THE SECOND GROUP: EINSTEIN
A symbolic figure of the second group is Einstein. He dedicated his entire life to studying science. At the same time, he also experienced spiritual feelings within himself. That’s why he explored religion as well. His belief in religion was just as strong as his belief in science. However, in his view, the two were completely separate subjects. In his words, the purpose of science is to understand what is, while the purpose of religion is to understand what should be. In other words, religion deals with inner conviction, while science deals with knowledge of the external world.
But this division isn’t enough. Even with this separation, the core question remains—the one that originally sparked the debate between science and religion. From an academic perspective, this kind of split isn’t very useful. The real challenge is figuring out how to unify science and religion. Religion represents divine knowledge, while science represents human knowledge. It’s essential to find a way to bring both types of understanding together. Without this integration, a person cannot develop the kind of character that psychology refers to as an “integrated personality.”
The mistake made by Bertrand Russell and others like him was that they didn’t understand the true nature of knowledge itself. That’s why they couldn’t arrive at the correct conclusion. Similarly, Einstein and those like him made the mistake of not understanding the true nature of religion. Because of this misunderstanding, they formed an idea of religion that did not match reality. The problem with this group is that they treat all existing religions as if they equally represent religion itself. There are about a dozen major religions in the world. In addition, there are hundreds of smaller ones. These people study all of them together. They see that each religion’s teachings are different from the others. They don’t find the consistency in religion that exists in science. Therefore, they conclude that religion is a personal matter—each person can believe whatever they want, and no one else needs to interfere.
But this idea of religion actually contradicts what religion truly is. So, what is religion? In its authentic form, religion is a comprehensive ideology that provides a satisfying explanation of human life and the universe. It should answer all of a person’s internal and external questions. Religion is a source of certainty for people. A religion that is not entirely based on truth cannot offer that certainty. And any religion that cannot provide this sense of certainty cannot genuinely be called a religion.
The truth is that modern scholars often make a few key mistakes when studying religion. Due to these mistakes, they haven’t been able to fully understand what religion truly is.
1. The first point is that treating all existing religions as equally authentic and studying them on that basis is like combining superstition, astrology, and astronomy, and then trying to create a science of the heavens from the mixture. The scientific method in such cases is to separate unproven ideas and superstitions and to base the study of astronomy only on verified facts.
This is exactly the way we should approach studying religion. It’s true that many belief systems are called religions today. However, when examined closely, it’s clear that, from a purely academic point of view, not all religions have the same status.
Some religions lack any known historical background. Clearly, such religions are dismissed from the start because a religion without historical credibility isn’t even considered seriously. Similarly, many religions haven’t proven that their current texts haven’t changed over time. If the authenticity of a religion’s own texts is uncertain, how can its truth be trusted?
There are several scholarly standards (scientific criteria) that must be used when studying religions. But when these standards are applied to today’s religions, most of them don’t meet the requirements.
Among all religions, Islam uniquely satisfies these scholarly standards. In that context, treating all religions equally and trying to find a common conclusion isn’t logical. The best approach is to accept the religion that fulfills all necessary criteria and to record the others in history’s library—not as equal alternatives, but as part of the historical record.
2. Once Islam is recognized as the true form of religion, all misunderstandings that come from viewing different religions as equal naturally disappear. It’s similar to distinguishing myths from science when exploring the universe based solely on scientific facts.
3. Accepting Islam as the sole representative of religion provides us with a reliable source from which a clear and consistent system of religious beliefs can be established. For example, religions often contain different and conflicting ideas about God. Likewise, there are significant disagreements about prophethood and messengership. Opposing views also exist on what the afterlife will be like. The same applies to all other religious concepts and beliefs. However, when we regard Islam as the trustworthy source of religion, we find clear and consistent beliefs—beliefs we can trust. Certainty is the most crucial aspect for which people seek religion. If all religions are regarded as equal, that essential certainty is lost.
4. A key question is: what kind of relationship should exist between religion and worldly affairs? This is a very important issue, and different religions have provided different answers. For example, in Christianity, worldly matters were seen as a necessary part of religion. As a result, religion began to seem impractical to many people. This eventually caused a conflict between the Church and the State, until they became completely separate. On this topic, Islam has offered some important guidelines. A few of these will be mentioned here.
A. An important teaching in Islam is found in a Hadith that states: “You are more knowledgeable about the affairs of your worldly life.” (Sahih Muslim, Hadith No. 2363) This indicates that matters of a purely worldly nature—such as agriculture, gardening, urban planning, and economic organization—should be decided based on academic research. In other words, anything that research shows to be beneficial for humanity will also be regarded as valid in religion.
B. Similarly, when it comes to religion and political rule, the Quran states that political power belongs to God. He grants it to whomever He wills (Quran 3:26). It also says that political authority is a form of test, just like wealth and children are tests (Quran, 10:14). This means that fighting to gain political power is not part of Islam’s teachings. Islam teaches that those whom history naturally favors with political authority should be accepted by others, and others should see it as a test for themselves. They should not try to take this God-given test away through conflict.
