To question, or not to question, that is the question

MAHMOOD SANGLAY

‘Am I not your Lord?’ is among the first questions, ever. The questioner is God, and all of humanity answered in the affirmative (Sura Al A’raf, 7:172).

This momentous primordial event established a fundamental truth, namely that all of humanity was conscious and made a covenant with God, even before we were born. The Divine question is not rhetorical. It is not posed for dramatic effect. It establishes the inherent recognition of God’s sovereignty within every human being. The question—and the answer—frame the entire rationale for why we have been created, namely to worship Him.

However, it is not incidental that the covenant is founded on the primordial question. Like our innate inclination to goodness (fitrah), questioning and seeking answers are innately human ways of obtaining knowledge and arriving at the truth. Questions and answers are the human way of making sense of reality. God decreed the question-and-answer exchange as a model for knowing.

Islam places a high value on knowledge and rational inquiry. Multiple verses in the Quran encourage believers to ponder and question to gain deeper insight into the signs of God.

‘Do they not contemplate within themselves? God created the heavens and the earth and everything between them for a true purpose and an appointed term. Yet many people deny they will meet their Lord.’ (Sura Ar Rum, 30:8)

The Quranic admonition to reflect and question encompasses the natural world, social justice and moral conduct. This approach aligns with the Islamic principle that seeking knowledge and understanding the world through questioning is a form of worship.

The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ encouraged his companions to ask questions to better understand and practice their faith. One notable example is the Hadith in which the Archangel Gabriel visits the Prophet ﷺ in the form of a man and asks a series of questions about Islam.

The Islamic intellectual tradition, encompassing both classical and contemporary scholarship, underscores the significance of questioning and rational inquiry. In his seminal work Ihya Ulum al-Din, Al-Ghazali emphasises the importance of self-reflection and seeking knowledge. He argues that questioning is essential for spiritual purification and intellectual growth. In his works, Ibn Rushd defends the use of philosophy and rational thought to understand religious texts, arguing that reason and revelation are complementary.

Ibn Khaldun, in his Muqaddimah, stresses the importance of a well-informed public for the proper functioning of society. His analysis of the rise and fall of civilizations underscores the need for transparency and accountability, which are crucial roles of journalism.

Similarly, the South Asian philosopher-poet Muhammad Iqbal stressed the need for a dynamic and questioning spirit within the Muslim Ummah. In his Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam, he argues for the reinterpretation of Islamic thought to meet contemporary challenges.

Questioning and rational inquiry are deeply embedded in Islamic tradition. Journalism, as a profession dedicated to questioning, probing matters of public interest, investigating and exposing wrongdoing, aligns closely with several core Islamic principles. The pursuit of truth, justice, and accountability are fundamental aspects of Islamic teachings, which provide a strong rationale for the role of journalism in an Islamic context.

The Quran emphasises the importance of truth and justice, both of which are essential to the practice of journalism.

‘O you who believe! Be ever steadfast in upholding equity, bearing witness to the truth for the sake of God, even though it be against your own selves or your parents and kinsfolk. Whether the person concerned be rich or poor, God’s claim takes precedence over [the claims of] either of them. Do not, then, follow your own desires, lest you swerve from justice: for if you distort [the truth], behold, God is indeed aware of all that you do!’ (Sura An Nisa, 4:135) This verse highlights the importance of standing firm for justice and truth, even if it goes against personal interests. Journalism, by investigating and bringing injustices to light, fulfils this Quranic directive.

Similarly, in Sura Al Hujurat (49:6) the Quran underscores the necessity of verifying information, which is a cornerstone of ethics in journalism. Investigative journalism ensures that information disseminated to the public is accurate and reliable.

In Sahih Muslim the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is reported to have said, ‘The best jihad is to speak a word of truth to an oppressive ruler.’

Journalism in Islam is a legitimate and vital institution grounded in the principles of truth, justice and accountability. The Quran and Hadith provide strong support for the role of journalists in investigating and exposing wrongdoing, contributing to a just and well-informed society and ensuring that the public interest is safeguarded.

Journalists, like Shakespeare’s Hamlet, grapple with moral and ethical dilemmas. The dedicated journalist, who often faces difficult choices, bears striking parallels with the existential struggles of Shakespeare’s Hamlet in his famous soliloquy from Act III, Scene 1 when he says, ‘To be, or not to be, that is the question.’
Hamlet is conflicted with the choice between enduring passive suffering and avenging his father’s murder. Similarly, journalists must often decide between withholding the truth to avoid potential harm or exposing it at the risk of backlash or endangering themselves or others.
Hamlet’s struggle with his conscience and his desire to do what is right mirrors the ethical dilemmas of journalists navigating the fine line between public interest and potential harm, truth and bias, and objectivity and empathy.
Just as Hamlet grapples with his existential crisis, journalists must confront the profound responsibilities of their profession, often making difficult decisions that have far-reaching implications.

Asking the ideal question is crucial because it often determines the quality of the answers obtained, a core argument in Warren Berger’s A More Beautiful Question. Berger posits that innovative solutions and breakthroughs frequently stem from well-formulated questions. For journalists, framing effective questions is essential. Thus, like the innovators Berger describes, journalists must master the art of questioning to uncover deeper insights, drive meaningful investigations and produce comprehensive analyses that serve the public interest.