Title: How far can we Question Islam? Question: There is a general viewpoint in our elders especially, that one should not question everything in Islam. That, there are certain things in Islam for which reasoning and logic should not be sought. Is this view correct? If not why not? Thank you, Atif Aziz Pakistan Answer: I'm not sure of the exact reason for the "elders" advising that certain things should not be questioned in Islam. However, I would not dispute that this ideology is prevalent in many Muslim societies. Questions are a healthy way to acquire knowledge which would, hopefully, lead to the path of Truth. The Qur'an encourages us to seek. It emphasizes the point that it appeals to the intellect of humanity. ...But none will grasp the Message except men of intellect. ( Al Baqarah 2: 269) Behold in the creation of the heavens and the alternation of night and day, there are indeed signs for men of intellect. ( Aal Imraan 3: 190) It is evident from these two cited verses that God wants us to pursue enlightenment by acquainting ourselves with all that He has blessed this Universe with. This quest as a matter of fact is one of the ways in which we bring ourselves closer to Him. It is a way that we can tune ourselves with the Universe He created. Seeking becomes a problem when people begin to refuse their limited capacity as human beings. The "questions" are no longer mere inquiries, rather they become an infinite loop of scrutiny. At some point this becomes absurd or evolves into imprudent challenges to the Creator and of existence itself. Some would argue "question everything." Although I don't wholly disagree with the idea it does pose problems. Take for example a child who questions "why" about everything to no end. The child questions and someone can answer over and over again but the "why" is never satisfied. At some point one can face the fact and admit "I don't know." That is what is forgotten by people when they get into the unanswerable. Simply, there are some questions that will never be answered in this life and unfortunately there is a line of questioning that leads to this endless end. There is nothing pertaining to Islam itself that is off limits to question. It is the venturing out to acquire the answer to the unsolvable that could render someone astray. The "elders" may have realized the grave consequences of eternally puzzling oneself and this maybe the reason for their admonition. They probably came to realize that after all is said and done achieving communion with the Almighty should be every person's achievement, all else is secondary. I hope I have clarified the issue. God knows best Ronnie Hassan January 27, 2003