Islamic Cultural Study Centre

Life in the 21st Century is demanding on each individual depending on our own personal struggles. Examples of this include financial worries, physical or mental illness, domestic problems etc. Many of us are used to carrying out an endless list of tasks. In the midst of all these issues it is often easy to overlook or not ponder on what the reason of our existence and journey on earth actually lead to. Islam is a religion which supports mankind to stabilise the affects and demands society places on us and redistributes a portion of our time to nurture and care for ourselves and for our fellow human beings.
To enable us to understand our present situation is important we must first understand our origin. As we grow from young children it is often observed that our environment and teaching hugely impact our life and how we perceive the world. Some modern scientists claim that our existence is a gradual development and we are here on earth without a purpose and were not specifically created in our current form but have evolved into humans from other biological life forms. This is a wide area of discussion, however to contextualise this we would like you to question this ideology. If we have appeared without being created or gradually developed in the absence of a well-structured plan how is this possible? What appears into existence without an architect or creator willingly engineering this? There are significant deficiencies in this theory to suggest we have developed from single cell organisms to the sophisticated beings we now are.
A person may be sceptical and not be able to imagine an initial cause or instruction for creation. However if we objectively examine this we have two predominant opinions held by people who opt out of believing in a creator. One is that we come as we are and there is no definitive beginning for creation or the second is we exist by chance and have reached where we are by gradual development. However by using scientific rationale we can deduct that if human beings did not have intimate relations then offspring would not be produced out of thin air or by growing inside a mother’s stomach over a period of time if there was not an initial cause. We can therefore identify that human kind would have to be linked to a biological beginning. To critically analyse this further there would have had to have been the creation of the biological foundation of human kind or we would not be in existence today.
Human intellect allows us to conclude that there would have had to be an uncaused being/creator/architect/ designer who is responsible for not only our creation but everything else in the universe we perceive. Both of the above critiques lead us to this as human existence will have to lead back somewhere or we are infinitely regressing through a timeline where our question remains unanswered and we inadvertently comply to the assumption that from nothing came everything. Even if a critic was to argue that there was an uncaused explosion of gasses or we evolved over millions of years etc. where did the gasses or organisms we developed from come from? We also have to consider where did universal laws such as gravity, the rotation of the earth, the moon cycles etc. arise from?
For those of us in life who have gathered experience we are aware that there is no such thing as a ‘happy coincidence’ and each action has a reaction/ consequence. While many people may go through life believing that they exist, they survive, they will die and that is the end; a pragmatic person would understand that nothing happens without a reason.
Muslims believe there is one God, known in Arabic as Allah. Muslims believe Allah is One, none is equal to Him, the Holy One, and Sacred from all defects. He is Perfect in all Virtues and Attributes. None is Partner to Him in any matter whatsoever and none is greater than Him. He is from infinity, He has always been there, He will always be there for ever, nothing is before Him and there will never be anything to supersede him.
We believe Allah created the heavens and the Earth and it is by his will and design that we are able to sustain life on this planet. The message of Allah has been known to human kind since their existence. Muslims believe that several thousands of Messengers were sent to inform mankind of the existence of Allah and specific guidance’s to live their life to the criterion which is worthy of the excellence of the most advanced species in existence. The reason for this is so they could understand that there purpose on this earth was to live in unity with one another, maintain justice on Earth and flourish as a united community in obediance to the commands of Allah.
Muslims believe Adam (May the Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was the first Human to be physically created and from him and his wife Sayidina Hawa, also known as Eve (May the blessings of Allah be upon her) humankind originated. Islam acknowledges the existence of several messengers who are known to other religions including, Abraham, Younis, Moses and Jesus (May the Peace and Blessing of Allah be upon them All). Muslims believe that Allah sent one Final Messenger named Muhammad (May the Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) to inform mankind of their origin, how to live in harmony, not transgress each other’s rights and also to understand the outcome of this life and what will happen once a person passes away. We believe that although the messengers all shared the same message of the oneness of Allah the knowledge they imparted to human kind gradually increased to suit each time and era. From the life of Prophet Muhammad (May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) many examples have been learnt to aid us in areas such as nature, health, science, medicine and hygiene etc.
To understand the reason and proof of our existence we will examine extracts of the Quran, which is the final testament of Allah and was revealed to Prophet Muhammad (May the Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him). We believe this is a source of knowledge which reveals many secrets of creation, life, death and the systems which connect to our survival on Earth such as the sun, moon, rain, food, DNA, Biology and nature. The Quran is arguably more of a Miracle today in the 21st Century as we have scientific findings to prove the accuracy of the information revealed over 1400 years ago. Many of the scientific marvels were unknown to man at the time and took several hundreds of years for scientists to confirm.
The Prophet Muhammad (May the Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) has been acknowledged as a revolutionary personality by Muslims and Non- Muslims alike. One example to illustrate this point is that made by George Bernard Shaw in 1938 ““I believe if a man like him were to assume the dictatorship of the modern world he would succeed in solving its problems in a way that would bring much needed peace and happiness. I have studied him - the man and in my opinion is far from being an anti–Christ. He must be called the Saviour of Humanity.”
In a world where there are many atrocities being carried out in the name of Islam, we appeal to you to understand the true nature of Islam. To begin in this the authentic teachings of Islam have to be followed. Without the authentic teachings it is easy to misinterpret the beauty of Islam which is to unite humanity. This is why at the Islamic Cultural Study Centre we would like to guide you to discover the Islam which is often rebranded, misunderstood and hijacked. I assure you, you will be amazed at the gems which await you and we look forward to aiding you to the discovery of a new self. We always recommend that you question information until your quench for the truth is fulfilled. We are therefore happy to answer any questions you may have.
For now we leave you with a verse of the Holy Quran:
“O People, if you should be in doubt about the Resurrection, then [consider that] indeed, We created you from dust, then from a sperm-drop, then from a clinging clot, and then from a lump of flesh, formed and unformed - that We may show you. And We settle in the wombs whom We will for a specified term, then We bring you out as a child, and then [We develop you] that you may reach your [time of] maturity. And among you is he who is taken in [early] death, and among you is he who is returned to the most decrepit [old] age so that he knows, after [once having] knowledge, nothing. And you see the earth barren, but when We send down upon it rain, it quivers and swells and grows [something] of every beautiful kind” (22:5).