Page 87 - Those Who Exhaust All Their Pleasures In This Life

Adnan Oktar 85

thinking in ignorant society:
When they are told: “Follow what Allah has sent down
to you,” they reply: “We are following what we found
our ancestors doing.” What, even though their ances-
tors understood nothing and were not guided! (Surat
al-Baqara: 170)
Many people are so accustomed to the manner of living
they have inherited from their ancestors that they are not
even aware of the lack of intelligence in every aspect of that
life style; therefore, they cannot even begin to consider how
they might improve their situation. The source of such need-
ed wisdom is faith. Allah reveals this truth in the Qur’an:
O you who believe! If you fear Allah, He will give you
the criterion (to distinguish between right and wrong),
erase your bad actions, and forgive you. Allah’s favor
is indeed immense. (Surat al-Anfal: 29)
Believers are able to use their intelligence to change
things for the better, discover radical solutions, and aban-
don stereotyped behavior. Being able to grasp Allah’s
truths and to live according to them grants one wisdom. As
unbelievers are unaware of these truths and the fact that
their lives rest on distorted foundations, wisdom is absent
from their societies. To ignorant society, this lack of wisdom
brings yet another deprivation. Because these people do
not exercise their intellect, they are forced to live without
the very important elements of thinking and reflection. In
many places in the Qur’an, Allah stresses the importance of
reason and contemplation. Human beings arrive at the truth
through thinking; only through contemplation can they dis-

Harun Yahya