Quran Garden

Did you know that some Muslim influencers on social media are spreading false ideas that go against Islam?  They infiltrate schools, TV, and online platforms, often making their message harder to spot.  Today, we continue our discussion of misguidance and uncover the different tactics enemies of Islam use to attack our faith.

Session 624

Chapter 4

Verse 44

a continuation

Did you not see those who were given a portion of the Book, purchasing misguidance and wanting you to be misguided from the way?  (Chapter 4: Verse 44)

Faith is innate in humanity; it is an instinct present in every person today and since the beginning of history.  This beautiful, gigantic, and precise universe must have a supreme power behind it.  The sun provides us with light, warmth, and vitamin D, while the earth nourishes us and serves as our beautiful home.  These blessings are essential to our lives, yet they are completely beyond our ability to control or create.  The supreme power responsible for the creation of this universe also governs and sustains it in perfect order.  Such a task requires immense power, knowledge, wisdom, and countless attributes of perfection.

All this is logical and understandable to the thoughtful mind.  But can your intellect tell you the name of the power behind the universe?  It cannot.  Does your mind know what this power expects from you, or why you were created?  No.  Regardless of how intelligent a person may be,  these realities cannot be known through human reasoning alone.  The only way such critical questions can be answered is through a messenger sent by the supreme power to convey the truth.

Thus, when a messenger comes and says, “The power you are searching for, the one you have always believed in generally, has a name: Allah,” and brings the very answers humanity has been seeking, supported by supernatural miracles, we are obligated to believe him.  Our intellect alone could not tell us the name of the Creator, yet the messenger reveals it and delivers teachings and guidance directly from Him.

This is the shortest path to the truth, far removed from the complications of philosophy, the minutiae of logic, and endless debates.  It is also a path that clearly shows that anyone who worships a power other than God is deeply mistaken.

Let me explain.  Take the example of someone who worships the sun.  Can such a person explain what the sun asks from human beings?  Has the sun ever told its followers what reward they will receive for good deeds or what punishment they will face for bad ones?  Has it defined what good or bad actions are?  What can the sun do to people who do not worship it?  The truth is: it cannot reward or punish anyone, and has no teachings or guidance.  A god without guidance is not a god, it is an illusion.  Why?  Because the Creator must have a purpose for His creation and must give people teachings that explain what they should do and avoid.  Most importantly, a true God must have full power over reward and punishment.  The sun has none of this; neither do stones, trees, science or animals.

God’s sending of messengers to guide humanity and address their deepest questions is itself a sign of His mercy and a testament to the truth of their message.  Whoever tries to solve the puzzle of creation and plan his or her life alone is destined for exhaustion and disappointment. 

Suppose we are sitting in a room with the door closed; suddenly, we hear a knock.  We would all agree that someone is knocking at the door.  However, if we try to identify who that person is, our opinions will differ.  One person may say it is a man.  Another may say it is a woman.  A third might claim it is a child.  A fourth feels that it is someone bringing good news.  One might guess it is someone delivering pizza, while yet another might suspect it is the police coming to arrest us.  We can go crazy trying to answer this simple question. 

We all agree that someone is knocking, yet we differ greatly in identifying who that person is.  Such is the universe!  People generally recognize that there must be a tremendous power behind its creation.  When the creator sends a messenger who says, “The name of the Creator is God, and His guidance for humanity is this and that,” all uncertainties are removed, and the truth becomes clear.

What exhausted the philosophers and led many of them into intellectual mazes was that they were not satisfied with simply recognizing the existence of the power that created.  Instead, they attempted to fully conceptualize that power, its nature, attributes, and will, all through human reasoning alone.   We say: The philosophers’ view of the Creator is deeply flawed, and it will lead you down the wrong paths without solving a single question.    

This brings us back to the verse.  God says, “purchasing misguidance and wanting you to be misguided from the way.” Allah has given us protection against future attacks on Islam by informing us that those who oppose it may possess a share of the Book.  Why?  Because Muslims might think well of them, assuming they are connected to divine guidance as followers of heavenly messengers.  Yet, Allah warns us to be cautious: their goal may be to turn you away from His path, using their knowledge of the Book to lead people astray. 

The greatest danger to any belief system does not come from its open enemies, but from those within it.  A declared enemy is obvious; he openly challenges my faith and argues against it.  But when someone who appears to be a fellow Muslim speaks to me, I may accept his words more easily because I assume he shares my faith, while their true aim is to plant doubts in my mind. 

The enemies of Islam have largely abandoned open confrontation.  The West deserted the matter of Orientalism decades ago.  An Orientalist is a Western scholar who studies the languages, cultures, religions, and histories of the Middle East, North Africa, and parts of Asia.  This field, known as Orientalism, developed in European academia and often focused on Arabic, Islam, and Islamic history.  The term later became controversial after Edward Said argued that some of these studies reflected colonial attitudes and biased portrayals against Islam and of Eastern societies.  When an Orientalist writes a book, a Muslim reader may think the author is sincerely pursuing knowledge, culture, or the study of the Prophet’s Sunnah.  But after earning the reader’s trust, the writer often introduces subtle falsehoods.

When the West realized that Muslims had become aware of this method, the strategy shifted to be far more cynical.  Some individuals from Muslim societies who were educated in the West adopted much of its culture, later returned home carrying those ideas, and were paid to spread them.  Some Muslim influencers, particularly on social media, promote false or pro-Zionist narratives.  Some infiltrate schools, television, and various online platforms.  Because these individuals seem to be part of the Muslim community and have some knowledge about the Quran, their messages are often accepted more readily.   Thus, Allah alerts you to beware of the enemies from within because they appear to belong to Islam.  Do not let your guard down!  It is through trust that their ill influence begins.  God says,

Did you not see those who were given a portion of the Book, purchasing misguidance and wanting you to be misguided from the way?  (Chapter 4: Verse 44)