Itikaf City 2024: Shaykh-ul-Islam delivers the final address on "Why Believe in God and Why Follow Religion?

Shaykh-ul-Islam Dr. Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri, delivered the final address on the topic of "Why Believe in God and Why Follow Religion?

In his speech, he said that anyone who contemplates with piety upon the universe within and without human beings cannot deny the unity of Allah and cannot remain without faith in Him. He extended his love and prayers to the sons and daughters who came to the city of retreat for the first time.

“May you always continue to participate in the spiritual retreat and continue to equip yourselves with the protection of your faith and religion,” he said.

Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri said that the intellectual wave of continuity, secularism, and atheism began in the West two centuries ago. Initially, there was no mention of Islam in this turmoil. Therefore, it is essential to understand the background of this turmoil so that the youth vulnerable to intellectual spread can be aware of its history. In fact, there was a nexus of state and church in Europe for a long time.

Shaykh-ul-Islam said that the church was considered the representative of God there, and through it, they preserved their interests. In the reaction to the nexus of church and state, the turmoil of religious denial began. When religious guidance turns religion into a means of achieving its interests and livelihood, then they have to fabricate theories themselves and blind people so that they do not challenge any of their statements. And thus, they can maintain their self-made authority.

The MQI leader said that European religious leaders did not tolerate any challenge to their fabricated theories. Therefore, for a thousand years, science was not allowed to progress in Europe. That is why Europe calls those thousand years the "Dark Ages" because scientific research did not progress during those years. In the ongoing war between religion and science in Europe, science ultimately won because the state did not need the church.

Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri further said that politics is not loyal to anyone. It is only loyal to its interests. The interest of politics is only politics, and for its interests, it can ally with both mercy and Satan. The religious, political, and social leaders of the beloved country have turned society into a spectacle. When it comes to ethics, advice, goodness, good manners, and talking about the Quran and Hadith, it does not get viewership on social media. Those who talk about reason and investigation are considered opponents by religious leaders.

Shaykh-ul-Islam said that when the state had to stop scientific research for its interests, it took the support of religious leaders. And when the state had to crush religion for its interests, it took the support of science. Later, when religious leaders became weak, those who were called God's representatives became the target of a thousand years of hatred, not limited to religious leaders but also to scientists who expressed anger against religion and God. Now they were not deniers of God's existence, but were only against those religious leaders.

He said that Montgomery Watt says that for centuries, Europe relied on Islamic research, and books of Muslim scientists were being read in Europe. Sir Thomas Arnold says that during the dark ages of Europe, Muslims were giving the whole world science, knowledge, and consciousness. Europe progressed by learning science from Islam and Muslims. At that time, when Muslim scientists promoted science through the sciences bestowed by Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon him), Europe was drowning in darkness.

“There is no work in the entire history of medical science that has been studied or published more than the works of Ibn Sina. Professor Philip Hitti writes in his book "History of the Arabs" that Islamic knowledge spread throughout Europe through Spain and Sicily. It was that era when Europe was submerged in darkness,” he said.

Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri said that today, after extensive research; science says that the entire system of the universe has zero defects, whereas Allah Almighty announced through the Quran 1450 years ago that if one studies and observes the entire universe, one will not find any slight defect anywhere. Allah has given intellect. Read the Quran and think about how all the galaxies in the universe move in their prescribed paths, and there is no incident or problem in them. Who is the Creator of this great system? Who is keeping it stable? He is one God.