Answering Every Question Stops Progress

Answering Every Question Stops Progress

Have observed a phenomenon especially after lectures and speeches particularly by ‘Ulama that all sorts of questions are asked by the audience giving an impression as if the questioner has delegated all power and authority of deciding everything to the speaker. It gives an impression that luckily the questioner found that speaker otherwise he would have wandered in the wilderness of ignorance forever. Some of the questions asked give an impression that “I don’t have any grey material. Please deal with it as you are the only one.” I wonder what would have happened if we could not meet that “only person”.

A respected gentleman asks me the following questions: “Who is Creator? What is Eemaan? What is the meaning of Eemaan on God? Why should anyone please him/her? How to please HIM/HER?” There is an unaffordable amount of luxury in all these questions. These questions one needs to ask himself and as early as possible. One cannot throw them in anyone else’s court and then sleep soundly. This is not what we learn from Ibraheem (a.s.). We don’t inherit discovery. The child of a PhD holder is not – at least – a born matriculate. It is like eating, drinking, marrying, living and dying – everyone on his own. Not on anyone else’s behalf.

The other side of the story is that all sorts of questions asked are most welcome by the speaker and he answers them most devotedly and enthusiastically considering it his ‘religious’ obligation and ‘deeni’ zimme daari. We, however, need to reconsider this phenomenon very seriously because it runs counter to the methodology of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). If he had answered all questions he would not have been able to groom leaders and he wouldn’t have acted according to the spirit behind khatm an-nubuwwah (finality of Prophethood), a concept which we haven’t grasped well so far. Asking and answering all types and kinds of questions is spoon-feeding, in other words. The beauty of this kind of feeding is that it increases the hunger for the same type of food. And even homeopathy does not have a treatment for this chronic ailment.

The Prophet (pbuh), keeping the larger and long term goals of humanity in view and the fact that the human beings need to grow, cross-questioned many a times and threw new questions to the Companions. At one point of time he stopped them from asking questions so that they could think for themselves. He did all of this despite the fact that he was the most qualified person to answer ALL questions. But then why did he do so or what can we learn from him? We learn from him that the humanity has come of age now. We have entered into the realm of ideas. We are (or should be) living in the age of ‘inductive intellect’ (al-‘aql al-istiqraa’ee). Let us not forget that the man has been “thrown back on his own resources” in order to actualize his potentialities to the maximum.

The phenomenon of asking and answering all sorts of questions is a hindrance towards progress. We are used to a culture of seeking ready-made answers. We haven’t developed a culture of cooking it ourselves an in our own kitchen. While we do want our own Paradise we are not ready to develop our own understanding. On the understanding of someone else we will earn our very own Paradise! But then there is no comfort greater than the comfort of asking others. Ironically, the ones who should have educated us the most have been giving an impression that the people don’t need to do anything – as they are already there!

Considering the fact that the questions are more important than answers we have to be more watchful about the questions than we are for the answers. This watchfulness is a must for changing the discourse. This is a must for slowing down the speed a bit in order to change the direction. Not every question needs to be entertained. As we cannot afford more obstacles in the path of progress. This alertness is a requirement for moving to the second stage. We have popularized education. Now we need to move to the stage of critical and scientific thinking.

Thanks and salaam.

Wasim