Rational Thinker Asks A Muslim Thought-Provoking Questions! Muhammed Ali

Yes. What can I do for you? Um I have some questions about Islam. Sure. What kind of questions do you have? So um I I read the Quran and I read a verse where it says um alcohol and gambling has some benefits in them but it also has a lot of harm and the harm is far greater than the benefits. And I I completely agree with the alcohol and gambling bit. But when and also Muslims say that life is a test. Therefore, I think that alcohol and gambling they must be present for it to be able to be tested. Do you agree with me? Uh yeah. Can I ask you first before I answer that question? Can I ask you are you religious yourself? Do you believe in a god or anything like that or you not? Uh I'm not. When when they say religious, they always think there there's meant to be a book and there's a god with it. But my religion it does. My religion doesn't have a god or it has a book but doesn't have a god. What are you Buddhist? Shintu. What what what are you saying? Uh mix mix mixed uh folk Chinese religion I would say. Ah so it's your own religion basically. It's not something is it's what is what we teach in in our books. Basically, your children learn this. Children learn this instead of religious studies like in England. Yeah. Yeah. No, but but they teach you a uniformity of information and they have a name for it. No, there's there's there's no name for it. That's the thing. In our religion, we say any religion that can be given a name is not a true religion. So, it's okay. Let's let's move with the nameless religion. Let's move on. Let's move on with the name. Let's call let's call it the nameless religion because nameless religion. Sure. Okay. Because we got to refer to it. So we need a name to refer to it. Okay. Anyways, so now to answer your question, Allah says yes in the Quran. First the prohibition of of alcohol did not come at once. Prohibition of alcohol in Islam. It came a gra gradual process. It was a gradual process. First Allah revealed the verse that you said that there are benefits and harms within alcohol and then that the the harms outweigh the benefits. Now what are these benefits? For instance, the money you you can make this alcohol, you can sell it and you can earn money from it. That's a benefit for you as a human being that you can gain. But the the harms of the alcohol is far more than any benefits that can exist in it. So that was and I agree and I agree I agree with that. Sure. So that was the first thing that Allah revealed. So first Allah can give the people impression understand look this is not a good thing. Then after that Allah revealed that do not come near the prayer when you're drunk. So Muslims have to pray five times a day. So if you cannot pray when you're drunk it's very uh very you only have very few times in the day that you can drink. For example, let's say late at night after you finish your last prayer is the only time probably you can drink because after that if you drink you'll be intoxicated and you cannot pray. So Allah made restrictions when it comes to drinking. So first Allah told them that the harms are are a lot more than any benefits. Then Allah told them do not come near the prayer. Then the last revelation was do not come near the alcohol at all. Do not drink it is the work of Satan. Yeah. And I agree with that. Yeah. So the prohibition happened like this gradually in Islam because people were were addicts to alcohol. So it's you cannot just one day say to people stop drinking alcohol. You saw in America they tried to implement this and they couldn't. People were drinking in basements and alcohol became more popular when when the state prohibited it. But Islam because Allah knows the nature of the people. It be it was a gradual process and he gradually prohibited alcohol from the people and because the creator is all wise and all knowing he knows that which is beneficial for the people and that which is not. So based on that the creator have prohibited it and prohibited it in that gradual process. Does that make sense? That makes sense. Does that answer your question or your question is a little that wasn't my question though. My question was life is a test, right? So for for for for non-Muslim for Muslims you you get a you get a cheat code. Basically you get a cheat code but we don't get the cheat code. So we should we are being tested more. If I don't drink alcohol being a non-Muslim without the guidance that means I I'm I'm I'm even more than that because I didn't even use the the the code and I got I got the code. Sure. No, I would actually I can argue the opposite actually. I can argue that you have the cheat code. And why can I argue that you have the cheat code? Because in Islam once if if a person doesn't receive a revelation from God and for example dies without receiving any guidance and revelation, they don't go to hellfire. They have a different test on the day of judgment. And if a person lives his life and does certain things like you said, drink alcohol, gamble or whatever and then later on he comes across Islam and he accepts Islam then Allah forgives all his previous sins. So no, I wouldn't agree that we have a cheat code or anything because that is not going to deter you from guidance in any way, shape or form. The fact that you did it in the past before you came across the guidance, it doesn't change anything because Allah will forgive that because you didn't have the guidance that time. So you did these things that we didn't do, but in the same time you are forgiven for those things. So I wouldn't argue that we have a cheat code or anything. But yes, that we wouldn't say necessarily that just these things are a test. Everything that happens in our life is a test. Okay, that's what we as every single thing you talking to me right now is a part of your test. How you how what you will do after this conversation ends. Someone knocking your door is a test. He might need help from you. How you behave with that person, what you say to them, you your your family around you, the money you get in your bank, all of these things, your whole existence in Islam is a test. your behavior is is going to guarantee whether you succeed or you fail in that test and there okay does that make sense that that makes sense that's my first question answered so my my second question is about interest so um I I know that interest is bad in Islam I think right it's a major sin it's a major sin it's it's a major sin right so but I I've been have I've been having savings accounts since 18 is that is that considered Okay. Again, remember what I said to you. Yeah. And tell a person if you are going to become a Muslim because you believe that Islam is the truth. The minute you do that, the minute you accept the religion of Islam, everything you did in your past of these sins is forgiven. The prophet told us that Islam completely removes everything that was before just like repentance does. So if you become a Muslim, you don't have to worry about the years in the past. But then you stop having this interest bank account and you get a bank account that which has no interest you know just a normal current account or whatever and and in case they give you anything you just get rid of that money because that's not good money that's money that is that is using people essentially this whole idea of interest is about being the worst type of human being possible. You use people when they're in the time of need and you ask them to give you more than what you gave them because they are in the time of need. That is why this this idea of usery and interest is prohibited is one of the major sins but it also destroys the society completely. It shatters the society completely destroys the society. So so don't worry about that. As I said in the past, if you are intending on becoming a Muslim because Islam makes sense to you and you believe it is from God and you believe that these teachings are the moral guidance that makes perfect sense because God has given to you and he knows you. If you do that and you accept Islam, then you don't worry about that. But you you don't do it after you become Muslim. You change that into doing things which are beneficial. So you have a normal account etc. Um, is it possible to become a Muslim while um allowing for the possibilities of other religions? Is that is that a possibility? No. Because Allah says in the Quran explicitly chapter 3 in more than one place in one place Allahel says that the only religion acceptable in the sight of God. But let me I'm going to explain that a little bit. But listen to the answer first because it it might be different to what you're thinking. Allah says in the Quran that the only religion acceptable in the sight of Allah is Islam. And Allah says whoever seeks any religion other than Islam is will not be accepted from him and he will be from the losers in the hereafter. Meaning he will be punished. Now what does the word Islam mean is the question. Do you know what the word Islam means? Submission to so when Allah says the only thing acceptable in the sight of God is full submission to him his commands and what he told you and what he told you to do. That's what Islam means. Muslim is someone who submits to the command of God. It's just a it's it's a description of how that person is living his life. It's a description of you that you're living your life, obeying the creator, submitting to him, doing everything that he commanded you to. That's what the word Muslim means. So what is the problem in saying I'm a Muslim? Meaning I submit to the creator in every way they commanded me to do. Now having other religions now is a problem. Why is that a problem? Because now you're taking the teachings of other than God and you are following them. So meaning you are associating with God. Now you are associating other things with the creator and following what they tell you which is not if it's other than what Islam says then it's not going to be beneficial for you. If I have a guidance a full guidance from God that deals with every aspect of law and then I go and I get another guidance from a human being that is deficient. How does that make any sense? That's illogical and it is me denying and ignoring the the guidance of God and going to something which is wrong and incorrect. That is why you cannot be doing that as a Muslim. If you believe this is from God, then you follow what God has commanded you to do. You cannot mix and choose. Allah says in the Quran, do not mix the truth with the falsehood. Cannot mix truth and falsehood together. Truth is truth and falsehood is falsehood. So that's that's that's the thing, right? So um it the the Quran says a lot of lots of things about truth and falsehood. So it means truth and falsehood must exist. So so Christianity must be there for us to realize that Christianity is false or and Islam is a truth. There's there's a comparison. It can't be if the whole world is is only one religion then there's no it it doesn't show up between truth and falsehood. If if the whole world was were Muslims, then the word kafir wouldn't make sense, which is in the Quran, and every word in the Quran will make sense for the entirety of the course. But you're missing something there. Yeah, you're missing something there. I didn't say there will be no false religions. Your question wasn't there will be false religions and true religions. Your question was follow not only Islam but also these other religions. So yes, there there has to be more than one ideology to recognize one to be true and false. That makes sense. But if you recognize one is true and false, then why would you follow all of them? Your question was about following all of them. Your question was not about recognizing what is true and what is false. So so there is a little bit of a mixing going on now in your in your presentation. You understand? It's not you what you're saying does not rationally follow. We are not saying there's no other religions. We're saying there is. In fact, we're saying as Islam says, Allah sent previous messengers like Jesus was sent by God. He was a Muslim prophet. Moses was a Muslim prophet. Abraham was a Muslim prophet. All of them were Muslims. But people later on changed the teachings of these messengers and prophets. And due to that, you cannot follow something corrupted by humans and leave the ultimate truth that is there from God. So we're talking about following. We're not talking about that there is other religions that exist or they don't exist. Does that make sense? That makes sense. Okay. Thank you so much for answering these questions. Sure. What what's stopping you then from Uhhuh. Uh what's stopping me? Because when I've I I the way I've been educated is really hard to unbrainwash me basically because I I I I I think that I think that of course there's there's so much wisdom and truth in Islam. There's so much truth in there like gambling and alcohol. How much truth is that? This 100% true. And but the but it I I I'm just not convinced that every other religion is false because what you said if I become a Muslim then I can't read into any other religion. So I I become a closedminded person basically and I want to sorry I I wasn't saying that I wasn't saying about reading what other people have to offer. I was saying following what other people have to offer. Now, if you watch my channel, you see I talk to Christians and I quote their scriptures to them. I talk to Jewish people and I quote the scriptures to them. Talk to Hindus and I quote the scriptures to them. Why? Because I' I've read these scriptures. I know what they say. It's not about reading what other religions say or they don't say. I'm talking about following. So, if you become Muslim, you don't become close-minded or anything. You you find the truth. Let me ask you this. If you know for a fact, let me try to help you understand. If you know for a fact there's there's 10,000 books in front of you. All of them are how to swim. This is what the books are about. All of them are how to swim. You know for a fact that one book is the book that is perfect from the best swimmer in the world. That is going to be the best and fastest most efficient way, most perfect way of learning how to swim. And you know that every single other book that exists out there doesn't have the right way of swimming. So if you do it, you might get muscle pain, you might get dislocated muscles, you might get issues. Would you read that book only and stick to it and follow it igning all of these books anyways even though I know for a fact that this is the one that has perfect information and the easiest way to to do things. So this is the analogy that I'm trying to bring to you. These books exist. They exist, but they're not they're not for your benefit. You can spend your time reading them, no problem. They're not going to increase you anything with when it comes to beneficial knowledge, when it comes to what you should and shouldn't do. Everything in Islam, not just don't, not just the alcohol and this the the every teaching from what you can eat, from what you can dress, from how you behave, every single thing in Islam is perfect. Now, you talked about other religions being false. It's not hard to recognize other religions are not true. I'll tell you why. Wouldn't you agree that for any religion to be true, for you to accept any religion to be from God, I I have four things as a criteria? You tell me if you agree with them or not. I say number one, that religion has to claim it's from God. No. If it doesn't claim it's from God, okay, so you have a book. How do you know it's from God when the book itself doesn't tell you it's from God? It has to make that claim. Can I can I tell you though? My my my religion says any religion that says My religion says any religion that explicitly says this is the true religion is false. That's that's a big problem for me. My religion says if any and that that's a problem in Judaism, in Christianity and in Islam. Why don't you say why don't you say that's a problem in your religion instead of saying that every other religion out there which makes a rational claim that if you have not every religion claims no no the religions that does are the ones that make a rational claim. Why? Because those religions have things that that they teach opposite of one another and two opposite things cannot be true at the same time. So we know rationally there there can only be one of those statements. For example, Jesus can either be God or he's not not a prophet or not god and he's just born of this or he is a messenger of god. Jesus cannot be in the same time just a messenger of god and in the same time fully god and in the same time not a prophet and not a god. You cannot be the three things at once. So these religions because they have different teachings about this for example they cannot all be true. One of them because Jesus existed and walked this earth. So one of them have to be true and the claims that are in the other ones have to be false by definition. So if your religion claims that anyone who makes a claim of objective truth is false, then that religion itself is false. I'll tell you why. Because when you say no religion can claim absolute truth, is that statement absolutely true? If you say yes, that's not a statement. Because uh if if any if any religion that explicitly says my religion is true yeah claims absolutely true you start to have doubts have have doubts you know no I want you to listen to the statement your religion essentially is saying if any religion claims it's the absolute truth that religion is false so isn't your religion just making an absolute truth statement that every religion that makes that claim as false. It's always doing the same thing. No. And in my religion, it explicitly says this religion is not the truth and words cannot contain truth and humans cannot use their words to describe Okay, wait one second, one second. If Yeah. If your if your religion says that your religion is not the truth. Yeah. And that words cannot be used to describe truth. Then this statement every religion that claims is absolutely true is meaningless because that your religion is false and all the teachings in it are false. So why do we need to listen to it? Why? But but you're treating it as true. You're not treating it as false. You just told me my religion says this and that's why I cannot. So if your religion is false and whatever it teaches is false, then that's enough to disqualify all the statements in your book in whatever you're reading because it's self defeating. Yeah. It's self-defeating. It's defeated itself. So Islam Yeah. So Islam is the absolute truth because because like I told you, it has different claims than other scriptures. So for example, if Islam says don't kill and other scriptures say don't kill, we say all of this is absolutely true. No problem. It aligns with with the absolute truth. We're saying the things that disagree with Islam. Things that are other than Islam is the things that we can reject to be from God. Now, that's why I told you I had a criteria of four things. One of the first of them is that this scripture need to have a claim for us that it is from God. Because if it has no claim that it is from God, then I shouldn't treat it as it is from God because itself doesn't claim it's from God. So, the starting point should be that this book tells you that I am a scripture that is from God. Now the second thing is that book cannot have contradictions because God created this whole world and God does not make contradictions. So that book cannot say 1 plus 1 equals 2 and the other place 1 plus 1 equals 4. Now so that would disqualify by definition the the scriptures in the old testament and in the new testament because they have contradictions. That would disqualify the Hindu scriptures because they have contradictions. They cannot have contradictions internal in the scripture or outside. So the book cannot tell you the sun have seven horses pulling it like the Hindu scripture says and you look at the sun there's no seven horses that means that book is not from God because God made the sun and he knows how the sun is so if that scripture have wrong knowledge about the the universe and things around us then that scripture is not from God it's a contradiction with the reality so you will disqualify all of these religions very quickly very easily you would disqualify these number three it has to be preserved from the origin Right? Because if it's not preserved, then humans will add their own words and you wouldn't know what is from God and why it's not from God. Right? Now, if you apply this criteria and it needs to have objective evidences from God. If you apply these four criterias, only Islam is the only religion that will surpass that and they're all rational criterias. So, you wouldn't have a problem with Christianity because it's full of contradictions. It's not preserved. The writers of the Gospels do not say we're writing Revelation. Same thing with the Old Testament. is 2,000 years separate from the source written by unknown people has contradictions. The Hindu scripture is the same. So it's not going to be hard for you to figure out, okay, that's the only faith that I need to follow now because every other religion out there is false. Now, because we say they're false, that doesn't mean that every single statement is wrong. Like I said, if a book says don't kill innocent people, it's right. I can write a book now that says don't kill innocent people. But it doesn't necessarily mean that that book is from God. Now just because a book has some correct information, it doesn't mean it's from God. But if God sent you a sufficient full book full of knowledge and information and miracles and evidences and Allah says to you that God the creator says to you, that's enough for you. You don't need anything else. Then why do I need to go seek anything else? How is that rational? Okay, I see I see your point. Yeah. So I'm saying now rationally, why would you not then? Because you can see the wisdom in Islam. You can see the truth. You can see the evidences. You can see the the rationality behind. Then what the rational discourse to do is to know okay my ancestors told me something. Allah even tells us that in the Quran like the pagan Arabs at the time of the prophet they used to worship idols. You know you you've seen people who worship idols. Allah says in the Quran just because your ancestors did something or they teach you something doesn't mean they're right. What if they were wrong? What if they were misguided? You need to use your rationality and you apply an evidence-based criteria to come to the conclusion of what is the truth. Right now that is how you arrive to this conclusion that Islam is the truth. Now then I would say the rational decision of you to do right now is to accept Islam is to move a step forward and say okay this makes sense to me that is from God. Let me follow it and let me practice it in my life. Now other religions you want to look at them you can look at them but trust me the more you look at them the more you will know. For example my videos is a clear example for you. The more you look at them the the more you'll know that's not from God because they will not make they will not make sense. they will not be accurate. They will be for your harm rather than for your benefit. So why not take that step and and and become a Muslim? Um brother, because I have doubts and um I I I will when I'm 100% ready. So I'm I'm just I just have doubts and I need to read and research more and I'm I'm a sincere person and I don't want to lie to God basically. No, no, of course. Of course, of course. No issues. Is there any other doubts or questions that you have for me before I let you go? Yeah. Yeah. Actually um so um it it says that you have your religion and I have mine. What does that mean? You mean in the Quran when the Quran says that in the in the Quran? Yeah. That that yeah that that chapter was revealed chapter in the Quran towards the end of the Quran that chapter was revealed because the disbelievers of of Quraysh came to the prophetat wasam and they said because they saw that people are accepting his message of truth. So they wanted him to compromise. They said to him look we'll compromise with you. will follow your religion for a period of time and you follow a religion for a period of time. So then Allah revealed no that's why I was telling you about mixing the truth and falsehood. You have your falsehood religion that you're following. I have my religion of truth. I don't mix I don't compromise. I'm not going to follow your religion for a day or a year and you come and you follow my religion for a day and a year because what I have is the truth and what you have is false. So I'm not going to compromise by following falsehood just to please you because you don't want to follow the truth. So this that is the the historical context behind that is that we as Muslims don't compromise. We're not going to fall off false also just to we can please other people. And you see this happens a lot. For example, when Christmas comes when it's by the way is next week which is Islamic celebration. It's next week people come to us. Some non-Muslims come to us and they tell us happy Eid or whatever. They tell us stuff like this. Yeah. Then so now they are compromising because Islam is not the religion and they're coming. They've given us congratulations for a religion that is not the religion. So they're compromising in their own religion, but they expect us to do the same. They're just being nice. They're not compromising their religion. No, no, no. I I I'm trying to explain something else to you. It is true. Yes. They they're being nice, but they're being liberal. Their world view, their worldview is it's okay to say to anyone good, good, happy celebration. So that is their worldview. That is a religion. That that is what they're following. But they expect Muslims to compromise when it is their holiday by also in return giving them greetings and giving them congratulations. So it's not it's not it doesn't go like this. It's not a free happy Eid. No, it's a happy Eid with the expectation that you also follow my liberal way. When my holiday come you as a Muslim come and tell me merry Christmas or whatever. So that is why we say as Muslims we stick to our faith. Look, when it is your religion, I'm not going to tell you uh happy holiday in your religion. And I don't need you to come to me in my holiday and tell me happy holiday. It's fine. I'm more than content and enough and following my tradition. So, it it's not like an innocent as you think it is that they just coming telling you happy celebration. No, they expect in return that you also be liberal the same way they are and give them this same courtesy they would say when their holiday comes. But in Islam, no, you follow the truth. We follow the truth. If we stick to the truth now, you are will anyone they're all welcome to become Muslim and they're all welcome to celebrate the the holiday that is from God that is good for you because one holiday comes after you fast which is all beneficial for you. It's the holiday of celebration after you break your fast. Another holiday is it's a holiday of sacrifice honoring the tradition of Abraham where he obeyed God and you feed the poor. So it's all good practices. You're welcome to become a Muslim and and become a part of that. But the other the holiday that you're doing is associating with God. It's worshiping a human being. But they didn't say I'm God. So because of that, we're not going to compromise and and and tell you happy holiday when it comes to your holiday. And we will celebrate ours because we know it's the truth. Does that make sense? That makes sense. Thank you for talking to me. No, no, of course. Do you have any other questions? No, that's it. Thank you. Sure. So I ask Allah to guide you to the truth like like you said, you know, you're struggling with how you were growing up and everything like that. I don't push anyone to become Muslim, but if you see is the truth, then my recommendation is not to delay. You take that step sooner or later and start practicing in your faith. All right. Sure. Thanks. All right. Pleasure talking to you. Bye-bye, Mercy. Here.