The Easy Way Out!
I am quite fed up with references to God appearing in daily conversation as the answer to everything. The ultimate way out of every debate. If you don’t want to think or have no interest in the conversation, just mention God as this is the solution to all problems. Why did the window break? because God wanted it to. Why did I lose my money? Because it was written in the book. Why did he kill his brother? Its fate. Why did that love relationship not work out? because god wanted things that way.
I have few problems with this notion. Indeed I do believe that the hand of God is what make the universe work the way it does. But what irritates me is how easy it is for people to blame him for their problems instead of taking control of their lives. For sure, nothing happens without the prior knowledge of the Almighty - but saying “because God decided so” or “its a miracle” does not offer any practical solution. It doesn’t even give you a problem or a hypothesis to examine. Its the end of all debates and not the way to move forward. As soon as someone mentions God - debates ends. Period. Finish. Move on to the next issue.
[..Had few historical examples here but then I decided to delete them..]
I guess what I am trying to say is lets try to think rationally about our problems. Indeed, the hand of God is obvious around us in everything we do - but lets analyse our problems and devise possible hypothesis and solutions, instead of dressing them with a glorious mystified religious title turning them into a taboo that no one is allowed to solve.
Update 4th Jan 06:
I certainly do not wish to be misinterpretted in this post. My frustration is entirely with using God as an excuse to our inability to solve our problems. This is indeed a trend that I see comes up again and again in our history. Newton for example with all his intellectual might failed to establish why the solar system does not collapse on itself and decided to blame it on God and to stop thinking about it saying:
“The six primary planets are evolved about the sun in circles concentric with the sun and with motions directed in towards the same parts and almost in the same plain. But is it not to be concieved that mere mechanical causes can give birth to so many regular motion. This most beautiful system of the sun and planets could only proceed from the counsil and dominion of an intellegent and powerful being”
(from Principia by Newton)
P. Laplase comes a 100 years later decided to have ago at the same problem and figures that you can actually ,using mathematics (rather than physics), systematically and reliably calculate the effect of the tugs and pulls in the solar system and demonstrate that in fact it is stable beyond the prediction of Newton and other scientists.
My point is, once you start blaming God for your problems. Your problem solving exercise STOPS. I agree with the view that Newton would have been able to come up with the math required for Laplase’s solar system, only if he did not decide to say its a miracle and has no explanation.
December 30th, 2006 at 11:20 am
First of all I would like to wish you a Happy Eid and a joyous holiday :-)
This is an interesting thought and me myself has often thought abt it!!!
There could be many reasons and some might even be fate or destiny, but i often think do we cause this ourselves?. We become so obsessed with life, we put up barriors and set high goals for ourselves and others because we want the perfect life that who knows maybe it doesn’t even exist.
finally i would like to remark that even thought everything is written in the book, the man is “mo5ayar” not “mosayar” and our faith and destiny is a result of our attitudes and actions.
January 1st, 2007 at 5:48 pm
Its good to see u back e3ashig ..
3eed Mubarak.. & Happy new year =)
“I guess what I am trying to say is lets try to think rationally about our problems. ”
I do agree with what ur saying.. in fact, Allah encouraged us to ask: why did this happen, how? .. Encouraged us to make attempts to find out answers to such questions, basically, to wonder.
It’s part of “Ta’ammol” or Pondering on signs of god. I read an interesting article in Islam Online that was concluded with this sentence:
..”the questions “why” and “how”, they will be able to understand that entire universe is the proof of the existence and power of God.”
So we really should stop referring to God when we want to escape, I use it sometimes btw.
January 2nd, 2007 at 1:24 pm
hello sultan,
first of all .. kl 3am o enta b5eer ..
i read this entry before but i didn’t have the right time to comment the proper comment on it. you brought a very hmm .. STRONG subject that is debatable and not-debatable .. and that i have always wondered and looked for around..
neways .. i understood wut u meant with your 1st sentence only later when i completed your whole entry.
but i have to say this .. i had a *shocked* look on my face when i read the first sentence. it gave me a feel of ur expressing a disbelief.
this is wut im refering to:
“I am quite fed up with references to God appearing in daily conversation as the answer to everything.”
Now about destiny and if its wut we are born with and its something never changes why should we pray and ask allah sub7aneh with doa’a. wut is the difference it will make if we pray more or less and wut is the difference with doa’a.
how do we succeed when we plan, do and pray allah “ywafegna”. i came to this while i was searchin my answers.
there is hadith that pleased me so much. yet i was still wondering how true is that. is it hadith (9a7i7) or weak or wut ..
the hadith is:
?? ???? ???? ??? ???? ????? ???? ??? : ( ?? ??? ?????? ??? ?????? ??? ???? ?? ????? ??? ???? )
? ?? ???? ??? (?? ??? ?????? ??? ?????? ? ?? ???? ?? ????? ??? ??? ?????)
??????? ?? ???? ? ??? ????? ???????..
My thought was if this is true then how come we believe in elga’6a2 o elgadar and there is nothing that can change the well of allah (sub7aneh o ta3ala).
and further search i reached to this: (which made the idea bit more complicated and yet understandable for me)
??????? ???? ????? ??????? ?? ?????? ??????? ? ??? ?????? ???????? ???? ??? ?? ??? ???? ????? ?? ???? ?? ????? ??? ???? ?? ???? ?? ????? ? ???? ??? ?????? ???? ?? ????? ??? ???? ?? ??????? ?? ?? ??? ???? ????? ?????? ?? ?????? ? ??? ??? ???? ?????? ???? ????? ????? ?? ?? ???? ?? ????? ????? ???? ?? ???? ??? ?????? ?? ?????? .
i’ve once got into a discussion with the mother of a lil’ girl who was “living” in the hospital because she was found to have CP after she was born. the mother was talking to me about (el3laj bel6aqa) and how she believes it can help her daughter neurons to regenerate. i wanted to leave making sure the mother doesn’t hold on hopeless kind of treatment and to focus on what really helps maintaining the lil’ baby’s life. I told her about that hadith and the explanation that came with it. it was the first time she hears it but it gave her a relief. Now im telling you this story because when muslims believe in elgada2 o elqadar they should also have hope and pray for allah to bring their wishes. from the idea that (enna allah etha a7ab a7adakum ebtalah) so that this person gets closer to allah with doa’a.
and to have hope all the time =)
AND about wut irritates you the most. that people refer to it when they want to finish a debate. i believe that is most probably the nicest way by which they can express to you that they don’t agree with wut you say and they don’t want to complete wut ever u r discussing with them =P
January 2nd, 2007 at 1:31 pm
i would like to mention the source is http://www.islamonline.net
and i still have to confirm “9e7at el7adith” from book sources =)
have a pleasant day..
January 4th, 2007 at 4:06 pm
I certainly do not wish to be misinterpretted in this post. My frustration is entirely with using God as an excuse to our inability to solve our problems. This is indeed a trend that I see comes up again and again in our history. Newton for example with all his intellectual might failed to establish why the solar system does not collapse on itself and decided to blame it on God and to stop thinking about it saying:
“The six primary planets are evolved about the sun in circles concentric with the sun and with motions directed in towards the same parts and almost in the same plain. But is it not to be concieved that mere mechanical causes can give birth to so many regular motion. This most beautiful system of the sun and planets could only proceed from the counsil and domintion of an intellegent and powerful being”
(from Principia by Newton)
P. S. Laplase comes a 100 years later decided to have ago at the same problem and figures that you can actually ,using mathematics (rather than physics), systematically and reliably calculate the effect of the tugs and pulls in the solar system and demonstrate that in fact it is stable beyond the prediction of Newton and other scientists.
My point is, once you start blaming God for your problems. Your problem solving exercise STOPS. I agree with the view that Newton would have been able to come up with the math required for Laplase’s solar system, only if he did not decide to say its a miracle and has no explanation.
January 4th, 2007 at 4:46 pm
[…] For the sake of not being misinterpreted, I updated the post “The Easy Way Out” with further explanation. […]
January 4th, 2007 at 7:02 pm
I see fatalism as a particular problem in the culture of this reason. Someone dies in a car accident: “It was Allah’s will.”
Well maybe. But was it Allah’s will that they were speeding? Was it Allah’s will that they didn’t wear a seatbelt? Was it Allah’s will that they didn’t put their children in proper car seats and they got flung out of the windscreen?
Allah doesn’t will people to be irresponsible, or stupid, or corrupt, or immoral. Nor does Allah will people to abnegate responsibility for the problems that they create for themselves.
January 4th, 2007 at 10:06 pm
I told ya sultan .. i understood wut you meant =)
then you explained your point with “newton’s” example .. let’s not forget that in Islam we have mainly 4 sources as a guide when ever we want a reference in life matter and in all matters actually ..
specifically in Quran - we are advised & encouraged to learn and read (???? ??? ??? ???? ???) was the first aya .. and also we are encouraged to learn & wonder about allah (suhanahu wa ta’ala) creatures ..
my point is .. islam does not encorage us to stop on the fact that allah created all of this. but it encourages us to learn & wonder how did all of this happen.
Im sure you know this.
I have to mention it .. coz there must be some people who might want to know more ..
about secret dubai.
What you are refering to is explained in simple sentence (there might be many different reasons but the destiny is meant to be)
January 9th, 2007 at 9:18 pm
For the benefit of Sugar, the hadith is in sunan altirmithi:
http://hadith.al-islam.com/Display/Display.asp?Doc=2&ID=40078&SearchText=%E1%C7%20%ED%D1%CF%20%C7%E1%DE%D6%C7%C1%20%C5%E1%C7%20%C7%E1%CF%DA%C7%C1&SearchType=root&Scope=0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8&Offset=0&SearchLevel=Allword
Hadith 2065, you don’t need to search in books nowadays, it’s all online :) http://hadith.al-islam.com