Mohamed Ghilan Podcasts 2016

lecture

I gave this talk today on ISIS over Google Hangout to the student's Insight Club at the American University of Beirut.

Lecture for the American University Of Beirut: ISIS - An Islamic Caliphate Or A Fascist Movement?

Questions addressed in this episode:

If the evolution theory tells us that we are part of a chain that evolved on Earth, who was it then that Iblis refused to bow down to if it wasn't a literal person? 

How do we reconcile Islam with evolution when we are told how tall Adam was (I forget how tall exactly, but certainly much taller than any type of homo species depicted in the normal evolutionary pictures)? 

In terms of fossils by the way, do you know if fossils have been found for these much taller people (giants, as some people refer to them as)?

Question 1: Evolution, Adam, Giants On Earth

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Twitter Handle: @mohamedghilan

Website: http://www.mohamedghilan.com

The message addressed in this episode:

Salam Alaykum,

I wanted to ask one question about this post you shared of the Isra and Mi'raj. There is one "thoughtful response" by a person (Hasan Mohammad) who says about the basic Islamic premise: Creation out of nothing is logically impossible. You cannot casually act on something which has no properties to produce an effect (no matter how omnipotent you are). Everything that begins to exist comes from pre-existing material. I take it he is formally studying physics, so how would we approach this matter as far as you are concerned. 

I do have one very important overall question to ask, even though it is a little bit touchy, but Insha Allah it is fine. I see that you have very established views about the possibility of Adam (AS) having been the first man created directly by Allah without any preceding biological ancestors, and you mention this is exactly what science indubitably teaches. What I feel is that this person (Hassan Mohammad), at a more basic level and despite a Muslim past, feels the same about the big question of whether God creates from nothing, and he will refer back to his formal study of physics to explain that he might be able to accept the possibility of God, yet only within certain parameters (such as impossibility of creating from nothing, etc.).

So the actual question is, that how is delving into a given field really making people go into alternative explanations and sticking to them "no matter what Muslim scholars of the past may have said" - I know I am including you in a sense, but it is an issue that needs some discussion.

*some clarifications on what I mentioned above*

About the phrase "this is exactly what science indubitably teaches", I understand that you are saying that one cannot hold any scientific theory to be a good model and then make an exception for Adam (AS) for example since this is not the way science works.

And when I use the term 'delving', I mean studying the science formally in an university setting.

Anyway, the main question does remain.

[By the way, I do not think the 'response' is particularly impressive from Mr. Hasan, since it is pointing to something our scholars would not agree to begin with (the reality of true natural causation), but the issue I doubt there is even one Muslim (scholar or otherwise) who can take a response like this and defend the normative Islamic position while shooting down proper, formal physics-based counter-arguments, and know their strong arguments from the polemical ones disguised as physics].

Question 3: Creation From Nothing, Islam & Science, Evolution, Adam

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/drmohamedghi...

Twitter Handle: @mohamedghilan

Website: http://www.mohamedghilan.com

The message addressed in this episode:

Hello Mr. Mohamed Ghilan, 

This is my short story. I'm a born Egyptian Muslim teen, who came across these big questions of life at the age of around 14. I was doing umrah back then, when I asked myself this one question of why I am Muslim.

This question haunted me down (and still is) after 4 years. I started doing my research, and I came across a lot of different arguments here and there, the Quranic miracles etc etc. And God knows best how much time I spent in the last four years of my life searching for an answer for this one question. The thing that I was looking for, was obviously proof. Proof that God exists, and proof that Islam is the one true religion. But it wasn't as easy as it sounds like. I heard debates until I knew all the arguments an atheist and a theist would ever make by heart. 

It was then, where the religion and science era started, the ones who believe the Quran has every scientific discovery or theory as a hidden meaning to the ones who try to refute these claims. This was the longest part I spent time on, as I thought this is the only way I could prove my religion as the true one. But I don't really regret any of that, I still learned quite a lot, and the most important thing I learned was my sincerity.

I stopped trying to defend something I didn't even choose and was sincerely searching for the truth,  if there is any. Some time ago I came across the the argument of the Quran being eternal and static while science being changing over time, which made the quran science hypothesis a contradictory one, which was quite a relief honestly. 

I'm in college now and therefore don't have much time in this kind of research but I am glad I found your page as someone who is interested in the same field of questions. There are still a lot of questions I'm searching for, not quite sure if there are any answers to them. One of which is which criteria one has to use to judge the religion on truth and accuracy. How does Islam itself want us to believe? With what kind of logic and reasoning? What is the difference between blind faith and the belief in the unseen? 

As of my position now, I would call myself a Muslim agnostic. I know it sounds weird, but I am Muslim because it is what makes most sense to me right now, and agnostic because I do not claim I can prove neither a God nor a religion and I am in a position where I would gladly change my beliefs and views as a sincere person to whatever makes most sense. 

I hope I didn't waste a lot of your time, keep up the good work. and stay safe

Question 4: A Muslim Agnostic?

Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/drmohamedghilan

Twitter Handle: @mohamedghilan

Website: www.mohamedghilan.com

The message addressed in this episode:

Salam Ustaad,

How do we understand that we are 100 percent against domestic violence when the lines get a bit blurred with  surah 4:34? Yes I know Muslim Ulema and duaat condemn domestic violence but they all dance around this issue. Yes I know Ibn Abbas (RA) said that we should not hit in a way to leave marks. But the problem here is that the act of even grabbing or striking without leaving marks will cause emotional damage. I looked at sheikh Abdul Nasir Jangda's view on 'daraba' to mean to separate or to strike a path. But I don't think this view is tenable because of the lack of the particle 'a'n'.

You are very articulate and most importantly connected with the scholars and the tradition itself. BarakAllahu Feek.

Question 5: The Quran and Domestic Violence

Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/drmohamedghilan

Twitter Handle: @mohamedghilan

Website: www.mohamedghilan.com

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/mohamed-ghilan/id1093009815

Desacralizing Arabic & Alienating Non-Arabs

Islamic lecture by Mufti Menk - Harms of Excess Baggage

 This video is about A mother who suffered much to meet her Lord .
May Allah Grant her and his children  highest form of Jannah.Ameen

Islamic lecture  by Sheikh Bilal Assad -A Patient Mother  A Woman Of Jannah     Emotional

 This lecture remind us about how death comes and everyone shall taste it at its own time.
May everyone of us repent our sin and do good deeds by following the quran and suunah before returning back to our maker .May Allah forgive our sin ,grant us goodness in our death and grant us jannatul firdays .Ameen

Islamic Lecture by Sheikh Feiz Muhammad-  A Good Death  of a pious believer- Real Story

Ettiquetes of Speaking 
 A matter of good speech from a believer to please his Maker.
Getting rid of the false accusation , back biting,rumors etc. 
 It really matters in every words we utter and we are accountable to it .
 We need to follow the Sunnah of  Rasul SAW.

 May Allah grant us a good  utterance of words of wisdom .. Ameen

Islamic Lecture from Mufti Menk- Ettiquetes of Speaking