Thinking, Truth-Seeking and Dialogue in Quran

TEHRAN (IQNA) – Thinking is at the core of philosophy and the Holy Quran also stresses this action. Regardless of the goal that the Quran pursues, the approach and tools of thinking are also important in the Quran as it emphasizes the search for truth and promotes dialogue.

Ali Mahjur, a philosophy researcher and teacher, pointed to the commonalities between philosophy and the Qur'an in an interview with IQNA. Here is a summary of his remarks:

If we consider philosophy as an activity in which individuals are involved in reflecting on the world, then we can spot that the Quran also invites people to the same reflection. Of course, the Quran seeks to grow faith in individuals through this reflection. However, regardless of the goal that the Quran pursues, the manner of thinking and required tools for that are also important in the Quran.

Numerous verses in the Quran recommend people think about the world. If we consider philosophy as a means to discover the truth, then the Quran still advises us to seek and respect the truth. Basically, the meaning of the word “kufr” does not refer to a lack of religion, rather it means being aware of the truth but at the same time denying it.

Verse 89 of Surah Al-Baqarah clearly states that the meaning of “kufr” is that someone has good evidence for the truth of a matter, but does not accept it because of prejudice or because his interests are at risk. “And when a Book came to them from Allah confirming what was with them, while before that they used to pray for victory over the unbelievers when there came to them what they knew, they disbelieved him. Therefore, the curse of Allah be upon the unbelievers!” 

If we consider philosophy as the way of reasoning and dialogue to reach a reasonable conclusion, then we see that the Quran has also recommended this approach. Verse 125 of Surah An-Nahl is famous for advising the Prophet (PBUH) to invite people to the path of God through wisdom, good preaching and the best way of conversation: “Call to the Path of your Lord with wisdom and fine admonition. Dispute with them in the best manner. Your Lord is well aware of those who have gone astray from His Path and He is well aware of those who are guided.”

Also, many of the topics that the Quran invites us to think about overlap with the topics that philosophers deal with such as metaphysics, God and the origin of existence, cosmology, anthropology, the purpose of existence, ethics, the meaning of life, nature, and aesthetics.