Science, Religion, and Faith

1. The function of religion is guiding, not educational.

Science, in all its fields and branches, came to confirm the truth of the divine scriptures:

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." (Book of Genesis 1:1)

"Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image, after our likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.' So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them and said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion...'" (Genesis 1:26-28)

"Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature." (Genesis 2:7)

And the Qur’an says:
"Indeed, We created man in the best of stature." (Surah At-Tin 95:4)

2. This is what the divine books say, while science confirms that the cellular structure of one body differs from another, and each human has a unique body. The human body consists of 60 billion cells. Every second, 50 million cells die and are replaced by 50 million new ones. From the materials constituting the human body, one can make 5 kilograms of wax, 7 nails, 20 teaspoons of salt, 50 sugar cubes, 42 liters of water, 800,000 matchsticks, 65 dozen charcoal pencils...

3. Scientific research confirms that most bacteria do not harm humans; many are even beneficial, forming part of the immune system. Phosphorus is essential for energy transfer in the cells of our bodies and animals. Moreover, physiological functions of organs are closely linked to the state of the human mind. We replace the cells lining our intestines every few days, those lining the bladder every two months, and our red blood cells every four months. Most cells in our body are regularly replaced by newly formed cells, but some, like brain neurons, cannot be replaced. An adult consists of about 100 trillion cells.

4. Scientists believe they now understand what causes cellular aging. Humans die because most cells stop dividing. However, recent scientific research indicates that with the help of an enzyme called telomerase, human cells can continue dividing indefinitely. In this regard, the prophet Job said:
"Surely man’s days are determined; you have decreed the number of his months and have set limits he cannot exceed. So let him rest and wait till his labor is completed like a hired man." (Job 14:5-6)

Prophet Moses confirmed:
"The years of our life are seventy, or eighty if we have the strength; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away." (Psalm 90:10)

Jacob wrote:
"What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes." (James 4:14)

William Shakespeare said:
"All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players; life is but a walking shadow."

Yet God "has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, He has put eternity in their hearts..." (Ecclesiastes 3:11)

In short, life will not give you everything you want, but contentment makes you love what you have.

5. The human brain can store information equivalent to about 20 million volumes—the size of the world’s largest libraries. The number of synaptic connections in the brain is greater than the total number of atoms in the known universe. Its structure is the most complex known thing in the universe. The brain is the most vital organ; when damaged, it seriously affects our thoughts, memory, feelings, and more. Mental illness has no cure. A person's mental attitude and emotions significantly impact physical health. Scientists suggest lifestyle changes can improve knowledge, imagination, and mental endurance. The brain constantly changes based on how it is used or misused. Two factors influence brain growth throughout life: sensory input and what one chooses to think about. The brain is like a muscle: it strengthens with use and weakens with disuse. So, we must use it or lose it. It is not enough to have a good mind; one must use it well. Paul said in his letter to the Hebrews:
"But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil." (Hebrews 5:14)

6. Scientific research has shown that unused mental powers decline, and only a little information retained in memory remains fixed. Recent discoveries about brain plasticity align with the advice in the Holy Bible:
"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." (Romans 12:2)
"Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator." (Colossians 3:9-10)

7. Nevertheless, knowledge reduces fear of the unknown, but the human mind is entirely acquired through education and upbringing. Does traditional academic education hinder creativity, since many of today’s great scientists and creators, like Einstein and Arthur C. Clarke, either did not pursue or failed formal academic paths? Was this a reason for their creativity? This does not mean abandoning learning. But where is the flaw? Is it in the curricula or the teaching methods? Perhaps programmers seek to domesticate minds and produce alike, traditional, uncreative, and uninnovative minds.

8. Education involves many mental exercises and diverse intellectual nourishment. Paul said to the Corinthians:
"I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be edified." (1 Corinthians 14:19)

Teachers should teach according to the student's capacity to understand. At school, tendencies unify and conflicts clarify. Therefore, desire must be created in the student, as the proverb says: "Many desires prolong life." Also, spirit of observation, personality development, judgment strength, precise perception, intellect, and ethics must be cultivated. Gibran Khalil Gibran said:
"No one can declare to you anything but what is already settled in the dawn of your knowledge." Proper education shows differences between things based on their goals and forms, not just words.

9. Although the Holy Bible is not a scientific book, it sheds light on the role of the Creator, the designer of life’s code. About 3,000 years ago, the prophet David, unaware of today’s advances in genetics and the human genome project, poetically addressed the Creator:
"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." (Psalm 139:13-16)

10. What is the relationship between religion and science? Religion is a way of life, not just rituals as our ancestors taught. Religion has not always viewed science as its friend. Some theologians resisted scientific discoveries, believing they threatened their interpretations of scripture. In the 6th century BC, the Greek philosopher Pythagoras said the Earth is spherical. Aristotle later agreed, explaining lunar eclipses prove Earth's roundness. The prophet Isaiah in the 8th century BC said:
"He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in." (Isaiah 40:22)

11. In 1687 AD, Isaac Newton published the law of universal gravitation, explaining that celestial bodies are suspended in empty space and remain in orbit due to gravity. About 1600 years earlier, the prophet Job said:
"He spreads out the northern skies over empty space; he suspends the earth over nothing." (Job 26:7)

Some modern scientists acknowledge an unknown force created the material universe. Japanese Nobel laureate Kenichi Fukui believed in a great structure in the universe—called "God" in religious terms but named "nature's property" by him. Einstein believed the universe had a beginning and expressed a wish to "know how God created the world." However, he did not believe in a personal God but spoke of a "cosmic religious feeling" without creed. Einstein humbly said he tried to understand even the slightest intelligence evident in nature.

12. Over the centuries, many have turned to religion for answers about the mystery of life. Religion should banish despair, fight corruption and vices, spread virtues, encourage giving, knowledge, and work, prevent waste of resources and abilities, elevate humanity, and provide science and scholars with methodologies and knowledge to increase faith and God-fearing, as the Qur’an says:
"Only those fear Allah, from among His servants, who have knowledge." (Fatir 35:28)

13. Al-Ghazali withdrew from worldly comforts and status and became a solitary mystic, delving deeply into the connection between the late science and early religion, searching for the essence of religion and theology. Likewise, St. Augustine did so five generations earlier. In his book "Confessions," he viewed earth as a ladder to heaven, saying:
"Learn to dance so that when you reach heaven, the angels will know what to do with you."

He said:
"Pride turned angels into devils; humility makes men angels."
"Hope has two daughters: anger and courage; anger lies in seeing things as they are, courage in trusting things will not remain as they are."
"A Christian is a mind through which Christ thinks, a heart through which Christ loves, a voice through which Christ speaks, and a hand through which Christ helps."
"Pray as if everything depends on God and work as if everything depends on you."
"Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believed."
"Falling in love with God is the peak of romance; searching for Him is the greatest adventure; finding Him is the greatest human achievement."
"Strive not to understand what you may believe but believe you may understand."
"As love grows inside you, so does beauty, for love is the beauty of the soul."
"God does not need your wealth, but the poor do. Give it to the poor and God will receive it."
"Patience is the companion of wisdom."
"There is no love without hope, and no hope without love, but neither love nor hope without faith."

14. However, Al-Ghazali was closer to the essence of matters and their secrets, possibly due to the difference between the scientific Arab and Greek theories he inherited, and the theological knowledge inherited by St. Augustine from the Church Fathers of the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD. Intellectual inheritance passes from thought to thought and era to era. Al-Ghazali was an important link between earlier Indian mystics and modern thinkers like Spinoza and William Blake.

15. On the other hand, Buddha, seeing a sick man, an old man, and a dead man, sought enlightenment but without belief in a personal God. Today, many focus on science, excluding God and religion from their lives. As science advances, it seems less room remains for God and sacred books, which have become neglected, as the Qur’an says:
"And the Messenger has said, 'O my Lord, indeed my people have taken this Qur’an as [a thing] abandoned.'" (Al-Furqan 25:30)

Darwin explained the living world by evolution and natural selection. Freud taught that God is an illusion and religion stems from a psychological illness tied to the authoritarian father figure. Rituals were invented for atonement. In Freud’s theory, the father became God, and rituals became the earliest religion. Voltaire said,
"If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent Him."

Thus, people argue that humans invented God.

16. Other thinkers, like Ludwig Feuerbach, Marx, and Nietzsche, offered philosophical and sociological critiques, saying "God is but a concept of human imagination," "Religion is the opium of the people," and "God is dead." These ideas contrasted sharply with Eastern religions and philosophies. Buddhists believe there is no need to know God. Shintoists believe gods are just superior humans, spirits of the dead merged with nature. Darwin’s theory explained evolution but not how life began or its meaning. Many scientists feel something is missing. Scientific theories explain the "how," but important questions start with "why?" When asked about scientific and technological progress, Karl Barth said:
"It does not solve any of man’s problems, and we call on all open-minded people to reflect, and those with intellectual honesty are ready to examine what they believe to be true."

17. Faith is trust in what is hoped for and certainty in unseen things. Faith must be scientific, as Einstein said:
"Faith is the strongest and noblest outcome of scientific research. Faith without science walks like a cripple, and science without faith gropes like a blind man." Nevertheless, something unprovable is not necessarily false. Paul said to the Thessalonians:
"To keep us from being swayed by wicked people. For the faith is not for everyone." (2 Thessalonians 3: 2)

So faith does not mean quick belief. The Holy Bible teaches:
“Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” (James 4:8),
“The LORD is with you while you are with Him; if you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you.” (2 Chronicles 15:2),
“Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the LORD, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.” (Psalm 37:3-5),
“That they should seek God, if perhaps they might feel after Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us.” (Acts 17:27).
And in the Holy Quran we read:
“And when My servants ask you concerning Me, indeed I am near. I respond to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me. So let them respond to Me and believe in Me that they may be guided.” [Al-Baqarah 2:186].

18. Moreover, religion and science differ in interpreting the way life began on earth. Religion says: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1). But science tries to explain the source of life with general phrases such as: “Life arose spontaneously from non-living matter over millions of years...”, “The age of the universe is 8 billion years,” “The age of some stars is 14 billion years,” and “The Big Bang theory for the origin of the universe.” This theory has become a secular scientific religion in our time where scientists uncover the secrets of the universe in the form of mysterious formulas understood only by themselves. Most support the theory of evolution and natural selection authored by Charles Darwin and reject thinking about the existence of God.

19. In 1802, Treviranus published his book on biology and propagated the idea that from simple life forms, all higher organic systems evolved gradually. That all living creatures have the ability to accept descriptive adaptations occurring to their structures due to external influences, and that no species has truly become extinct but must have evolved into another species. Lamarck also published his book “Researches” and later his major book “Zoological Philosophy” which introduced a new factor into the theory of evolution, which is the action of the animal itself; as it strives to “evolve” to satisfy new needs appearing in its environment. He finally proved these results:
First: Life tends to increase the size of every living body and its organs to meet its needs.
Second: New needs in animals create new organs.
Third: The growth of these organs is always proportional to their use.
Fourth: New forms of evolution in animals are passed down to offspring.
Examples he gave to prove his doctrine include the lengthening of the giraffe’s neck through generations as it needed to reach high tree leaves, and the length and strength of the kangaroo’s hind legs due to its need to leap.

20. In another realm, the prophet David mocks the arrogant person who does not seek God, whose every thought is that there is no god. His creator is chance:
“For the wicked boasts of his heart’s desire… the wicked, according to the pride of his countenance… all his thoughts are that there is no God.” (Psalm 10:3-4).
In contrast, David glorifies the Creator saying:
“The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork.” (Psalm 19:1).
But with increasing science and knowledge, as the Quran and the Holy Bible say:
“...and say: My Lord, increase me in knowledge.” [Ta-Ha 20:114],
“The wise hears and increases learning, and the understanding acquires wise counsel.” (Proverbs 1:5),
“Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.” (Daniel 12:4),
and with the collapse of chance under increasing scientific evidence, scientists increasingly turn their attention to forbidden matters such as intelligence and design: the origin of the universe, like solving a Rubik’s cube, requires intelligence, as astronomer Fred Hoyle wrote in his book “The Intelligent Universe,” page 189.

21. The goal of all this is not to belittle the hard work of sincere scientists, including cosmologists. We true believers appreciate their many discoveries related to the origin of the universe which express God’s power, wisdom, and love. In this area, Paul says in his epistle to the Romans:
“For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made...” (Romans 1:20).
The scientist who acknowledges God as Creator faces a flood of other astonishing details and abundance of exciting secrets to discover. Therefore, let him respond to the call of the prophet Isaiah:
“Lift up your eyes on high, and see who hath created these things? He that bringeth out their host by number: He calleth them all by names by the greatness of His might, for that He is strong in power; not one faileth.” (Isaiah 40:26).

22. In this domain, Professor Robert Jastrow, a scholar in astronomy and geology, influenced by the prophet Isaiah’s words about “great power,” meaning “dynamic energy E=mc²,” and about “not one faileth,” meaning “not one celestial body is lost,” wrote:
“Everything we see around us is linked to the precise scales of four fundamental forces responsible for all the properties and changes affecting matter, and these forces play a role in the vastness of the universe which expands infinitely, as the Quran says:
‘And the heaven We constructed with strength, and indeed, We are [its] expander.’ [Adh-Dhariyat 51],
and also in the infinitely small atomic structures alike.”
If these four fundamental forces were not finely tuned, the essential elements for our life like carbon, oxygen, and iron would not exist. One of these forces is gravity, very weak at atomic scale but evident in planets, stars, and galaxies. The second is the electromagnetic force, the main force of attraction between protons and electrons, allowing molecules to form. Lightning is one evidence of its power. This force is billions of billions times stronger than gravity. The third is the strong nuclear force binding protons and neutrons in the atomic nucleus. The fourth is the weak nuclear force, millions of times weaker than the strong nuclear force, sufficient to allow hydrogen to burn slowly and steadily in the sun.

23. Thus, there is an astonishing degree of precision in the tuning of these four fundamental forces. The sun, earth, water, atmosphere, and a large number of valuable chemical elements on earth owe their existence and function to this precision in tuning these fundamental forces. Therefore, a mere explosion cannot create our majestic universe with its order, design, and marvelous system. The universe mostly consists of hydrogen, which continuously converts into helium and other elements.

24. In fact, our latest inventions replicate one of the universe’s wonders: conversion of energy into matter and matter into energy. The hydrogen bomb is a thermonuclear explosion. In this explosion, hydrogen atoms fuse to form helium, and part of the hydrogen’s mass converts into explosive energy, a much more destructive blast than all atomic bombs. Many discoveries or inventions are left behind because human needs are few, but desires are endless...

25. In other fields, let us contemplate the measures and positions of the earth. The prophet Job urged humility by posing these questions:
“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me if you have understanding. Who laid its measurements, if you know? On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone...” (Job 38:4-6).
And in the Quran we read:
“And the earth and the cracked one.” [At-Tariq 86:12].
In reality, the earth receives only a small portion of the sun’s energy, just the amount appropriate to support life. It orbits the sun at 100,000 km per hour, and its axis is tilted 23.5 degrees relative to the sun, causing seasons and climate changes. Its area is 510 million square kilometers, and its rotation period is 23 hours, 56 minutes, and 4 seconds. The wonderful atmosphere protects the earth from meteor impacts. These meteors burn upon passing through this atmosphere:
“And We have made the sky a guarded ceiling...” [Al-Anbiya 21:32].
Oxygen comprises 21% of the air we breathe. The more oxygen, the easier things burn. Pure oxygen becomes toxic if breathed for too long; it is diluted by other gases, especially nitrogen, which makes up 78% of the atmosphere. Lightning causes union of some nitrogen with oxygen. The resulting compounds are carried by rain and used by plants as fertilizer. Carbon dioxide is less than 1% of the atmosphere and without it, plant life dies.

26. All these fine matters are among the “wonders of perfect knowledge.” (Job 37:16), meaning obviously:
“Thus says God the LORD, Creator of the heavens and their expanse, who spreads out the earth and what comes out of it, giving breath to the people on it, and spirit to those who walk in it.” (Isaiah 42:5).
And in the Quran we read:
“And the heaven with returning (rain).” [At-Tariq 86:11],
“And We have made the sky a protected roof...” [Al-Anbiya 21:32],
“Do you not see that God has subjected to you whatever is on the earth and the ships that sail through the sea by His command? And He holds back the sky from falling on the earth except by His permission. Indeed God is, to the people, Kind and Merciful.” [Al-Hajj 22:65],
“Indeed, God holds back the heavens and the earth from disappearing...” [Fatir 35:41],
“The heaven and the earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.” (Luke 21:33).
The earth has wondrous forces of renewal. For example, algae combine with fungi to grow on bare rocks and begin converting the rocks into fertile soil. Grazing animals cannot digest cellulose in grass without help from bacteria inside them. The most marvelous event in nature is photosynthesis, which involves about 70 separate chemical reactions. Therefore, green plants are called the factories of nature — beautiful, calm, non-polluting, producing oxygen, recycling water, and feeding the world. In this domain, prophet David ascribes praise to the Creator saying:
“How great are Your works, O LORD! Your thoughts are very deep. The earth is full of Your riches.” (Psalm 104:24).

27. In the most important scientific and technological fields, humans are not inventors or innovators, but mere imitators who often just repeat what plants and animals have done for thousands of years. This imitation of living things is so common that it has its own name—Bionics. Human technology remains far behind nature. Life manifests in various shapes, sizes, and quantities that leave imagination puzzled. There are one million species of insects. In water, more than 20,000 species of fish swim—some as small as a grain of rice, others as long as a truck. At least 350,000 plant species adorn the earth. More than 9,000 species of birds fly in the sky, including the eagle, the most proud of animals. There are more than two hundred million genera and species.

28. But more astonishing than this delightful diversity is the extreme similarity linking creatures together. In this domain, prophet David said:
“How great are Your works, O LORD! Your thoughts are very deep. The earth is full of Your riches. This great and wide sea, in which there are innumerable creeping things, both small and great animals.” (Psalm 104:24-25).
And in the Quran we read:
“And the burning sea.” [At-Tur 52:6].
Additionally, about 500 species of fish have electric batteries. The African catfish can generate 350 volts. The giant electric ray in the Atlantic Ocean produces pulses of 50 amperes at 60 volts. Electric shocks from the South American electric eel have been measured up to 886 volts generated by a single touch. The common shock from two electric eels is sufficient to kill a man.

29. On the other hand, humans use glycol in car coolants as antifreeze, but some microscopic plants use chemically similar glycerol to avoid freezing in Antarctic lakes. Some fish produce their own antifreeze substance. Biologist Lewis Thomas said termites cooled their homes long before modern cooling technology.

30. And what about flight? Wings of planes and modern technology still fall short of the engineering marvels in bird wings. Birds can navigate by the sun and stars. They must have internal clocks that keep accurate time and schedules. In this domain, the Quran says:
“Do you not see that God glorifies whoever is in the heavens and the earth, and the birds with wings spread? Each knows its prayer and glorification, and God is aware of what they do.” [An-Nur 24:41].
This was confirmed by prophet Jeremiah when he said:
“But the stork in the heavens knows its appointed time, and the turtledove and the swallow and the crane observe the time of their coming.” (Jeremiah 8:7).
Magnetic compasses in birds’ heads are among the means by which they find their way. In this domain, prophet Job said:
“Does the eagle mount up at your command, and make its nest on high? It dwells on the rock, and stays there at night; upon the crag of the rock and stronghold. From there it seeks prey; its eyes observe afar off. Its young ones suck up blood.” (Job 39:26-30).
Carrier pigeons can return home by sensing the earth’s magnetic field. Moreover, germs contain particles of magnetite of exactly the right size to act as a compass. Magnetite has been found in many birds, bees, butterflies, dolphins, and others.

31. In another realm, American alligators sometimes cover their eggs with decayed plant material to produce heat. Regarding lighting, the invention of the electric bulb is attributed to Thomas Edison. However, its efficiency is not high as it wastes energy as heat. Fireflies excel as they flash their lights, producing cold light without wasting any energy. Many sponges, fungi, bacteria, and worms glow brightly. One called the railroad worm is like a miniature train with its red front light and eleven pairs of white windows. Many fish living in ocean waves illuminate and shine. In this domain, prophet Solomon said:
“...God made man upright, but they have sought out many inventions.” (Ecclesiastes 7:29).
And Paul said in his epistle to the Romans:
“For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made...” (Romans 1:20).

32. Regarding leaves, wasps and hornets chew wood exposed to air producing gray paper with which they build their nests. Regarding rotary engines, microorganisms preceded humans by thousands of years in making it as a ship’s propeller to move forward; they can even reverse the engine’s rotation and reach speeds of 45 km/h. A researcher concludes that nature indeed invented the wheel, the most important invention.

33. Regarding thermometers, no matter how much people develop them, they remain primitive compared to mosquitoes which sense changes of 0.003 degrees Fahrenheit. Some birds’ beaks and the wild turkey rooster can determine temperature within one degree Fahrenheit. Thus, in all scientific and technological fields, humans are not inventors or innovators but merely imitators of nature, animals, birds, and fish… This confirms what prophet Job said about 3600 years ago:
“Ask the beasts, and they will teach you; and the birds of the air, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you; and the fish of the sea will declare to you. Who does not know from all these that the hand of the LORD has done this?” (Job 12:7-9).

34. On the other hand, there is no creature on earth that surpasses humans in knowledge:
The blue whale weighs one hundred and fifty tons, so what is the weight of a human?

The most knowledgeable earth scientist with the highest degree in earthquakes cannot predict an earthquake even a second before it happens, but the donkey predicts an earthquake fifteen minutes before it occurs.

A dog’s sense of smell exceeds the human’s by one million times.

The falcon sees eight times more than humans; while soaring high in the sky, it can see the fish underwater and swoop on it.

Some animals reach speeds of 125 kilometers per hour.

In deep waters live fish in the Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean, the deepest place on earth (12,000 meters below sea level). The most modern submarine today cannot go beyond 7,000 meters below sea level without being crushed by water pressure. This fish swims easily in the Mariana Trench.

Some animals grow a new tooth if one falls out; where is dentistry?

Some animals grow a new hand if their hand is cut off. This is beyond all human capability.

Some worms, if cut into two halves, grow a tail on the head side and a head on the tail side.
All this means there is no complex trait in humans that animals do not exceed.
wonderful scientific miracle, today’s world suffers from heart hypertrophy, harshness of nature, dullness of thought, and collapse of imagination wings. Therefore, we must renew our minds, liberate our intellect from customs and traditions...

35 Despite the magnitude of this wonderful scientific miracle, the world today suffers from heart enlargement, harshness of nature, dullness of thinking, and the collapse of the wings of imagination. Therefore, we must renew our minds and free our intellect from habits and traditions and train our senses so that our gazes become bright, clear, pure, and our eyes enlightened. People in our era are dying spiritually, socially, politically, educationally, culturally, morally, economically, and developmentally... They have been let down by their shepherds, their leaders, their politicians, their rich, their intellectuals, their teachers, and their guardians... Only God alone is able to raise them from their afflictions and save them from it.

36 Our backwardness is not due to our distance from religion, for advanced atheist nations have no religion. We are backward because we do not take the causes of progress and development, and we have failed due to our corruption and the corruption of our governments. We have become reactionary because we are distant from science, sciences, and education, and our condition is miserable because we are a nation that thinks God has only guided others besides us. So when will we realize that religion is not a beard, nor a rosary, nor a shout, nor a turban, nor memorizing verses and hadiths we do not apply, nor myths, nor priesthood, nor sectarianism, nor partisanship, nor racism, nor sectarianism... For in Islam there is no difference between white and black except by piety. Rather, it is that dealings among people are duties and rights, forgiveness and mercy, kindness and compassion, knowledge and work, perseverance, seriousness, and diligence.

37 Indeed, the most important factors that have led to what humanity suffers today are ignorance or deliberate neglect. Therefore, we live in states of chaos in various aspects, so much so that no society on the face of the earth is safe from this increasing chaos, whether it is an advanced or backward society, with differences in the type and extent of chaos, and in its causes and results... What is truly amazing is that thinkers, scientists, and all stakeholders know this. Yet despite this knowledge, they have not had serious and purposeful attempts to eliminate the factors that support this chaos and spread tension and instability in people's lives. When we realize this, change will occur and our status among ourselves and among peoples will rise.

If a believer and a disbeliever go down into the sea, only the one who learned to swim will survive.

Dr. Antoin Jaajaa
(Clinical Psychology)
antoinjaajaa@gmail.com