Test the God You Worship against Surah Ikhlaas - Dr Zakir Naik
Dr. Zakir Naik uses the analogy of a goldsmith's touchstone to explain the role of Surah Ikhlas in Islamic theology. He argues that Surah Ikhlas serves as a theological test for any deity being worshipped. Any god that passes this test is the true God, while any that fails is not.
Summary
In this brief excerpt, Dr. Zakir Naik introduces the concept of Surah Ikhlas as the 'touchstone of theology.' He opens with a relatable analogy: just as a goldsmith uses a physical touchstone stone to verify the purity and karat value of gold jewelry, Surah Ikhlas can be used to verify the authenticity of any god being worshipped. He notes that the goldsmith rubs gold against the stone, observes the resulting color, and compares it to a reference chart to determine whether the item is 24-karat, 22-karat, 18-karat gold, or not gold at all — reinforcing this with the well-known phrase 'all that glitters is not gold.' Dr. Naik then draws a direct parallel to theology, asserting that regardless of which god a person worships, that god should be subjected to the criteria laid out in Surah Ikhlas. If the god in question meets those criteria, the worshipper is following the true God. If the god fails to meet those criteria, then the worshipper is not worshipping the true God. The excerpt sets up a framework for comparative theology rooted in this short Quranic chapter.
Key Insights
- Dr. Zakir Naik argues that Surah Ikhlas functions as the 'touchstone of theology,' meaning it can be used as a standard criterion to evaluate the authenticity of any deity being worshipped.
- Naik draws a direct analogy between a goldsmith using a physical touchstone to determine gold purity (18, 22, or 24 karat) and using Surah Ikhlas to determine whether a worshipped god is the true God.
- Naik claims that any god — regardless of religion — that passes the test of Surah Ikhlas qualifies as the true God, implying Surah Ikhlas provides universal theological criteria.
- Naik uses the phrase 'all that glitters is not gold' to warn that not every deity presented as God is actually the true God, reinforcing the need for a theological verification standard.
- Naik implies that Surah Ikhlas is not merely a religious text for Muslims but a cross-faith evaluative tool that people of any belief system should apply to their own concept of God.
Topics
Full transcript available for MurmurCast members
Sign Up to Access