SuperMuslims

Why people choose Islam?

Islam is the rational choice for anyone who wishes to have a faith that does justice to the demands of the three faculties of humankind, namely the physical, intellectual and spiritual. Here is a concise listing of Islam’s unique features:

1) Islam is the only religion whose sources are authentically preserved and thus remains free of all human tampering and interpolation.

2) The Islamic scripture is free of mythical elements that are incongruous with modern man’s understanding of the world.

3) The Qur’an-the Islamic scripture-is fully compatible with the established facts of science; it clearly contains the signature of the Author of the universe-as attested to by many objective seekers of truth, coming as they were from diverse religious and intellectual backgrounds. It also movingly records natural phenomena, and enjoins followers of the faith to respect and preserve the environment and the creatures with whom we share the planet.

4) The Qur’an upholds the role of reason and equates those who fail to use reason as being intellectually deficient. This is different from the teachings of other religions, which assume there to be an incompatibility between reason and revelation.

5) Islamic beliefs and practices are simple, natural and appeal to both reason and common sense.

6) In regard to most of the teachings of Islam, benefits can easily be demonstrated by evidence from human experience and by the objective observation of facts. Take for instance Islam’s ban of alcohol: a simple examination of statistics looking at alcohol consumption and car accidents or the incidence of domestic violence are more than sufficient to establish the benefits of abstaining from drinking. As another example, take the Islamic pillar of zakah (mandatory poor-due) : if the world’s rich were to part with 2.5 % of their excess wealth as dictated by zakah, poverty could very easily be eliminated.

7) Islam takes into account all of the God-given instincts and faculties of man/woman and therefore, gives us a balanced program of life. It caters to all the basic needs of humans—physical, intellectual and spiritual, and does not exaggerate one at the expense of another.

8) Islam provides humanity with a living example of a balanced role model in Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h), whose life is an open book, easily accessible to anyone.

9) The Islamic story of creation is free of any concept/notion of “original sin”, which has weighed heavily in the consciousness of a large segment of humanity. The idea of “original sin” has often proven to be highly volatile and resulted in hysterical explosions in both the individual and collective dimensions.

10) The Qur’an is anti-classical in its approach to knowledge, and stresses experiential knowledge, which combines science with authentic spirituality.

11) The Qur’an provides answers to questions that haunt every intelligent mind, questions related to the purpose of life and life after death.

12) Islamic teachings about the essential identity of human beings, and its emphasis on humanity as one brotherhood has the potential to break the barriers separating people from one another. It can save humanity from the dire consequences of nationalism and racism, which tend to break up humanity artificially by creating and sustaining perpetual conflict.

13) Islam promises us (in the next world) nothing short of total freedom, liberation and bliss, and the highest fulfillment and contentment that humans are capable of attaining.

14) Islamic history provides us with a model society where justice, compassion, truth and transparency of justice were implemented at the human and natural levels.

15) Islam dispenses with all intermediaries between man/woman and God and allows humans to contact God directly, thus eliminating the hierarchies and other sources of exploitation that have characterized religious history throughout the ages.

Shaykh Ahmed Kutty

Source: alilmiyah