the idea that belief in Allah and in Islam... that whether one believes or not is something that is purely intellectual, purely based on intellectual argument... I think this is an illusion... one thing that is really beautiful about Islam is... Islam is a religion both for the super educated scholarly people... but which also can be understood by simple people who have had very little education and are illiterate.... even amongst ordinary rural illiterate people in a super poor country.... Islam is accessible even for them as far as them being able to understand it....
meanwhile some guy with a phd may be way more clueless than a simple person who believes in Islam...
ultimately, I think whether we believe or not is not necessarily so much about intellect.... in reality, Allah is looking at us and He chooses to guide and not to guide certain people.... really there is what is in our heart... and I think it is based on our heart Allah chooses to guide or not guide us....
when I was younger I was not a Muslim but I wanted to seek knowledge.... that was me as a non-Muslim, I wanted to seek knowledge.... and then later Allah led me to Islam... and honestly I believe that is why Allah guided me, because I wanted to seek knowledge... may Allah forgive me for talking about this- I have thought this for a long time and not said it but I say it- hopefully not to praise myself but.... I say this for one because I want people to know- Allah will bless you if you seek knowledge (and for us as Muslims, we must seek Islamic knowledge)... making the intention in your heart to seek knowledge is so easy! there are so many tests we have which are difficult! but to say to yourself that you want to seek knowledge and form a plan on how to seek it- the journey is long but forming the intention is easy.... and the other reason I mention is because....
some person might say "oh, so and so just believes in Islam because- they were born into it"... "Muslims only believe in Islam due to pure accidental circumstance".... in reality Muslims believe in Islam because they were chosen by Allah and there is nothing accidental about it. if you are a Muslim, you are a Muslim because you were chosen by Allah. and if a people.... Somalis, Pakistanis, whoever... if they are Muslim it is because Allah chose them
I don't think it's really so much about intellectual arguments necessarily. if Allah chooses you, if Allah chooses for you to be Muslim, then Allah will lead you to Islam. and if Allah doesn't choose to guide you, it may be that your mind becomes filled with false psuedointellectual arguments against Islam... and you think these are very intellectual arguments but in the end they will prove to be bogus....
imo it doesn't really start with intellectual arguments but it starts with the heart... I think it starts with Allah looking at your heart and I think it's on this basis that Allah then chooses to guide or not guide people... and then what kind of arguments you end up making to defend the conclusions you reach, I think that is something which comes after.