Of Thinking and Thinkers

"I think, therefore I am." -- René Descartes

In school, teachers always keep going on about how we need to use our minds because the mind is what differentiates between man and animal (usually during some sort of lecture about how stupid their class is and how do they not act in a way which is appropriate to their age). Then, it is these very same teachers that do not allow you to question their methods or their ideas or anything that they do, actually. I'm not talking about every single teacher on the planet of course (say no to stereotyping!), but you have to admit that a number of them fit the previous profile (though frankly, if I were a teacher, I'd have been institutionalized immediately. I can't even comprehend why someone would want to go into such a profession).

Anyway, this post isn't about teachers or their levels of sanity, it is about thinking. Despite the aforementioned hypocrisy of some teachers, the first statement is true -- the only thing that separates man from animal and most other creatures in general is the brain. Let me elaborate...

Most other creatures are programmed to live; meaning, they don't make choices (or at least not big ones), they don't think, they don't have philosophical musings, they walk on four feet (or two feet and fly with wings), they don't eat with knives and forks, they don't shave...the list goes on and on. Their lives are simple, yes, but to creatures with brains (yes! That is us!) it's a dull life.

I believe that Allah (SWT) created everything for a reason, sometimes these reasons surpass our abilities of understanding, but in the end it is all a part of Allah (SWT)'s wisdom. If we knew everything, would we bother thinking? If we didn't think, what would we do? Live just another useless life like animals? What would be the point? Allah (SWT) created everything for a reason, and any believer in that will know that it is every human's obligation to use their brain; to think, innovate, ponder, and not believe whatever they are told by other humans without thinking. Any believer in that will also know that Allah (SWT) gave us brains that are superior to those of most other creatures for a reason, which is why the human race will be the one persecuted on the day of judgement, because only we are accountable for our actions, because only we have the ability to make choices and decisions, because only we have a brain big enough for that!

Allah (SWT) said in the Holy Qur'an, many times, and in many different forms: (افلا تعقلون) 


Interpretation of the meaning according to http://www.theholybook.org/content/view/8017/2/:


(Will you not then understand) means, do you not have minds that tell you of the Almighty, All-Knowing to Whom all things are subjugated, Who has power over all things and to Whom all things submit


So use your brain, don't be just another sheep in the herd! Investigate, understand, believe, think, create, innovate...so the human race can move forward.






Inspired by: كتاب مالوش اسم (A Book That Has No Name) by Ahmed Esseily.