Ramadan day 25 - Critical Thinking vs. Blind Following.

As children, we blindly follow our parents when it comes to religious beliefs. Even “Islamic” beliefs that are completely based on culture and have no evidence from a religious perspective. This is why I firmly believe that every Muslim needs to go through a transformation in life, where they take a stand on what is true and what is right.

This can only come from sincerely seeking knowledge. It’s easy to follow what your parents say and not verify their claims, but we have a duty to ourselves and to our families to discover the truth and spread it.

Your family might even say this and this act or this belief is correct, but a good parent will always tell their children to verify their claims.

Every Muslim needs to come to this critical junction:

“Am I going to follow what my parents say, or am I going to follow what Allah and His Messenger say??”

A bit of a mini-crisis, discomfort has to develop within you where you need to verify your families’ practices and claims from an Islamic perspective. If you don’t, then what is the difference between you and those who followed their ancestors?

وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمُ اتَّبِعُوا مَا أَنزَلَ اللَّهُ قَالُوا بَلْ نَتَّبِعُ مَا وَجَدْنَا عَلَيْهِ آبَاءَنَا أَوَلَوْ كَانَ الشَّيْطَانُ يَدْعُوهُمْ إِلَىٰ عَذَابِ السَّعِيرِ

And when such [people] are told to follow that which God has bestowed from on high, they answer, “Nay, we shall follow that which we found our forefathers believing in and doing!” Why - [would you follow your forefathers] even if Satan had invited them unto the suffering of the blazing flame?

Surah Luqman 31:21

Seek the truth, and if you do, Allah subhana wata’aalah will never let that dua go unanswered.

Start with the Fatiha in your prayers and once you understand and read it with full meaning of what you’re asking, Allah will open your heart to what’s true, and make you hate what isn’t true.