The Earthly Religion Is Always Closely Linked to Ignorance
Published in January 18, 2017
Translated by Ahmed Fathy
Introduction:
We have recently written an article titled (in English) "Ascribing Notions and Narratives to God without Knowledge Is among the Features of Disbelief" found on this link: ( http://www.ahl-alquran.com/English/show_article.php?main_id=15895 ), and it has been about those polytheists and disbelievers who ascribe to God things they do not know. This article is a sequel to it; it tackles those ignorant disbelieving ones who talk about religion without knowledge. Details about this topic are given below.
Firstly: religion and knowledge:
1- There are two types of knowledge: (1) one about religion (also called metaphysics), and (2) one about God's creations and creatures (also called physics).
2- The second type of knowledge, or physics, is called "the outer aspect of worldly life" in Quranic terminology; some human beings within certain civilizations reached advanced knowledge in that field, past and present, and within ancient times, such civilizations had established magnificent monuments, but they were disbelieving polytheists who spread corruption on earth and Almighty God had smitten them and He mentions some of their stories in the Quran. God in the Quran tells us to roam the earth to see remnants of such ancient civilizations of those who were once mighty (mightier than Arabs) as they had knowledge of outer aspect of life but they were ignorant as far as metaphysics or true religion is concerned; God says the following about the vast majority of human beings: "…Most people do not know. They know an outer aspect of the worldly life, but they are heedless of the Hereafter. Do they not reflect within themselves? God did not create the heavens and the earth, and what is between them, except with reason, and for a specific duration. But most people, regarding meeting their Lord, are disbelievers. Have they not travelled the earth and seen how those before them ended up? They were more powerful than them, and they cultivated the land and developed it more than they developed it, and their messengers came to them with clear signs. God would never wrong them, but they used to wrong themselves." (30:6-9).
3- Those people among ancient eras had advanced knowledge of the physical world that enabled them to erect their civilizations, but they were among the unjust, evil corrupters, and they were so proud of such worldly knowledge that they ridiculed the metaphysical knowledge of true religion, and this was why God punished them. Their remains, ruins, and monuments are still there, and God tells us to roam the earth to watch them: "Have they not journeyed through the land, and seen the outcome for those before them? They were more numerous than they, and had greater power and influence in the land. But what they had achieved availed them nothing. When their messengers came to them with clear proofs, they rejoiced in the knowledge they had, and the very things they used to ridicule besieged them." (40:82-83).
Secondly: the relation between religion and both physics and metaphysics:
1- As we have mentioned many times before in our writings, religion is of two types only: the divine celestial one of the Truth and the earthly, fabricated, man-made ones. The true God's religion is one sent by God to, and conveyed by, all God's prophets who carried the one divine, celestial message of deification and sanctification of God alone: (There is no God but Allah), and it contains no clergy at all. As for the earthly, fabricated, man-made religions, they are formulated as per desires, whims, and caprices of its fabricators to serve their interests and purposes, and they are polytheistic religions that deify and sanctify real/imagined mortals and tangible/imaginary items/things, and such creeds contain clergy of course. Accordingly, the celestial, divine true religion that has descended from God, the Almighty, the, Omniscient, and the Wise, is deemed to be the only true metaphysical knowledge of religion, whereas the earthly religions made up and forged by human clergy always reflect the human ignorance; i.e., ignorance of God and His true religion.
2- Both the divine, true religion and the earthly, man-made ones have the notion of the belief in the unseen (a.k.a. the metaphysical realm) and contain ways of how to deal with life/nature/people (i.e., the physical realm), but both types of religion differ a vast deal in methodology.
3- The methodology of the true, divine, celestial religion in dealing with the physical realm is to roam the earth/nature within empiricism and experiments to discover and unveil its secrets, in order to achieve the following two aims.
3/1: The first one is using physics (natural sciences) and empiricism to discover God's creation and creatures, from the cell and atom to the galaxies, in order to believe in the Greatness and Omnipotence of God, based on studying His Creativity in the universe, and hence will come the belief in the Day of Resurrection, as per the Quran: "Have they not seen how God originates the creation, and then reproduces it? This is easy for God. Say, "Roam the earth, and observe how He originated the creation." Then God will bring about the next existence. God has power over all things."" (29:19-20).
3/2: The second one is to excavate (within archeology, anthropology, and so on and so forth) ruins, remains, and monuments of past civilizations and peoples in order to draw useful lessons in life and in religion: "Have they not journeyed in the land and observed the fate of those who preceded them? They were superior to them in strength. But nothing can defeat God in the heavens or on Earth. He is indeed Omniscient and Omnipotent." (35:44); " Have they not travelled through the earth, and seen the consequences for those before them? They were stronger than them, and they left more impact on earth. But God seized them for their sins, and they had no defender against God. That is because their messengers used to come to them with clear proofs, but they disbelieved, so God seized them. He is Strong, Severe in retribution." (40:21-22).
4- The methodology of the true, divine, celestial religion in dealing with the metaphysical realm/ the unseen is to believe in what is ONLY mentioned about it in the Quran, while rejecting anything about it mentioned elsewhere. The reason: the realm of the unseen pertains only to Almighty God, Who chose to reveal parts of it in the Quran, and never elsewhere. This unseen/unknown includes everything in the Quranic text related to Quranic stories of previous peoples and prophets, ethereal beings like evils and angels that we cannot see, as well as anything related to the Last Day. Such aspect of the unseen must be believed in by true believers, without a word less or a word more. One of the descriptions of true believers in the Quran is to believe in that metaphysical realm/aspect: "Those who believe in the unseen…" (2:3). God prohibits in the Quran to refute or to add to the elements of the unseen mentioned in the Quran: "We did not call them to witness the creation of the heavens and the earth, nor their own creation; and We do not take the misleaders for assistants." (18:51).
5- As for the methodology of the earthly, man-made religions, their clergy and fabricators deify themselves by ascribing their falsehoods about the metaphysical realm. Their claims contradict God and His Word: the Quran. The clergy and the fabricators create other deities and demi-gods alongside with Allah, and they make up stories, legislations, and myths to support their views and falsehoods. By their mere tackling and discussing the unseen or the metaphysical realm, their added tales make them spread mythology, lies, and ignorance.
6- When a given earthly, man-made, fabricated religion dominate a given society, the ignorant clergy do not only invent mythical stories and falsehoods about the metaphysics, but also ones related to the physicals world as well, by issuing edicts (i.e., fatwas) that seemed hallowed and infallible to the gullible masses, while those who dare to refute and question such fatwas be deemed as apostates, infidels, and heretics, as was the case with the Church of Europe in the Middle Ages, and as is the case with Wahabi sheikhs and clergy now, who stick to myths of Al-Bokhary (and other books) about 'medicine' and other fields. We cannot help but notice the huge difference between the scientific interests of people in the West and the interests of Wahabi clergy and scholars. We assert here that scientific advancement is linked directly to escape the trap of earthly religions; when Europe revolted against the earthly ecclesiastical religion of the Church, Europeans roamed the earth and made amazing discoveries and inventions, and they imposed a curfew on the Church so as to prevent its interference in physical knowledge and politics. This major, important step (that we wish to see it occur in the Arab world) has separated, once and for all, physics and metaphysics.
7- Hence, as far as religion is concerned, there are two types of knowledge: true one conveyed by God through the divine, celestial message, and the falsehoods (ascribed falsely to God) posing as 'knowledge', but they are indeed the source of ignorance of God's religion and of the physical world as well.
Thirdly: God's religion (the Quran lone) is true knowledge of God and metaphysics, whereas earthly, man-made religions are ignorance or 'knowledge' consisting of lies and falsehoods:
1- The Quranic term ''knowledge'' is one of the many names given to the Quran; God has said the following to Muhammad about People of the Book who were in Arabia: "… And if you were to follow their desires, after the knowledge that has come to you, you would be in that case one of the wrongdoers." (2:145); "And if anyone disputes with you about him, after the knowledge that has come to you, say…" (3:61).
2- The Quranic terms "knowledge" and "wisdom" are used in the Quranic text to describe previous celestial, divine messages of other prophets as well; for instance, Abraham implored God with these words: ""My Lord! Grant me wisdom, and include me with the righteous." (26:83); and he said the following to his disbelieving father: "O my father, there has come to me knowledge that never came to you…" (19:43). God says the following about Joseph: "When he reached his maturity, We gave him wisdom and knowledge…" (12:22); about Lot: " And Lot-We gave him wisdom and knowledge…" (21:74); about David and Solomon: "…and to each We gave wisdom and knowledge…" (21:79); about Moses: "And when he reached his maturity, and became established, We gave him wisdom and knowledge…" (28:14); and about David: "…and God gave him sovereignty and wisdom, and taught him as He willed…" (2:251).
3- The false knowledge, of lies and fabrications, consists always of human accumulated additions forced, as a form of transgression, upon the true religion, and it causes divisions among people. All the celestial, divine messages conveyed to prophets (from Adam to Muhammad) in different tongues and eras had but one clear essence: (There is no God but Allah); this is real Islam (i.e., submission to God), but people were misguided and they deviated from this clear message and divided and disputed in religion because of false knowledge of earthly, man-made religions: "Religion with God is Islam. Those to whom the Scripture was given differed only after knowledge came to them, out of transgression among themselves…" (3:19). The one celestial religion of God within the messages of all prophets had essentially the same sharia legislations: "He prescribed for you the same religion He enjoined upon Noah, and what We inspired to you, and what We enjoined upon Abraham, and Moses, and Jesus: "You shall uphold the religion, and be not divided therein." As for the polytheists, what you call them to is outrageous to them. God chooses to Himself whom He wills, and He guides to Himself whoever repents." (42:13). The source/cause of this division among people in matters of religion is the false knowledge of fabricated religion: "They became divided only after knowledge came to them, out of transgression among themselves…" (42:14). This grave major sin occurred within the Israelites as well: "We gave the Israelites the Book, and wisdom, and prophecy; and We provided them with the good things; and We gave them advantage over all other people. And We gave them precise rulings. They fell into dispute only after knowledge came to them, out of mutual rivalry. Your Lord will judge between them on the Day of Resurrection regarding the things they differed about." (45:16-17); God has said the following verse to Muhammad about the Quran itself: "Then We set you upon a pathway of faith, so follow it, and do not follow the inclinations of those who do not know." (45:18).
4- Clearly, the phrase "…those who do not know" in 45:18 refers to polytheistic disbelieving ignoramuses.
Fourthly: polytheists and disbelievers are the ignorant ones:
1- The Quran describes many times the polytheists and disbelievers as the ignorant ones; God has commanded Muhammad to say the following to the polytheists and disbelievers: "Say, "Is it other than God you instruct me to worship, you ignorant ones?"" (39:64). Moses described the Israelites as (ignorant people) when they asked him to create a tangible idol/deity for them to worship, beside Almighty God: "And We delivered the Israelites across the sea. And when they came upon a people who were devoted to some statues of theirs, they said, "O Moses, make for us a god, as they have gods." He said, "You are truly an ignorant people."" (3:138)
2- Indeed, there is a clear synonymy in the Quranic text between the two terms: ignorance and polytheism. God tells us, and has told Muhammad, to avoid the ignorant polytheistic disbelieving ones and to adhere to the Quranic revelation only: " Follow what was revealed to you from your Lord. There is no God but He. And turn away from the polytheists" (6:106); "So proclaim openly what you are commanded, and turn away from the polytheists." (15:94); "Say, "On the day of victory, the faith of those who disbelieved will be of no avail to them, and they will not be granted respite." So turn away from them, and wait. They too are waiting." (32:29-30); "And if you call them to guidance, they will not hear. And you see them looking at you, yet they do not see. Be tolerant, and command decency, and avoid the ignorant ones." (7:198-199).
Fifthly: polytheists and disbelievers are the ignorant ones because they have no real religious knowledge from God:
1- Those ignoramuses ascribe children to God, and God in the Quran refutes such falsehood and says they do not know and they have no knowledge at all: "And they said, "God has taken a son." Be He glorified. He is the Self-Sufficient. His is everything in the heavens and everything on earth. Do you have any proof for this? Or are you saying about God what you do not know?" (10:68); "And to warn those who say, "God has begotten a son." They have no knowledge of this, nor did their forefathers. Grave is the word that comes out of their mouths. They say nothing but a lie." (18:4-5).
2- Those ignoramuses debate over angels and God refutes them: "And they appoint the angels, who are servants to the Most Gracious, as females. Have they witnessed their creation? Their claim will be recorded, and they will be questioned. And they say, "Had the Most Gracious willed, we would not have worshiped them." But they have no knowledge of that; they are merely guessing." (43:19-20); "Those who do not believe in the Hereafter give the angels the names of females. They have no knowledge of that. They only follow assumptions, and assumptions are no substitute for the truth. So avoid him who has turned away from Our remembrance, and desires nothing but the present life. That is the extent of their knowledge…" (53:27-30).
3- By their ignorance (or false knowledge added forcibly to religion), they create myths and false deities/saints who are indeed mortals turned to dust in their tombs, and they sanctify and worship mausoleums and claimed that saints were allies in God's Kingdom controlling the universe; God says the following about them and about their gods: "Those they invoke besides God create nothing, but are themselves created. They are dead, not alive; and they do not know when they will be resurrected." (16:20-21). Of course, this applies to 'holy' tombs worshipped by the Muhammadans, past and present, including the mausoleum dedicated to Muhammad in Yathreb, which is mosque dedicated to the Devil who loves to see polytheistic Muhammadans worship Muhammad as immortal deity beside God. Of course, this applies to 'holy' tombs/mausoleums worshipped by Sufis as their gods/saints are entombed in tem yet deemed immortal as well; God says about such polytheistic people: "Yet they worship, besides God, things for which He sent down no warrant, and what they have no knowledge of…" (22:71); "Yet the wrongdoers follow their desires without knowledge…" (30:29). The believer among retinue of Moses' Pharaoh (who was true to himself and to God, as he had no real divine revelation/knowledge about Pharaonic deities) told his people the following: "You call me to reject God, and to associate with Him what I have no knowledge of…" (40:42).
4- Indeed, most people are accustomed to worship whatever in the same way which their ancestors adopted; they are Salafists (literally in Arabic, followers of the footsteps of their forefathers) who sanctify and revere fossilized and calcified notions of the 'holy' ancestral traditions, and they preserve such notions by preventing anyone from discussing them, because this will refute and undermine them, exposing them as mere lies and fabrications. Of course, misguided parents try to inculcate religious misguidance to their offspring, and God commands people to deal charitably and kindly to their parents while never obeying them if they demand polytheism (i.e., worship of saints, allies, associates, deities, etc. beside God) from their children: "We have advised the human being to be good to his parents. But if they urge you to associate with Me something you have no knowledge of, do not obey them. To Me is your return; and I will inform you of what you used to do." (29:8); "We have entrusted the human being with the care of his parents… But if they strive to have you associate with Me something of which you have no knowledge, do not obey them. But keep them company in this life, in kindness, and follow the path of him who turns to Me. Then to Me is your return; and I will inform you of what you used to do." (31:14-15); we see here how polytheism is described as lack of knowledge; disbelief is based on ignorance indeed, and not on knowledge at all.
5- Hence, the propagators or imams/leaders of polytheism are the most ignorant ones among all people.
Sixthly: imams of polytheism (i.e., clergy) are the most ignorant ones among all people:
1- Clergy are the most ignorant persons of all human beings, and yet, they retain their wealth, stature, and authority by teaching 'holy' mythology to citizens; thus, they teach them nothing but ignorance of God and of His true religion. The only true teaching of true useful knowledge is Quran (the only source of true religion) and natural/physical sciences or physics in general to which we have referred above. The Cairo-based Al-Azhar, in Egypt, teaches 'holy' ignorance and obscurantism in Egypt and in other countries; for instance, the faculty of 'religious' sciences, call, and sharia (theology) is the one at Al-Azhar University where students graduate and become preachers in Egypt and worldwide to spread 'hallowed' ignorance (esp. the obscurantist Wahabism) among all people in mosques, media, educational institutions, madrassas, schools, institutes, centers, etc. Such ignorance is called in the Quran "distracting tales", a terms that refers to lies, falsehoods, and myths that misguide people, and they are being spread as if they were 'true' and 'integral' part of Islamic sharia: such as the so-called hadiths and fiqh, in order to drive people away from the Quranic Truth. Hence, imams of ignorance spread such myths and falsehoods to keep their wealth and authority; this is their business and trade that they need to protect by making people discard the best of discourses: the Quran itself: "God has sent down the best of discourses: a Scripture consistent and paired. The skins of those who reverence their Lord shiver from it, then their skins and their hearts soften up to the remembrance of God. Such is God's guidance; He guides with it whomever He wills. But whomever God leaves astray, for him there is no guide." (39:23) . By propagating and spreading distracting tales and myths among people, the clergy and imams of ignorance misguide people and drive them away from God's Path without knowledge, and God says this will remain in past, present, and future eras as long as there will be human societies anywhere: "Among the people is he who trades in distracting tales; intending, without knowledge, to lead away from God's way, and to make a mockery of it. These will have a humiliating punishment." (31:6).
2- The ignoramuses own and control all media, and as long as there are human societies, those types of base, mean imams will exist to misguide people without knowledge: "Among the people is he who argues about God without knowledge, and follows every defiant devil." (22:3); "And among the people is he who argues about God without knowledge, or guidance, or an enlightening scripture." (22:8); "…Yet among the people is he who argues about God without knowledge, without guidance, and without an enlightening Scripture. And when it is said to them, "Follow what God has revealed," they say, "Rather, we follow what we found our parents devoted to." Even if Satan is calling them to the suffering of the Blaze?" (30:20-21).
3- God says the following about their state during the Last Day: " So let them carry their loads complete on the Day of Resurrection, and some of the loads of those they misguided without knowledge. Evil is what they carry." (16:25).