Between Reason and Revelation: Journey to Islam

By Leslie Terebessy

A few acquaintances enquired how I became Muslim. I wrote this book as a response to that request. I briefly recount what transpired. I was raised under communism. This ideology values equality above freedom. Marx's words were, "to each according to his needs, and from each according to his ability." I was educated further in the West, where freedom trumps equality. I encountered true faith - which endorses freedom and equality - in Asia. These three ways of existence stem from different roots. Egalitarianism and Nazism emerged in the West, probably from the thought of J. J. Rousseau, G. W. F. Hegel and F. Nietzsche. In Europe, the Age of Reason surpassed traditionalism, as reason critiqued religion. This rationalism is found in the works of B. Spinoza and G. F. W. Hegel as well as related thinkers. The separation of religion from politics or secularism did not transpire without "battles," whether of books or armies. With the emergence of rationalism, faith went into hiding: it took refuge in the realm of privacy. Europe became scientific. It became materialistic. It became narcissistic. The triumph of reason in relation to revelation in Europe was triggered by issues within the established religion, which became formalistic. The Reformation addressed a few problems but also produced a few. Apart from problems of belief, the problems of the Reformation encompass the perception that we attain redemption exclusively by faith, without performing praiseworthy actions, for example assisting the poor. Under the sway of relativism, the West became disoriented. We could no longer be "judgmental," and perceive problematic practices, for example usury, as aberrations. We became permissive and easygoing. "Anything goes," is a popular saying. The truth is, "it does not." There are rules. Just because a few do not know what these rules are, or they make up rules along the way, does not mean that there is no difference between right and wrong. There is. And it is a huge difference. Moreover, contrary to the teachings of traditional ulema, these rules are partly accessible even without the assistance of revelation. Revelation takes off where reason is unable to answer difficult questions, such as those mentioned by Kant in the Critique of Pure Reason. Revelation answers all relevant questions. But is has to be understood correctly. And this requires a suitable methodology. If the approach is wrong, the results will be flawed. The reason for the dispiritedness of the West is its alienation from revelation. This estrangement is fosters overreliance on rationality, at the expense of intuitive ways of understanding reality, through the heart. The problem is alienation from revelation, not alienation from the factors of production. At the root of the trauma of the West is a lack of knowledge of revelation, about the difference between right and wrong. Philosophers were unable to articulate comprehensive or all-encompassing ethical teachings without recourse to revelation, without the prospect of reward and punishment. It was an illusion to think that ethics could be fully articulated without recourse to revelation. But it is also an illusion to think that there is no morality without revelation. This was the perception of a few Muslim ulema. Allah gave us reason for a reason. Unfortunately reason is not sufficiently appreciated in Muslim society. The use of reason in religion is perceived as if it were a sin. In Islam, reason got a "bad rap" and, just like in the West, religion ended up with a tarnished reputation. This was the result the crimes perpetrated by representatives of established religion. Muslim ulema, some of them anticipating imam al-Ghazali while others following in his footsteps, experienced a "collective rejection of reason," which a few persons referred to as "intellectual suicide." However this may be, in contrast to the West, Asia remains traditional. Travellers will encounter diverse of ways of life in Asia.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B09JR3PWQ6
• ISBN13: 9798499245248
• Release Date: October 2021
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 180 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 6.0" x 9.0"