علم و دین فرهنگستان جهانی مطالعات تطبیقی در علم و دین، عرفان ناب اسلامی، علم و دین، عرفان مقربین، علم، دین، حکمت ناب شیعی، استاد علوی، علم و دین
My Way or My Father’s Way? What are the basis and selection criteria for Choosing the Right Path?
Unbelievers say that since your father is a muslim, you automatically become a muslim. On the other hand, since his father was a hindo, then he must be raised as a hindo. However Quran argues that this is the wrong way to chose a path and has many instances were it discusses why everyone should reconsider their path by reason and wisdom.
Those who usually argued with the right path of prophets, never used their mind to realize the truth, however insisted on the wrong path of their predecessors by saying that “we have found our ancestors act this way” (“إِنَّا وَجَدْنَا آبَاءَنَا عَلَى أُمَّه”), and whenever they didn’t want to listen and obey the prophets, they say that “we haven’t heard of this from our ancestors” ( “مَّا سَمِعْنَا بِهَذَا فِی آبَائِنَا الْأَوَّلِینَ”.)
This means that for some people the criteria to choose their wrong path or reject the right path is their old habits, traditional customs, and man-made regulations that are based on trial and error of ancestors.
Quran’s Criteria for Choosing the Right Path
However, God denies this and says that the criterion for acceptance and rejection of any matter should be wisdom based on science and reason deduced by the right and complete mind. There is a simple and short story about Prohphet Ebrahim (peace be upon him) that is in search of the right path and how he thinks for himself and realizes by his own mind from observation that what his ancestors and community was worshiping could not be God, because they were temporary, not responsive, and had no effect on his life. However, his people were worshiping the sun and the moon and bowed to Idols, because they were followers of the wrong path of their ancestors, without rethinking and realizing that they were following the wrong path.
An Important Clarification
Many might question that muslims follow their mufti and marajeh, so how do these two concepts add to each other. The answer by the true Islam is that for principle beliefs such as existence of GOD, righteous Prophets, and Hereafter should not be followed by listening to Muftis, however, everyone is required and has the ability to realized and search for the truth to realize the true path by an unbiased approach and healthy mind for himself. However, in realizing the rituals and worshiping details, since highly educated background is needed to understand Arabic, interpret the Quran, and do extensive research on Hadith, not everyone is capable of realizing the truth unless they spend many many years studying and attending special religious courses and schools. Although everyone is encouraged to study these matters as much as possible, but it is not required.
The Pitfall
The most important matter in this way of thinking is that one must have a complete and healthy mind to realize the right path, and the funny thing is that no one says that his mind is incomplete. A healthy wise mind should not be deciding on feelings, opinions, customs, bias made up facts, racist and hatred vision, hearsay and incomplete arguments, and etc. A healthy mind is trained in philosophical and logical argument and would accept the right argument or at least considers it for further research and improvement of his ways.
Whomever uses his mind and reasoning to find the right path, has chosen Ebrahim (pbuh) as his father and ancestor, and that is the better path to chose than insisting on racist and stubborn old way of thinking!
The Farsi Article is found Here.