Article appeared Friday, July 13th, 2018 in The News Today, Bangladesh

The Revelation (532) yousuf mahbubul Islam, PhD

How are believers looked upon? Are they fools? Believers generally don’t seem to care too
much about wealth, status, power or even how well off others are. So, are they fools, living in a
fool’s paradise? Is it possible to find a logically considered answer to this question?

One way to work out an answer may be to look at what believers believe and compare this with
disbelief. We can also look at how belief and/or disbelief can affect both the current life and life
after death, if there is any. To start off we can look for definitions in the Internet, by typing in the
question what is belief? in a search engine. The website The About My Brain Institute defines
the word “belief” itself {1} as following,
“A belief is something that you believe or accept as true. You might believe something
based on a fact, an opinion or an assumption. When you believe something you might
not have immediate personal knowledge but you are satisfied that something is the way
it is.” {1}

What is more important, however, is to realize that belief and disbelief reside on the two sides of
a coin or are like binary opposites, i.e., either 1 or 0, there is no midway. One cannot say that
he/she believes while actions prove otherwise. This is clarified in the website ThoughtCo {2}.
“As a consequence, if you believe something is true, you must be willing to act as if it
were true. If you are unwilling to act as though it is true, you can't really claim to believe
it. This is why actions can matter much more than words.” {2}

Therefore, the meaning of the words must be visualized and attached followed by
demonstration. Without supporting action, the words expressed carry no meaning or value.
Attaching meaning or value separates humans from the rest of creation. If meaning or value is
not attached to words spoken, the degree of being human may fall into question. So what do
believers believe or disbelievers disbelieve in? Both belief and disbelief are centered on God.
Disbelief is explained in the website ChangingMinds {3} as,
“Strange as it may sound, disbelief is a form of belief. If I disbelieve in God then I believe
that God does not exist. If I disbelieve that you are clever, I believe that you are not
clever. Just as belief is an assumption of truth, disbelief is an assumption of falsehood. It
is not just denial of truth but belief in falsehood.” {3}

So what assumptions can “belief” be based upon? To find justification for the underlying
assumptions of belief, we can start with two logical questions. The first question: can something
that does not exist create/put together/make something that exists? The second question: can
something without intelligence create/put together/make something that is intelligent? Based on
the response to the two questions, the following assumption is made: a highly intelligent Being,
who must always have existed, created each and every intelligent human being and everything
else in the universe. Based on this assumption, what do believers believe in? Believers call the
highly intelligent being God. They believe that God created them from nothing. God must have a
purpose in creation, which the believer believes he/she must fulfill. The believer believes that
Holy Scriptures are God’s words to mankind. The focus of a believer is on God and His
pleasure. In contrast, the focus of a disbeliever is on himself/herself and his/her
needs/wants/desires. The believer knows that he/she has to account for the attitude towards
God on the Day of Judgment. The Holy Scripture, Al-Qur’an addresses the nature of the Day of
Judgment and the terror it will cause in the hearts of those who have disbelieved and simply
delved in the blessings given by God.
22.1 “O mankind! Fear your Lord! For the convulsion of the Hour (of Judgment)
will be a thing terrible!”
What is the purpose of the Day?
“In order that God may separate the impure from the pure put the impure one on
another heap them together and cast them into hell. They will be the ones to have lost.”
[8.37]

What is hell? To help the disbeliever realize the fallacy of his/her disbelief, God challenges them
to produce a chapter of guidance like the Al-Qur’an and says,
“But if you cannot and of a surety you cannot then fear the fire whose fuel is Men and
Stones which is prepared for those who reject Faith.” [2.24]

22.2 “The Day you shall see it every mother giving suck shall forget her suckling-
babe and every pregnant female shall drop her load (unformed): you shall see
mankind as in a drunken riot, yet not drunk: but dreadful will be the Wrath of
God.”
Each person would be terrified for their future and simply forget all loved ones – even a new
mother will forget about her baby.

22.3 “And yet among men there are such as dispute about God without
knowledge and follow every evil one obstinate in rebellion!”
Satan misguides us into focusing on the pleasures and blessings of life.

22.4 “About the (Evil One) it is decreed that whoever turns to him for friendship
him will he lead astray and he will guide him to the Penalty of the Fire.”
To help us realize the power of God, the following Verse discusses the stages of creation in the
womb.

22.5 “O mankind! If you have a doubt about the Resurrection (consider) that We
created you out of dust then out of sperm then out of a leech-like clot then out a
morsel of flesh partly formed and partly unformed in order that We may manifest
(Our Power) to you; and We cause whom We will to rest in the wombs for an
appointed term then do We bring you out as babes then (foster you) that you may
reach your age of full strength; and some of you are called to die and some are
sent back to the feeblest old age so that they know nothing after having known
(much). And (further) you see the earth barren and lifeless but when We pour
down rain on it it is stirred (to life) it swells and it puts forth every kind of
beautiful growth (in pairs).”
How does parched dry earth produce all variety of vegetation?

22.6 “This is so because God is the Reality: it is He Who gives life to the dead and
it is He Who has power over all things.”
It is God! Are we willing to lose our souls?

22.7 “And verily the Hour (of the Day) will come: there can be no doubt about it or
about (the fact) that God will raise up all who are in the graves.”
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{Notes}:
{1} https://blog.aboutmybrain.com/what-is-a-belief
{2} https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-belief-249805
{3} http://changingminds.org/explanations/belief/disbelief.htm