ALGHAN AHMED 

Discovering Knowledge  

Some people who proclaimed themselves as Ulemas think that they have a duty to guide their community and to correct teachings of Islam. They even suggest that God will reward them for reading the Quranic verses without understanding.  

Our biggest task as human beings is to become true Muslims -submitters to God alone. Today, the word "Muslim" just like Islam and Ulema are some of the most misunderstood terms in both the so-called Islamic nations and Non-Islamic nations. Sadly, these works are the basis for a person to construct reality and its importance in manifesting conduct and behaviour

In this information realm that we live in, it suggests for us Muslims (if we sincerely aspire to be one) to build a frame of reference in order to see and understand things and events in a proper perspective.

Information is the basis for man to construct reality. Man needs an operative "information base" similar to the disk operating system in a computer to guide his thinking and actions. Unfortunately, the world we live in is saturated with information, which is either truth (haq) which is from God or falsehood, which is not from God.

The information base supplies fundamental meanings and facts that can be structured into a perspective, or a worldview. A more complex definition is that they represent concepts and themes, which provide comprehensive, but precise guidelines about the nature of reality.

In an effort to construct meanings about reality, we are to approach the world through interpretation and perspective taking. We must realize that all our interpretations of the universe are subject to revision and replacement. As humans, we are capable of creative original action, and consequently meanings are not completely bound by its past, but involves an emergent process.

A more complex explanation of information suggests that information is embodied in all forms of matter and energy. It is contained in computer electrons, the brain's neural firings, in electrodes, newspapers and information. Scientists (Ulemas) have now proposed that atoms, electrons and neutrons consist ultimately of bits--binary units of information.

Within the last two decades, scientists have unravelled the secrets of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA); the double helix of DNA was revealed as an information system. It conceded that information might have an important bearing on how the genes and nervous system work, and left open the possibility that the human being act as an "ideal decoder".

Scientific information or Ayats as used in the Ouran is God's realm of wisdom for mankind to explore and discover. Unlike human beings which are gifted with the freedom of choice, all creatures (makhluks) in this universe are able to operate and function objectively, accurately, and immutably (see Quran 48:23, 41:10, 25:2, 65:3, 6:115, 17:77) because Allah has set their functions at the time of their creations (41:12).

The functions are programmed through a pattern of information, a guidance for its operations and con-duct: And thy Lord placed in the bee His guidance (wahyu) to build its hives in hills and in trees and in that which they thatch. Then eat of all fruits, and follow the way of thy Lord. There comes forth from their bellies a drink diverse of hues; wherein is healing for mankind. Verily, this is ayat (scientific information) for those who reflect. (Quran 16:68-69).

Guidance, in the form of information, has been created and patterned in the bee in ' order for it to function effectively in this universal system, which in totality, is also governed by an intermediary programming rule. So, the behaviour of those bits, and thus the entire universe, is governed by a single programming rule, which is created by Allah, "the cause and prime mover of everything."

The Quran provides the evidence of the existence of laws governing our physical universe (35:43, 30:30)

Our goal in this life is to discover the correct meanings via the understanding of ayats to activate some meaningful actions and deeds rather than blindly follows causally shaped movements by certain forces based from distorted information. In the end, what we will do or may not do depend very much on the information that we derived from and how we processed it.

To be a true Muslim, we must know types of information available and choose the appropriate ones to make up as our belief system. The only correct attitude of a true Muslim is to be a walking Ouran.

Under this notion, a Muslim needs a set of ayats to form a guide (see Quran 16:64, 16:102, 27:77, 10:57, 7:2) to mold his or her thoughts, feelings and beliefs and transformed them into behavioral patterns.

The guide as accorded by the ayatullah system certainly contains information, which has the

following characteristics:
1 . Divine 153:4)
2. True (69:51, 25:33, 32:3, 34:6)
3. Perfect 11 8: 1 -2) 4. Complete 16:115)
5. Detailed (6:114, 7:52) 6. Self-explanatory (6:126, 6:154-155, 13:2, 16:89, 25:50)
8. Reliable (17:9)
9. Protected (41: 42, 56:78, 85:22).

Its sole purpose is to serve as a distinguish frame of reference. Within this perspective, a Muslim is a person who organizes his experience and guides his activity through cognitive and relational organization in accordance to Allah's ayats (ayatullah) and His sunnah (sunnahtullah).

Any true Muslim must realize that the primary sources of ayats are from the Quran (13:1) and physical phenomena 113:2), which is around and within us. These ayats will re-main a mystery if nobody take the effort to study them. Ayats from the Ouran and physical phenomena are the truths from God and they form a complete and unifying knowledge on any concept or theme.

It is a challenge for man to seek knowledge and wisdom in discovering the truth about reality.

We will show them our ayats on the horizons and within themselves until it will be manifest unto them that it is the truth. Doth not thy Lord suffice, since He is Witness over all things. (Quran 41:53).

A person can become a Muslim or a strayer, depending on his or her belief system. A true muslim upholds Allah's ayats, while the strayers up-hold other information, which is detached from reality. Some of these false informations is treated as the sayings of the prophet or hadiths by some proclaimed "Ulemas" to gain recognition and respect of fellow beings. Allah has the following to say on this matter:

The revelation of the book is from Allah, The Exalted in power, full of Wisdom. Verily in the heavens and the earth, are ayats for those who believe. And the creation of yourselves and the fact that animals scattered are ayats for those of assured faith.

And in the alternation or night and day, and the fact that Allah sends down sustenance from the sky, and revives therewith the earth after its death, and the change of the winds are ayats for those that are wise.

It is a challenge for Man to seek knowledge and wisdom in discovering the truth about reality.

Such are ayats of Allah, which we rehearse to you in truth, then in which hadith they will believe after Allah and His ayats?

Woe, to each sinful dealer in falsehood He hears the ayats of Allah rehearsed to him, yet is obstinate and lofty, as if he had not heard them, then announce to him a penalty grievous. And when he learns something of Our ayats, he takes them in jest; for such there will be a humiliating penalty.

In front of them is Hell, and of no profit to them is anything they may have earned; Nor any protectors (wali) they may taken to themselves be-sides Allah, for them is a tremendous penalty.

This is Guidance, and for those who reject the ayats of their Lord, is a grievous penalty of abomination. (Quran 45:2-11).

Now let us ponder around us today. Who are the true Ulemas according to Quran?

Seest thou not that Allah sends down rain from the sky? With it We then bring out produce of various colours.

And in the mountains are tracts white and red various shades of colour, and black intense in hue. And so amongst men and crawling creatures and cattle, Are they of various colours, Those who truly fear Allah, Among His servants, are the Ulemas (Scientists) For Allah is Exalted in Might Oft Forgiving. (Quran 35: 27-28. All around the world ulemas are those who study phenomena of nature and they are named according to their areas of study such as agronomists, entomologists, astronomers, mathematicians, physicians, doctors, engineers, geologists, anthropologists, economists, psychologists, sociologists, etc.

But in the so-called "Islamic" communities, "ulemas" are scholars who take the trouble to study and uphold vain hadiths, i.e. contextual information which is opinionated, value-laden, subjective and situational in nature, and regard it as a fundamental source of Islamic knowledge. These people who proclaimed them-selves as Ulemas think that they have a duty to guide their community to the correct teachings of Islam. They even suggest that God will reward them for reading the Quranic verses without understanding.

Their perspective on religion have been clouded and distorted by those hadiths which have undergone layers of interpretation and reinterpretation, and natural barriers such as selective exposure, selective attention, selective retention, and selective perception which hinders correct understanding of the intended meanings propounded by the senders. Most of it is nothing but conjectures.

One can just go back to the Quran and gain lesson from the success of Iblis in distorting God's original message to Adam and his wife. And from the verses, we may learn that Allah has warned us that satan will use the same techniques to deviate mankind from the truth.

It is high time for so-called "Muslims" to free themselves form the unstructured bonding of unverified information, which keep them away from the truth.

The source of truth is pretty clear: Allah ayats as contained in the Quran (a Guide) and the open book of nature.