The Islamic Belief and subsequently the Islamic way of life is premised on an intellectual basis.
Therefore, Islam is neither a religion nor a set of values and rituals that arise from Blind Faith.
Rather, Islam is an intellectual belief from which emanates a comprehensive socio-political and
economic system. To understand the unique system that Islam offers necessitates the explanation of
the Islamic belief i.e. the belief in God, Allah (swt) in Arabic, and the Word of God, the Qur’an.
Arguments For & Against God
Today if you mention God then you’ll probably get a negative reaction. It has become a trend to get
on with life and not to bother to ask the question whether there is a God or not. In fact this question
was not even asked much in the days of old, when you simply had to believe in God or be
persecuted. Therefore it is not surprising that people find it easy to believe that the existence of God
is a myth, simply because they have never thought deeply about the idea.
It is because people continued to believe in God blindly, i.e. Blind Faith, rather than use ration, that
science and its attempted explanations of universal phenomena was hailed as the ‘new God’.
But let us deal with both arguments - for and against the existence of a Creator - from a rational
perspective. A common argument by many Christians and some other religions is that God is the
God of many abstract attributes such as Love, Peace, Mercy which indeed are admirable qualities
for human beings to aspire to. This characterisation of God is based on an implicit assumption that
God can be likened to human beings thus the attempt to understand God in a human framework.
Accordingly, we find in some societies, such as early Greek, that individual gods were used to
represent single human attributes, and in other cultures gods have the quality to reproduce.
The question this begs is whether the essence of an unlimited Creator is understandable through a
limited, imperfect human mind when God lies beyond our perception? Rational thought would
dictate that is God exists then knowledge of God’s attributes can only come from Itself. Therefore,
famine in the world leading to the deaths of millions would not deny the Justice, Mercy or Love of
a supposed God as the Governor and Controller of the universe then the notion of God dying is
nonsensical. This is the failure of Christianity and indeed all religions as their belief becomes a
matter of Blind Faith. Consequently, they allow themselves to be plagued by rational contradictions
which inevitably lead to intellectual refutation.
With regard to the opposing view proposed by scientific theories to disprove the existence of God.
Are these arguments valid? To understand the validity of any proposed argument the premise
should be examined. Science is concerned with the methodology of processes in the physical world
i.e. it deals with ‘how’ and not ‘why’. Thus scientists are not concerned with why gravity exists but
how gravity influences bodies to shape the universe.
The scientific method is limited in that it can only deduce rules by repeated observation of physical
phenomena. This question of the existence of God does not and cannot fall into the realm of
scientific thought because science deals with the mechanisms of events and phenomena within the
universe, i.e. the tangible and not the intangible. To test the hypothesis to apply scientific proof for
or against God, one would effectively have said that God is ‘testable’. Therefore, logically one
would conclude God to be within the universe since God must be physically tangible and contained
within the universe. God must be limited and therefore cannot be God.
Thus scientists are falling into the same trap as the blind followers of religion, that is they are
implicitly defining a role to God as the ‘one who makes things work’. Since scientists have
explained how things work the question of God does not arise. Those who argue from this angle
have falsely assumed an attribute/essence of God in the same way Christians say God has a son or
is Love. To prove or disprove the existence of a Creator we need to go beyond the limitations of the
scientific method and proceed rationally for it is only rational thought which has the ability to deal
with an issue like this.
The Rational Thought
Man progresses as a result of his thoughts concerning everything around him. thoughts are what
distinguish man from other animals and without them man would be lost. Thought occurs when
man receives information about something through his five senses. He then distinguishes it by
linking it to previous information and experiences he has encountered. For example, a person
comes across a plant. He knows that it is a plant due to his previous knowledge of what a plant
looks like. But only when he links it with previous information on the various types of plants will
he be able to tell if it is edible or poisonous.
Hence, just receiving information is not enough. It will only remain as information that we cannot
appreciate or understand. However, the process of linking it to previous information and
distinguishing the information is the process of thought and the key of understanding and
progressing.
Consequently, when a man becomes convinced of the correctness of a thought, it becomes the
concept which he carries, thus, affecting his behavior. For example, if we carry the concept of
dislike of someone, it will affect our behavior towards that person. So we see that carrying false
ideas has serious implications for a person and if such false ideas are carried widely it has serious
implications for society
Thus the idea and question of God has serious implications because the answer obtained becomes
the very basis by which we understand the creation and purpose of man, life and universe.
Therefore, the method used should not only be the rational thought but the comprehensive and
agree with reality. Anything hypothetical or emotional should be rejected since their basis disagrees
with ration and reality.
The Rational Proof of God
When we look around us at everything we can sense one factor is shared by these things, and that is
that they are all limited. by limited we mean that they have restrictions, a starting point and an
ending point, and they have definable attributes i.e. they are all finite.
Man is born and he dies. there is no-one alive who will not die. During his life span, he will grow
to a certain height, weight and volume.
The universe is defined as all the celestial planets. All these objects have certain mass, shape,
volume and so on. The life span of a star may be very long, but a point in time will come when it
will cease to exist.
The universe is large, but still a finite space. No scientist could ever prove using hard facts that the
universe has no bounds. In fact when we say that the universe arose from the Big Bang and
expanding they inherently admit it is finite in size, otherwise it could not expand!
There is nothing in reality which is unlimited. No matter how hard we try, man is unable to find
anything unlimited around him. All he can perceive is the finite and limited.
A further attribute of everything around us is that they are all needy and dependent in order to
continue existing. They are not self-sustaining or independent. Man has needs. He has to satisfy in
order to survive. He has organic needs. Man must eat and drink if he is to survive. If he does not he
will die. We see the need and dependency in plants and animals. They depend on other parts of the
food chain for their existence. The water cycle is dependent on the sun, which is dependent on the
laws of the galaxies and of burning mass, and so on… Nothing man can perceive is self-subsistent.
So things exist, but do not have the power of existence. They cannot control when they die or when
other bodies die.
There is one fact that emerges from all this. If something is limited and finite, and does not have the
power to be self-subsistent then it must have been created.
Applying this to everything we see will bring us to a conclusion. If everything in the universe is
created because it has not the power of being in existence on its own, and I finite and limited, then
there must be a Creator. This Creator by contrast has to be unlimited and not needy and dependent
on anything to bring It into, or sustain It’s existence.
The universe; the sum of finite and dependent objects is finite and dependent - but dependent on
what? Dependent on something to start and sustain life, something to plan and develop life.
The only rational and intellectual solution to the question of creation is that there is a Creator that
has accounted for all that we see and perceive. Ration tells us that nothing can be created without a
creator. Ultimately, there must be a Creator who is unlimited in every aspect.
Some scientists challenge this with a theory that everything depends on something for existence,
which in turn depends on something for existence, and so on ad infinitum. This theory is irrational
as it doe not explain how anything came into existence in the first place. It uses the idea of infinity
which we know does not exist in reality. It does not, or even attempt, to explain the very first step
in sequence. It is illogical and incomplete in its theory, and far from being scientific. If at its basis
the theory is weak, how is it possible to trust the proceeding theoretical argument for the creation of
the universe?
Conclusion
Hence, looking at any planet in the universe, contemplating on any phase of life, or comprehending
any aspect of man provides a conclusive evidence for the existence of a Creator, what Muslims call
Allah (swt).
This intellectual proof of the existence of Allah (swt) is an understanding open for everyone and
obligatory for all Muslims to be convinced of. Each person must explore to the limit of his
understanding.
Blind Belief has no place in Islam.
Believing through distinctive emotions is unreliable and dangerous as emotions can change and add
error to ones belief and actions. And if the basis of the belief is irrational and weak, how can a
system of life be built upon it.