The need to use intellect/logic (aql) in religious matters ◦ Common perception vs Quranic approach

Why bother about religion? Can’t we do without it? ◦ Reality vs knowledge of reality◦ Avoidance of pain◦ Faith in God impacts our daily lives

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Can we suspend judgment about God’s existence? ◦ No ordinary theoretical argument ◦ Only three possible answers

1. Believe in God2. Don’t believe in God3. Suspend judgment

◦ 2 & 3 result in the same type of deeds, so they should be treated the same way Deeds determine our final destination – haven

or hell Deeds-wise skeptic and non-believer are the

same

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Even if there were no God, we would have had to create one◦ If there is no divine philosophy, utilitarianism is the

only other alternative for ethical beliefs, currently being practiced by the majority of people and nations◦ Its basis is temporary by definition; it has no

permanent ground and keeps changing◦ If a utilitarianist exhibits permanent ethical behavior its

source is subconsciously in religion, because he cannot indicate the source in his utilitarian philosophy◦ To find a permanent anchor for self, societies or

nations one needs to create a God or a God-like character Samuel Huntington on the REAL America (founding fathers’

creed)

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Can we suspend judgment about God’s existence?◦ Believing in God is a

less risky strategy◦ If there is no God, no

problem◦ If there is, the

nonbeliever is in trouble

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Two theories about creation of universe: By design or by accident

Modern day scientists mostly prefer the accident theory, but is it logical?

Law of probabilities can help us determine the likelihood of God’s non-existence

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Law of probabilities – we cannot be 100% sure if God exists but we can be 99.9% sure

Tossing of a coin◦ Probability of getting a head 10 times in a row is

0.097% ◦ Probability of getting a head 100 times in a row is

0.000000000000000000000000000000079% or 7.9 X 10-31

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Rubik’s Cube The Cube has

43,252,003,274,489,856,000 different possible configurations

One, and only one, of these possibilities presents the 'solved' Cube, having a single color on each of its 6 sides

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If you allow one second for each turn, it would take you 1400 trillion years to go through ALL the possible configurations. In comparison, the whole universe is only 14 billion years old

The least number of moves required in unscrambling the Cube from the worst disorder, the shortest route, is often called God's Algorithm

That number is 50

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These examples show how difficult it is to obtain a pre-determined or desired sequence of events in an uncontrolled situation

Apply this example on the universe ◦ To enable life on earth what were the desired

conditioned required? ◦ Air, Sunlight, Water, Gravity, Ozone layer, Earth’s

orbital & axial movement, etc etc

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The probability of all these conditions becoming available to cause life on earth ‘accidentally’ is much less than in the Rubik’s Cube example, or the coin tossing example

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Law of conservation of mass – history

Second law of thermodynamics (also called the law of entropy) has proved the universe must have a fixed life

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Is a second creation possible? Yes, because the first creation is in front of us

Is a second creation needed? Yes, because full and fair reward and punishment cannot take place in this world

If it is possible and needed, then it must be there, because the Creator, being Hakeem, is expected to create all things needed

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Prophets of all times conveyed the same message – unity of God, accountability in the hereafter, haven and hell – without seeking a reward for themselves

Their personal characters were the best among their contemporaries

Is it possible that so many truthful and pious people agreed on falsehood in advance?

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Contrast this with the non-believers None of them can prove the non-existence

of God No unity of thought for this non-belief No consistency of opinion Not the best people morally and ethically

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Don’t know, but certainly there is only one GUARANTEED right path; all others are risky◦ The shortest route from one point to another is only

one; others are longer or never reach the destination◦ God’s message through prophet Muhammad PBUH is

the shortest and sure-shot route to salvation; try other routes (other religions, mysticism) at your own risk◦ Is it worth taking a risk on something as important as

this?

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Route 2

Route 3

Route 1

Salvation point

Two types of laws in this world/universe; Physical laws and Moral laws

Physical laws: Accumulation and transfer of knowledge from one generation to next has been the key to historical progress of man

Moral laws: We insist on each generation experiencing on its own and learning its own lessons – transferring parents’ morality on to children is considered a sign of backwardness

Why inconsistency of approach when the same God has created both types of laws?

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