Dr. Ahmad Rafique Akhtar

After having been a university professor for many years, the distinguished Muslim scholar of Modern Era, Professor Dr. Ahmad Rafique Akhtar dedicates himself to giving lectures on various aspects of Islam. He does so all over Pakistan but mainly from his home in Gujar Khan where he receives many students.

He has a particular following among the middle and upper class circles of Pakistan, which is why some of his ‘students’ (as he calls them) are important politicians and bureaucrats. The enlightenment of his thoughts has heralded the dawn of a new age in the present world. Due to his acquaintance with books, intricate queries in his wits, he studied literature, philosophy, Mythologies and all contemporary subjects during his student life.

His tendency of intensive study led him to think profoundly about God. This inquisitiveness of mind continued its progress towards the logical end. He was gifted with a philosophical approach which is not satisfied without scrutinizing the process of intellectual capacity, objectively according to scientific principles. At the stage of his career choice, his exuberance and intelligence reached its pinnacle when he was faced with the most problematical query of its nature, Does God exist or Does he not, Am I free or to be accountable in front of an unseen divine force.

He started the journey of his mental investigation from doubt and denial. The centre of attention and the direction of his study and meditation took eight years of his life; he dedicated all his investigation and struggle to find a reason to deny the existence of God. His thesis was very simple, if a man commits thousands of mistakes he still remains a human being, but if we find even one mistake of God, He cannot be a God. Thus he declared the criterion to find God, he had to uncover only one error in God’s words, The Quran.

All his explorations, scientific investigations and academic researches and findings were rendered futile when he found that his efforts lead him to the confirmation of the Quran and existence of God. Consequently he made God his first and foremost priority. He was already a teacher but the focus of his teaching had now diverted to his findings about God. He believes that God has to be the top priority of every single intellectual curiosity.