Narrator: [No answer]
Professor: "Do you believe in God, son?"
Muslim: Voice betrays him and cracks. "Yes, professor. I do."
Narrator: The old man shakes his head sadly.
Professor: "Science says you have five senses you use to identify and observe the world
around you. Have you? "
Muslim: "Yes, of course sir, I do have five senses".
Narrator: Then, slowly raising his voice, the Professor continues
Professor: "Have you ever seen your God?"
Muslim: "No, sir. I've never seen Him."
Professor: "Then tell us if you've ever heard your God?"
Muslim: "No, sir. I have not."
Professor: "Have you ever felt your God, tasted your God or smelt your God...in fact, do you
have any sensory perception of your God whatsoever?"
Narrator: [No answer]
Professor: "Answer me, please."
Muslim: "No, sir, I'm afraid I haven't."
Professor: "You're AFRAID... you haven't?"
Muslim: "No, sir."
Professor: "Yet you still believe in him?"
Muslim: "...yes..."
Professor: "That takes FAITH!"
Narrator: The professor smiles sagely at the underling.
Professor: "According to the rules of empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol, science says your God doesn't exist. What do you say to that, son? Where is your God now?"
Narrator: [The student doesn't answer]
Professor: "Sit down, please."
Narrator: The Muslim sits...Defeated. Another Muslim raises his hand.
Muslim 2: "Professor, may I address the class?"
Narrator: The professor turns and smiles.
Professor: "Ah, another Muslim in the vanguard! Come, come, young man. Speak some proper wisdom to the gathering."
Narrator: The Muslim looks around the room.
Muslim 2: "Some interesting points you are making, sir. Now I've got a question for you. Is there such thing as heat?"
Professor: "Yes," the professor replies. "There's heat."
Muslim 2: "Is there such a thing as cold?"
Professor: "Yes, son, there's cold too."
Muslim 2: "No, sir, there isn't."
Narrator: The professor's grin freezes. The room suddenly goes very cold. The second Muslim continues.
Muslim 2: "You can have lots of heat, even more heat, super-heat, mega-heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat but we don't have anything called 'cold'. We can hit 458 degrees below zero, which is no heat, but we can't go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold, otherwise we would be able to go colder than 458 - You see, sir, and cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold. Heat we can measure in thermal units because heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it."
Narrator: Silence. A pin drops somewhere in the classroom.
Muslim 2: "Is there such a thing as darkness, professor?"
Professor: "That's a dumb question, son. What is night if it isn't darkness? What are you getting at...?"
Muslim 2: "So you say there is such a thing as darkness?"
Professor: "Yes..."
Muslim 2: "You're wrong again, sir. Darkness is not something; it is the absence of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light but if you have no light constantly you have nothing and it's called darkness, isn't it? That's the meaning we use to define the word. In reality, Darkness isn't. If it were, you would be able to make darkness darker and give me a jar of it. Can you...give me a jar of darker? Darkness, professor?"
Narrator: Despite himself, the professor smiles at the young effrontery before him.
Professor: This will indeed be a good semester. "Would you mind telling us what your point is, young man?"
Muslim 2: "Yes, professor. My point is, your philosophical premise is flawed to start with and so your conclusion must be in error...."
Narrator: The professor goes toxic.
Professor: "Flawed...? How dare you...!""
Muslim 2: "Sir, may I explain what I mean?"
Narrator: The class is all ears.
Professor: "Explain... oh, explain..."
Narrator: The professor makes an admirable effort to regain control. Suddenly he is affability itself. He waves his hand to silence the class, for the student to continue.
Muslim 2: "You are working on the premise of duality,"
Narrator: The Muslim explains.
Muslim 2:"That for example there is life and then there's death; a good God and a bad God.
You are viewing the concept of God as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, science cannot even explain a thought. It uses electricity and magnetism but has never seen, much less fully understood them. To view death, as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing. Death is not the opposite of life, merely the absence of it."
Narrator: The young man holds up a newspaper he takes from the desk of a neighbor who has been reading it.
Muslim 2: "Here is one of the most disgusting tabloids this country hosts, professor. Is there such a thing as immorality?"
Professor: "Of course there is, now look..."
Muslim 2: "Wrong again, sir. You see, immorality is merely the absence of morality. Is there such thing as injustice? No. Injustice is the absence of justice. Is there such a thing as evil?"
Narrator: The Muslim pauses.
Muslim 2:"Isn't evil the absence of good?"
Narrator: The professor's face has turned an alarming color. He is so angry he is temporarily speechless. The Muslim continues.
Muslim 2: "If there is evil in the world, professor, and we all agree there is, then God, if he exists, must be accomplishing a work through the agency of evil. What is that work, God is accomplishing? The Bible tells us it is to see if each one of us will, of our own free will, choose good over evil."
Narrator: The professor bridles.
Professor: "As a philosophical scientist, I don't vie this matter as having anything to do with any choice; as a realist, I absolutely do not recognize the concept of God or any other theological factor as being part of the world equation because God is not observable." "I would have thought that the absence of God's moral code in this world is probably one of the most observable phenomena going,"
Narrator: The Muslim replies.
Muslim 2: "Newspapers make billions of dollars reporting it every week! Tell me, professor. Do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey?"
Professor: "If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, young man, yes, of course I do."
Muslim 2: "Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?"
Narrator: The professor makes a sucking sound with his teeth and gives his student a silent, stony stare.
Muslim 2: "Professor. Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavor, are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you now not a scientist, but a priest?"
Professor: "I'll overlook your impudence in the light of our philosophical discussion. Now, have you quite finished?"
Narrator: The professor hisses.
Muslim 2: "So you don't accept God's moral code to do what is righteous?"
Professor: "I believe in what is - that's science!"
Muslim 2: "Ahh! SCIENCE!"
Narrator: The student's face splits into a grin.
Muslim 2: "Sir, you rightly state that science is the study of observed phenomena. Science too is a premise which is flawed..."
Professor: "SCIENCE IS FLAWED!"
Narrator: The professor splutters. The class is in uproar. The Muslim remains standing until the commotion has subsided.
Muslim 2: "To continue the point you were making earlier to the other student, may I give you an example of what I mean?"
Narrator: The professor wisely keeps silent. The Muslim looks around the room.
Muslim 2: "Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the professor's brain?”
Narrator: The class breaks out in laughter. The Muslim points towards his elderly, crumbling tutor.
Muslim 2: "Is there anyone here who has ever heard the professor's brain... felt the professor's brain, touched or smelt the professor's brain?".
Narrator: No one appears to have done so. The Muslim shakes his head sadly.
Muslim 2: "It appears no one here has had any sensory perception of the professor's brain whatsoever. Well, according to the rules of empirical, stable, demonstrable protocol, science, I DECLARE that the professor has no brain."
Narrator: The class is in chaos.
Muslim 2: " Can I please share a short story with you, Sir!
Professor: " Yes, son, continue.
Muslim 2: There was once a man who was an enemy to Islam. He had three famous questions that no person could answer. No Islamic scholar in Baghdad could answer his three questions...thus he made fun of Islam in public. He constantly ridiculed Islam and the Muslims. One day a small boy, who’s age was 10, came along and heard the man yelling and screaming at Muslims in the street. He was challenging people openly to answer the three questions. The boy stood quietly and watched. He then decided that he would challenge the man. He walked up and told the man, "I will accept your challenge".
The man laughed at the boy and ridiculed the Muslims even more by saying, "A ten year old boy challenges me. Is this all you people have to offer!"
But the boy patiently reiterated his stance. He would challenge the man, and with Allah’s help and guidance, he would put this to an end. The man finally accepted.
The entire city gathered around a small "HILL" where open addresses were usually made. The man climbed to the top, and in a loud voice asked his first question.
"What is your God doing right now?"
The small boy thought for a little while and then told the man to climb down the hill and to allow him to go up in order to address the question.
The man says "What? You want me to come down?"
The boy says, "Yes. I need to reply, right?"
The man made his way down and the small boy, age 10, with his little feet made his way up.
This small child’s reply was "Oh Allah Almighty! You be my witness in front of all these people. You have just willed that a Kafir be brought down to a low level, and that a Muslim be brought to a high level!"
The crowd cheered and screamed "Takbir!"...."Allah-Hu-Akbar!!!"
The man was humiliated, but he boldly asked his Second question... "What existed before your God?"
The small child thought and thought. Then he asked the man to count backwards. "Count from 10 backwards."
The man counted..."10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1,0"
The boy asked, "What comes before 0?”
The man: "I don’t know...nothing."
The boy: "Exactly. Nothing was before Allah, for He is eternal and absolute."
The crowd cheered again...."Takbir!"...."Allah-Hu-Akbar!!!"
The man, now completely frustrated, asked his final question. "In which direction is your Allah facing?"
The boy thought and thought. He then asked for a candle. A candle was brought to him. The blessed child handed it to the man and asked him “to light it”
The man did so and remarked, "What is this supposed to prove?"
The young boy asked, "In which direction is light from the candle going?"
The man responded, "It is going in all directions."
The boy: "You have answered your own question. Allah’s light (noor) goes in all directions. He is everywhere. There is no where that He cannot be found.
"The crowd cheered again...."Takbir!"...."Allah-Hu-Akbar!!!"
The man was so impressed and so moved by the boy’s knowledge and spirituality, that he embraced Islam and became a student of the young boy.
So ended the debate.
Who was the young boy? The young boy was one of our leaders and one of the greatest scholars, Imam Abu Hanîfa (May Allah’s Blessings be upon him).
Muslim 2: Sir can I tell the class another short story about God.
Narrator: The professor replied.
Professor: Of course you can son. It’s a free country, isn’t it.
Narrator: By now the Professor’s face had turned red as a tomato because he was embarrassed that his student had more Knowledge than him according to God.
Muslim 2: There was a young man who went overseas to study for quite a long time. When he returned, he asked his parents to find him a religious scholar or any expert who could answer his three questions. Finally, his parents were able to find a Muslim scholar.
Young Man: Who are you? Can you answer my questions?
Scholar: I am one of Allah's slaves and insha-Allah (God willing), I will be able to answer your questions.
Young man: Are you sure? A lot of professors and experts were not able to answer my questions.
Scholar: I will try my best, with the help of Allah (SubHana Wan Ta`ala).
Young Man: I have three questions:
- Does God exist? If so, show me His shape.
- What is taqdîr (fate)?
- If Shaitan (Devil) was created from the fire, why at the end he will be thrown to hell that also created from fire. It certainly will not hurt him at all, since Shaitan (Devil) and the hell were created from fire. Did God not think of it this far?
Suddenly, the Scholar slapped the young man's face very hard.
Young Man (feeling pain): Why do you get angry at me?
Scholar: I am not angry. The slap is my answer to your three questions.
Young Man: I really don't understand.
Scholar: How do you feel after I slapped you?
Young Man: Of course, I felt the pain.
Scholar: So do you believe that pain exists?
Young Man: Yes.
Scholar: Show me the shape of the pain!
Young Man: I cannot.
Scholar: That is my first answer. All of us feel God's existence without being able to see His shape.
Last night, did you dream that you would be slapped by me?
Young Man: No.
Scholar: Did you ever think that you would get a slap from me, today?
Young Man: No.
Scholar: That is taqdîr (fate). My hand that I used to slap you, what is it created from?
Young Man: It is created from skin.
Scholar: How about your face, what is it created from?
Young Man: Skin.
Scholar: How do you feel after I slapped you?
Young Man: In pain.
Scholar: Even though Shaitan (Devil) and also the hell were created from the fire, if Allah wants, insha-Allah (God willing), the hell will become a very painful place for Shaitan (Devil).
Narrator: The Muslim sits... Because that is what a chair is for.