The Right Path

By: Sayyid Muhammad Taqi Hakim

The Father:
The illogical words, the inappropriate deeds of some people, and the superstitions which have entered into religion, have no relationship to Islam, and they ought not be considered a part of it. One should not accept them. Instead, one must fight against them. Rejecting such things, is by no means for disbelief in the true religion. you must only stick with the truths of the religion and get rid of all he fallacies.

The Child:
Although I do not have the wisdom to tell you what to do, but allow me to say: when you find any fault with me, please try to explain it to me in a manner that I have the capacity to understand. If I ask you a question about the reasons why some act of worship is done in the way it is, or if I question the philosophy behind some others, do not get upset with me, and do not call me a disbelieving Kafir.
In School, I have studied mathematics and natural sciences and have become mostly familiar with physical reasoning. But some religious matters seem unacceptable and complex to my mind. I have to ask about such matters. If you explain the answers to me in any easy to understand language and in a nice and logical manner, I will be convinced and will accept them. It would make me happy to feel that I have been able to find the solutions. And probably, this will help me solve other problems too. therefore, you should pleased with this line of my questioning, since I am doing this only to search for and to find the truth.

The Role of the Religion

The Father:
Our questioning bout religious matters is a highly recommended and acceptable deed. In order to have a stronger faith, one should accept religious matters only after conducting a thorough conscientious research. These questions not only will not upset your father and mother, but rather, will make them hopeful of a happy future for you. That is because religion is the means of improving peoples conduct. The Prophet (p.b.u.h.) says:
"I was assigned (to Prohethood) so that human being may achieve perfection in good conduct."
- Mohjatul Baiza, vol. v.p. 89.
Anyone who approaches religion has a better conduct.
This better conduct in itself, is the source of happiness. Therefore, the parents are dutiful to accept such a child with open arms and to offer him religious guidance following logic of the Holy Qur'an as it says:
"Invite (all) to the Way of thy Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching: and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious."
- The Holy Qur'an 16: 125
Therefore parents are obliged to provide easy answers for the different religious questions raised by their children.

The Child:
It is very pleasing to see you agree with me on this particular subject. I should thank you for the and I am hopeful that with your help and guidance, I will be able to acquire new knowledge about religion.

All About Religion

The Father:
My child! Now that you have assured me to accept the truth of your willingness and are committed to the true religion, in order to strengthen your faith and to enable you to do the same for others; I am going to offer you some explanations about the need for religion, the faith, Islam and some examples of it's exalted commandments and the spiritual and intellectual greatness of its leaders.

The Need for Religion:
My child! Religion is needed for everyone. Man must have religion to enable him to have an enjoyable life. Members of society by gathering together meet their material needs and their industrial development but will not be satisfied with only what is rightfully their own. And if and When some of them could, they would invade other's rights in favour of their own comfort. Even if it would be at the cost of other's comfort and well being. Wisdom allows seeking that degree of comfort, which does not conflict with other's rightful interests. But beyond these limits, it would end up in deprivation of someone's genuine rights. That of course, is not allowed, since it will result in a guilty conscience.
Therefore, a set of laws is needed to stop the invasion to the rights of others and rather to protect people's rights. Such laws must be general, i.e. to work day and night, at home and on a journey, inside and outside the house, when alone or in the company of others, in the city or in the country, and in short, in all given times, places, and occasions. It must be enforceable against everybody, and people must have respect for it as well as be fearful of breaking it.
A man made law, although general, may not have all these characteristics. That is to say that it may allow a person to break it at times. An example to when none is watching, one may feel free to break the law because his unlawful act shall never be discovered. He may do so simply because he is not afraid of any consequences.
However, the Divine Law which is made available to man through Allah's prophets, creates a faith in him that tells him no matter where you are, who you are or whatever the occasion may be, Allah will punish you for any sin you may commit. As Allah is everywhere, no sin will go unnoticed by Him. Therefore, the Divine Law is for the protection of society and the rights of its members. It is effective in preventing corruption. This Divine Law is nothing but religion and its articles as contained in the Holy Qur'an which was revealed to the Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.) through Divine Revelation brought by the Angel Gabriel.

The Faith:
My child! As in the present age, the industrial and intellectual revolutions progress and the mass communications are rapidly made available, the disease "Anxiety" is progressively on the rise. The cure of this disease is Imam(faith). Imam, apart from the being a social order has numerous independent benefits. Because a man with faith enjoys a feeling of peace within himself, he never feels lonesome or at a loss. Rather, he believes that some how by the divine grace he shall be rid of his problems. A faithful person will never become fade up with life, bored or commit a suicide.
The famous Dale Carnegie, after describing his father's difficulties, debts, failures, worries and anxieties in his life, continues:
"One day my father sopped his horse on a bridge over a big river and looked in the river for a long time. He was worried about his problems and was debating whether or not he should jump into the river. Of couse he did not. Years later, my father told me the only thing that prevented him from jumping into the river was my mother's strong faith. She would say: "If we love God and do what he wants us to do, everything will okay."
"My mother was right. Everything did work out okay. My father enjoyed another forty two years of life. He died in 1941 at the age of eighty nine.
Throughout those difficult years, my mother would never worry. Through prayers, she would take the problems to God Almighty. Every night at bedtime, she could read a chapter on faith from the Bible. We would kneel in prayer in the small country home and would beg God for his love and mercy."
- How to Live pp.178-181.
Dale Carnegie again writes:
"As the electricity, water and good food are useful and important in my life, so is faith. Electricity, water and food help me to provide a better and more comfortable life, but the advantages of religion realtively far exceed than all these material things. Religion gives me fiath, hope and courage. It takes fear and anxienty away from me; determines a course and an aim for my life.
Religion, to a large extent, completes my happiness and gives me well being. It helps me find a quiet oasis during the stormy times of my life. Today, the most modern science (psychology) teaches what the divine prophets have taught in the past. Why? Because the psychiatrists have found out that prayer, meditation and having a strong religion, worry, anxiety and fear."
- How to Live pp. 181-192
One of the pioneers in the this science says:
"One who really believers in religion shall never have psychological disorders."
- How to Live pp. 179-185.
"Today, even the psychiatrists are preaching religion. They do not preach religion for the sake of saving us from the fires of Hell on the world to come. Rather, from the hell of ulcer disease, Angina Pectoris, nervousness and insanity."
- How to Live pp. 178-185
Dale Carnegie writes about the meeting he had with Henry Ford:
"When I asked him if he had ever worried, he said no. He then said: "I believe that God takes care of everything. Besides, he needs no recommendation or guidance from me. Because God is ni charge of things, he will do everything in the best way. so there is no reason to worry."
- How to Live pp. 179-185
If the late Mahatma Gandhi, who after Mahatama Gotam Buddha was the greatest leader in India, had not receoved help and inspiration from powrful prayers, he would definitely be destroyed. How do I knows this? Well, from what he himself has said:
"If it were not for the prayers, I would have long become insane."
- How to Live pp. : 179-185
Professor William James of Harvard University says:
"The most effective medicine for anxiety is a religious belief."
- How to Live pp. 179-185
In another place, he says:
"Faith is one of the forces that man lives by and its total absence means the downfall of humanity."
- How to Live pp. 179-185.
Still, in another place he says:
"The roaring waves on the surface of the oceans never disturb the peacefulness of their depth, and to those who are dealing with more significant sublime realities and who are more stable, the life's hourly ups and downs are rather insignificant. Therefore, a truly religious person is free from any sort of anxiety. He is calmly prepared to do any job that life may brings to him."
- How to Live pp. 184-188
Immanuel Kant, the famous German Philosopher says:
"Have faith in God, as we need such a belief."
- How to Life pp. 184-188.
Dr. Carl Jung, the most famous psychiatrist in one of his books, writes:
"During the past thirty years, I have treated hundreds of people from the civilized world. Among those older than thirty five years of age, I did not find even one whose problem was not eventually related to a religious belief in life. I can say with certainly that each to them were ill because they lost what the major world religions have given to their followers. And those who had not gotten back their religious belief, did not really get cured."
- How to Live pp. 184-188.
Dr. Alexis Carrel, the author of the book, Man - the unknown, and Noble prize Winner (the greatest academic honour) in an article writes:
"Prayer and meditation like the gravity is the greatest force which has an actual external existence. In my medical profession, I have seen people who got rid of the their melancholy through the force of prayer after all other treatments had failed. Prayer, like Radium, has a brilliant source of energy created by itself. Through prayer, man tries to increase his limited energy by resorting to the unlimited source of all forces.
When we pray, we connect ourselves with the endless motivational energy that connects the whole universe. We pray that some of the energy may be appropriated to our needs. According to this demand, our shortcomings will be eliminated. Then we will get up with a better feeling and with more energy. When we address God with excitement in our prayers, both our bodies and souls will change for the better. It is impossible for a man for a woman to engage in one moment of prayer without getting something positive out of it."
- How to live 8th Edition p. 186

The Complete Religion :
My child! For the right way of life, we should choose a religion that meets with intellect and logic; a kind of religion by which we can achieve confidence; a kind of religion that gives our hearts peace and enlightenment; a kind of religion that prevents wrongdoings; a kind of religion that makes us conduct an ethical way of life; a kind of religion with clear proofs; a kind of religion with no vague or uncomprehendable points a kind of religion that guides an supports man step-by step through life; a kind of religion that we can rely on during our difficulties and to be able to resort to it in hard times; and finally, a kind of region whose commandments and directions are fresh and lively at every epoch and that does not become obsolete by the scientific and industrial progress, but instead their hidden secrets become unveiled.