Two Old Friends

The Skeptic was walking down the main hallway of the school, looking for the teachers’ room. The hallway was full of students who had come out for recess. His son’s religious studies teacher had asked him to come to the school to discuss some of his son’s behavior.

The Skeptic found the teachers’ room and went in. He looked around at the teachers and immediately recognized the Believer, an old friend and former classmate. He walked over to him. The Believer recognized him too, and they greeted each other warmly. The Believer asked what had brought him there.

The Skeptic replied, “My son’s religious studies teacher asked to speak with me. And now that I see you here, I’m guessing that teacher is you. My son had told me your last name, but it never occurred to me that it might be my old friend. So tell me, what’s going on? Why did you ask me to come here—or perhaps I should say, summon me?”

The Believer said, “To be honest, your son has a problem with religious studies. He makes fun of everything and shows no respect for the words of the Prophet and the Imams. He even questions what they say. He doesn’t seem to understand that you can’t challenge and criticize the words of the infallible. He doesn’t even treat the verses of the Quran with respect.”

The Skeptic asked, “What exactly does he do with the verses of the Quran?”

“He raises objections he shouldn’t be raising. He talks about the verses as if they were the words of an ordinary person. I’m not saying that the verses of the Quran shouldn’t be examined, but he doesn’t show them much respect.”

“I don’t understand. Does he make fun of them? Or does he just ask questions about them? Does he say anything harsh or offensive about the Quran? Does he insult it?”

“No. He doesn’t insult it, and what he says isn’t offensive. But there are two ways to question and discuss the Quran.

“One is to try to understand what its verses mean—in other words, to ask how a verse should be interpreted and what it is trying to say.

“The other is to try to show that a verse is actually wrong and, God forbid, did not come from God. Your son questions the Quran in that second sense. He questions whether it really is the word of God at all. And by doing that, he is also undermining its sacred status in the eyes of his classmates.”

The Skeptic said, “Look, my friend. I understand the times we live in, and I’ll ask my son to censor himself and not say everything that comes to mind in class. But I have a question for you.”

“Go ahead.”

The Skeptic leaned closer to the Believer’s ear and said, “Have you ever thought about finding a more honorable job?”

The Believer pulled his head back and stared into the Skeptic’s eyes. “You always had a temper, and you never worried much about how your words might sound. I can tell from your face that you’ve lost control again and said exactly what was on your mind. All right... tell me. What’s your problem?”

The Skeptic leaned toward him again, making sure that no one else in the room could hear, and said, “Lying to innocent children and brainwashing them at such a sensitive age is not an honorable thing to do.”

The Believer had not expected this at all. He tried to control his anger. After a brief pause, he spoke quietly, staring into the Skeptic’s eyes.

“Lying? ... Why lying? ... Is the Quran a lie? ... Are the Prophet and the Imams liars?”

“This isn’t the place to talk about it. If you’re willing, let’s meet somewhere and discuss it properly. I have a lot to say to you, my old friend.”

“As it happens, I now have quite a lot to say to you too, my old friend. To be honest, I feel some responsibility for you and where you’re heading.

“So tell me. When and where?”

“My house... How about this Friday? Bring your family.”

“I’d rather not accept hospitality from the family of one of my students. My sense of honor won’t allow it—the same sense of honor you seem to think I don’t have. How about a restaurant? ... We’ll split the bill.”

The Skeptic, now regretting that he had gone too far, said, “Don’t be upset... I don’t know why I went overboard for a moment. I didn’t mean what you thought I meant... Well, I did... but no... I didn’t... You know what? I have a lot to say about this. When we meet, I’ll explain everything properly.”

Just then, the bell rang for the start of class. The Believer held out his hand and said, “All right. I have to go now. Save my number. I’ll be waiting for your call.”

As the Skeptic shook his hand, he took out his phone with the other hand, ready to enter the number.

“Go ahead. I’m ready... And you can be sure I’ll call.”