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Convey the truth using reason and logic
The proper way of convincing people of the truth is through reason and cognition rather than insisting on blind acceptance of faith. This has been the way of the prophets: they always appealed to people’s intellect with their preaching, and advised them to reflect on the universe and use common sense. Let us briefly consider three stories from the life of Ibrahim (AS) that illustrate how reason and logic are essential components in understanding the oneness and supremacy of God.
(A) Who is my Lord?
As a young man, Ibrahim (AS) rejected the worship of idols, seeing no sense in this practice. One night, he observed a star in the sky and thought that could be the lord of the worlds. But when the star set, he became convinced it could not be so. He similarly considered the moon and the sun to be his lords, but when they too set, he realised his Lord was the Unseen One who controls heavenly bodies, rather than being one of those bodies. He was convinced it was illogical to take physical objects as gods. Allah thus guided him to the truth, and revealed the Scripture to him.
(B) Broken idols
Ibrahim (AS) was eager to see his nation abandon idol worship. So, one day, while his people were away, he squashed all their idols except the largest of them. When the people suspected him of the act, he blamed the idol still intact, and challenged the people to question the broken idols if they did not believe him. This made the people realise the folly of their ways, for their gods never could speak! Our egos make us blind to reason, however: the people quickly recovered from their state of embarrassment, and declared, 'Indeed, you know well that they do not speak!' (21:65) Ibrahim (AS) answered, 'Do you then worship instead of Allah that which does not benefit you at all or harm you? Fie on you and what you worship instead of Allah. Will you not then use reason?' (21:66'67)
(C) The king‘s argument
'Have you not considered the one who argued with Ibrahim about his Lord [merely] because Allah had given him kingship? When Ibrahim said, ‗My Lord is the one who gives life and causes death,‘ he said, ‗I give life and cause death.‘ Ibrahim said, ‗Indeed, Allah brings up the sun from the east, so bring it up from the west.‘ So the disbeliever was overwhelmed, and Allah does not guide the wrongdoing people.' (2:258)