AN INTRODUCTION

TO THE RATIONAL
SCIENCES
Transcribed Lectures from Day 1-2

Istanbul, Turkey

Jul-Aug, 2018
Introduction

We begin with a dua for all students, people, teachers and everyone of the madrassah and
for everyone who has facilitated this financially, spiritually, materially to help bring this
together.

Alhamdulilah for Allah (SWT) bringing us here from all parts of the world.

The Quran, hadith and even fiqh, just reading it will bring you closer to Allah (SWT). Yet in
the study of these rational sciences, we wont quote the Quran or hadith by stating that Allah
(SWT) said or RusoolAllah (sallellahu alayhi wa sallam) said; so these subjects may be a huge
opportunity for shaytan to interject.

Especially, people with intellectual capacities need to be aware of the intention and purpose
for why we are here. In every single thought and moment in these lessons, we need to be
present with Allah (SWT) and thinking of Allah (SWT). If not, it is harmful and a waste of time
for you.

Intentions

So think about your intention. Read book of Intentions by Habib Al Aydarus. Have at least
100 intentions before you open the door. Some intentions include:

- Increase certainty and cut off any doubts in your Imaan. This the fundamental
reason and the core objective of these sciences.
- To understand the essence of reality and reach the ultimate Truth (Al Haqq)
o Fiqh is to understand – fahmul daqeeq (Deep understanding)
o Marifa vs ilm (arif billah, not 3lem billah)
o Ilm is ihaata (only Allah (SWT) has true ilm)
o Laa alamullaha illallah (no body knows Allah (SWT), except Allah (SWT))
o Imam Al Haddad states in the Book of Assistance that you must be within
Ashari and Maturidi in order to reach Allah (SWT).
o InshAllah through this we get ma’rifa of Allah (SWT), but we get knowledge
of some of the ahkam of Allah (SWT).
- We try to be as close to RusoolAllah (sallellahu alayhi wa sallam) as possible – the
knowledge, the way we sit, eat, the way our mind works. Thus try to learn this in
order to make ourselves think like RusoolAllah (sallellahu alayhi wa sallam).
- This knowledge will open many doors of other sciences. Hence, make intention to
study this to understand other subjects.
 - To be grateful when things are easy, and to be humble when it is difficult and to
have faqr.
- When speaking to people who have shubuhaat – and they affect us, so learning this
will protect us from them.

Legal Status of rational sciences

Some of the Ulema have said that some of these sciences are forbidden to study. Logic for
example, was not allowed by Ibn Salah, Imam Nawawi, and others. In those times the rules
may be applicable, but today, even in deserts of Mauritania, these thoughts will reach you.
The Internet has spread many thinks everywhere.

Someone in the ummah must have so much knowledge about this, that they can respond to
all doubts and diseases of the hearts. That is Communal Obliation. Today, Communal
Obligation is not fulfilled, without a doubt. Who do we have in the Muslim Ummah that can
deal with evolution at an intellectual capacity at scholarly level? What about quantum
physics? Yet in history, look at Ar Razi, Ghazali, or other scholars of kalaam!

Ar Razi would write pages explaining the problem or question, and then write one line as the
answer, or solution. To understand the problem is the main task.

Modernity

Said Nursi and Syrian scholars of the past century said this is not the time for tariqa. Why?
Said Nursi said, “We don’t only need people to sacrifice their dunya, we need people to
sacrifice their dunya and akhira” For example, while worshippers arise early morning for
tahajjud and dhikr, students of these sciences fulfil a communal obligation by studying
Philosophy – Kant, Reid and Hume.

There is a reason why we need to engage in these sciences. The Quran can be interpretated
from various methods:

- Tafwid – it is not what commentators say, we do not know what Allah (SWT) says about
allegorical verses,
- Ta’weel – some scholars say, no we must do ta’weel (interpretation of allegorical
verses), because already people are doing wrong things and discussing these issues.

Yet in aqeedah, we must be very careful what mistakes we make. For example in aqidah –
you must have almost finished the entire subject and the various books to an advanced level
before teaching. In fiqh – you must have studied a book higher level or same level if you
want to teach that book.

Mashaykh of our teachers stated: What’s the point of having 1,000 huffadh in a time when
people do not believe in the Quran? It is easy to lose all hope – but the believer should be
optimistic.
Contemporary Issues

Issues that require one to know the rational sciences in order to address them today:

Politics, sociology and power

1. Gender issues and fluidity & feminism

2. Sexuality and homosexuality
3. Secularism and political ideologies
4. Nation state and citizenships
5. Voting, the law of the land and political participation
6. Race and racism
7. Identity politics – gender, race
8. Indifference towards religion and against organised religion
9. Drug culture and psychdelics

Science

10. Quantum physics

11. Scientism
12. Materialism
13. Evolutionary science
14. Beginning of the universe
15. Artificial intelligence & Transhumanism

Philosophy

16. Atheism
17. Reductionist metaphysics, epistemology and scepticism
18. Theodicy – problem of evil
19. Purpose of life – maqsidiyya /nihilism
20. Moral relativism
21. Post modernism / Deconstructionism

Islamic studies

22. Controversial ahkam: Polygamy, slavery, domestic issues

23. Controversial issues in the seerah
24. Origins of Islam
25. Proving Islam is true
26. Other religions & perennialism
27. Consequentialism

All the political movements and ideologies of today: liberalism, Marxism, conservatism,
feminism etc., are all trying to get parts and pieces of Islam to deal with injustices and
problems of the society. We live in a beautiful and dangerous time.

Beautiful: We have a great opportunity to give great dawah – look at people’s need for
organics, alternative lifestyle, spirituality, etc. Some of the awliya claim that no body
worships anything but Allah (SWT), as even the disbelievers are worshipping Allah (SWT),
but they do not know. They worship something that benefits them or can potentially harm
them.

Dangerous – Today we see the rise of disbelief and atheism. This impacts the ethical
framework, behaviour and nature of our world today.

With ilm ul kalaam, we can precisely prove La ilaha illa Allah. We have much worries, and
stress today. RusoolAllah (sallellahu alayhi wa sallam) said “laa howla wa laa quata illah
billah” is a cure for 100 diseases, the least of which is hamm (anxiety, worries, stress and
depression), which are very prevalent today. Allah (SWT) has oneness in his essence,
attributes and actions1. This is the meaning of laa howla wa laa quata illah billah.

If you say laa ilaha illa Allah with proper pronunciation and proper meaning internalised –
RusoolAllah (sallellahu alayhi wa sallam) said 7000 of your big sins will be forgiven according
to the hadith. The Sahaba RA replied, what about those who do not have big sins.
RusoolAllah (sallellahu alayhi wa sallam) replied to them, their family and neighbours will be
forgiven.

Day 2 Questions

1 Wahdaniyya fi dhatihi wa sifaatihi wa af’3aalihi

Question 1. Is the condition as bad as it was in the past?

The crisis we are facing are far more dangerous than the past. For example, the Mu’tazila or
other groups wouldn’t leave Islam. Nothing would make us do takfir of the whole situation,
yet today we have people doing takfir. Shaykh Usama al Rifai, his father found a book that
said Ibn Sina did tawba before he past away.

The issues are not what scholars are facing as in the past, it is what everyone is facing today.
For example, leaving organised religion is what many educated Turks are doing. Gender
issues are being faced in previous centres of knowledge and Islamic civilisation like Istanbul,
Cairo, etc. These cities are having gay pride parades.

We are also the weakest Muslims, in terms of knowledge and practice, that have ever lived.

Question 2. On Ghazali

One of my favourite books is Iqtisad fil I’tiqad by Ghazali because it is like someone is writing
this book while sitting in our time. You must read about Moderation in belief by Ghazali. He
has other works as well.

Deliverance from Error is a story of how do I get closer to Allah (SWT). Kalaam will not do
that. Ghazali was never in doubt, he never doubted Islam, but he was doubting himself and
his own sincerity. There are various types of scepticism – methodological scepticism2 was
what Ghazali was doing.

Iljam al awam fil ilm al kalam by Ghazali was a book for warning people about ilm ul kalaam.
Ghazali is not criticising kalaam here, and we are not emphasising kalaam more than he did.
He wrote many texts engaging in philosophy and kalaam:

 Maqasid al falasifa
 Tahafut al falasifa
 Fadail al batiniyyah

Ghazali wrote on almost every science. All such books he wrote at his time to negate all
other groups.

Question 3. How do you study the Other from within, without affecting it yourself?

2 A method of obtaining knowledge through systematic doubt and continual testing

Rid yourself of everything of Secular and Westernised thought that brought you up. Empty
yourself before filling yourself. Remove yourself from all the ideological garbage that affects
you.

Iman is not faith and belief – it is knowledge. Many of these people have Kantian
understanding, but not by books of aqeeda and kalaam. Christians say you have to have a
leap of faith and in it, you have such things that are irrational. Anything that is a rational
impossibility, we deny in our scholarly knowledge. There is a radical difference between
Islam and any other religion. We are affected by Salafi dawah today. If we were to find a
sahih hadith that contradicts the Quran – then we reject it, but we haven’t found anything.
When we have a situation of source between qat’i and dhanni, then the obviously the qat’i is
true. The aql judges that which is qat’i. The result is not what we feel like, but what we
conclude after a rational exercise.

Question 4.

Most of the Innovators would come during political issues historically, due to the
educational crises to the political crises to the crises of fulfilling Communal Obligations. The
madrassah system follows the trends of the epoch. Shaykh Usama from Jordan, is saying
that we should tour Europe based on these issues.

If we were to see all the issues facing us in terms of priority, it is probably haram to build
these masajid today. The most important thing is the correcting tasawwuraat
(conceptualisation of Islam) of people.