The Necessity of Knowing the “Islamic World View”

 

Islam is the only worldview that does not leave the slightest doubt in the heart and mind of a person by answering every question in a complete sense. 

As it answers every possible question that comes to mind. As long as the person wants to understand and does not close himself to the truth. Even a truth that is as bright as the sun can be rejected and denied by people with the nature of bats. Just like the situation of those who look at Islam unfavorably. 

Listen:

“If your nose is unable to smell, don’t blame the rose!”

On the other hand, it is essential for a Muslim to understand Islam as a “world view”. Regardless of whether he is a teacher, an imam, a preacher, or from any other profession. A well-educated and cultured Muslim who teaches, conveys and represents Islam should know how our religion explains the nature of life, the universe and man with its core principles. 

The following incident shows that even the western intellectuals realized that without Islam the world intellectual history cannot be written, the famous Muslim and French intellectual Roger Garaudy who went up to his rector in the university and told him that he will not be able to teach philosophy lectures any more. Knowing that Garaudy was a capable professor in the field, the rector asked why and Garaudy gave the following answer:

“Until today I thought that after the ancient Greeks up to Descartes in the 16th century the philosophical activity stopped. However, with a careful look, I saw that there is Chinese philosophy, Indian philosophy and especially the Islamic philosophy which saved Europe from darkness of the Middle Ages. 

Since I don’t know Islamic philosophy, I will not teach this subject any more instead I would like to teach aesthetics.” It is interesting that eight years after he said this, he became a Muslim, realizing the depth of Islamic thought. 

The most fundamental issue in understanding Islam and digesting it deeply is to have this practice of contemplation. Starting from childhood, a human being gradually begins to wonder about existential questions. However, the answers to these questions should not remain at the level of childhood or the common people, among the intellectual personalities that we have mentioned.

Why? 

Because our age is a time when ideas and ideologies spread everywhere, thanks to media tools such as the internet and television. Although it is a “Modern Age of Ignorance” in terms of state and morals, our era is called the “the age of information” in terms of appearance.

A Muslim who defends the view of Islam on any issue should be knowledgeable enough to persuade or at least silence an educated non-believer when they clash intellectually. Otherwise, the weakness of a Muslim who is in the position of representing his religion might be a reason of blaming Islam, instead of him. This may cause hesitations and suspicions to increase against Islam or cause negative conditioning to take stronger roots.

This is a heavy burden to carry in the hereafter for a Muslim who represents Islam. It is highly probable that people who have doubts and hesitations due to an incompetent or even negative representation will fall into atheism, deism, superstitions and deviant philosophies if they cannot reach correct and sufficient Islamic knowledge.

Another reason for the need to understand Islam with the depth of a worldview is:

Just as the medical principle of first cleaning the wound before treating it, also in Islam there is the principle of first removing idols and superstitions with “ ٰلا اله ” (no god), and then building a sound faith with “الا الله” (except Allah). This truth has become a general principle with the expression of Majalla; “eliminating harm before seeking benefit.” In other words, there’s no point in trying to attain the beneficial things before we have cleaned away the harm.

Therefore, in our time, accusation and slanders against Islam must be refuted with the truth in order to obliterate them.