Page 64 - Why Do You Deceive Yourself ?

62 WHY DO YOU DECEIVE YOURSELF?

and in which immorality of every type becomes widespread.
The vast majority of people are easily influenced by those scien-
tists who are merely determined to spread their own ideas. Scientists
are regarded as those best qualified to make the best assessments on
every subject. This is however a wrong assumption. Of course, there
are valuable scientists who use science for its true purpose and whose
knowledge we can benefit from on a great many matters. However, in
scientific circles there are people outside this category who pervert
and conceal the facts and mislead others for their own worldly advan-

tage. For this reason, scientists, like everybody else, should not be
judged solely according to their scientific credentials or the number of
their qualifications, but according to whether they use the knowledge
they possess in accordance with the purpose of their creation, and live
in the manner which Allah approves. This is the correct approach for a
person who believes in Allah.
As we said earlier, Allah states in the Qur'an that conformity to
the majority is harmful and that it is the majority which persists in its
resistance to the faith. Since this is the case, a person should not accept
the word of others without investigating and learning the details, and
should reach the correct conclusion by relying on his own intelligence
and conscience. In the following verse of the Qur'an, Allah points this
out to us: "Do not pursue what you have no knowledge of. Hearing,
sight and hearts will all be questioned" (Surat al-Isra': 36). So accept-

ing and following the word of others right away is nothing but self-de-
ception.
A person is responsible for conforming to what is right as Allah
instructs and for advising others to do so. This is the truth, and putting
forward excuses in an attempt to deceive yourself and those around
you can bring no benefit in the Hereafter. In the Qur'an, Allah warns us