I imagine most Muslims are simply born into their faith and relatively few consciously decide Islam is the most correct faith. I fall in both categories. That is, I was born into my faith, rejected it on the grounds that if faith depends on luck, I may as well be Hindu, Jewish or Atheist. I began to seriously question the purpose and meaning of life at the age of 40 which forced me to reconsider everything...and then, through secluded reflection and reason, the realization seeped in the Qur’an is indeed the undeniable and literal word of God. I came to this conclusion for a myriad of diverse reasons. I want to stress, any one reason alone can be argued away, but it is the sum of all reasons combined, that to me, are irrefutable.
Aggregate Historical Evidence
The story of monotheism is really a story told by a ‘tradition’ or lineage of prophets. Each new prophet confirms the message of the previous prophets, and in so doing, effectively becomes additional ‘evidence’ to support the message of God’s grand design. This is one of the unique and summative aspects of the Judeo-Christian-Islamic traditions. All prophets essentially convey the same message, namely:
• There is one and only one God.
• There is a heaven and hell.
• We will indeed meet our Maker and be judged according to our deeds.
• God has a grand design and definitive purpose for His Creation.
Since each prophet restates the same themes and confirms the message of the previous prophets, logically in order to claim God does not exist, one must argue all prophets are wrong - if any one prophet is right the message still holds true; that God indeed exists. Using this approach, the following are the only possibilities when applied to each prophet:
1. The prophet did not exist. He is only a legend; people made up the story.
2. The prophet did exist, which leaves 3 possibilities:
2a. He deliberately lied.
2b. He really believed he told the truth but was actually delusional.
2c. He told the truth; God and the story of the prophets is the Truth.
Now let’s examine the probability of each as they relate to the alleged prophets. Remember, only one of the prophets needs to fulfill outcome 2c in order for God’s message to hold true.
Possibility 1: The Prophets did not exist. They are only a legend; people made up the story.
As each new prophet arrives, and becomes more current, the probability he existed increases. It may be difficult to prove Adam and Noah existed since there are no records other than the scriptures themselves (references within scriptures cannot be used as proof due to a circular self-referencing argument). As we get closer to the present, the existence of certain prophets becomes undeniable. Did Abraham, Lot, Jacob and Joseph exist? Yes, no, maybe. There doesn't seem to be enough evidence outside of the scriptures themselves to support their existence with any level of certainty.
The tide of supporting evidence changes when the clock marks the arrival of Moses. Most historians put Moses around 13th century B.C., and there are some documented references to Moses by ancient as well as Roman historians. I don’t think very many people will argue Moses did not exist; that he is only a legend. Historical evidence clearly indicates the Torah did not exist prior to Moses, and that Moses was the most likely author (whether it be through God or not). At the very least, Moses is the inspired source for the Torah if not the direct author. And then there's the nagging question of how one explains the belief system of over 13 million Jews worldwide including the origins of their holy scripture.
What about Jesus? Again, no arguments here…he most likely lived. He is ground zero in the modern Gregorian calendar. The New Testament was written by many authors, after Jesus, but inspired by his life. How does one explain the present population of 2 billion Christians?
What about Muhammad? His life is recorded in more detail than just about any historic figure with his birth dated at 570AD. The Qur’an is one of his key legacies. It is an historic fact the pre-Muhammad era in Arabia was polytheistic and the post-Muhammad era was monotheistic. The Islamic empire rapidly expanded within a couple of hundred years after his death, and there are now about 1.3 billion Muslims worldwide. It is pretty difficult to assert Muhammad is only a legend with any level of credibility.
So as a recap, thus far, we have concluded Moses, Jesus and Muhammad were all men who lived and are not legends. I think most people would agree on this statement. Now let’s apply the 3 remaining possibilities...
2a, 2b and 2c to each of these three men.
Moses
2a. He deliberately lied. If so, we need to explain:
• How did the Old Testament get here?
• What reason would he have to lie?
• Did he have more to lose then to gain by taking up his mission?
• Could a man, who wrote the morals of the Ten Commandments, actually live an entire life of deception and lies?
• How likely is this scenario?
2b. He really believed he told the truth but was actually delusional. If so, we need to explain:
• How can a delusional man advocate what is still today the backbone of human moral values? Delusional insanity doesn’t usually equate with moral values; they are often opposites (e.g. Hitler, Idi Amin, serial killers).
• What is the probability of an insane man authoring the Old Testament?
• How likely is this scenario?
2c. He told the truth; God and the story of the prophets is true.
• The answer to this depends on what you think the probability of 2a and 2b are. If the combined probability of both are low, then the probability of this outcome is high.
• This outcome certainly addresses the objections raised in 2a and 2b.
Now, go through the same exercise for Jesus and Muhammad and you get similar answers. Add in each prophet has millions of followers; over half the world’s population follow one of these three men. In the case of Jesus, factor in he was willing to be crucified for his beliefs (note, the Qur'anic view is that someone in his likeness was crucified).
In the case of Muhammad, some special attention needs to be given because of his extra-ordinary accomplishments. One needs to honestly ask:
• What is the probability of one man converting and uniting the entire warring pagan tribes of Arabia from polytheism to the belief of one and only one God in just 23 years?
• Why would he put his life at risk to do this if it was only for personal gain considering he was already well off?
• Why would he suddenly begin his mission at the age of 40?
• What is the probability he could be a military genius and author the Qur’an with no training in either?
• What is the likelihood he lied or was delusional and still managed to accomplish all this?
• What is the probability he told the truth?
On a combined basis, what are the odds Moses, Jesus and Muhammad all said the same thing, are all hugely successful in their own right, have followers of vast numbers and all either outright lied or were delusional? What are the odds of that...versus one or more actually spoke the truth?
I don't know about you, but I find it hard to believe all three men were willing to put their life on the line for a deliberate lie. I also find it hard to believe they could accomplish all they did while being certifiably insane. If I was a betting man, I’d say the most likely scenario is one or more of them was sincere and spoke the truth. And if any one of them spoke the truth, well in that case, the only rational conclusion is...GOD INDEED EXISTS.
If one reaches this conclusion, then following the latest edition is the most logical choice; it encompasses all previous editions, and being the most recent, is likely to have changed the least. The latest edition is the Qur’an, and the prophet Muhammad, pbuh, the man through which it was revealed; which brings me to why I am Muslim.
And that’s only part one.
Aggregate Historical Evidence
The story of monotheism is really a story told by a ‘tradition’ or lineage of prophets. Each new prophet confirms the message of the previous prophets, and in so doing, effectively becomes additional ‘evidence’ to support the message of God’s grand design. This is one of the unique and summative aspects of the Judeo-Christian-Islamic traditions. All prophets essentially convey the same message, namely:
• There is one and only one God.
• There is a heaven and hell.
• We will indeed meet our Maker and be judged according to our deeds.
• God has a grand design and definitive purpose for His Creation.
Since each prophet restates the same themes and confirms the message of the previous prophets, logically in order to claim God does not exist, one must argue all prophets are wrong - if any one prophet is right the message still holds true; that God indeed exists. Using this approach, the following are the only possibilities when applied to each prophet:
1. The prophet did not exist. He is only a legend; people made up the story.
2. The prophet did exist, which leaves 3 possibilities:
2a. He deliberately lied.
2b. He really believed he told the truth but was actually delusional.
2c. He told the truth; God and the story of the prophets is the Truth.
Now let’s examine the probability of each as they relate to the alleged prophets. Remember, only one of the prophets needs to fulfill outcome 2c in order for God’s message to hold true.
Possibility 1: The Prophets did not exist. They are only a legend; people made up the story.
As each new prophet arrives, and becomes more current, the probability he existed increases. It may be difficult to prove Adam and Noah existed since there are no records other than the scriptures themselves (references within scriptures cannot be used as proof due to a circular self-referencing argument). As we get closer to the present, the existence of certain prophets becomes undeniable. Did Abraham, Lot, Jacob and Joseph exist? Yes, no, maybe. There doesn't seem to be enough evidence outside of the scriptures themselves to support their existence with any level of certainty.
The tide of supporting evidence changes when the clock marks the arrival of Moses. Most historians put Moses around 13th century B.C., and there are some documented references to Moses by ancient as well as Roman historians. I don’t think very many people will argue Moses did not exist; that he is only a legend. Historical evidence clearly indicates the Torah did not exist prior to Moses, and that Moses was the most likely author (whether it be through God or not). At the very least, Moses is the inspired source for the Torah if not the direct author. And then there's the nagging question of how one explains the belief system of over 13 million Jews worldwide including the origins of their holy scripture.
What about Jesus? Again, no arguments here…he most likely lived. He is ground zero in the modern Gregorian calendar. The New Testament was written by many authors, after Jesus, but inspired by his life. How does one explain the present population of 2 billion Christians?
What about Muhammad? His life is recorded in more detail than just about any historic figure with his birth dated at 570AD. The Qur’an is one of his key legacies. It is an historic fact the pre-Muhammad era in Arabia was polytheistic and the post-Muhammad era was monotheistic. The Islamic empire rapidly expanded within a couple of hundred years after his death, and there are now about 1.3 billion Muslims worldwide. It is pretty difficult to assert Muhammad is only a legend with any level of credibility.
So as a recap, thus far, we have concluded Moses, Jesus and Muhammad were all men who lived and are not legends. I think most people would agree on this statement. Now let’s apply the 3 remaining possibilities...
2a, 2b and 2c to each of these three men.
Moses
2a. He deliberately lied. If so, we need to explain:
• How did the Old Testament get here?
• What reason would he have to lie?
• Did he have more to lose then to gain by taking up his mission?
• Could a man, who wrote the morals of the Ten Commandments, actually live an entire life of deception and lies?
• How likely is this scenario?
2b. He really believed he told the truth but was actually delusional. If so, we need to explain:
• How can a delusional man advocate what is still today the backbone of human moral values? Delusional insanity doesn’t usually equate with moral values; they are often opposites (e.g. Hitler, Idi Amin, serial killers).
• What is the probability of an insane man authoring the Old Testament?
• How likely is this scenario?
2c. He told the truth; God and the story of the prophets is true.
• The answer to this depends on what you think the probability of 2a and 2b are. If the combined probability of both are low, then the probability of this outcome is high.
• This outcome certainly addresses the objections raised in 2a and 2b.
Now, go through the same exercise for Jesus and Muhammad and you get similar answers. Add in each prophet has millions of followers; over half the world’s population follow one of these three men. In the case of Jesus, factor in he was willing to be crucified for his beliefs (note, the Qur'anic view is that someone in his likeness was crucified).
In the case of Muhammad, some special attention needs to be given because of his extra-ordinary accomplishments. One needs to honestly ask:
• What is the probability of one man converting and uniting the entire warring pagan tribes of Arabia from polytheism to the belief of one and only one God in just 23 years?
• Why would he put his life at risk to do this if it was only for personal gain considering he was already well off?
• Why would he suddenly begin his mission at the age of 40?
• What is the probability he could be a military genius and author the Qur’an with no training in either?
• What is the likelihood he lied or was delusional and still managed to accomplish all this?
• What is the probability he told the truth?
On a combined basis, what are the odds Moses, Jesus and Muhammad all said the same thing, are all hugely successful in their own right, have followers of vast numbers and all either outright lied or were delusional? What are the odds of that...versus one or more actually spoke the truth?
I don't know about you, but I find it hard to believe all three men were willing to put their life on the line for a deliberate lie. I also find it hard to believe they could accomplish all they did while being certifiably insane. If I was a betting man, I’d say the most likely scenario is one or more of them was sincere and spoke the truth. And if any one of them spoke the truth, well in that case, the only rational conclusion is...GOD INDEED EXISTS.
If one reaches this conclusion, then following the latest edition is the most logical choice; it encompasses all previous editions, and being the most recent, is likely to have changed the least. The latest edition is the Qur’an, and the prophet Muhammad, pbuh, the man through which it was revealed; which brings me to why I am Muslim.
And that’s only part one.
