Does God Exist?
26th December 2005
I haven't been blogging much lately. Not for lack of topics to write about. A lot of shit has been happening all of which I won't bother to expand on. Have you ever felt you had so much to say that you couldn't possibly write them all? Afraid that if you did, you might lose the point?
I guess what set me off to write this is because of yesterday. I went to a lecture at Masjid Istiqamah given by Professor. Dr. Muhammad Al-Mahdi.
An American who graduated from Harvard, now living in KL, he spent most of his adult life completing three and a half PhD programmes in child, clincial, experimental and educational psychology. A Vietnam war veteran, he worked with several recipients of the Nobel Prize in Physics where he studied the physical sciences in search for truth. He like many other scientists in his field was an Atheist Scientist.
I quote, " If there was ever going to be the last person on Earth who didn't believe in God it would be me."
In his quest for truth, he spent many years travelling learning about Hinduism, Buddhism and Christianity in various pockets of the world. He studied their books and tried to reconcile their relevations with Science to prove the existence of God. A typical American, he was not interested in Islam at all. All he knew then was that Islam was no good.
But he decided he might as well study the Quran for completeness sake. When he first discovered that God existed, he said, "Oh no." At this time, he was not yet a Muslim. He based his conclusions on Scientific fact. He was very much interested in the philosphical implications of Einstein's Theories of Relativity. He saw many connections between scientific fact and religion.
When he started writing his book trilogy of The Unified Theory Of Existence in 1960, he was not a Muslim. When he finished the book he was very much the Muslim.
I was quite surprised by the content of the lecture. My parents brought us to this lecture because it was in English. I mean we did not need to be convinced that God exists. See, me and my twin can't stand religious talks in Malay. No, we're not arrogant or anything. Its just that we receive information better in English.
He explained to the considerably large audience the existence of God using only Physics. And for that, I am grateful that I took A Level Physics. Finally I find a use for it. Ranging from Einstein's famous equation of E=MC2 to moles to photons, sub-atomic particles,infinity, speed of light, theories of time, space and mass to the clinical anatomy of the ear, he explained how Science can prove the existence of God.
Using the photon, he explained the four basic qualities of God that are knowable, in other words, that can be proven. He explained it as if he was explaining a scientific theory making use of equations and formulas, only that the theory was that God exists. Eternal = being without begining or end, existing outside time, omnipotent = having all power, omnipresent = present everywhere simultaneously and omniscient = having total knowledge of everything. Of course there are other qualities such as being Merciful etc, however these qualities cannot be measured by Science.
He used solely established facts of Science to prove the existence of God. Finding many religious books and relevations insufficient to support his scientific conclusions, he discovered that this unopened door of knowledge and answers that would continue to astound him forever had been all along in the Quran. Many Muslim Scientists in the past had already discovered this revelation, however they were unable to explain it in secular terms and they were not believed by Atheist Scientist at that time.
By the end of the lecture I was amazed. Using the Spanish word for 'cat' which is 'gato', he explained how the simple transfer of that new knowledge from him to us is a miracle of God. He used the knowledge of physics, biology, math and anatomy to illustrate how this transfer of the word gato to us is an example of what the true meaning of Allahu Akbar should mean to us.
I couldn't possibly capture all of his lecture into this post but essentially, I left the mosque looking at everything differently.
What does this all mean?
For the first time, there is a way to explain to non-believers in their languange of Science, that God exists. If they refuse to believe in these theories, they are actually discounting every established fact of Science including Einstein's theories. They are discarding their very own beliefs.
He then went on to say that in the Quran, it is repeated 30 times that we must seek knowledge. Not only religious knowledge but secular knowledge, such as that of Maths and Science. It is time that a balance of both religious and scientific knowledge be pursued. For with such a totality of connections between Science and Islam, it is perhaps the most powerful weapon the future ummah can have.
Quoting him again, "If it is an established fact of Science, it is Islam."
The professor reiterated this by revealing to us that he had travelled to Yemen, the home of the most traditional Islamic scholars and schools, where he explained these theories to them. The scholars there agreed with him and said that they plan to offer Scientific Religious scholarships.
He also expressed his disappointment with today's ummah that continue to remain backward, not utilising what has been revealed in the Quran ages ago; that Islam is not backward but is indeed far more advanced than all the Science discovered by Man put together.
Which comes to my next point. The Malay-Muslim community of Singapore. I will not speak of Malaysia though it was Mahathir's book The Malay Dilemma that inspired me. This book actually caused Mahathir to be kicked out of UMNO because of the its frankness and criticism of his own race.
The now yellowed book is marked by pencil notes made by my parents no less. Ranging from asterisks indicating that my parents agreed and 'nonsense!' at certain paragraphs indicating that they felt it was a load of rubbish, this book captivated me to the very last page.
I found myself agreeing with Mahathir on many aspects. I had planned to write a review of the book a week ago, but I found that there was too much too say. I came to a few conclusions after reading the book.
1) What Singapore is today for Malay Muslims is what Mahathir wanted to avoid when he wrote this book.
2) But despite that, Malaysia like Singapore are still similar in terms of the socioeconomic status of the different races.
3) No policy and law can change this Malay attitude. Only the Malays can do it themselves. For are we not the captains of our ships, masters of our souls? This is why Mahathir cried when he stepped down. He was disappointed with the Malays despite all the opportunities that have been given to them.
4) I live in a Chinese dominated country. Rightly so by the theory of natural selection, because the Chinese are the main race in Singapore and they are also the most economically powerful. Mandarin is practically a pre-requisite in most job applications although Malay apparently is the national language and English is the language used in schools.
This puts the minorities at a disadvantage. Unless they are the best in their field, they will always be second choice. For every one good Malay or Indian doctor, there are ten other good Chinese doctors. Plus they speak mandarin.
Perhaps its time to stop whining and bitching in despair. Sure there are a lot of inequalities here, but wallowing in self-pity and the perceived contentment of being poor and simple will not help us go further. Perhaps we should learn mandarin too. That way we can speak all three languages.
What's wrong with ambition? Ambition does not necessarily have to equate to materialistic gains. Money may be materialistic but money can help the poor, can build help centres, provide scholarships for the minorities and more. But how do we get the money if there is no ambition, no drive, no hard work?
Its time to wake up.
Other interesting books to read: The Malay Dilemma Revisited. LKY's Untold Story by T.S. Selvan, The Unified Theory of Existence (good for those interested in psych).
The professor is currently suffering from terminal cancer. Doctors said he had 3 months to live. Two years later he is still giving lectures in Malaysia and Singapore. He hopes that he has inspired more Muslims to pursue knowlege in Science and religion.
For more please click .
Comments
Interesting..
Learning Mandarin isn't enough. They'd rather employ a Chinese, which isn't hard to do. Culture, mannerisms and all things 'chinky' apparently portrays a more favourable image to the general population. A Malay Mandarin-speaker, particularly a scarf-wearing one, would make things more complicated.
Tudung = Malay. Almost always.
Unfortunately.
Posted by: Diyana December 28, 2005 02:46 AM
"See, me and my twin can't stand religious talks in Malay."
Oooh, a partner! Yay! Without attempting to be offensive in any way towards anyone I must agree with you. I find most religious lectures in Malay to be a load of crap; and the people who are present all seem to accept what is presented by the pendakwah without thinking or commenting. That, and the contents of the lectures are much exaggerated.
With the exception of some of really, really, good lectures/sermons given by exceptional pendakwahs and ustaz(s) that I've attended (courtesy of my mom's advice), the others have been crappy.
Well, that's my observation anyway.
Posted by: Wan Zafran December 28, 2005 04:46 AM
mus: yeah sure learning mandarin isnt enough but its a step forward. i was at the dentist the other day. the dental assistant was this old makcik, pakai jubah n all; she looked like the typical makciklah. then she started spewing out cantonese and mandarin to this patient like she spoke it all her life. i just sat there, awed, and inspired. i dunno, i guess all i'm saying is that before we complain, we need to try. a lot of the ppl in our community give up easily. they don't fight the good fight.
xaph: hey man.how's msia? i have to agree. i find a lot of english religious lectures very stimulating. its more like a debate, and the issues they discuss are always so controversial.
Posted by: Munirah December 28, 2005 06:30 AM
Yeah, debate is good.
Last quirkiest debate I remember attending involved a pendakwah glorifying the virtues of sacrifice in the name of Islam by telling the tale of a Sahabat.
I can't remember the name of the Sahabat though, but if you can recall his name that would be great. The Sahabat concerned is one of the richest and most generous of the group.
Anyway, the story. Basically, this Sahabat donated all his wealth to charity in the name of Islam and Allah. As a consequence, his father lived a life of poverty without even a single cent. (Or riyal?)
Thing is, the pendakwah was exemplifying this Sahabat and his 'noble' act.
"See how generous this man, [name of sahabat], was? He sacrificed everything in the name of Islam? Even his father bla bla bla".
Maybe it's just my being myopic and lacking the maturity to have a proper understanding of the underlying morals of the story. But I'd rather take care of my family first before looking over the welfare of other people.
But this pendakwah, man. He was talking extensively about the importance of sacrifice and all that crap. I mean, to be able to do something so big, something major and life-changing like that, all in the name of Islam, is a good thing. But I still think that the story wasn't a very good example to illustrate his point.
And you know how the crowd was? They were all nodding, goddammit!
Think, you sheeps, think! I'm not expecting you to disagree with what he's saying, but at least look perplexed, or whatever! Ask questions! Don't just agree.
WARHG--G83UT-38HQ3-8QHGA08H)*.
Ahem. Sorry there. Back to my gentlemanly nature now.
Posted by: Wan Zafran December 31, 2005 08:51 AM
The problem with today's society is Baa-dom.
Yes sir yes sir. Baaa Baaa.
Posted by: Munirah December 31, 2005 09:04 PM
Err, what's Baa-dom?
Sheeps. Steaks. Mmmm.
Posted by: Wan Zafran January 1, 2006 11:29 PM
I haven't been blogging much lately. Not for lack of topics to write about. A lot of shit has been happening all of which I won't bother to expand on. Have you ever felt you had so much to say that you couldn't possibly write them all? Afraid that if you did, you might lose the point?
I guess what set me off to write this is because of yesterday. I went to a lecture at Masjid Istiqamah given by Professor. Dr. Muhammad Al-Mahdi.
An American who graduated from Harvard, now living in KL, he spent most of his adult life completing three and a half PhD programmes in child, clincial, experimental and educational psychology. A Vietnam war veteran, he worked with several recipients of the Nobel Prize in Physics where he studied the physical sciences in search for truth. He like many other scientists in his field was an Atheist Scientist.
I quote, " If there was ever going to be the last person on Earth who didn't believe in God it would be me."
In his quest for truth, he spent many years travelling learning about Hinduism, Buddhism and Christianity in various pockets of the world. He studied their books and tried to reconcile their relevations with Science to prove the existence of God. A typical American, he was not interested in Islam at all. All he knew then was that Islam was no good.
But he decided he might as well study the Quran for completeness sake. When he first discovered that God existed, he said, "Oh no." At this time, he was not yet a Muslim. He based his conclusions on Scientific fact. He was very much interested in the philosphical implications of Einstein's Theories of Relativity. He saw many connections between scientific fact and religion.
When he started writing his book trilogy of The Unified Theory Of Existence in 1960, he was not a Muslim. When he finished the book he was very much the Muslim.
I was quite surprised by the content of the lecture. My parents brought us to this lecture because it was in English. I mean we did not need to be convinced that God exists. See, me and my twin can't stand religious talks in Malay. No, we're not arrogant or anything. Its just that we receive information better in English.
He explained to the considerably large audience the existence of God using only Physics. And for that, I am grateful that I took A Level Physics. Finally I find a use for it. Ranging from Einstein's famous equation of E=MC2 to moles to photons, sub-atomic particles,infinity, speed of light, theories of time, space and mass to the clinical anatomy of the ear, he explained how Science can prove the existence of God.
Using the photon, he explained the four basic qualities of God that are knowable, in other words, that can be proven. He explained it as if he was explaining a scientific theory making use of equations and formulas, only that the theory was that God exists. Eternal = being without begining or end, existing outside time, omnipotent = having all power, omnipresent = present everywhere simultaneously and omniscient = having total knowledge of everything. Of course there are other qualities such as being Merciful etc, however these qualities cannot be measured by Science.
He used solely established facts of Science to prove the existence of God. Finding many religious books and relevations insufficient to support his scientific conclusions, he discovered that this unopened door of knowledge and answers that would continue to astound him forever had been all along in the Quran. Many Muslim Scientists in the past had already discovered this revelation, however they were unable to explain it in secular terms and they were not believed by Atheist Scientist at that time.
By the end of the lecture I was amazed. Using the Spanish word for 'cat' which is 'gato', he explained how the simple transfer of that new knowledge from him to us is a miracle of God. He used the knowledge of physics, biology, math and anatomy to illustrate how this transfer of the word gato to us is an example of what the true meaning of Allahu Akbar should mean to us.
I couldn't possibly capture all of his lecture into this post but essentially, I left the mosque looking at everything differently.
What does this all mean?
For the first time, there is a way to explain to non-believers in their languange of Science, that God exists. If they refuse to believe in these theories, they are actually discounting every established fact of Science including Einstein's theories. They are discarding their very own beliefs.
He then went on to say that in the Quran, it is repeated 30 times that we must seek knowledge. Not only religious knowledge but secular knowledge, such as that of Maths and Science. It is time that a balance of both religious and scientific knowledge be pursued. For with such a totality of connections between Science and Islam, it is perhaps the most powerful weapon the future ummah can have.
Quoting him again, "If it is an established fact of Science, it is Islam."
The professor reiterated this by revealing to us that he had travelled to Yemen, the home of the most traditional Islamic scholars and schools, where he explained these theories to them. The scholars there agreed with him and said that they plan to offer Scientific Religious scholarships.
He also expressed his disappointment with today's ummah that continue to remain backward, not utilising what has been revealed in the Quran ages ago; that Islam is not backward but is indeed far more advanced than all the Science discovered by Man put together.
Which comes to my next point. The Malay-Muslim community of Singapore. I will not speak of Malaysia though it was Mahathir's book The Malay Dilemma that inspired me. This book actually caused Mahathir to be kicked out of UMNO because of the its frankness and criticism of his own race.
The now yellowed book is marked by pencil notes made by my parents no less. Ranging from asterisks indicating that my parents agreed and 'nonsense!' at certain paragraphs indicating that they felt it was a load of rubbish, this book captivated me to the very last page.
I found myself agreeing with Mahathir on many aspects. I had planned to write a review of the book a week ago, but I found that there was too much too say. I came to a few conclusions after reading the book.
1) What Singapore is today for Malay Muslims is what Mahathir wanted to avoid when he wrote this book.
2) But despite that, Malaysia like Singapore are still similar in terms of the socioeconomic status of the different races.
3) No policy and law can change this Malay attitude. Only the Malays can do it themselves. For are we not the captains of our ships, masters of our souls? This is why Mahathir cried when he stepped down. He was disappointed with the Malays despite all the opportunities that have been given to them.
4) I live in a Chinese dominated country. Rightly so by the theory of natural selection, because the Chinese are the main race in Singapore and they are also the most economically powerful. Mandarin is practically a pre-requisite in most job applications although Malay apparently is the national language and English is the language used in schools.
This puts the minorities at a disadvantage. Unless they are the best in their field, they will always be second choice. For every one good Malay or Indian doctor, there are ten other good Chinese doctors. Plus they speak mandarin.
Perhaps its time to stop whining and bitching in despair. Sure there are a lot of inequalities here, but wallowing in self-pity and the perceived contentment of being poor and simple will not help us go further. Perhaps we should learn mandarin too. That way we can speak all three languages.
What's wrong with ambition? Ambition does not necessarily have to equate to materialistic gains. Money may be materialistic but money can help the poor, can build help centres, provide scholarships for the minorities and more. But how do we get the money if there is no ambition, no drive, no hard work?
Its time to wake up.
Other interesting books to read: The Malay Dilemma Revisited. LKY's Untold Story by T.S. Selvan, The Unified Theory of Existence (good for those interested in psych).
The professor is currently suffering from terminal cancer. Doctors said he had 3 months to live. Two years later he is still giving lectures in Malaysia and Singapore. He hopes that he has inspired more Muslims to pursue knowlege in Science and religion.
For more please click .
Comments
Interesting..
Learning Mandarin isn't enough. They'd rather employ a Chinese, which isn't hard to do. Culture, mannerisms and all things 'chinky' apparently portrays a more favourable image to the general population. A Malay Mandarin-speaker, particularly a scarf-wearing one, would make things more complicated.
Tudung = Malay. Almost always.
Unfortunately.
Posted by: Diyana December 28, 2005 02:46 AM
"See, me and my twin can't stand religious talks in Malay."
Oooh, a partner! Yay! Without attempting to be offensive in any way towards anyone I must agree with you. I find most religious lectures in Malay to be a load of crap; and the people who are present all seem to accept what is presented by the pendakwah without thinking or commenting. That, and the contents of the lectures are much exaggerated.
With the exception of some of really, really, good lectures/sermons given by exceptional pendakwahs and ustaz(s) that I've attended (courtesy of my mom's advice), the others have been crappy.
Well, that's my observation anyway.
Posted by: Wan Zafran December 28, 2005 04:46 AM
mus: yeah sure learning mandarin isnt enough but its a step forward. i was at the dentist the other day. the dental assistant was this old makcik, pakai jubah n all; she looked like the typical makciklah. then she started spewing out cantonese and mandarin to this patient like she spoke it all her life. i just sat there, awed, and inspired. i dunno, i guess all i'm saying is that before we complain, we need to try. a lot of the ppl in our community give up easily. they don't fight the good fight.
xaph: hey man.how's msia? i have to agree. i find a lot of english religious lectures very stimulating. its more like a debate, and the issues they discuss are always so controversial.
Posted by: Munirah December 28, 2005 06:30 AM
Yeah, debate is good.
Last quirkiest debate I remember attending involved a pendakwah glorifying the virtues of sacrifice in the name of Islam by telling the tale of a Sahabat.
I can't remember the name of the Sahabat though, but if you can recall his name that would be great. The Sahabat concerned is one of the richest and most generous of the group.
Anyway, the story. Basically, this Sahabat donated all his wealth to charity in the name of Islam and Allah. As a consequence, his father lived a life of poverty without even a single cent. (Or riyal?)
Thing is, the pendakwah was exemplifying this Sahabat and his 'noble' act.
"See how generous this man, [name of sahabat], was? He sacrificed everything in the name of Islam? Even his father bla bla bla".
Maybe it's just my being myopic and lacking the maturity to have a proper understanding of the underlying morals of the story. But I'd rather take care of my family first before looking over the welfare of other people.
But this pendakwah, man. He was talking extensively about the importance of sacrifice and all that crap. I mean, to be able to do something so big, something major and life-changing like that, all in the name of Islam, is a good thing. But I still think that the story wasn't a very good example to illustrate his point.
And you know how the crowd was? They were all nodding, goddammit!
Think, you sheeps, think! I'm not expecting you to disagree with what he's saying, but at least look perplexed, or whatever! Ask questions! Don't just agree.
WARHG--G83UT-38HQ3-8QHGA08H)*.
Ahem. Sorry there. Back to my gentlemanly nature now.
Posted by: Wan Zafran December 31, 2005 08:51 AM
The problem with today's society is Baa-dom.
Yes sir yes sir. Baaa Baaa.
Posted by: Munirah December 31, 2005 09:04 PM
Err, what's Baa-dom?
Sheeps. Steaks. Mmmm.
Posted by: Wan Zafran January 1, 2006 11:29 PM
Comments