Science is an evidence-based relationship between two things:

 Dear brother, this is a new and special topic that might take more than one lecture. Theoretical religious information is so important, yet it lacks practical examples.

  When you read the Sunnah of Allah's Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, you benefit from it. However, when you read his biography, you see the real application of this Sunnah, being provided with the truth and the evidence which support it. No one is satisfied with mere theoretical information. Yet, when it is applied, turned into reality and lived as people's daily experience it becomes a confirmation of the theoretical assumptions.

 Suppose, by way of example, that someone claimed to be able to build a structure without iron, saving thus thousands of millions, and he supported his claims by evidence-based opinions. We said to him: Then go ahead and build this ironless structure (to prove your theory). Unfortunately, no sooner had it been built than it collapsed. We are entitled, in this case, to inquire into the following dilemma: What exactly collapsed, the structure or the theory? The answer to that is that it was the theory, as the reality put and end to it. Therefore, reality is the foundation.
Science by definition is: to be put into effect and be supported by evidence. Hence, any fact that has not been proved in reality and supported by evidence is useless; in fact, it is ignorance. According to other definitions of science it is the connection between two decisive evidence-based things proved by reality. If it isn't decisive, it is merely a delusion. If it is 30% proved, it is doubtful. If it is 50% to 70% proved, suspicious. It is decisive only when it is proved 100%. Hence, in science there is no delusion, doubt or suspicion. There is only decisiveness and conclusiveness. Again, if reality doesn’t prove a theory, then it turns into ignorance.
 One might assume that an ignorant individual is somebody who lacks information. Well, let me tell you that he might be filled to the brim with information, all of it being entirely wrong.
You will hear much weirdness while listening to a worldly-life centered person as he follows his interests wherever they happen to be, regarding whatever brings him benefits as a sound project and whatever deprives him of them as something useless. Hence, his interests are his measure. The only measure he is ruled by is his interests.
 Accordingly, if science isn't embodied in reality, it will turn into ignorance, and if it isn't evidence-based, it will turn into tradition.
 Science will never bear delusion, doubt, suspicion, unrealism, or tradition.

Setting a shining example is the mission of the Prophets:

 What should be accepted is what goes with reality and is proved through evidence.
 When Prophet Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, talked to people, his speeches were supported by his reality, behavior and stance, and this is exactly what attracts people.
 Let me put it this way: The truth is a circle in which four lines intersect. The first line is the authenticated Divine transmission (the Qur'an and the Sunnah). The second line is reasoning, the third one is fitrah (the mold in which man was originally created), and the fourth one is the objective reality, and whenever these four lines collaborate, the truth will be the outcome.
 The Qur'an is Allah’s Word and the Sunnah is the Prophet’s application of the Qur'an, either through his words or acts.
 As for the faculty of reasoning –it is something we are granted by Allah Most High, and given that both the faculty of reasoning and the authenticated Divine transmission are from Allah Most High –is it possible to assume that they might contradict each other?
 Likewise, fitrah is something installed in us by Allah Most High, and the reality is His creation. Hence, His creation necessarily goes along with His endowment, with His measures, and with His Words.
 Definitely, human nature is in harmony with both the faculty of reasoning and the reality. That is why the greatest mission of the Prophets has always been to set excellent examples for mankind. Allah Most High says:

“Indeed in the Messenger of Allah (Muhammad) you have a good example to follow for him who hopes in (the Meeting with) Allah and the Last Day and remembers Allah much.”

[Al-Ahzab, 21]

 We live in the era of communications and luxuries. Allah Most High says:

“Verily the likeness of (this) worldly life is as the water (rain) which We send down from the sky, so by it arises the intermingled produce of the earth of which men and cattle eat until when the earth is clad with its adornments and is beautified, and its people think that they have all the powers of disposal over it, Our Command reaches it by night or by day and We make it like a clean-mown harvest, as if it had not flourished yesterday! Thus do We explain the Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, laws, etc.) in detail for the people who reflect.”

[Yunus, 24]

Every believer has a real connection with Allah:

 We live in the era of ardent lusts, ever-growing deviations and broken families; the era in which interests take over principles and needs take over ideals, and so forth. Amid all this, who is to bring us back to Deen? Is the example of somebody who knew Allah and lived in the Abbasid era, for example, better than that of someone in the same circumstance who lives among us? The one who lives among us will attract us more effectively. Why so? Because we both live under the same conditions, suffer the same pressures, are exposed to the same temptations and face the same doubts. Yet, the person in this example has been able to overcome all that and get to know Allah, all of which has been said here by way of introduction to my topic.
 A few weeks ago, I happened to read a book in which I found some inspiring thoughts.
 It is about a professor at a North-American university, somebody amazingly superior in terms of intelligence, to the point that his professor used to request him to leave the lecture hall, saying he would be given "A" in his subject anyway. This was said because he used to embarrass his professor with his intelligence.
 He was religiously educated through high school, yet his mentor was unable to offer him convincing evidence that Allah exists. He was threatened with flunking that academic year by his teacher, which enraged his father. He later on became an atheist and continued his academic career till he obtained the highest university degree and became a professor. He never feared his atheism because all the evidence that he had been offered by the religious men failed to provide him with a definite proof of Allah’s existence.
 This shrewd atheist, a sort of a genius, was sitting in his office one day when a young woman entered.
 The author of the book says: "I will never forget this young lady who came to my office asking for my help, as when I opened the door, I was face to face with an ambiguous woman who seemed to be from the Middle East, and who was dressed in black from tip to toe. She asked for my help in her major saying to me that her teacher recommended me to her, and that he used to ask for my help because of my superiority in my specialty. I agreed to help her, and the stereotyped image I used to have in the respect of Arabic women was ruined from that moment on. She was a PhD student in Mathematics, and was at the same time an assistant professor in the Mathematics Division, but I couldn’t imagine her standing, dressed in black, in front of an entire class of native Indiana students. However, she had the loftiness and the air of reverence that made me feel ashamed in her presence, made me try to avoid looking her in the eye, and I felt that there was a mysterious strength within her that was forcing me to talk to her. After meeting with this girl, I became more interested in studying other religions."

Spiritual strength is attained through connecting with Allah:

 This professor believed in Allah because of this muhajjaba (covered Muslim woman), polite, modest, and intelligent, who happened to work as an assistant professor at that university. He felt the need to talk to her, he sensed the strength within her, he was struck by her air, he felt ashamed in her presence, and he avoided looking her in the eye, and from that moment on, he started studying Islam.
 My comment on this story is that a Muslim may become a caller to Islam through his aspect, effect of radiation, spiritual power, politeness, connection with Allah and the strength it gives, even if not a word is said.
 Such a believer is strong because of his connection with the All-Knowing and the All-Wise, and every believer who has a real contact with Allah the Almighty will radiate glory which will bring comfort to all those around him, not to mention the self-assurance resulting from the knowledge that they will never be let down by Allah Most High.
 Connection with Allah the Almighty gives one spiritual force which is strong enough to attract sh3er to Islam without actually talking about it.
 Hence, every believer may become a caller without making use of the faculty of speech, just by being connected with the superior force of the Universe, with the unlimited power of Allah Most High, and by comprehending their value and mission in life. Allah Most High says:

“Verily, Ibrahim (Abraham) was an Ummah (a leader having all the good righteous qualities), or a nation, obedient to Allah, Hanifa (i.e. to worship none but Allah), and he was not one of those who were Al-Mushrikun (polytheists, idolaters, disbelievers in the Oneness of Allah, and those who joined partners with Allah).”

[An-Nahl, 120]

An atheist lives in a limited world surrounded by doubts:

 This man said: "It takes an atheist to know what loneliness and desolation are about."
 The average believer who feels lonely resorts to invoking his Lord from the bottom of his heart as it is the Oneness who really knows him. Thus, he invokes and waits for His response, gaining comfort and consolation.
 On the other hand, the atheist refrains from such a blessing because he always feels the dire need to crush this motive, reminding himself of its ridiculousness, and that is because the atheist’s world is small and shrinks with the passage of time. On top of that, he doubts everything.
 This man was an atheist.
 I often mention the following saying: "If only kings were aware of our status, they would fight us for it with their swords". A year or so ago my attention was caught by the fact that the person who said it was a Sultan who had abandoned his kingdom out of asceticism and turned into a person who came to know Allah Most High.
 Hence, he is the person with most reason to believe in this saying because he experienced both conditions, being a king and a person who knows Allah.
 The author said: "The believer has faith in things beyond his sensation and comprehension, whereas the atheist is unable to trust anything, being convinced that the absolute truth does not exist."
 He has an ever-shifting comprehension of concepts such as affection, mercy and justice, with the result of their being blurry and meaningless to him. This condition of his as well as the awareness of the approaching death is what makes him feel terrible desolation. Still, he keeps denying the Hereafter and all that results in a serious disorder which makes him seek eternity in such things as being a writer or an inventor. In fact, he is in desperate need of eternity because man has been molded to love his existence, his safety, his perfection, and the continuity of his existence.
 All this is granted by the belief in Allah Most High. He says:

“And whether you die, or are killed, verily, unto Allah you shall be gathered.”

[Aal-‘Imran, 158]

 The believer is balanced and certain with respect to death. At the same time he is absolutely convinced that death is not the end of life but rather its beginning. Allah Most High says:

“He will say: "Alas! Would that I had sent forth (good deeds) for (this) my life!"“

[Al-Fajr, 24]

The desire for afterlife is ever-present in the believer’s life:

 The continuity of the believer's existence is fulfilled through his belief in the Hereafter and in Paradise, whereas the atheist fulfills his continuity through inventing something and gaining patent for it to be remembered for hundreds of years after his death. This is the only solution for him since he believes that although death will put an end to his life, he will still be remembered by some. This is how the atheist views eternity, whereas the life led by the believer is real. Allah Most High says:

“Think not of those who are killed in the Way of Allah as dead. Nay, they are alive, with their Lord, and they have provision. “

[Aal-‘Imran, 169]

 By comparison, the atheist resorts to writing a book, authoring a novel, sculpturing a work of art, or inventing something in order to keep his memory alive after his death. Such is his eternity. The believer will move to a higher level by passing from this life to the Hereafter, thus the desire for afterlife is fulfilled in the believer’s life.
 There is an obvious fact you all know: One's happiness in this life is never continuous.
 Consider the example of a student who dreams of high scores in his high school exams, and he keeps dreaming thus for hours on end. After a while he gets the happy news of his having passed his exams. However, two or three days later his happiness fades away. He goes to university and dreams of success and graduation. Four years later he gets all that and his happiness again dwindles away rather fast. Later on he will be dreaming of the happiness brought about by marriage, and then, after having got engaged and having spent long hours talking to his fiancée on the phone, he will get married and things will run their usual course, or even less than usual. The same goes for his first vehicle, his large house, and so forth. After a while he will get used to each attainment and all the happiness brought about by it will die away.
 Therefore, nothing in this worldly life can grant you continuous or increasing happiness. On the contrary, it grants you decreasing, short-lived happiness which is more real, as you all know.

Everything is controversial, save loving Allah and knowing Him:

 This professor said: "I spent five years working assiduously on my major and here I am waiting impatiently for the result. Suddenly, someone opens the door and greets me with the words: Congratulations doctor, you've passed your exam.
 I thought that this success would bring me overwhelming happiness, but on my way back home my joy started to fade away, and whenever I tried to recall it, I got more depressed, bitter, and disappointed."
 All of you will experience this fact sooner or later, as worldly desires bring about short-lived satisfaction, whichever dream it is that may happen to come true –marriage, having children, becoming rich and so forth. Hence, ecstasy in worldly desires is felt before fulfilling them, and the minute your dream comes true your interest in it diminishes.
 It has been said that Laila's famous crazy lover kept mentioning her in his poetry because he could not marry her, and it can be assumed that if he had, he would have divorced her.
Therefore, everything in this worldly life will decrease, save knowing Allah.
 I was deeply affected, while visiting the United State, to see people aimlessly spending their days, especially the elderly, because people’s average age over there is close to eighty five years. Those old people live in mobile homes (trailers), which consist of a bedroom and a living room, and can be moved from place to place, and this is done out of boredom, depression, and the feeling of inevitability of death. Thus, being unable to live in one place they move every two or three months.
 On the other hand, the believer is satisfied in spite of the conditions he might live in, even if his house is a room in the basement. Knowing Allah, which is the great mission he has been assigned, and his striving to be worthy of Paradise the width of heavens and earth are enough for him.
 Misery may be found in a house worth hundreds of millions and happiness in one-room house on a mountain slope (I‘ve seen that once), with un-tiled floor, covered with an old rug. But it was a clean house, suffused with bliss. Those who know Allah and are connected to Him are happy and satisfied no matter their condition, because it is connecting to Allah that counts.
Consider the example of a five-star train, with all the luxurious facilities that you may imagine. Yet, the passengers travel with all the windows closed, no views to watch. The result will be boredom. On the other hand, you will most probably be happy on a trip to Zabadani, on the outskirts of Damascus, travelling in an old train, with all the windows open, through which you can watch the scenery.

The Islamic system is the system of a sacred marriage bond:

 Knowing Allah is like having an open window through which you refresh your life, but you will get bored if you are not connected with Allah even if you happen to live in a fantasy house that has cost millions to decorate, this is a rule of thumb.
 Along the same lines, the author of the book expresses his disappointment, bitterness and depression, even after having obtained his PhD degree.
 People who disbelieve in Allah plan their life away from the Divine method and they get trapped in misery because of that.
 They get married and set up an agreement between the husband and wife that their commitment is not eternal but just temporary and can be ended in a friendly way. So, if one or both of them find a better spouse, they can end this marriage and move on to a greener pasture, but what about the children?
 This kind of system is the outcome of being far from Allah the Almighty and it leads to instability in one's life.
 Marriages used to be stable in our Islamic countries and wife and husband used to be committed to each other for life. With the advent of globalization, with all its inherent deviations, Islamic houses turned into night clubs and the divorce rate is on the increase, having moved from 2% to 15%, the corresponding figure being close to 60% in the United States.
In western countries the longest marriage is not more than two years, as they move from one woman to another, and the women over there are haunted with the fear of being rejected, especially when their beauty is gone. What are they supposed to do then? They normally end up living alone.
 According to the French statistics half of the population there is female, and half of that number live alone. In the Islamic system marriage is sacred. Allah Most High says:

“And how could you take it (back) while you have gone in unto each other, and they have taken from you a firm and strong covenant?”

[Al-Nisa’, 21]

Parents are sacred for the believer:

 This sacred contract (marriage), having offspring, the affection and mercy between husband and wife are the most striking concepts in the following ayah. Allah Most High says:

“And among His Signs is this, that He created for you wives from among yourselves, that you may find repose in them, and He has put between you affection and mercy. Verily, in that are indeed signs for a people who reflect.”

[Ar-Rum, 21]

 Both husband and wife share interests within the institution of marriage (as when a rich man gets married to a beautiful wife), and if these cease to operate for one reason or another, affection and mercy remain and help them carry on with their marriage. A husband may get poor, but because of affection his pious wife helps him out in the maintenance of the house. Also, a pious husband will strive hard to look after his sick wife, and this is what affection and mercy between husband and wife are all about, unlike marriage in the western world which can be unfavorably affected by any new circumstances.
 A certain man happened to be visiting France. One day he ran into a young man who was standing by the River Seine deep in thoughts, oblivious to everything. The visitor considered putting his French into practice by asking the young man about the reason for his condition, to which the young man responded by asking to be left alone. The visitor, however, did not intend to give up easily and kept inquiring. Finally, the young man answered that he was thinking of killing his father. Given that in our countries the figure of father is sacred and respected the issue was beyond the visitor's comprehension. As the following ayah shows the figure of father in Islam is remembered much in the same way as Allah is:

“So when you have accomplished your Manasik [(i.e. Ihram, Tawaf of the Ka'bah and As-Safa and Al-Marwah), stay at 'Arafat, Muzdalifah and Mina, Ramy of Jamarat, (stoning of the specified pillars in Mina) slaughtering of Hady (animal, etc.)]. Remember Allah as you remember your forefathers or with a far more remembrance. But of mankind there are some who say: "Our Lord! Give us (Your Bounties) in this world!" and for such there will be no portion in the Hereafter.”

[Al-Baqarah, 200]

“Say: If your fathers, your sons, your brother, your wives, your kindred, the wealth that you have gained, the commerce in which you fear a decline, and the dwellings in which you delight... are dearer to you than Allah and His Messenger, and striving hard and fighting in His Cause, then wait until Allah brings about His Decision (torment). And Allah guides not the people who are Al-Fasiqun (the rebellious, disobedient to Allah).”

[At-Taubah, 24]

 Eventually, the young Frenchman said that he wanted to kill his father because he had taken the girl he loved.

He who seeks the truth will find it:

 Unlike in the western world, parents in our countries are devoted to their offspring. There, a daughter is kicked out of the house when she is fourteen in order to work and support herself, no matter if she goes astray as this is a minor issue in the western world. And we may just as well recall the case of Clinton, who was accused of lying, rather than fornicating, and this was his biggest problem.

Take it from the horse's mouth. The author of the book I am talking about is someone who lives there and knows from experience the misery of the life he had led before he found Allah. He is telling us that the western system is established regardless of Allah the Almighty and marriages there are dissolved whenever a more attractive woman appears.
 There will be more instances from the life of this author who lived in doubts, delusions, whose life was so secular, yet he came to know Allah despite all that.
 He experienced feelings characteristic of the most notable believers. Once he was mocked at by the following question: What do you feel when you perform the juma' prayer and reauthor the Qur'an aloud though you don’t understand Arabic? He said: "It is exactly like the feeling of an infant breastfed by its mother, who sings to him a lullaby that the infant cannot understand, yet the infant is in ecstasy."
 It is the time to get to know the truth as this atheistic professor lived the circumstances 100% different from ours, in a life where there are no red lines, where everything is permissible, no traditions, no shame, a completely secular kind of life, short-term marriages, yet he felt the need to know Allah, and when he did, he was reborn.
 Dear brother, why did I choose this contemporary topic? Because it is about someone who lives in this era, exposed to all temptations that there are, facing all possible doubts, suffering all the pressures, carried away by all its falsehood. Yet, when he sought the truth, he found it, and when he reached out for Allah, he came to know Him.
 Later on, I will read to you a few chapters from his book, and you won’t believe how someone like him, who lived in this kind of environment and this atheistic way of thinking, could reach Allah and know Him. Allah Most High says:

“As for those who strive hard in Us (Our Cause), We will surely guide them to Our Paths (i.e. Allah's Religion - Islamic Monotheism). And verily, Allah is with the Muhsinun (good doers)."“

[Al-Ankabut, 69]

 It is indeed a shame than some of us, who understand the Arabic language, who comprehend every single word of the Qur'an, who have been raised in a Muslim family, yet think during the salah about their accounts, for example, and where the five thousand had gone; whereas this ex-atheist is in ecstasy during his salah although he doesn't understand a word of what is reauthord from the Qur'an. Is this at all acceptable? You should be jealous of him, and he who knows Allah lives in bliss.

Adhering to something or being fanatical about it:

 While carrying on with these lectures I hope that you can catch the drift of the reality of faith and be in a position to make a shift from misery to happiness, from being astray to meaningful existence, and from aimless to purposeful life.
 I will end this lecture with the fact that I mentioned two days ago: There is only one truth in this universe, which is Allah, and any person who is connected to this truth, regardless of their race, gender, continent, culture, background, school of thought, economic or social condition, will be experiencing similar feelings, the feelings of a believer.

You might recognize yourself in the life story of the atheist who came to know Allah and at the same time you might find yourself distant from your own brother who shared with you the same household and the same parents. You might be closer to this ex-atheist living in the United States, sharing with him the same feelings, circumstances and experiences. Therefore, I always say: Islam is an element of unity in this nation, whereas fanaticism is an element of separation.
 The religion in its gist is an element of unification, as it is a common denominator for values, principles, feelings, and interests, whereas fanaticism is braking up the ummah (nation). Adhere to the Divine method and stay away from fanaticism, as in the former you will meet the believers of this world on the common ground, but in the latter you will be in conflict with one another within the same group, not to mention the conflicts between the different groups. This situation leads to discord among Muslims, who are turned into enemies, quarreling and stabbing one another.
 There is a big difference between fanaticism and adherence (to the Divine method), as in the latter you will shine in glory and draw closer to Allah, whereas in the former you will get into enmity and break away from Him.
 Islam is the only element to which the nation should hold on and in which you will find the common denominator between you and the believers around the world. The evidence is in the friendly feeling you get when you sit with another believer even if he is from a faraway county and the desolation you feel when you sit with your disbelieving brother.
 I am looking forward to our next meeting to tackle this topic.