Time brings changes in human lifestyle. Changes are part of time, and we cannot aloof ourselves from them. However, the real challenge is to live with these changes without losing meaning, direction, and goal of our life.
The present time is the time of science and technology. However, no science or technology can explain the purpose of our existence and goal of our life. Science only explains how different elements of the natural world are formed and how they work. Such knowledge of natural world helps in the improvement of technology which makes our life easier and comfortable. To find the purpose/goal and reduce the worries and tensions of our life we need to look at religion. Unfortunately, religion in present time has become the most misunderstood and overlooked part of our life. The reason is its unscientific appearance. As people have become accustomed to seeing everything from the point of view of science, they refuse to accept anything that has no scientific evidence. To them, religion is unscientific; therefore, they doubt its credibility.
As the language of religion is not the language of science, people think that religion is something unscientific and outdated that has nothing to do with reality. If, however, it is interpreted in the language of science, nothing seems outdated or illogical. Rather, it discloses those areas which science cannot discover on its own. It, in fact, points the direction of new avenues of knowledge which otherwise are impossible to find.Though with science and technology humans have learned a lot, still there are some areas which cannot be explained unless religion is studied. Thus, it is important to treat religion as a knowledge. It is only by keeping science and religion together we can explore the unanswered areas of human life.
Religion is an inseparable part of a healthy human life. When we explore the human history, we find that religion has been existing in human societies throughout time. Several trends emerged and vanished, but nothing could completely wipe out religion from human civilization. Whenever attempts were made to bring changes in it or it was forgotten, it reappeared with new zeal and zest. Even in the time of space-technology, religion is still prevailing in many human societies. Why it is so? What is keeping it alive? To know the reasons, we need to understand religion as knowledge without any inclination, grudge, or bias.
First of all, we need to understand what religion actually is. What does it do to human life? Where does it come from? Who is God? Why does He draw the attention of people towards Himself in every era? Is there any scientific evidence for His existence? Does science prove His Words true? How does He communicate with people? Is there any source other than God from where we can get the perfect religion? Do humans really need religion? Do humans really need God? What do we get from worshiping? Can we change the religion given by God? If not, why? What problems do people face when they bring changes in the God-given religion? What problems do people face when they do not observe religion at all? Theme of religion is peace; what is peace? What is sin or wrongdoing? What is righteousness? What is the scientific explanation of angels, jinn, and devils? How are they linked with human life? Or in other words, what role do they play in human life? Religion introduces life after death; is there any scientific or logical evidence for this? Satisfactory answers to all these questions can help modern man to reconnect with the religion. By reconnecting with the religion, people can identify and fix the misunderstood areas of their life; and find the purpose of their existence. The absence of goal from life gives rise to directionless and purposeless behaviors. A clarity of their goal can help them eliminate all such behaviors from their life and focus on their goal. As technology has made it possible to learn true essence of things, it is the best time to make use of it, not only to understand religion, but to dispel all misconceptions associated with it.
‘The Clarity’ is an attempt to explain religion and answer the above-mentioned questions and many other with the help of science and logic in the simplest way possible. It is neither a book of religion nor a book of science; it is a book of awareness which explains that religion is the essential part of a normal and healthy human life, the abandonment of which means doom and disaster. ‘The Clarity’ further explains why religion is taken incorrectly: What major mistakes we make in understanding religion? Why is there so much prejudice, bloodshed, war, and violence in the name of religion? It explains that religion is not just the completion of certain rites and rituals or fulfilment of certain worships, but it is a complete package which makes human survival, as a specie, possible.
Moreover, ‘The Clarity’ explains that the religion of God has always remained the same throughout time; every prophet, and every Divine Book has delivered the same Message. Thus, there is a standard religion for all humanity. What we call Judaism, Christianity, or Islam; they are different names/sects of the same religion. The purpose of this book is not to criticize or challenge any sect, but to spread knowledge and awareness about the successful survivance of humanity.
To explain religion and prove its importance in our life, ‘The Clarity’ has followed the methodology of science. Every work of science begins with a hypothesis; hypothesis is followed by detailed and unbiased investigations which prove that the [hypothetical] statement is true or not; and the relationship between different variables exists or not. Similarly, to see whether religion is important for human life or not, ‘The Clarity’ has formulated a hypothesis which says, ‘The Word of God is true [that religion is important for life]’. To work on this hypothesis, we need the Words which are absolutely the Words of God and have not been altered by humans. Written words are more reliable as compared to the word of mouth because they have more accuracy and proof of changes if any. Four Major Scriptures: Psalms, Torah, Gospel, and Quran are referred as the Words of God. The first three are no more available in the original form – all of them have been altered by human hands. The only Divine Book which is still available in the unaltered form is the Quran – a change of even a single character has never been proven since its revelation. Truth demands only that Book should be taken as a reference which contains the original version. As the Quran fulfills the criteria therefore, it is chosen as a reference for ‘The Clarity’. Though the original language of the Quran is Arabic, however, standard English translation is used in ‘The Clarity’ for the convenience of its readers. These translations have been done by Talal Itani, and Saheeh International. Both translations are easily available in print and electronic media all over the world. In ‘The Clarity’, human research and ayahs [verses] from the Quran have been compiled in such a way that the reader can easily understand the main idea. Quranic ayahs have been shown in bold format to make them distinguishable for the reader. Surah [chapter] number and ayah [verse] numbers are mentioned at the end of every reference.
Arabic in essence is a rich language which has an extensive vocabulary ranging over hundreds of words just for one object which convey different meaning in brilliant detail. A language with such a rich vocabulary can explain anything in detail without creating any confusion in its meanings. Allah/God says in the Quran:
Indeed, We have sent it down as an Arabic Quran that you might understand (12: 2)
And if We had made it a non-Arabic Quran, they would have said, “Why are its verses not explained in detail? ………………… (41: 44)
It is important to mention here that the pronoun, “We” is used for Allah in translations. “We” is a plural pronoun and is used to show the Sovereignty and the highest rank of Allah; it is not linked with polytheism.
Furthermore, the word, “Allah” for God and “Rubb” for Lord is used in all translations and discussions. It has been done in the compliance of commands given by Allah Himself in the Quran.
And to Allah belong the best names, so invoke Him by them. And leave those who practice deviation concerning His names…………. (7: 180)
The objective of this book is to make people aware of some facts/realities. Once they know the reality, they can easily adopt to changes brought about by time and avoid distractions and diversions that may disrupt peace in their life. There is no other protection against misguidance except guidance.
……………. He who has strayed cannot harm you if you are guided………… (5: 105)
‘The Clarity’ thereby, explains different aspects of life and religion in the context of science and logic. All facts are provided according to the latest research. It is a book for the people of the present time, who weigh everything on the scale of science and logic. ‘The Clarity’ removes various misconceptions about religion and life. It gives answers to those questions which come to the human minds of the present time, and provides clarity about the religion and purpose of their life.