There are three constants in life: first, man is weak, ignorant, and gullible; second, everyone needs others for self-fulfillment; and third, a person’s relationships with others must be built on trust for those relationships to work.

In other words, on his own, a person will discover, know, experience, appreciate, and enjoy very little of the vast and complex phenomenon of life. Although he may fervently dedicate himself to the singular pursuit of mastering the art of navigating the myriad challenges that life presents, a person is destined not to go far and to achieve very little.

For example, today, after millennia of striving, humanity has yet to answer the fundamental questions about itself, life, and the many existential realities around it. As preposterous as it may seem, questions about gender, family, the role of women, human purpose, human differences, aliens, and morality remain at their most basic – primitive – stage.

That this is the outcome of ages of trying does not bode well for the future. The clock is ticking, so what guarantees that those questions will ever be solved satisfactorily? The current reality shows that while attempting the impossible, humanity keeps oscillating from one extreme to another and from one absurdity to another.

Indeed, these are not signs of progress, nor reasons for optimism, but instead signs of desperation and that humanity is about to hit a cul-de-sac (dead end). 

Man is born to believe

Since life is an arena of human collective successes and failures, rises and falls, whatever a person knows is not solely the result of his own efforts—considering human inherent weaknesses—but rather a product of the cooperative struggles of humankind as a whole.

Life is such that every member of the human family must give and receive. This is the only way towards a shared actualization that translates into cultures and civilizations. Each individual is no more than a component in the system, a thread in the fabric.

For cultures to thrive and ennoble and civilizations to flourish, their members must trust others and be trustworthy themselves. Otherwise, bonds will weaken and mutual integrity will wither, leading to the weakening and ultimate collapse of the edifices of cultures and civilizations.

That said, a person must be a believer. He must believe in others to make sense of what is going on around him and to carve a niche for himself within the complexities of life. If not, a person will be alienated, ostracized, and doomed.

His humanity—and his sanity—will be questioned, and his own ideas and works will be doubted and ultimately rejected. There is no hope or compassion for nonconformity to these realities of life and the propensities of the human race.

Life is all about believing others 

For illustrative purposes, we all trust and seldom question what we are told by scientists, historians, economists, leaders, doctors, journalists, teachers, influencers, and various experts in different fields.

This is especially true when matters seem factual and objective, rather than fictional and subjective. What is more, the same tendency applies to everyday occurrences and the most mundane things, such as conversations with parents, friends, colleagues, visitors, neighbors, and vendors.

One can imagine how absurd and even laughable it would be if someone claimed that the earth is not round, that it does not orbit the sun, that gravity, black holes, distant stars, solar radiation, global warming, and DNA do not exist, that some of the greatest historical figures and events associated with them were mere figments of imagination, and that the Holocaust, the 9/11 attacks, and the genocides against indigenous peoples by Europeans were hoaxes, among other things.

Furthermore, one can imagine the reaction of a chef if told that someone does not believe his food uses appropriate ingredients and is safe to eat, or the reaction of a teacher if told that a student does not believe what he or she teaches, or the reaction of a bank officer if told that someone does not trust the bank with his money, or the reaction of a doctor if told that his diagnoses and prescriptions are doubted, or simply the reaction of a friend if told we do not believe him or her when they say they went somewhere for a holiday, etc.

What this demonstrates is that each one of us is a tiny speck of dust within the incomprehensibly enormous spectacle of life. If we base our personal knowledge on personal sensory experience and personal empirical evidence, we will know next to nothing and will arrive at no destination worth mentioning.

We need the support and assistance of others, putting our full trust in them. In short, we must acknowledge our limitations and dependence. We must be believers. Existential renegades and apostates are exceptions and are not welcome. There is no one who would dispute the validity of this conclusion.

What about other life aspects?

However, there are many other dimensions and aspects of life that lie beyond not only the scope of individuals but also of humanity as a whole. No one equally denies that there are immaterial, otherworldly, and spiritual sides to existence. At least everyone agrees that there must be “something else” out there. That “something else” could be aliens, God or gods, parallel universes, “the other side” of humanity, a world of abstract forms or ideas, heaven, or any kind of utopia.

Empirically speaking, humans know little about these possibilities. They lack the abilities, means, and methods to prove or disprove them. Moreover, humans do not even understand the size, purpose, and function of the physical universe—essentially their own backyard—which disqualifies them from making further deliberations. How can someone who does not understand matter contemplate spirit, or consider the existence of a creator if he knows so little about creation?

Put differently, a person cannot move to grade two unless he passes grade one. To ascend to higher levels in a structure, a person must first scale the lower levels. Such is the unity, coherence, and organic nature of ontological realities and their interdependency.

It is impossible for those dimensions and aspects of life to exist without anyone speaking righteously about them. The totality of life, along with pure human nature and equally pure human intelligence, is so genuinely real that there must be a way to empower people to navigate through skepticism, nihilism, agnosticism, and relativism. It would be unfair and unreasonable to let humanity suffocate within the restrains of its smallness and inconsequentiality.

Every normal person would reject the painful truth that, despite thousands of years of supposedly productive existence on earth, the basic questions remain unanswered. This renders human life the least meaningful and significant of all living species. Every creature seems to know its purpose and direction except for man. He is the only one devastated by doubts, gloom, and depression.

However, the inborn human nature and intellect continue to assert that such a scenario is untenable. In the remarkably perfect world, this is the only thing that does not make sense. There must be a way. The problem lies not in the world, but in the rebellious and haughty man who insists on corrupting his innate disposition and impairing his intellect.

Almighty Allah and His prophets are the answer 

If man cannot do it on his own, as countless historical episodes validate, then who can? The answer is simple: the Creator Himself, Almighty Allah, through His holy, chosen, and infallible  prophets and His holy and failsafe revelations given to them. Allah, in His capacity as the Omnipotent Creator and Omniscient Master and Sustainer, is the only One.

Many people are not comfortable with and therefore repudiate the latter prospect. Nevertheless, let’s try to rationalize and put the subject into perspective.

If I know very little by my own discretion and must believe as well as depend on others to carry on with my life responsibilities, both trivial and substantial, what is inappropriate or wrong about believing in Almighty Allah and His Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) to know and experience more of life?

Why do I accept and believe what people tell me but cannot accept and believe what my Creator and His chosen one – the best of creation, specially nurtured for this purpose, Prophet Muhammad – tell me?

The case is straightforward. I believe, for example, that there is a planet called Saturn, that man landed on the moon, that my body contains around 30 to 40 trillion cells and has at least 34 major veins, that tigers’ night vision is about six times better than that of humans, and that COVID-19 was real and not a forgery, simply because somebody told me about those things.

At the same time, I believe that there is a Creator of the universe, that I have been created as God’s vicegerent on earth, that there are angels and jinn, that there is Paradise and Hell, and that there is the Day of Judgment when I will have to answer to my Creator for my deeds in this world, also because someone told me about these beliefs. 

In the former case, I was informed—and convinced—by teachers, scientists, media, and colleagues. In the latter case, I was informed and convinced by the Prophet and the revelation given to him in the form of the holy Qur’an and his Sunnah as the exemplary life paradigm.

Now, I am truly perplexed about why the first scenario makes perfect sense, but not the second one. Why is trusting one person fine but not another? Why is believing in some things acceptable but not in others, and, positively, without any sensible rationalization or sound proof? 

Trusting people versus trusting the Prophet

Let us now see whom we trust and whom we do not. We trust scientists, politicians, business leaders, scholars, media personnel, celebrities, professionals, and various other influencers, many of whom seriously lack trustworthiness and integrity. They are disoriented, confused, and dishonest, serving a range of egotistical, nationalistic, geopolitical, and ideological interests and agendas. 

Yet, many are outright corrupt, immoral, and scandalous wretches. One needs not go further than looking at current world politics, business, media, sports, entertainment, pop culture, art, education, and scientism. It is hard to find someone in any of these fields who deserves a vote of confidence.

That is why today life in general, and what we conveniently call civilization in particular, signify a perennial battle between narratives. The issue is not about ensuring that the truth prevails, but rather the constructed and desired narratives. Just as the truth is the least wanted and fought for thing, the same goes for truthful and morally sound people, who are likewise least wanted and appreciated.

But who was Prophet Muhammad? Speaking not only spiritually and morally but also historically and factually, he was the best, most honest, kindest, wisest, most visionary, most honorable, and most trustworthy person that has ever lived. In addition to the Creator and His revelation attesting to these qualities, those who lived with the Prophet—both friends and followers, as well as nonbelievers and out-and-out enemies - were firsthand witnesses. 

Thus, the Prophet was called "al-Amin", meaning "the honest and trustworthy one", by his entire community years before he became a prophet.

Furthermore, the leaders of the rebellious Quraysh tribe admitted that they rejected following the Prophet not because he was a liar or a fraud—such a notion seemed impossible given his recognized personality, character, and legacy—but because they could not reconcile their strong nationalistic and tribal preferences with the just and benevolent principles of Islam. Even a Byzantine emperor acknowledged that never betraying trust and never telling lies were unmistakable signs of all prophets, including Muhammad. 

This is not all. There was nobody in history who could compare his legacy and impact with those of the Prophet. Despite constant religious and political attempts from all sides to undermine or discredit him, the Prophet’s reputation and the reputation of his Islam continue to grow. Fourteen centuries later, they are at an all-time high, while other religions, ideologies, and systems of life, along with their supporters, keep declining and disappearing from the scene.

Islamic civilization, initiated by the Prophet, was the greatest, most treasured, most productive, and most righteous in history. It is not an exaggeration to say that almost all goodness enjoyed by mankind today is directly or indirectly due to the Prophet, his values, and teachings – and of course the earlier prophets whose climax and ultimate actualization was the final apostleship of Prophet Muhammad.

The same civilizational spirit is still highly sought after today, standing as the only hope and answer for the beleaguered postmodern man.

The disgraceful role of societies’ elites

It is no wonder that prophets were most fervently rejected by their societie's elites (referred to in the Qur'an as al-mal'a). The reason was their realization that their sociopolitical and religious constructs—understood as narratives—were at risk. They were conscious of the fact that they could manipulate the masses only because of those constructs and the power of the mechanisms behind them.

If those were destroyed by the prophets, they knew that there would be little standing between people and the truth. Therefore, the struggle was to use all the tricks in the falsehood books to somehow portray the prophets as unworthy of trust and leadership, and that they, instead, deserved that mantle.

The hunt was always on for human weaknesses, ignorance, and gullibility. There was nothing different during the episode of Prophet Muhammad’s prophetic mission, and there is nothing different today when the creators and sustainers of evil world orders see in Muhammad and his followers the only rival and threat to their aspirations for world dominance.

By hook or by crook, the naïve masses must be kept away from the potential influences of Islam and within the clutches of ignorance, confusion, and fatalism.

Absolutely, people are entitled to know what is happening and decide their own destiny. It is up to them whether they want to listen to Prophet Muhammad – in his role as a crown and raison d’etre of existence and so, its savior – or to those who, behind their positions, authority, and wealth, hide their narcissistic, self-serving, dishonest, and unprincipled true selves. “And We have not sent you, (O Muhammad), except as a mercy to the worlds” (al-Anbiya’ 107).

“O Prophet, indeed We have sent you as a witness and a bringer of good tidings and a warner; and as one who invites to Allah's (grace) by His leave, and as a lamp (torch) spreading light” (al-Ahzab 45-46).