humanity.

Therefore, this campaign of awareness of the repugnant nature of Israel should continue unabated, and in this regard we acknowledge and admire our South African government for taking a position of support for the Palestinian struggle at least on a certain level (even though not fully). At least they have taken some practical steps to clarify the position of South Africans toward this cancerous state of Israel.

We have a person like Stephen Hawking (who does not believe in God) take a stance on the injustice and oppression of this Zionist system, while people who call themselves Khadimul Kharamain (servants of the 2 holy shrines) are unable to see anything wrong with this system, and in fact ready to collaborate with them covertly and overtly.

It continues to be extremely sad and disheartening to see that the leadership of the Ummah (Muslim nation) have stooped to such undignified levels!