Can’t we believe in God without following a religion?
Should I believe in any religion in order to believe in God?
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I know many people who believe in the existence of a Creator but they do not belong to any religion. Does Belief in God Necessitate Belief in Religion?
We have previously deduced- by means of logic and reason- that God, or a Creator does exist, and we said that he is absolute and is characterized by perfection; otherwise the universe wouldn’t be as intricate and precise as it is. He is the All-Knowing, All-Aware, All-Wise.Otherwise this vast universe would burst in less than a second, because it cannot be sustained in the absence of intricate laws.
So, He is All-Knowing, All-Wise, and All-Aware. Now the question is: Would it make sense for Him to create us and abandon us? Or would it be more wise of Him to communicate with us, to tell us about Himself, and to inform us about which things are good for us in this life, and which are harmful, in order that we may be successful?
You don’t abandon your creations of art and Music, so why will God abandon his?
Certainly, it would not be wise of Him to abandon us in this world; to leave us to our own devices; for instance unaware of how to earn a living, so people would steal- not knowing any better. Or to leave us unaware of the sanctity of marriage, so that people would merely reproduce like animals; men having sexual relations with any woman he so chooses, without any consent from her or commitment to her. He must tell us,for example, that males and females shall marry each other and come together with mutual love, living in tranquility, and that a man’s choice of wife cannot be his sister, daughter, mother, or aunt. The absence of such instructions would result in a society akin to a jungle; devoid of order and peace. Therefore, it only makes sense that after creating us, He would most certainly communicate with us.
God’s communication- If God chooses to Communicate with us, how will he do?
Now, how would He communicate with us? Certainly not via e-mail or cell phones, because these means occasionally get disconnected. The best method is to send us someone to inform us and explain things to us. Whom should He send? An angel? If so, we would get scared and run away. It would be best to send someone from among us; the best one among us, and to give him a book to relate to us, and He be forbidden to add, remove, or amend any part of it. This is, simply religion; the channel of communication between a sender and recipients, through messengers and messages.
When He sent someone, he did not send for instance Abu-Jahl, who was an infamous man. Rather, He sent someone who was known amongst his people as ‘the honest and trustworthy man‘. He gave him a book and told him that he was not allowed to alter it in any way.The Quran says: ‘It is but a revelation revealed,’ Quran 53:4
Science and Knowledge do not dictate morals. God’s communication does.
Religion is very important to mankind. It is the source of morals. The thinkers amongst atheist, when confronted with the question ‘What is the source of morals?’ Respond that science and knowledge dictate morals. Science may very well be the reference for right and wrong in the natural sciences, but not in morals. Were the scientists who wiped out millions of human lives in Hitler’s crematories during Nazi Germany right or wrong? From a scientific perspective, they were exceptional because they were highly efficient; they killed a maximum number of people with a minimal amount of gas and monetary cost. However, from a moral perspective, they were wrong, because they killed many innocent people.So what is the source of morals, then? Science does not teach us what is morally right or morally wrong and knowledge is inherited and accumulated. Some may claim that instinct is responsible for human morals. Perhaps it is possible to accept that to a certain extent. However, even if we suppose that instinct directs our morals to some degree, it can never be said to determine what is right and wrong entirely. For instance, human beings differ greatly depending on the place, religion, culture and age of a people, as to whether or not it is morally right to get high. In certain cultures it is encouraged to consume drugs and in others it is discouraged, who is right and who is wrong? There needs to be a judge between us, someone who knows better than fallible human beings. And the one to do that is simply GOD. How will He communicate his instructions to us? Through the communication channel which He has established for that purpose; messengers and messages; Religion.
If the answer is Religion, then which Religion is the right one?
There are many religions in this world; which of them is the right one? Muslims believe that there is one God, and there is one human race. Since there is one God, then there is one sender, and since there is only one human race, that is the receiver. There is one sender and one receiver. So there must be only one religion. That religion is not the religion of Mohamed or that of Jesus or that of Moses; it is God’s religion which He sent to that one human race, once through Mohamed, and once through Jesus before him, and through Moses before them.
The Religion which is Palatable to all is the True Religion.
God’s religion must be suitable for all people. regardless of their race, age, color or sex. Well, let’s take an example, what is the only beverage which is suitable for all people? Before offering a guest something to drink, people may ask, ‘Do you drink tea?’ because some people don’t drink tea, or they may ask, ‘Do you drink coffee?’ because some people don’t drink coffee. The one thing they serve without asking is water. Has anyone ever asked you, ‘Do you drink water?’ That would be a funny question. Why? Because we all drink water. Why water? Because water is colorless and odorless. Water is palatable to all, because it is neither salty nor sweet. likewise God’s religion, in order to be suitable for all people, men and women, white and black, Arabs and Indians, must be pure like water, untainted by culture. The problem is that everyone mixes religion with his or her culture, to paint religion with his or her own color. Arabs Arabize it, Indians Indianize it, Persians Persianize it which does no justice to religion
This religion must be suitable for all people. It must not be exclusive or limited. It must not be named after a human being or a clan or a geographical region. It must be called the religion of obeying God; the religion of submitting to God’s commands – in other words, Submission, which in Arabic is Islam. All the Prophets referred to themselves as ‘Muslims’,meaning those who submit and all of their followers referred to themselves as ‘Muslims’ or those who submit as well. This is all mentioned in the Holy Quran.
- Prophet Noah says, Quran 10:72 ‘and I have been commanded to be of the Muslims’.
- As for Prophet Abraham, the Quran says: Quran 2:131 ‘When his Lord said to him, “Submit”, he said “I have submitted to the Lord of the worlds.”‘
- Then we come to Prophet Moses. We tend to think of his people as Jewish. Yes, ethnically, they were Jews, but when it comes to religion, let us hear what he told them.The Quran Says:
- Quran 10:84 -‘And Moses said, ‘O my people, if you have believed in God, then rely upon Him, if you are (indeed) Muslims.” So the followers of Moses are Muslims; their religion is Islam.
- Pharaoh’s sorcerers after accepting the religion and just before being executed said, Quran 7:126 -‘Our Lord, pour upon us patience and let us die as Muslims (in other words in submission to You).”
- Prophet Solomon sent to the Queen of Sheba, saying, Quran 27:31 -‘do not put yourselves above me but come to me in submission to God, as Muslims.’
- As narrated in the Quran, the Queen of Sheba said, Quran 27:44 -‘My Lord, indeed I have wronged myself, and I submit with Solomon to Allah, Lord of the worlds.’
- Then we come to the apostles of Jesus, son of Mary. The Quran tells us: Quran 5:111 ‘And [remember] when I inspired to the disciples, ‘Believe in Me and in My messenger Jesus.’ They said, ‘We have believed, so bear witness that indeed we are Muslims.”
- The Prophet Mohammad said, ‘All the prophets are brothers ; their mothers are different, but their religion is one’ [Sahih al-Bukhari]
The religion of God. The religion of Islam. That is the religion that all the prophets have conveyed to mankind.
(Note from SFP- Now that you know what a true Religion is, Click Here for the Answer how to recognize if a Revelation is true i.e What is a True Revelation?)
Why must I pray? Why must I worship God in a certain way? Can I pray my own way.
If you wish to communicate with me, I tell you the best way to do so, be it on my cell phone, landline, or via e-mail. And when I tell you to call my cell phone, you can’t just call any number; you must take my number to call me. if you want to communicate with me, I have to tell you the most convenient way to do so, and I give you the number on which you can reach me.
And to Allah belongs the utmost example of perfection. If you want to communicate with Him, you do it His way; not yours. There’s a number you must call everyday: 24434. You must call that number every day. Dial anything else and you’ll get a wrong number. It represents our daily prayers, and the number of rak’as or circuits of prayer that must be done: 2 circuits of prayer at dawn, 4 at noon, 4 in the afternoon, 3 after sunset, and 4 in the evening. The standard rule in worship is prohibition of any form of worship, except that which we were instructed to do. We can’t worship God in a way other than that which He has decreed; otherwise we would be improvising God’s religion.
Conclusion – Yes, religion is necessary to believe in God as God’s true communication to us exists -The Quran. A refusal to communicate the way God commands us implies either willful disobedience or disbelief all together, both being serious sins. True Religion is the only source for morals acceptable to all and would result in a society akin to a jungle; devoid of order and peace as morals from human beings belonging to a certain society or culture may not be acceptable to others. There is only One right religion as there is Only One God (The sender) and we are One as a Human Race (The receiver).
God has not abandoned the Universe after Creating it. He has given us guidelines to live by.
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Courtesy-
This article is a transcript of Islamophobia Season 2 Episode 4; Subscribe to Islamophobia Series by Fadel Soliman; bridges-foundation.org; Official website of Fadel Soliman fadelsoliman.com;