The existence of mankind on the earth planet that floats in space resembles the passengers who belong to various cultures who gathered on board of an airplane that takes them on a flight to an unknown destination and with an unidentified captain. They find themselves compelled to serve themselves and to deal with the troubles occurring aboard.
They receive a message from the captain through a member of the flight crew explaining to them the reason behind their existence, the place of their take-off and their destination, and clarifying to them his personal qualities and how to communicate with him directly.
The first passenger said: Yes, it goes without saying that this airplane has a captain, and he is merciful because he sent us this person to answer our questions.
The second one said: The airplane has no captain and I do not believe the messenger. We came from nothing and we are here for no purpose.
The third said: None brought us here, we were gathered randomly.
The fourth said: The airplane has a captain but the messenger is the captain's son, and the captain came in the form of his son to live among us.
The fifth said: The airplane has a captain but he did not send any messenger. He comes in the form of everything to live among us, and there is no final destination for our flight and we will remain aboard.
The sixth said: There is no captain and I want to find myself an imaginary and symbolic captain.
The seventh said: The captain is there, but he placed us on board and got distracted, and he no longer interferes with our affairs or with the airplane affairs.
The eighth said: The captain is there and I respect his messenger; however, we do not need laws on board of the airplane to determine whether a certain act is good or evil. We need something to refer to in our dealings that is based on our personal desires and wishes so we can do whatever makes us feel happy.
The ninth said: The captain is there and he is mine alone and all of you are here to serve me, and you will not reach your destination in all cases.
The tenth passenger said: The captain's existence is relative, i.e., he exists for those who believe in his existence, and does not exist for those who deny his existence. Moreover, all passengers' notions of this captain, the flight's goal, and the method of dealing between the passengers are right.
From this imaginary story, which gives us a hint of the actual notions that people on earth currently have of the origin of existence and the goal behind life, we realize the following:
. It is self-evident that the airplane has one captain who knows how to fly it from one destination to another for a certain purpose, and this is an unquestionable axiom.
. The one who denies the existence of the captain or has various notions of him is the one required to offer an explanation, which could be right or wrong.
If we apply this symbolic example on the truth of the Creator's existence, while bearing in mind that Allah has the highest attributes, we shall discover that the diversity of the theories on the origin of existence does not negate the existence of one absolute truth, which is:
that the Creating God, the One and Only, Who has no partner and no child, is independent from His creation and is not embodied in the form of any of them. So, if the whole world wants to adopt the idea that the Creator is embodied in the form of an animal, for instance, or a human being, this does not actually make Him so, as Allah is far exalted above that.
The Creating God is just, and out of His justice, He rewards and punishes. He has to be connected with mankind, for He will not be a god if he creates them and then abandons them. For this reason, He sends them messengers to clarify the way for them and to convey His methodology, which revolves around worshiping Him and resorting to Him alone without taking a priest, a saint, or any mediator. The one who deserves reward is the one who follows this course, whereas the one who deviates from it is worthy of punishment, and this is represented in the bliss of Paradise and the punishment of Hellfire.
This is what is called the "Religion of Islam", which is the true religion that the Creator has approved of for His creatures.
Does the Christian not consider the Muslim a disbeliever, for instance, because he does not believe in the Trinity, and that he will not be admitted to the Kingdom of God except through having faith in it? "Disbelief" is a term that means denial of the truth, and the truth for the Muslim is represented in Tawhīd (monotheism), and for the Christian it is the Trinity.