Why Islam is True-Lesson 18- Revelation is a Source of Knowledge

Name

Revelation is a Source of Knowledge Aldrich speaks to you candidly. “I have one nagging doubt. You prove everything rationally, but it is also embedded in the Quran. So is it a bit unwise to rely on the Quran as a source of knowledge? I mean, I would not rely on the Bible for anything.” How will you respond?

• “No, they are not the same thing. For example, people can only believe in the Bible based on faith because there is no evidence that it is from God. But we have rational proof that the Quran is from God.”
• “Well, all religious books can be seen as a source of knowledge as it shows what a religious group believes to be knowledge. Also, God has sent more than one revealed book, so we should also take the Bible as a source of knowledge.”

Aldrich nods but also seems confused. He eventually asks, “Can you remind me how that works again?” How will you respond?

• “We have proved that God exists as a fact. We have proven that the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is His messenger. This means that the Prophet Muhammad’s claim ﷺ that the Quran is from God, the creator of the universe, is also true. That’s why the Quran is a source of knowledge based on evidence.”
• “We have proved that God exists, so we should believe He would want to communicate with His creation in some way. He could have made it so that He communicated with us in any medium, but He chose books. This means revealed books are a source of knowledge.

Aldrich is happy with your answer. “This helps so much. Thank you!” However, his face clouds over a little, and he asks, “But what can the Quran tell us about that we can’t learn from science?” How will you respond?

• The Quran tells us the purpose of our lives. The Quran tells us that we exist in this life so that we can go to Paradise in the next, and it also tells us how to get there.
• The Quran tells us everything we need to have a good life. Everything else is just extra information. You don’t need science because science might be right or wrong. The Quran is always going to be correct.

Aldrich asks, “Does that mean we no longer need science?” How will you respond?

• No, we still need and use science. For example, when we want to know something about the universe, we look at science because it is a source of knowledge. But we also look at the Quran because it is a source of knowledge about the purpose of the universe from the Creator of the universe.
• No, we still use science when we want to know things. This is because science can tell us, and it is a source of knowledge. But we only say that it is actually true if God has confirmed it in the Quran.

God’s Hearing, Sight, and Speech What are the three attributes we can only prove through revelation?

• Hearing, sight, and speech
• Existence, privative attributes, and volitional attributes.
• Hearing, sight, and life

Why is revelation proof of these attributes?

• Because the Quran has been preserved so we can trust it.
• Because it makes sense, as many people believe it to be true.
• Because we have evidence that it is from God and therefore we know that God Himself is telling us about Himself.

What is the difference between Allah’s hearing, sight, and speech and our hearing, sight, and speech?

• Allah’s hearing, sight, and speech are necessary and unchanging whereas ours are contingent and created.
• Allah’s hearing, sight, and speech are like our hearing, sight, and speech, just much, much, much stronger.
• Allah’s hearing, sight will be like ours after death.

Any Contingent Thing That Revelation Tells Us About is True What is the most appropriate summary of the First Worldview?

• The universe depends on a necessary being who sent us a messenger to tell us things we could not otherwise know.
• The entire universe was made by God for the benefit of humans so that we could go to paradise.
• The entire universe is a sign that God exists for people who are willing to reflect upon it.

What is the most appropriate summary of the Third Worldview?

• The Third Worldview believes that things in the universe actually cause other things and that the universe is the only thing that exists.
• The Third Worldview believes the universe is a god because it is all-powerful.
• The Third Worldview believes that things in the universe actually can do anything it wants as it is the only thing that it exists.