Hello Everyone,

A Muslim just send an email to me with a long story in it. Please read the below shortened and edited except of a probable made-up debate between an Atheist professor of philosophy and a supposedly intelligent Muslim student. This is a story being spread around the Muslim community to strengthen their faith. I did not paste the full story here because the rest of it are not relevant and are simply psychological manipulation. I think it's better to get straight to the point and address the issue at hand. So please do help in sharing your thoughts, points and ideas on what would be the best possible educative response that I could give in return. Most appreciated...

The Muslim looks around the room. "Some interesting points you are making, sir. Now I've got a question for you. Is there such thing as heat?"

"Yes," the professor replies. "There's heat."

Muslim: "Is there such a thing as cold?"

Atheist: "Yes, son, there's cold too."

Muslim: "No sir, there isn't. You can have lots of heat, even more heat, super-heat, mega-heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat but we don't have anything called 'cold'. We can hit 458 degrees below zero, which is no heat, but we can't go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold, otherwise we would be able to go colder than 458 - - You see, sir, cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold. Heat we can measure in thermal units because heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat sir, just the absence of it. Is there such a thing as darkness, professor?"

Atheist: "That's a dumb question, son. What is night if it isn't darkness? What are you getting at...?"

Muslim: "So you say there is such a thing as darkness?"

Atheist: "Yes..."

Muslim: "You're wrong again, sir. Darkness is not something; it is the absence of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light but if you have no light constantly you have nothing and it's called darkness, isn't it? That's the meaning we use to define the word. In reality, Darkness isn't. If it were, you would be able to make darkness darker and give me a jar of it. Can you... give me a jar of darker darkness, professor?" My point is, your philosophical premise is flawed to start with and so your conclusion must be in error... You are working on the premise of duality. That for example there is life and then there's death; a good God and a bad God. You are viewing the concept of God as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, science cannot even explain a thought. It uses electricity and magnetism but has never seen, much less fully understood them. To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing. "Death is not the opposite of life, merely the absence of it."

The young man (Muslim) holds up a newspaper he takes from the desk of a neighbour who has been reading it.

Muslim: "Here is one of the most disgusting tabloids this country hosts, professor. Is there such a thing as immorality?"

Atheist: "Of course there is, now look..."

Muslim: "Wrong again, sir. You see, immorality is merely the absence of morality. Is there such thing as injustice? No. Injustice is the absence of justice. Is there such a thing as evil?" Isn't evil the absence of good?" If there is evil in the world, professor, and we all agree there is, then God if he exists, must be accomplishing a work through the agency of evil. What is that work God is accomplishing? Islam tells us it is to see if each one of us will, choose good over evil. I would have thought that the absence of God's moral code in this world is probably one of the most observable Phenomena going. Newspapers make billions of dollars reporting it every week!

Tell me, professor. Do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey? Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?" Professor. Since no-one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavour, are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you now not a scientist, but a priest?"

Atheist: "I will overlook your impudence in the light of our philosophical discussion. Now, have you quite finished?"

Muslim: "So you don't accept God's moral code to do what is righteous?"

Atheist: "I believe in what is - that's science!"

Muslim: "Ahh! SCIENCE! Sir, you rightly state that science is the study of observed phenomena. Science too is a premise which is flawed... Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen air, oxygen, molecules, atoms, the professor's brain?"

The class breaks out in laughter. The Muslim points towards his elderly, crumbling tutor.

Muslim: "Is there anyone here who has ever heard the professor's brain... felt the professor's brain, touched or smelt the professor's brain?" No one appears to have done so.”

The Muslim shakes his head sadly.

Muslim: "It appears no-one here has had any sensory perception of the professor's brain whatsoever. Well, according to the rules of empirical, stable, demonstrable protocol, science, I DECLARE that the professor has no brain."

"There is no compulsion in religion; truly the right way has become clearly distinct from error; And he who rejects false deities and believes in Allaah (The God) has grasped a firm handhold which will never break. and Allaah is ALL-Hearing, All-Knowing (256) Allah is the Protecting Guardian of those who believe. He brings them out of the darkness into the light; As for those who disbelieve, their guardians are false deities. They bring them out of light into darkness... (257)" Al-Qur'aan (Chapter # 2, Verses # 256-257)

The Muslim sits... because that is what a chair is for!!!