24 - The book Almunkizu Aniddalal says: "As the things that are understood through reason are superior to those perceived through sense organs, and as the former may prove the latter wrong, that is, as our sense organs cannot perceive the things comprehended through reason, so reason is incapable of comprehending facts realized at the rank of prophethood. Reason has no other option but to believe. How can reason assess things which it cannot understand? How can it decide if they are right or wrong?

To try to investigate with reason the things that have been understood through convention, in other words, the things which Prophets have explained, is like forcing a loaded cart to go uphill while it can hardly move on a level road. If the horse is whipped uphill, it will either fall down or die from fatigue. Or, in order to get on the level road it is used to, it will turn right or turn left, overturning the cart and spoiling its load. So, if reason is forced to solve the reality of the next world, which it cannot cope with and which it cannot understand, the person will either go out of his mind, or, by attempting to liken it to worldly affairs, which he is accustomed to, he will go astray, become deceived and deceive others. Reason is a gauge, a toll used to measure things that are like those which can be perceived or felt through the senses or things that are relative to them. Reason can compare them with one another and distinguish the good ones from the bad ones. Since it cannot discern things that have no relation with such things, it will be overwhelmed by them. Then, there is no other way to believe the things communicated by Prophets without consulting reason. It is understood that following Prophets is a necessity indicated by reason, and it is a way which is agreeable with reason. It is an action contrary to reason to attempt to consult reason about a Prophet's statements, which are beyond and above reason. It is like walking heedlessly at unfamiliar places in the pitch darkness of the night or the sailing of an inexperienced captain in the open sea without a compass on a dark night; they can at any moment fall into an abyss or whirlpool. As a matter of fact, philosophers and materialists, who attempt to explain facts through their imagination, have gone wrong in most of the things that were beyond their logic. They were bringing many facts into view, whereas, in fact, they were preventing people from attaining endless bliss. Reasonable ones among them have always been able to understand and communicate this pathetic situation. There are many examples. An article by Professor F.Arnold, a famous German chemist, states in his book Tecribee Kimya (Experimental Chemistry), which was published in Istanbul in Turkish: "The reason why improvements in science and knowledge have been at a standstill for almost fifteen hundred years is due to a fault in Aristotelianism."

In Islam there are many things reason cannot comprehend, but there is nothing contrary to reason. If knowledge of the next world, things which Allahu ta'ala likes or dislikes, and forms of worshipping Him were within the mind's ability to understand, and if they could be ascertained through reason, there would be no need for sending thousands of Prophets. People would be able to see and find happiness in this and the next worlds by themselves, and, in this case, Allahu ta'ala would have sent Prophets in vain and unnecessarily (never!). It is because reason cannot find or solve the knowledge pertaining to the next world that Allahu ta'ala sent a Prophet to every part of the world in each century, and lastly, He sent Hadrat Muhammad as a Prophet for the whole world until the end of the world. All Prophets, instead of meddling in worldly affairs that are ascertained through reason, only commanded and encouraged their people to work in order to find them and get use from them, and they explained how each worldly affair can draw people to everlasting happiness or perdition. They also explained clearly the things which Allahu ta'ala liked and disliked. Then, let us be reasonable: An ignorant person who does not know of today's technical information and experiments, which expose to view the subtleties of Allah's infinite power, who, let alone reads and understands the books of Islamic superiors, has not even heard of their names - a fact that can be inferred from his words - and who is an enemy of Islam working under the mask of a philosopher, behind the veil of a newspaper writer; how can an idea put forward by such a person with his ever faulty reason ever be held superior to the words of Allah's Prophet? How can an ignorant person's words ever blemish our Prophet's commands and words, which encompass the knowledge of health, science, morals, justice and all branches of happiness that are written in our books and which are respected and admired by men of knowledge, experience and science that have come from all parts of the world for the last fourteen hundred years, and which no one has ever been able to find any fault or defect? Can there be sadness, a wretchedness more pathetic than this? The perfect wisdom is the wisdom that doesn't go wrong and doesn't make any mistakes. Can an ignoramus who bandies thoughts about claim that he never goes wrong - not only in affairs that mind cannot grasp, but perhaps even in his own daily affairs? Who will ever believe such a claim or consider such a person as a deputy whom the nation (s) must look upon as the most intelligent of today's men? Let alone a single person, today's supposedly most intelligent Christians come together and elect the wisest ones among them, and these people pass laws by using all their brains and knowledge. Then, expecting certain results, these same people grow dissatisfied and have to change their own laws. There is one thing on earth that is never defiled and that cannot be changed the Qur'an al-karim of Allahu ta'ala and the hadith ash-Sharifs of Rasulullah (that is, his blessed words).

A man of science who has thoroughly comprehended the rules of Islam and who has observed the short history of the scientific branches that form a basis for today's civilization will clearly see that in the course of history no technical achievement, no scientific fact has ever stood against Islam, but all have always been compatible with it. How can they be at odds while it is Islam which commands us to observe nature, to study matter and energy, and to rely on reason in everything? Allahu ta'ala declares in many places in the Qur'an al-karim, "Take lessons from your predecessors by observing their lives, the path they chose, and what happened to them. Observe the earth, the skies, the living, the lifeless and yourselves! Study the inner part, the essence of what you see. Find and see, understand My greatness, and the dominion which I have over all these!"

Allahu ta'ala has related iman (which is the basis of Islam) to experimentation and the intellect. That is, the building of Islam has been erected upon these two principles. All other worships, blessings, and forms of obedience are the branches and twigs of this tree of iman. Allahu ta'ala in many places of Qur'an al-karim, scolds and disgraces disbelievers because they didn't use their minds; they didn't think by observing the earth, the skies and themselves, and thus attain iman. The book Marifatnama writes, "Sayyid Sharif Jurjani, a great Islamic scholar, says that the knowledge of astronomy helps a wise and reasonable person to realize the existence of Allahu ta'ala. Imam-i Ghazali says that he who does not know astronomy and anatomy cannot realize Allah's existence."

Yes, the righteous religion of Hadrat Isa (Jesus) was changed insidiously in a short time by his enemies. A Jew named Paul claimed that he believed 'Isa, and it appeared as if he was spreading the religion of 'Isa 'alaihissalam'. However, he annihilated the Injil, which descended from heaven. Later four people appeared, and they wrote down what they had heard from the twelve apostles. Thus four books in the name of Bible were compiled, but the lies of Paul were included in them. In addition, although an apostle named Barnabas wrote down correctly what he had heard and seen from hadrat 'Isa, this Bible by Barnabas was also destroyed. In the course of time, number of Injils increased and made-up and different Bibles were read at various places. Constantine the Great, formerly a pagan, accepted Christianity, and after enlarging and improving the city of Istanbul, he gave it the name Constantinople. In the year 325 A.D. he convened three hundred and nineteen priests in Nicea, ordered all the Bibles to be united and a new Bible to be written, having many articles of paganism from his former religion inserted into it. Accepting Christmas Day as the beginning of the year, he established a new Christian religion. It was declared that Allah is one in the Injil (the real Bible) of Hadrat 'Isa and in the Bible written by Barnabas. Yet, because they did not have the original Injil, the idea of the Trinity put forward by Plato, whom they esteemed as a philosopher, was included in these four defiled books. Constantine had this idea of Trinity put into the new Bible together with many fabled writings. A priest named Arius said that this new Bible was wrong, that Allah is one, that Hadrat 'Isa was not His son but His born servant, yet they wouldn't listen to him. They excommunicated him. Arius fled to Egypt and spread the tawhid (unity of Allah) there, but he was killed.

The kings succeeding Constantine veered between Arius's sect and the new Christianity. In Istanbul, the second and the third, in Ephesus, which is between Izmir and Aydin, the fourth, and in Kadikoy the fifth and again in Istanbul the sixth meetings were held, thus giving rise to many new Bibles. Eventually, Martin Luther and Calvin made the final changes in 931 [A.D. 1524] and added lies to the truth heard from the hawaris (the apostles of Hadrat 'Isa); Christians who believed in this new Bible were called Protestants. Thus, a religion contrary to reason and reality came forth in the name of Christianity. How can the attacks that are rightfully made against Christianity in Europe be directed towards Islam?

Escaping torment in the next world is dependent only upon following Muhammad 'alaihis-salam'. He who follows the way guided by him will attain the love of Allahu ta'ala. Those who follow in his footsteps will be close to Allahu ta'ala. He who adapts himself to him will get the happiness of being a faithful born servant of Allahu ta'ala. Hundred and twenty-four thousand prophets that came to the world desired to follow him. If Hadrat Musa (Moses) had lived in his time, despite his greatness, he would have preferred to follow him. All Muslims know that Hadrat 'Isa will descend from heaven and follow his way. Muslims who are of his ummat became the most auspicious and best of all people because they adapted themselves to him. Most of those who will enter Paradise are from among them, and they will enter before all other people.