Don't you think?

Other religions may tell you to believe and not to think or question. Allah tells us that we MUST think and ask questions, and only then will we believe. So search, study, and investigate! It's no wonder that the Quran keeps emphasizing, "Don't you think?" -Nouman Ali Khan

أَفَلَا تَعْقِلُونَ……….(http://quranx.com/2.44)

 The Qur’an does not merely ask but provoke, challenge and appeal to readers to use their intellect.  As early as verse 44 in the second chapter of the Qur’an, readers are provoked by a negative question, afala ta’qilun (will you not use your intellect?).  There are 13 verses which question readers negatively for not using their intellect, afala ta’qilun which means “do you not think” (al-Qardhawi, 1998); “have you no understanding” (Pickthall, 2001); or “will you not use your reason (Asad, 1980).  Al-Qardhawi explains that Allah asks man in the negative form to motivate man to think of the signs of Allah in order to know Allah and to be convinced of the belief in Allah.  Another 11 verses are in the verb form of ta’qilun which means “you would use your reason” (Asad, 1980); or “you may think or you may understand”, which are used interchangeably by al-Qardhawi (1998) and Pickthall (2001).