QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT ISLAM VOL. 1 QUESTIONS & ANSWERS about ISLAM VOL. 1 Translated by Muhammed Çetin New Jersey 2006 Copyright © 2006 by The Light, Inc. First published 2000 Revised edition 2006 Originally published in Turkish as Asrýn Getirdiði Tereddütler (1-4) 09 08 07 06 2 3 4 5 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from the Publisher. Published by The Light, Inc. 26 Worlds Fair Dr. Unit C Somerset, New Jersey, 08873, USA www.thelightpublishing.com http://fgulen.org Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Gülen, Fethullah. [Asrin getirdigi tereddütler. English.] Questions & answers about Islam / by M. Fethullah Gülen ; translated by Muhammed Çetin. -- Rev. ed. p. cm. "Originally published in Turkish as Asrin getirdigi tereddütler." Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 1-59784-064-5 (v. 1 : pbk.) -- ISBN 1-59784-065-3 (v. 1 : hardcover) -- ISBN 1-932099-25-5 (v. 2 : pbk.) 1. Islam--Theology--Miscellanea. 2. Islam-- Doctrines--Miscellanea. I. Title. II. Title: Questions and answers about Islam. BP166.G8513 2006 297.2--dc22 2006026406 Printed by Çaðlayan A.Þ. Izmir, Turkey August 2006 TABLE OF CONTENTS Publisher’s Note........................................................................................vii About the Author.......................................................................................xi Chapter 1: GOD 1.1. Does God exist? ..............................................................................3 1.2. Who created God?.........................................................................11 1.3. Why can’t we see God?..................................................................13 1.4. Why did God create the universe? .................................................17 1.5. Since God knows what we will do, why does He send us to the world?.............................................................................21 1.6. What is the difference between god, God, and Allah?....................23 Chapter 2: RELIGION 2.1. The Qur’an says: There is no compulsion in religion (2:256). What does this mean?....................................................................27 2.2. What is the point of worship, and why does it have to be done in a certain way? ...................................................................33 2.3. What is the primordial covenant (Qalu Bala)? ..............................39 2.4. What is guidance? Can we guide others? .......................................49 2.5. What is the purpose of spiritual tension? ......................................53 2.6. Will religion, supposedly developed by “primitive” people to explain the unknown, eventually become unnecessary?..............61 2.7. Submission, sense, and reason .......................................................67 2.8. Can Islam solve every problem?.....................................................69 2.9. Why does Islam allow slavery?.......................................................71 Chapter 3: THE QUR’AN 3.1. Did the Prophet Muhammad write the Qur’an? ............................81 3.2. Why was the Qur’an revealed over a period of 23 years? ...............89 3.3. The first verse of the Qur’anic revelation begins with the command “Read!” (Alaq 96:1). What can be the Divine wisdom behind this? .....................................................................93 vi Table of Contents 3.4. Why does the Qur’an not discuss scientific issues that concern us today? .......................................................................................99 3.5. When modern science agrees with the Qur’an .............................107 Chapter 4: PROPHETHOOD AND THE PROPHETS 4.1. What is the role of Prophethood and of Prophets? .....................113 4.2. How many Prophets were there? Were they all from Arabia?.......119 4.3. Was the Prophet Muhammad’s mission limited and temporary?....125 4.4. Why was the Prophet polygamous? .............................................129 Chapter 5: SATAN 5.1. What is Satan and why was he created? .......................................141 5.2. How should we react to the evil thoughts and desires? ...............145 5.3. How to keep free of Satanic suggestions......................................149 5.4. Why does Satan insist on his unbelief? ........................................151 Chapter 6: DESTINY AND FREE WILL 6.1. Can we choose our actions?.........................................................157 6.2. What happens to people born and living in non-Islamic countries?...161 6.3. Why are there fortunate and unfortunate people? .......................171 6.4. Why are some people created “more equal” than others? ............175 6.5. Are the manner and time of death predetermined? ......................177 6.6. Why are whole nations no longer punished? ...............................181 Chapter 7: DEATH 7.1. What is death?.............................................................................185 7.2. What about the angel of death? ...................................................187 7.3. What do we feel at the time of death? .........................................189 7.4. Should we fear death?..................................................................191 7.5. What happens to the spirit? .........................................................193 7.6. Why does one creature’s life depend on the death of another? ....197 Chapter 8: MISCELLANEOUS ISSUES 8.1. Can our intention save us?...........................................................205 8.2. What is the Sunna’s role today? ...................................................209 8.3. Why is atheism so widespread?....................................................213 8.4. What is jihad?..............................................................................221 8.5. Are Muslims guilty of imperialism? ............................................237 8.6. Is reincarnation compatible with Islam?.......................................243 Notes ....................................................................................................253 Index ....................................................................................................261 PUBLISHER’S NOTE kepticism has been slowly subverting and destroying reli- gious faith. In Europe, where this mood began and from S where it was exported, Christianity could not withstand the doubts and questions of its adherents. The result was a wide- spread rejection and denial of God and religion. The Muslim world has not been immune to this malign influence. Especially in the early years of the modern age, a number of Muslims aban- doned Islam while others killed themselves, saying that life without faith had no meaning. Islamic civilization has been under cultural attack for the bet- ter part of a thousand years. The Muslims’ minds and hearts of have been targeted; Islam’s principles, values, and symbols have been misrepresented and abused. This led to a loss of Muslim economic and military power, which forced Islam to give up its jurisdiction over public life. In addition, this long process caused a severe decay in our collective consciousness, one that can be cured only with the medicine of the Qur’an and faith. Islamic scholars have been aware of these facts. The late Omer Nasuhi Bilmen said: “Contemporary Islamic scholars should review the latest trends in philosophy that cast doubts and trou- ble into the minds of many, and should prepare new works of kalam (theology) to answer them.”1 Said Nursi said: “As criticism became popular and widespread, materialism had the chance to infect and spread like a plague of the spirit, borrowing ideas and inspiration from science and knowledge. As it combined with a false sense of freedom and pride, it became even more widespread.” Some novels presented materialism as an imagined world designed to appeal to the whole imagination, not just the intel- lect. As a result, materialism’s attendant attitudes spread faster than ever. In particular, they infected the minds of those young Muslims viii Questions and Answers about Islam Vol. 1 who did not read or reflect to any appreciable degree. Whether in small circles or large gatherings, skepticism was on the main agenda. Wherever faith and religion were mentioned, always the same doubts and questions were raised. Some people who wished to respond could not do so. In effect, they closed their ears to the voices of skepticism. In the indignation of their own secure faith, they repressed their own doubts and questions. While they could not answer, their faith was simply so firm, the pleasure they took in worship so serious and profound, that doubt had no chance to take root. Some reacted excessively, accusing those who had doubts of heresy and refusing to consider the intention behind their questions. Such attitudes and accusations only aggravated the situation. When those who honestly sought answers could not get them, they were disappointed and pushed ever closer to a dangerous moral vacuum. Some already were trapped in the downward spi- ral of rejection and denial. Determined materialists found this situation well suited to their purpose of establishing an ideolog- ical conflict between Islam and “modern” skepticism. This con- flict caused many to deviate; at the least, it left deep scars. In the past, unbelief