Whenever somebody publicly challenges the teachings of Islam on the social media, I always make it a point to sympathetically consider the objections. Especially so if the individual in question has the reputation of being thoughtful and intelligent. Fresh perspectives, something new to learn, and unfamiliar challenges that force one out of one’s comfort zone and require a reassessment of one’s worldview are always welcome. Therefore, there is always excitement on the prospect of facing such criticism.
Invariably, it turns out to be a disappointment though. Rarely is one able to learn anything new, for the objections are mostly all old hat– recycled stuff that typically first appeared centuries ago, and that was answered centuries ago, but which makes a reappearance every few years or so, each time presented as though it were the most original and brilliant of insights. After the third or fourth such reappearance, the line distinguishing criticism and propaganda becomes extremely blurred.
The least that Muslims can do in this regard is to be mindful of their arguments. They must exclusively use Quranic arguments and avoid repeating or publishing fairy tales and fantasies no matter how noble their intentions. As for the damage done in the past, the Muslims need to proactively and systematically review and classify all the material that traces back to their elders. They must disown all dubious stuff, especially the material that obviously goes against the letter and the spirit of the Quran. This exercise must be carried out not only when an outsider objects to Islam (for then it smacks of apologism), but all the time. It will need to be a never-ending exercise with no resting on laurels because just as weed is never completely rooted out, one can be certain that new material of this type will continue sprouting while they deal with the older one.
Roughly half of such criticism is based on factually incorrect information. For example, when somebody says that the Quran cannot possibly be taken seriously after it says that a male and a female each of all animal species in the world were on board Noah’s ark. Of course, the Quran never says so. But the point continues to be made regardless. The list of items misrepresented and misquoted in this way is a long one.
The other half of criticism is attributable to lazy and sloppy thinking that is replete with logical fallacies. When somebody rejects, for example, Quran’s world view of an Almighty, Omniscient and All-Wise God on ‘grounds’ that there is so much suffering in the world, it is a classic example of a non-sequitur; that is, a conclusion that does not follow from a true premise. There is much to be said about this too, but for today I propose to focus on the former half of propaganda.
The reason for this is that many well-meaning Muslims are also to blame for the false information on which it is based. At any rate, the more effective propaganda is almost all based on books and material originating with the Muslims themselves. Take another common belief frequently repeated by many Muslims: Namely, the universe was created for the birth of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Or that the Prophet’s blood descendants were distinguished merely based on their lineage. The Quran never says anything like that. There are countless other such stories doing the rounds. What is common among all such beliefs is that they are found in books written not by non-Muslims or the enemies of Islam but by enthusiastic Muslims. The detractors take it from there, gleefully use them as ammunition, and have a field day embarrassing Muslims.
Why have the Muslims been doing so, and continue to do so though? Their motives could not have been any nobler. But precisely therein lies the problem, because in Islam the ends never justify the means. The reason why most of these stories were invented, accepted and propagated by the Muslims was their (conscious or subconscious) desire to improve arguments in favour of Islam, when no such improvement was necessary (or possible for that matter) after the Quran. Rather unsurprisingly, the move misfired and has yielded all sorts of harm and no good whatever.
To believe that man can better the line of reasoning of the Quran is a gross overestimation of his own capabilities. Man cannot help thinking of the here and now. His arguments, howsoever brilliant he may think they are, sooner or later get outdated, and are found to be contradictory if not outright silly. In contrast, God’s arguments never become dated or irrelevant. They are for everybody, everywhere. The Muslim therefore must immediately stop trying to make a better case for Islam than what the Quran makes. All he needs to do is understand the Quranic arguments and communicate the same to anybody who seems interested. The Quran will do the rest provided the individual is sincere in his quest for guidance. In fact, the Quran explicitly instructs that it is only the Quran that is to be used for introducing and communicating Islam.
Many Muslims have been guilty of mistaking the (in their estimation) less than impressive penetration of its message into the hearts of its recipients for a deficiency on the part of the Quran (may God preserve us all). They fail to realize that when it comes to guidance, another crucial factor is at play. The Quran explicitly says that it guides some and misleads others by the very same argument. For while its arguments are perfect, its reader or hearer must be in the correct frame of mind if he is to benefit. Why, on virtually the first page it clearly states that it is guidance only for those who are genuinely looking forward to being guided!
It is true that the outsiders– at any rate those of them who come with an antagonistic bent– would invent falsehoods anyway, but their propaganda would not remotely pack the punch that it does when their sources are books and stories originating with or approved by the Muslims themselves. The effectiveness of their propaganda will thus be greatly reduced. For propaganda thrives when there is a basis for it. The Quran provides little opportunity for that– in fact, none as far as thoughtful and honest human beings are concerned. The Muslim authors and narrators, by concocting or accepting historical events of dubious authenticity and substandard arguments, therefore do a great disservice to their own cause, as well as to those who they inadvertently misguide in the process.
The least that Muslims can do in this regard is to be mindful of their arguments. They must exclusively use Quranic arguments and avoid repeating or publishing fairy tales and fantasies no matter how noble their intentions. As for the damage done in the past, the Muslims need to proactively and systematically review and classify all the material that traces back to their elders. They must disown all dubious stuff, especially the material that obviously goes against the letter and the spirit of the Quran. This exercise must be carried out not only when an outsider objects to Islam (for then it smacks of apologism), but all the time. It will need to be a never-ending exercise with no resting on laurels because just as weed is never completely rooted out, one can be certain that new material of this type will continue sprouting while they deal with the older one.
