ATHEISM

1. ATHEISM • A lack of belief in God • Strong Atheist – Total denial of the existence of God • Weak Atheist – Without believe in any God • Religion as totally irrational

2. Theists and Atheism • Atheism is disbelief in any kind of god and not only a particular god from a particular religion. • Atheist do not hate god because they do not believe in the existence of god. • Atheist do not hate satan because they do not believe satan exist

3. Theist and Atheism • Atheist believe existence of supernatural beings cannot be proven by science / experiments / impirical data / rational proof. Thus they do not exist. • Communism, Humanism, Nihilism, Objectivism, etc • Religion as theories full of lies / ancient myth / primitive superstition

4. Theist and Atheism • Use religion for personal gain (status, power, influence) as intermediary between god and people • Use religion to get sympathy and collect funding • Religion caused of human sufferings / conflicts / wars. • Religion as anti-knowledge

5. Secularism and Islam • Secular from ‘saeculum’(latinized Christian church) referring to people who are pre-occcupied with mundane worldly matters • Activities that are not sacred / something temporal • Terms relating to secularism (eg. Almaniy) introduced to mainsteam Islamic Arabic although no relevance to Islam/ummah.

6. Secularism and Islam • No equivalent in Islam the concept of ‘church’ and ‘clergy’ i.e no dichotomy of the sacred and the profane. • Nearest definition to secular - al-hayat al-dunya (the wordly life) • Dunya (from dana) – serround us and overwhelm us – distract from the consciousness of the final destination (akhirah)

7. Secularism and Islam • The Holy Quran says : The Hereafter is better than life in this world – more abiding / everlasting. • Islam do not derogate the world • Contemplate and reflect upon the wonders (ayat of God) to interpret and derive practical benefits • Islam only warns the distracting nature of life (al-hayat al–dunya).

8. Secularism and Islam • Western Christian concept – this age / present time / contemporary • Condition of this world at this particular time or period or age. • Ever changing world in which occurs the relativity of values – modern Western civilisation influencing the Muslim world.

9. Secularism and Islam • Secularism is defined as the ‘deliverance of man first from religion then from metaphysical control over his reason and language. “ • Setting free of the world from religious and semi religious understanding of itself. • Discovery by man that he has been left with the world in his hands

10. Secularism and Islam • Secularism encompasses political, social but also culture. • ‘Liberate’ man from religious control / worldviews – historical relativism. • Disenchantment of nature (act upon nature as he pleases/needs/plans without religious bearings) • Desacrilization of politics (abolition of sacral legitimisation of political power and authority) • Deconsecration of values (free to create change to values/ codes of conduct//morality)

11. Discussion • (1) Why atheists do not believe in God and religion. • (2) How do you prove that God exist and religion is important. • (3) What is the meaning of secularism. How does secularism affect your life and your community • (4) We are living in secular state with a multi religious and multi-racial community. Discuss this situation in relation to the Muslim minority here.

12. Socialism • Production own by workers rather than rich minorities/capitalists • Control production for common good and not individual profit • Cooperative nature • Monopoly of labour and production

13. Socialism • Man is a collective entity shaped by economic forces beyond his control whose greatest good is to serve the ends of ‘society’

14. Capitalism • Separation of economics and state • Private ownership – uncontrolled and unregulated economy • People free to form and act upon their own values – individual rights • Do not threat and impose values on others.

15. Capitalism • Capitalism recognizes that each and every person is the owner of his own life and has the right to live his life in any manner he chooses as long as he does not violate the rights of others.

16. Capitalism • Pursue own economic self interest and simultaneously benefit the economic self interest of others

17. Minor Debate • Capitalism vs Socialism - Debate

18. Din al-Islam • Indebtedness • Natural Inclination -Fitrah • Submissiveness • Judicial powers

19. Din al-Islam • Din / Dana / Madinah / Tamaddun • Cities, civilized society of law, order, justice, authority, commerce, etc – customs, habits.

20. Din al-Islam • Din –Natural tendency of man to form societies and obey laws and seek just government • Religion of Islam as the objective of faith, belief and practices and teachings experienced and lived by each and every member of the Muslim community as well as the Community as a whole.

21. Dana- Indebtedness • Man is indebted to God, his Creator and Provider for bringing him to existence and maintaining him in his existence • Returning the debt means to give himself up in service (khidmah) to his Lord and Master; to abase himself before Him

22. Raja’ – Returning • It is interpreted as rain because God returns it time and again, and it refers to good return – benefit, profit , gain. • True Din brings life to a body otherwise dead just as ‘the rain which God sends down from the skies, and the life which He gives therewith to an earth which is dead (al-Baqarah : 162)

23. Raja’ – Returning • In order to ‘repay’ his debt man must return himself to God, his Owner. • By returning himself to his Lord and Master, by loyally and truly following God’s commands and prohibitions and ordinances and law … • “ Who is he who will loan (yuqridu) to God a beautiful loan (qardan hasanan) which God will double to his credit and multiply many times” (al-Baqarah: 245)

24. Natural Inclination - Fitrah • Indebted – Returns the debt (enslaves onself – khidmah- ibadah • “ I have created the Jinns and Man and they may serve Me (ya’budun)”. Al-Dhariyat: 56 • Man’s obligation to serve God is felt by him as normal because it comes as natural inclination (fitrah) on man’s part to do so. • Fitrah – It is the pattern according to which God has created things (sunnat Allah).

25. Submission • Submission does not entail loss of freedom for him freedom in fact is to act as his true nature demands (fitrah). • The man who submits to God in this way is living out his din. • “Who can be better in religion (din) than one who submits (aslama) his face ( i.e. his whole self) to God… ?” (Al-Nisaa: 125)

26. Submission (Din al-Islam) • Din refers to Islam - total submission (istislam) to God • “If anyone desires a religion (din) other than Islam (al-Islam), never will it be accepted of him… (Ali-Imran: 85) • “Verily the Religion (al-din) in the sight of God is Islam (al-Islam) (Ali-Imran: 19)

27. Judicial Powers • The man of Islam as a city dweller, a cosmopolitan, living a civilized life according to clearly defined foundations of social order and codes of conduct • He obeys to Divine Law, endeavor towards realizing true justice and striving after right knowledge are cardinal virtues.