We, as Muslims, love to answer sincere questions about Islam for those who are in search of answers.
I have found a list of 20 questions asked by an atheist who left Islam. We can find the answers to most of these questions when we read the Quran directly in its context, but unfortunately, certain confusions are raised when specific Islamic schools of thought fail to provide satisfactory answers—while at the same time presenting themselves as the exclusive representatives of Islam. An unsuspecting mind would think these are the actual teachings of Islam, and accept them without scrutiny or examining the Qur’anic evidence.
I have personally answered these questions by relying on the school of thought which I follow: that of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, which is a reform movement in Islam that believes in the Advent of the Promised Messiah, Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (a.s.). In Ahmadiyya, we understand Islam based on the Quranic verses and ‘Ahadith’ of the Prophet of Islam ﷺ, and not on the subjective opinions of scholars or ‘Asbab al Nuzul’ as other Islamic sects would; which often defy the clear teachings of the Quran. Thus, my answers might seem a bit different than other schools of thought’s interpretations of Islam, but I will prove that these are indeed actually the fundamental teachings of Islam by providing Quranic sources and Ahadith which are in line with the Quran.
It should be noted, that for all Quranic verses used in this article, the ‘Bismillah’ was counted as the first verse; whereas in some copies of the Quran this is not the case. As such verse [2:20] should be [2:19] for the copies that do not count Bismillah.
QUESTIONS
- Does God’s stated purpose of creating man to worship him seem worthy of an immensely intelligent and all-powerful being?
God ﷻ is a Creator, and all of creation is a testament for his existence. Though God does not need His creation in order to exist, the creation itself relies on God and His Magnificence. It’s conceptually shortsighted to think God’s creation is limited to our universe and our perception of the material and physical world.
Moreover, God does not need worship. This is stated in the Qur’an:
[51:57] And I have not created the Jinn and the men but that they may worship Me.
[51:58] I desire no sustenance from them, nor do I desire that they should feed Me.
[51:59] Surely, it is Allah Himself Who is the Great Sustainer, the Powerful, the Strong.
Worship is not restricted to performing rituals. Worship (‘Ibadat’) extends to our ethics, behavior and morality. God teaches that even a good word is an act of worship, as are service to society, acts of charity and the seeking of knowledge and higher education.
In short, the worship of God ﷻ is a way of life through which you constantly seek to better yourself, elevate your current status, and give thanks to the Creator in different ways.
Smiling at strangers is an act of worship too! 🙂
[Al-Tirmidhi Book 27, Hadith 62 ] “Your smiling in the face of your brother is charity, commanding good and forbidding evil is charity, your giving directions to a man lost in the land is charity for you. Your seeing for a man with bad sight is a charity for you, your removal of a rock, a thorn or a bone from the road is charity for you. Your pouring what remains from your bucket into the bucket of your brother is charity for you.”
- If God is self-sufficient, and does nothing in vain, isn’t creation the height of vanity?
Is Creation an act of vanity? We can look everywhere around us and find that everything has a use. Aren’t discoveries made every day? And are we not constantly in a state of progressive learning and unlocking the secrets of the world around us?
If we as humans had not progressed, hadn’t constantly improved living standards, nor made larger and larger communities, then the allegation would have been spot on. But a quick examination of the history of life on this earth proves that nothing about creation is in vain. As the Qur’an states:
[44:39] And We created not the heavens and the earth, and all that is between them, in sport.
[44:40] We created them not but with the requirements of truth and justice, but most of them understand not.
[67:2] Blessed is He in Whose hand is the kingdom, and He has power over all things; [67:3] Who has created death and life that He might try you — which of you is best in deeds; and He is the Mighty, the Most Forgiving.
[67:4] Who has created seven heavens in harmony. No incongruity canst thou see in the creation of the Gracious God. Then look again: Seest thou any flaw?
[67:5] Aye, look again, and yet again, thy sight will only return unto thee confused and fatigued.
- If creation is for our benefit, then what is the benefit to those who will burn forever?
The Qur’an says there are infinite rewards for the believers and for those who strove to do good deeds on Earth; who gave thanks to God Almighty and served his Creation. The absence of this struggle is the absence of this reward. Of course, this will seem harsh in comparison to what is offered to the believers.
However, as the Qur’an states, the Hell of the evil-doers in the afterlife is not the final resting place, but a temporary correctional facility that will cleanse the evil people’s hearts. This will make them compatible with the pure status of the believers, in an eventual send-off to their final resting place in heaven. The correctional facility of Hell isn’t without its hardships, as we can compare it to a surgery for the removal of a tumor, while missing out on the joys of Heaven for the time being.
In short, life on this Earth is like a harvest, and you reap what you do or do not sow. If you do not commit yourself to struggling for the possible rewards in front of you, you will suffer from hunger. And even though you may not have given your thanks to God, He will still eventually extend his hand to you as another act of mercy. As stated in the Qur’an:
[11:107] As for those who will prove unfortunate, they shall be in the Fire, wherein there shall be for them sighing and sobbing,
[11:108] Abiding therein so long as the heavens and the earth endure, excepting what thy Lord may will. Surely, thy Lord does bring about what He pleases.
[11:109] But as for those who will prove fortunate, they shall be in Heaven; abiding therein so long as the heavens and the earth endure, excepting what thy Lord may will — a gift that shall not be cut off.
It is made clear from these verses, that the phase of Fire will meet its end. And even this period is described as one of giving and taking and breathing, while the fortunes of heaven are never ending and never taken away.
- What’s the point of God’s test when He knows the outcome? Is it just so He can have a reason to punish & reward?
You have the chance in your hands to make due with as much as you can. Life on Earth is not only a “test,” but also a chance to seek self-betterment, and promote your values and principles and seek constant spiritual elevation and promotion.
It is clear from this life that there are a range of different people; including people who are believers, and people who are non-believers, people who are doing good, and people who are evil, and all others who are in between. We are all given a chance in this life to discover our ways, seek self-betterment and find the purpose of creation.
You can easily say “I love God and His Creation,” but in this life God is giving you a chance to apply this sentiment and to keep trying to do it better. You have a lifetime to discover what you have and to achieve what your goal in life is. You do not have an excuse not to do it. So don’t waste your life complaining that there’s a “fiery” Hell. Instead, seek heaven.
[4:41] Surely, Allah wrongs not any one even by the weight of an atom. And if there be a good deed, He multiplies it and gives from Himself a great reward.
[99:8] Then whoso does an atom’s weight of good will see it,
[99:9] And whoso does an atom’s weight of evil will also see it.
- Can a being who creates humans that he knows will fail his test and will be tortured without end, be called The Most Merciful of those who show Mercy?
Can a human being, with equal chances to all others, not seek to utilize what God have given to him, instead of incorrectly complaining that he will not get an equal chance?
God says that Heaven and Hell essentially occupy the same place, populated by the same people living on this Earth; but that a believer will enjoy Creation by an act of God’s Mercy, while a disbeliever will suffer and not benefit from its beauty. The Qur’an says:
[19:72] And there is not one of you but will come to it. This is a fixed decree with thy Lord.
[19:73] Then We shall save the righteous and We shall leave the wrongdoers therein, on their knees.
We may compare this to a good perfume. A healthy person will enjoy its smell, but a sick person will dislike it and get dizzy.
Or we can use the example of solid food, which will be delicious to a healthy person, yet cause suffering to a person with a sick stomach.
As mentioned, the afterlife is the harvest of what you have done in this lifetime, and it is a chance for you to clean your heart and senses from disease. The extent to which you clean your senses will determine wither your pleasure or suffering in the afterlife.
- If God wanted us to freely choose to worship him – then why threaten us? Does someone with a gun to his head really have free choice?
In the entirety of Quran there is no threat or compulsion to worship, or to commit any act which you do not freely choose to do. Religion and its practices are a free choice, and we all have the choice to either follow them or not. As the Qur’an mentions:
[2:257] There should be no compulsion in religion. Surely, right has become distinct from wrong; so whosoever refuses to be led by those who transgress, and believes in Allah, has surely grasped a strong handle which knows no breaking. And Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.
- Why does God cause so much suffering to humans? Is it part of God’s test to prompt them to turn to Him in obedience and worship? Isn’t that like a con-man who causes a problem then offers to fix it for you?
There is no suffering in religion. One of the best things in my religion (I am speaking as a Muslim; please feel free to share the thoughts of your own religion or secular philosophy) is that Islam does not burden any human being with what he or she cannot handle. Here are some examples:
Traveling? You do not have to fast.
Tired? You can pray sitting down.
No money? You do not have to perform Hajj.
Poor? You receive ‘Sadaqa.’
The Holy Qur’an says:
[20:3] We have not sent down the Qur’an to thee that thou shouldst be distressed
And that is the beauty of the religion of Islam. Also, Islam does not permit any act of self-torture, and does not allow self-harm or damage to others, except in last-resort, inescapable cases of self-defense, or for the defense of the helpless and the innocent.
Moreover, even maintaining cleanliness and taking care of your body through exercise and eating healthy are acts of worship
So, Islam promotes all kinds of benefits for human beings.
- Why would God give humans the ability to reason – then punish them for rejecting beliefs their reason cannot reconcile?
Islam commands believers to constantly seek knowledge and education. Also, Islam asks its followers to constantly reflect and ponder upon the deeper meanings of its verses, the heavenly signs, and the world around them. Islam forbids you to blindly follow and imitate your fathers and forefathers, and encourages each person to seek the truth
And Allah ﷻ will not punish any person for that which he cannot understand, or which is beyond his reasoning or ability to comprehend. If someone was to receive a false image of religion and Islam, then Allah ﷻ will surely not punish this person for what he saw as false from Islamic teachings. So, if there were a person who only learned of Islam from the actions of terrorists and horrible people, then he would surely be rewarded instead, as he rejected a violent version of religion, that should be incompatible with every person’s perception of a truly just God. And the Qur’an states:
[2:287] Allah burdens not any soul beyond its capacity. It shall have the reward it earns, and it shall get the punishment it incurs.
- Why does the human body look suspiciously like it was the result of a long, cumulative process of evolution resulting in imperfections and vestigial organs and genes – and not the result of the instant and perfectly planned creation of Adam and Eve?
The Quran does not state that Adam was the first man, nor that he descended from heaven. Rather, it clearly states that human beings were created and constantly went through a process of gradual, guided evolution, until they reached a status where they could receive and understand revelation. And the first human to receive Divine revelation was Adam (a.s.). As written in the Qur’an:
[2:31] And when thy Lord said to the angels: ‘I am about to place a vicegerent* in the earth
*in the verse of creation of Man, there is no mention of Adam, but of men.
There is no mention of Eve in the Qur’an, and little or to no mention of her in Ahadith (the sayings ascribed to the Holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ). Ideas about Adam and Eve being the first humans were unfortunately the result of misinterpretation and the influence of converts to Islam from Judaism and Christianity, who saw some similarities, and decided to bring with them their earlier misunderstandings from their previous holy books.
The Quran teaches that God created humans through a guided process, and not as a result of chance as some theories state. In many places, the Qur’an shows that it was the Divine plan to take human evolution through stages, resulting in where we are today. For example:
[71:15] ‘And He has created you in different forms and different conditions.
- Which is more evil, the imperfect creature who commits evil or the perfect entity which created evil?
Evil is the absence of good, just as darkness is the absence of light. Essentially, you are the creator of your own evil actions, as mentioned in the Qur’an:
[17:14] And every man’s works have We fastened to his neck, and on the Day of Resurrection We shall bring out for him a book which he will find wide open.
[17:15] ‘Read thy book. Sufficient is thy own soul this day as reckoner against thee.’
[17:16] He who follows the right way follows it only for the good of his own soul: and he who goes astray, goes astray only to his own loss. And no bearer of burden shall bear the burden of another. We never punish until We have sent a Messenger.
- Is being good because you fear God, really being good?
Yes, it is. And to constantly seek to be a better version of yourself for the love of God, is actually better. 🙂
But let me ask why, when a follower of Islam commits a crime; others are quick to blame the entire population; but when a Muslim does a good deed, his faith is not given any credit?
The correct application of the teachings of Islam will definitely make any bad person a good person, and a good person a better person.
But the correct application of atheism will not make any person any different from what they already are.
This is definitely a favorable point for Islam.
There are loads of beautiful Islamic teachings that I can copy and paste in relation to this point, but I will share just one here in order not to make this a longer article. For more, any reader may refer to the Qur’an and read the entire Holy book, which is full of guidance. God says in the Qur’an:
[41:35] And good and evil are not alike. Repel evil with that which is best. And lo, he between whom and thyself was enmity will become as though he were a warm friend.
- Why did God send all *known* prophets, miracles and books to one area of the world and at a time when people were superstitious and gullible?
God sent Prophets to all nations and to all people. The Qur’an states:
[35:25] Verily, We have sent thee with the truth, as a bearer of glad tidings and as a Warner; and there is no people to whom a Warner has not been sent.
Prophets have removed superstitions from their people, just like Abraham removed the human sacrifices from his people, and Moses removed Gullibility from his people. And Muhammad ﷺ removed all forms of impurity from Arabs, like the worshiping of stones, killing of daughters, treating wives as slaves, treating non Arabs as second class and many others.
We Ahmadis believe the Promised Messiah , Hadrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad A.S, came in this age to remove false beliefs and reinstate the Quranic truth that Muslims of our times forsake, he taught:
I say to you that you must show love and compassion to all of God’s creation no matter who it is – whether he is a Hindu, a Muslim or anyone else. I never like it when people try to limit their sympathy and love to their own people… I admonish you again and again to never ever limit the scope of your compassion.
- Why did God only protect the Qur’an from corruption? Couldn’t he have protected the Bible and prevented billions claiming he has a son?
You can read the Bible front to back and you will not find Jesus claiming himself as a Divine form of God. But he does claim to be a servant of God. The term “Son of God,” and the reference to God as “father” were and still are, ways that true servants of God refer to Him in Judaism. These ways of referring to God were used by Prophets like David in the Hebrew Bible, so unsurprisingly, Jesus also refers to God using this terminology in the New Testament. However there is no source of the “divinity” of Jesus Christ in the New Testament.
[Genesis 6:2] That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.
3: And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.
4: There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.
5: And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
6: And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.
[Exodus 4:22] Then say to Pharaoh, ‘This is what the LORD says: Israel is my firstborn son,
When reading the New Testament, the only story discovered is that of a true worshipper of God spending his night praying to the Creator to help him and to remove this “cup” to save him from a sentenced punishment. If Jesus himself was the Divine, then who was he praying to? And why, then would the will of Jesus be different from the will of God?
[Luke 22:42] Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.
It wasn’t until the councils of Nicea and Laodicea, where men gathered and voted for the idea of a “divine” Jesus that Christians in general began to think this way. But it was something the early Christians rejected.
It’s also important to add that the continuation of religion is not a result of former corruption, but rather a fulfillment of prophecies made by previous prophets.
[Matthew 21:43] Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.
We Muslims believe God has revealed teachings in stages that are suitable for the guidance of a people at a particular time, while also considering the different tribal and social needs of each geographical location. In this way, we see the ‘Shariah’ of Adam (a.s.) as basic and portraying the needs of basic people, while the ‘Shariah’ of Noah is a somewhat more advanced teaching, which the people of Adam would have considered as a burden. Thus, it is with the Shariah of Moses and of people from different geographical locations. As Allah ﷻ says in the Qur’an that for every nation a prophet was sent. But we see Islam as the last universal religion, one that is suitable for all mankind in any present or future time and place, and this gradual revelation of religion as a necessity for the condition of every age. And people without a developed system of currency and commerce per se, wouldn’t have had the benefit and responsibility of taking out a percentage of their wealth as ‘Zakat.’
On a final note, the corruption that the Qur’an condemns is the deliberate removal of Scriptural contexts to suit the whims and vested interests of certain scholars, and not necessarily the corruption of the verses themselves. Since we Muslims believe that the true word of God can never be removed, even if a religious text was butchered through the process of multiple translations and the addition of insincere commentaries of scribes, a man could still read any historical book and quickly realize where some verses might have been altered. What the Qur’an itself condemns is the twisting of the words and ‘cherry-picking’ of the context only to suit one’s preconceived thoughts. This was, in a way, a warning for future Muslims; that Muslims will try to do the same thing to the Quran by deliberately emitting entire verses (by abrogation), and creating new narrations that the Quran does not support:
[4:47] There are some among the Jews who pervert words from their proper places. And they say, ‘We hear and we disobey,’ and ‘hear thou without being heard,’ and ‘Ra‘ina,’ screening with their tongues what is in their minds and seeking to injure the Faith. And if they had said, ‘We hear and we obey,’ and ‘hear thou,’ and ‘Unzurna,’ it would have been better for them and more upright. But Allah has cursed them for their disbelief; so they believe but little.
- What was so special about prophet Jesus that God made him born to a virgin? Took him up to heaven before he was crucified? And is going to bring him back again before the day of judgment?
Jesus was born from a virgin as a result of a prophecy in the Bible:
[Isaiah 7:14] Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel
However, this virgin birth constitutes a warning to the Jewish people; specifically, that this would be the last Prophet that would come from them; that the line of Prophets from them will end and be given to their brethren (the descendants of Ishmael A.S.). As written in the Bible:
[Deuteronomy 18:18] I will raise up for them a prophet like you* from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him.
*”Like you” as in like Moses A.S, a law-bearing Prophet and a leader of his community. And this came to pass with the advent of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, a law-bearing Prophet and a leader of his people.
This is in short the meaning of the Virgin Birth. As per his supposed physical “resurrection,” Jesus was not elevated to the sky, and will not return in his physical body. As the Qur’an states:
[7:26] He said, ‘Therein (Earth) shall you live, and therein shall you die, and therefrom shall you be brought forth.
And this applies to Jesus as well as to the rest of creation.
And as for the second coming of Jesus, we believe that this prophecy refers to a metaphorical coming of a Messiah who would come in the spirit of Jesus, but not be the same person. The same physical body of a person born over 2000 years ago will not descend from the sky. Rather, it would be the coming of another Messiah from within the Islamic population. We as Ahmadi Muslims believe this Messiah to be Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (A.S.).
- Do you believe it’s acceptable for a husband to hit a rebellious wife?
The verse in question:
[4:35] Men are guardians over women because Allah has made some of them excel others, and because they (men) spend of their wealth. So virtuous women are those who are obedient, and guard the secrets of their husbands with Allah’s protection. And as for those on whose part you fear disobedience, admonish them and leave them alone in their beds, and chastise them. Then if they obey you, seek not a way against them. Surely, Allah is High, Great.
The disobedience mentioned is not the mere rejection of her husband’s opinion, but the actuality of being evil in her rebellious ways, and aggressive and abusive either to the husband or the children.
As for beating, in Islam it is forbidden to physically punish any person and leave a mark on the person’s body. Yet regardless, the Holy Prophet ﷺ also said that he who beats his wife is not a good man.
So why is beating one’s wife allowed in Islam?
It is actually not allowed at all, and it’s not expected for any man to beat his wife. But this is referring to an extraordinary situation where there are several remedial suggestions mentioned which should first be attempted.
The first is admonishment. If that doesn’t work, then the husband may leave the bed, symbolizing the idea of a partial separation. If neither of these approaches work, then he may resort to a physical nudge to inform the wife that their problem has gotten serious, and would cause actual separation and divorce, leading to suffering for themselves and their children.
This last “beating” treatment, is not a beating at all, but only a physical alert to avoid the worst case scenario in a rare occurrence.
It is unfair to misrepresent this point to say Islam encourages wife beating, and to dismiss the countless teachings that Islam presents which elevate the status of a woman to a mother, under whose feet rests heaven itself.
Islam teaches that the best of men are those who are good to their wives. We would like those who raise allegations to actually represent the full picture regarding women in Islam, instead of only focusing on what suits their preconceived notions.
- Why do so many characteristics of Allah like anger and vengefulness seem like human ones?
That isn’t the case.
And the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was a perfect testament to this. The people of Quraish had wasted no effort to purge all Muslims from Mecca, but when the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ returned, he forgave everybody who previously hurt him and the believers. He even sent out messages to people who had fled in fear of retributive punishment, telling them to return safely and to live freely among the Muslims.
Islam promotes forgiveness. One amazing story (among countless others) that exemplifies this is that when the killer of the Holy Prophet’s ﷺ daughter came to the Holy Prophet ﷺ to seek forgiveness for his crimes, the Holy Prophet ﷺ embraced and forgave him, and even took off his coat and gave it to the repentant killer to show Islamic mercy.
If the Islamic God was a vengeful and angry deity, this would have showed in the Prophet ﷺ that He sent as an example and model to mankind.
[3:160] And it is by the great mercy of Allah that thou art kind towards them, and if thou hadst been rough and hard-hearted, they would surely have dispersed from around thee. So pardon them and ask forgiveness for them, and consult them in matters of administration; and when thou art determined, then put thy trust in Allah. Surely, Allah loves those who put their trust in Him.
[33:22] Verily you have in the Prophet of Allah an excellent model, for him who fears Allah and the Last Day and who remembers Allah much.
- Why does the Qur’an say don’t ask questions about things, when the answer would trouble you? Should followers of other religions also not ask questions about their religion when it might trouble them?
God is not saying to not ask questions at all. God is saying do not ask for the whole Qur’an to be revealed to you in a minute, as the immediate revelation of the Qur’an in its entirety would have been burdensome and difficult to manage for the people of pre-Islamic Arabia. Thus God revealed the Qur’an in steps to guarantee proper foundation for the early Muslims and the society in general. This is the verse in question:
[5:102] O ye who believe! ask not about things which, if revealed to you, would cause you trouble; though if you ask about them while the Qur’an is being sent down, they will be revealed to you. Allah has left them out. And Allah is Most Forgiving, Forbearing.
- Why will God never forgive Shirk? What are they really guilty of? Ignorance? Being born to the wrong family?
The Shirk that God does not forgive, is for a believer to rely on material means instead on God’s infinite Mercy, which is the actual source of all fortune.
What is not forgiven for a true believer is that he would worry about financial troubles per se, despite the knowledge that God has the capability in his hands to alleviate all of his worries.
This is the true Shirk, to be afraid of something that isn’t God; to associate material goods with God Himself; to wrongly think that simple human beings can change the trajectory of your future, instead of God Almighty.
But with the same breath, God will not punish people for what is beyond their understanding. If a person was born in a place that associates other deities with God, then Allah Almighty will not misjudge this person for their Shirk, as it is beyond the person’s understanding. God says in the Qur’an:
[21:48] And We shall set up accurate scales of justice for the Day of Resurrection so that no soul will be wronged in aught. And even if it were the weight of a grain of mustard seed, We would bring it forth. And sufficient are We as reckoners.
- The Qur’an criticizes idolaters for following the religion of their parents. Are you any different?
The blind following of religion as a cultural habit is frowned upon in Islam. Even if a person is born into a Muslim family, he must discover religion for himself. For if a Muslim’s parents were following cultural habits that contradict the Quran. The child is responsible to not duplicate his parents’ mistakes, and to seek his own ways that comply with the words of God. The Qur’an states:
[5:105] And when it is said to them, ‘Come to what Allah has revealed, and to the Messenger,’ they say, ‘Sufficient for us is that wherein we found our fathers.’ What! even though their fathers had no knowledge and no guidance?
- You believe other people are following false, corrupted or unfounded beliefs? Are you certain you’re not also?
The idea of “false belief” is subjective. What is true for me may be false for another person. My Qur’an teaches me to love everybody despite our differences. Also the Qur’an teaches to respect others and their beliefs and not to reject or create conflicts with followers of others schools of thought. Moreover, the Qur’an teaches to be just against those who have their own issues with me and my religion, and not let animosity take precedence over fairness. The Qur’an says:
[5:106] O ye who believe! be heedful of your own selves. He who goes astray cannot harm you when you yourselves are rightly guided. To Allah will you all return; then will He disclose to you what you used to do.
This is not an academic exam. Instead of testing my beliefs point for point to see if I gave the standard, correct answers, Allah ﷻ will look into my heart; to see if I truly purified it to for His sake, sought after Him, lived a life which pleased Him, and was kind to the people that have happened to cross my path.