Is Religion a way of life and of belief revealed by God?

Islam does mean submission to God and Islam is indeed accord with sense and reason. This is
so because such submission does not contradict sense or reason. Let us explain and, as we try to
do so, let us do so according to sense and reason.
It is sensible and reasonable that the principles of the din (the Muslim way of life), which we
are required to understand and observe in our lives, should be set forth in the Qur’an. How else
would we know them? The Qur’an is a revelation of reality. The demonstrations therein presented
concerning Divinity require prophethood since our knowing about Divinity can not be
separated from prophethood. Indeed, it is by the prophets that the Divine is made known to
mankind.

As the demonstrations concerning Divinity and prophethood appeal to reason and sense, so
also do those concerning death and resurrection. The intuition of etern-ity possessed by mankind
actually arises from the eternal life itself. If it were not so, no such intuition could exist within
the bounds of human experience or conception.

As for the Divine Books: they are the Words of God. Of these, the Qur’an is the last and only
one that has come down to us uncorrupted. If all the jinn and mankind were together to attempt
to produce a verse comparable to the verses of the Qur’an, they could not do it. The Torah, the
Psalms, and the Gospel are the words of God, but not in their present, corrupted forms.
We do not intend here to discuss how all the branches of the principles of the din are in accord
with sense and reason. Our aim is only to argue that all matters related to faith in Islam can be
demonstrated by reason. Yet such demonstration means little or nothing at the level of truly
profound human perception.

Every act of God is by definition in accord with sense and reason since He is the All-Wise and
the All-Knowing Whose works are purposeful, not in vain. We are bound to conclude that,
compared to the works of God, the works of the most skilled of men are almost of no significance.
The world given to us within which we live exceeds, always and by far, all that our
living adds to that world; and even what we add is only by God. We can derive from this a
clearer realisation that God has a definite purpose in His every act. That is a realisation wholly
pleasing to sense and reason.

We cannot but believe in God, the All-Mighty, such is His Majesty which we apprehend
through, on the one hand, contemplation of the Divine laws that operate in the world about us,
and through, on the other hand, inward personal conviction.

That believing in God, that sense of His Being, whether in the outer world or within ourselves,
inevitably leads to submission to God. In this way a path moving from sense and reason has
ended in submission. And submission means a willing, intended obedience to God in all His
commands and prohibitions─by observance of prayer, fasting, alms-giving, and pilgrimage, and
by avoidance of usury, bribery, intoxicating drinks, adultery and the like evils.

God has sure reasons for His commands and prohibitions, some of which we can understand.
One reason for them is, to give an example, the benefits that we derive, individually as well as
collectively, from abiding by them. There are many reasons why each of the five prayers must
be done in its own time (self-discipline and order, stability of faith and community, for
example). The manner of praying is also prescribed for definite reasons. The great value of the
washing of certain parts of the body in preparation for worship (wudu) is obvious.
Congregational prayer plays a great part in enabling and sustaining the life of a believing community. Zakat, the alms-tax, contributes significantly to preserving responsibility and balance between the rich and the poor in society. Fasting is of undeniable benefit in respect of
man’s health. As a further example, let us add that the Islamic penal code (in a social context
created by the Islamic community abiding by the Divine commands) will also, if studied in the
light of sense and reason, lead to submission to the All-Wise and All-Mighty.

Regarding hajj, the Qur’an says: ‘Pilgrimage to the House is a duty to God for all who are
able to make the journey (Al-’Imran, 3.97). That is a clear command. If we hear and obey it
without question, we make the pilgrimage, and this constitutes an act of submission. To what
does this act of submission lead? To the experience of hajj which, in turn, leads us to
contemplate its benefits. We see that the hajj operates as a world-wide conference for Muslims,
an occasion for them to be together for the sake of God without discrimination of race or sex or
colour or level of education.

Whether we start from an act of submission and the use of our sense and reason, or we use our
sense and reason and are thereby led to submission, Islam is confirmed. For this din is grounded
both in sense and reason and in submission. It is a system put into operation by God and it could
not have been ordered otherwise.

By M Fethullah Gulen