ترجمه إختصار كتاب«رحلتي من الشك الى الإيمان» للدكتور مصطفى محمود

Dr. Mustafa Mahmoud is one of the most important Arab thinkers and writers. He was a genius who wrote about literature, politics, science, philosophy, and religion. Those who did not know him through his books knew him through his television program (Science and Faith), which extended for more than 400 episodes in which he discussed scientific topics that he viewed from the perspective of the greatness of the Almighty Creator and his wisdom in creation. I believe that most generations born before the Internet era have watched the program and been influenced by it or heard about it, as most Arab channels rebroadcast it from the 1970s until the end of its broadcast in 1999.

Mustafa Mahmoud established a mosque and medical centers to treat low-income people, and he also contributed to many charitable and advocacy works.

Mustafa Mahmoud is one of the most important writers who addressed the fight against atheism in the Arab world. One of his most important works is the book (A Dialogue with My Atheist Friend), which I read when I was young and re-read it several times, in which he confronts the idea of atheism through a set of logical discussions:

This is considered one of the most important books responding to atheism that has appeared in the modern era, thanks to its easy language and logical arguments. When I was in my twenties, I used the ideas contained in this book to respond to atheists. At that time, social media did not exist and its place was what was known as Internet forums. The important thing is that at that time I tried to read other books dealing with the same topic to increase my intellectual stock and increase my strength in responding to atheism (I mention among them Al-Buti’s book: The Greatest Universal Certainties), but they were difficult and advanced books for me at the time. Mustafa Mahmoud's book was easy and smooth and reached everyone. I do not say that it contributed to the conversion of atheists to Islam, but I am certain that it contributed to turning away many skeptical Muslim youth from atheism.

Why do I say all this?

Mustafa Mahmoud was an apostate before his conversion! He did not apostatize for three days, three months, or three years, but for a period of thirty years! He told his story in the book (My Journey from Doubt to Faith), which I also read, and he says in its introduction:

I refused to worship God because I was absorbed in worshiping myself and admired the flash of light that began to flash in my mind with the opening of awareness and the beginning of awakening from the cradle of childhood. This psychological state was behind the controversial scene that was repeated every day.. I also lost sight of the principles of logic as I was dealing with logic, and I did not realize that I was contradicting myself when I acknowledged the Creator and then said, “Who created the Creator,” so I make him a created being at the same time as I call him a Creator, which is pure sophistry.

He adds a very important point related to the topic of this question:

It took thirty years of immersion in books and thousands of nights of solitude, contemplation, dialogue with oneself, reconsideration, reconsideration, reconsideration... and then turning the mind in every way to cross the thorny path from God and man to the mystery of life to the mystery of death to what I am writing today. Words on the path to certainty. It was not easy... because I did not want to take it easy.

.........

Imagine if Mustafa Mahmoud lived in a country that applied the punishment for apostasy... whereby he was asked to repent for three days and then killed! Imagine if they killed him before he was converted. His superstitious effort he made in calling to God through the science and logic of what existed now. His books, which were read by millions and helped them strengthen their faith, did not even exist.

The strongest people who can respond to atheism are former atheists, because they have been there and back

When you give an apostate three days to think, you are creating a hypocrite, not a returning Muslim! Do those who made this ruling (which does not exist in the Qur’an) believe that three days are enough to be convinced?

Give him his time.. Give him time to contemplate, dialogue with oneself, reconsider, and then reconsider and reconsider. Let him think one year, two, ten, twenty, and thirty. If he does not return, then his punishment is up to God: