Human Will as the Substance of Religion
The substance of spiritual experimental science - religion - is also energy, but in this case, it is human will. Is this will free or determined like material energy?
Traditionally, when discussing religion, we speak of monotheistic faiths versus polytheistic idolatries. The truth is that throughout all ages, humanity has worshipped nothing other than its own will. This explains why idols have always been sculpted in human form.
Even today, in the highest form of monotheism - Islam - the most devout often unknowingly worship another god besides Allah: their own human will. They remain unaware of this reality, believing they are acting righteously, while often mocking followers of other religions. If they became aware of their condition, they would focus on addressing their own deficiencies rather than deriding others.
The eminent natural scientist, Einstein, stood perplexed at the threshold of the dilemma of determinism and free will. As Dr. Ahmed Zaki recounts, Einstein remarked:
"My religion is a humble admiration of the illimitable superior spirit that reveals itself in the slight details we can perceive with our frail and feeble minds. It is my deep emotional conviction of the presence of a superior reasoning power that reveals itself in the incomprehensible universe. This conviction constitutes my concept of God."
Through our spiritual experimental science, we begin where this distinguished scientist ended with his material experimental science.
It is evident that Einstein affirmed determinism when he said: "It is my deep emotional conviction of the presence of a superior reasoning power that reveals itself in the incomprehensible universe." Yet, he also silently questioned: What is this superior reasoning power? and What is the extent of its dominion?
We believe that answering these two questions will also resolve the issue of determinism and free will. By doing so, we can trace human moral phenomena back to a single origin, just as material phenomena have been previously traced back to their singular origin.
We have stated that material experimental science and spiritual experimental science are twins, born on the same day, advancing through life together - sometimes in harmony, sometimes in discord, but always in collaboration.
The substance of material experimental science is the material universe, although human will occasionally intervenes within it. Its tools are mathematical equations and laboratory experiments. The substance of spiritual experimental science encompasses both the material universe and human will, using the Qur’an as its guide and worship practices - both in solitude and in public - as its tools.
Thus, the religion I referred to at the beginning of this discussion is Islam.
I must acknowledge that I started with faith, being born to Muslim parents. However, my faith was not blind or fanatical, nor did it skew the outcomes of my experiences. With God’s guidance, I was able to walk with open eyes toward conclusions that solidified my initial faith and transformed it into certainty.
