Systematic Thought

Dear Friends,

According to the observation that Allah has graciously allowed this poor fellow (faqir) to have:

Today, unfortunately, the great majority of us have serious misunderstandings concerning our holy book, the Koran, as well as the Rasul of Allah and the Deen (Religion) of Islam.

Besides, we are not aware of our misunderstandings because we consider each and every subject detached from the others and we do not examine the existing data connected to each other within a complete system.

This is in fact where the difference between an intellectual and the rest of people stands.

For the intellectual, no subject should be considered cut-off from the rest. A subject must definitely be considered within the context of related subjects and in connection with them, and these must be thoroughly considered and evaluated all together.

Just as in a puzzle, every piece must find its proper place and finally produce a single picture.

For the non-intellectual, however, —no matter whatever title he may bear—, what matters is to put together in one box hundreds or thousands of pieces that make up the single picture. He will be satisfied with the small phenomenon he holds in his hands and may even accuse others of blasphemy if they speak of the single picture emerging in the whole.

On the other hand, those with limited intelligence, who find it a mistake to put the pieces side by side that do not match, lay blame on the picture, saying, “It does not look like anything! What nonsense!” simply because of those who fail to understand the puzzle in their hands.

The Deen speaks to two sorts of believers:

1. People of limited intelligence or the close-minded people, trying to save themselves through holding onto it in fear and without understanding;

2. Those with thinking brains, aiming to appreciate the Deen through understanding.

Thinking brains evaluate both the Koran and the Rasul of Allah in a universal dimension above all times rather than within the conditions of the time in which they came, and try to understand them in a way that will allow them to apply even to a thousand years from now.

They try to shed light on how these messages should be understood for all lives [at all times] rather than emphasizing the form [literal meaning] of the words and their possible usages at the time when they came.

They try to understand the “spirit” of the verses of the Koran and the words spoken.

They explore the purposes for which, and as to why, and in order to replace what with what that the verses were revealed or those words were spoken.

It is such explorations that make the thinking brains arrive at the “spirit” of the Koran and the “truth” (haqiqat) of the Rasul’s mission.

As a result, they come to realize the fact that:

“The Deen (Religion) at the sight of ALLAH is ISLAM.”

May Allah free us all from our restricted personal evaluations and allow us to attain the Deen at the sight of Allah (indAllah) that is Islam.

April 6, 1999
NJ – USA