No Room for Doubt

Selective Essays for Youth

Abdullah Aymaz

• Publisher: Tughra Children
• Year: 2011
• eBook ISBN: 9781597846684
• Edition: 0

Who created God? Is punishment by eternal hellfire justifiable when the human lifespan is so short? Does God need our prayers? Why did God create Satan? Questions such as these inhabit the homes and lives of every one of us today. Abdullah Aymaz, a journalist and author, has been tutoring and guiding hundreds of Muslim students for many years. In this work, he seeks to answer such frequently asked questions.

Table of contents

• No Room for Doubt
• Copyright © 2013 by Tughra Books
• Foreword
• Art points to an artist, embroidery points to an embroiderer, and the universe points to God. He has created everything; then who created him? If He is the cause of existence, then what caused His existence?
• What will be the condition of those who have not heard the Islamic call to faith? Are they responsible for the religious obligations prescribed by the Qur’an?
• You say that the Qur’an and the Prophet are blessings sent upon humanity. You also say that they will testify against us if we do not live according to their teachings. This means that if divine books and Prophets were not sent, human beings would not be punished in hell. Then, how can they be a source of blessing?
• What wisdom is there in the creation of Satan?
• If Satan is a means for human beings to make progress, then why will he be cast into hellfire? Should he not be rewarded for his services?
• Religious decrees state that it is forbidden for siblings to marry each other, yet we know that Adam’s children married each other.
• History suggests that America was discovered by Christopher Columbus. If all human beings are the children of Adam, then what is the origin of Native Americans?
• What would you say to those who claim that they should not be held responsible of religious obligations because they had no say in their creation?
• The Holy Qur’an mentions the name of Abu Lahab. Is it suitable for the Qur’an to talk about such insignificant individuals?
• Why does the Qur’an talk about a spider’s nest?
• An artist who paints two vases would wish that both paintings be equally beautiful. Then why did God create human beings with so many physical and physiological differences?
• Thousands of chemical activities taking place within a single cell in a short time show that blind chance is impossible. On the other hand, it is claimed that certain inexplicable occurrences in the universe have divine reasons and wisdom. Can you enlighten us on this?
• We understand the divine wisdom in the creation of people with disabilities, nevertheless, is it fair to them?
• We acknowledge the fact that there is no injustice in the creation of disability, but how can we relate this to God’s infinite compassion and mercy?
• Some people ask: if God does not need anything, why did He create the universe?
• Why did God create the Angels?
• In the Qur’an, why does God use terms like ‘Us’ or ‘We’?
• They say that existence cannot appear from nonexistence, and it cannot be converted into nothingness.
• Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, was the most beloved servant of God, yet his tooth was broken at a battle. Why did God allow this?
• Why do innocent people suffer during natural disasters, such as earthquakes?
• Earthquakes occur by the will of God. Whereas, nonbelievers claim that they are caused by natural forces. What is the role of God’s Will in natural phenomena?
• Why do you correlate everything to divine wisdom and encourage people to derive a lesson from all happenings?
• If disasters happen for a reason, perhaps to warn people, then why don’t they strike nonbelievers particularly?
• At the conclusion of Surah Luqman the five unknowns are mentioned (Mughayyabat al-Hamsa). Included in the five unknowns are the time of rain and the situation of the embryo in the mother’s womb. These days, such things seem to be known. Weather stations can predict the time of rain and medical scientists can detect many things about the embryo, for example, they can establish if the baby is going to be male or female. How could we explain this?
• “Until, when he reached the setting-place of the sun, he saw it setting in a spring of hot and black muddy water” (Kahf 18:86). The verse suggests that Zulqarnayn’s sun set in hot spring water. How could the sun which is more than a million times larger than the earth set in a river?
• In Surah Ikhlas, God is described as being Al-Samad. Al-Samad means that everything needs Him but He needs nothing. It is obvious that God does not need our prayers and worship, then why does He insist on our worship?
• Some philosophers argue that all living beings exist to serve themselves and they belong only to this planet. This is contrary to scientific research which suggests that everything exists for a reason and that there is no squander in the universe. This brings a question to our minds; human beings are gifted with amazing physical and spiritual abilities. Yet they live approximately 70-80 years. Some even die before reaching the age of puberty. Is this not a waste? There are insects with incredible body structures and design. Yet they live no more than an hour. How could we explain such thing?
• You have explained that all creatures have a purpose to exist. In the Qur’anic translations are there any other reasons for the creation of living beings that exist only for a short period of time?
• We frequently pray to our Lord and ask for many things, yet most of our prayers are not answered. Whereas, God states: “Pray to me and I will answer you” (Mu’min 40:60). Since the verse addresses all of humanity, why doesn’t God answer some of our prayers?
• If prayers are rewarded in the hereafter, then why do we perform a prayer for rain?
• So what is the purpose of the prayers performed during solar and lunar eclipses?
• In the Surah Nur (24:41) God informs us: “Do you not see that all that is in the heavens and the earth, and the birds flying in patterned ranks with wings spread out glorify God. Each knows the way of its prayer and glorification. God has full knowledge of all that they do.” According to the verse, there are different types and forms of prayers. How can we classify them?
• What would you say about all the evil and ugly occurrences that take place in the universe?
• If a hundred people requested a hundred different things from a person, he could not comply. Whereas, millions of people continuously pray and ask for different things from God. Can you enlighten us on this issue?
• There are certain prayers and recitations prescribed by important scholars. However, not everyone benefits from reciting these prayers. Can you explain why?
• According to the following verses no one should die of hunger. Whereas, some claim that there are people dying of hunger. How can we explain this?
• How is it possible for Azrail, the angel of death, to collect all the souls simultaneously? It is also said that Azrail appears to everyone in a different way during the time of death. For example, to prophets he comes with a different face than to evildoers. Some see a beautiful face while others see a horrific figure. How is this possible?
• According to a Hadith in Bukhari and Muslim, Prophet Moses slapped the angel of death and gouged one of his eyes out. Is this possible and if it really happened, does the angel of death has only one eye now?
• According to another Hadith the world stands on top of an ox and a fish. How could this be possible?
• It is said that the Qur’an is a miracle of the Prophet. What is the mystery of the miraculous literature of the Qur’an that has been preserved for centuries?
• Are emotions such as conscience and the sense of right and wrong developed in societies?
• What is the wisdom behind encircling the Ka’ba during Hajj and why is the tawaf performed seven times?
• Since days and nights can last for six months in regions such as the North Pole, how are we supposed to perform our daily prayers there?
• Is there a religious literature that supports the claim of breaking the 24 hours into scheduled days in order to perform prayers in regions that days and nights last for six months?
• Since the astonishing creation and the awesome occurrences that take place in the universe are not a result of necessity, then what is the divine purpose behind them?