PROVING THE EXISTENCE OF ALLAH
The belief in the existence of Allah (SWT) is
a fundamental part of the Islamic Aqeedah.
Therefore it is important for all Muslims to
understand and substantiate their belief in the
existence of the Creator. The Islamic Aqeedah
requires us to submit to the will of Allah
(SWT) completely and find no hardship in
pleasing Him. However, it is very hard to
submit if the belief in Allah (SWT) in not firm
in our hearts. Therefore an argument dealing
with the existence of Allah (SWT) is
important in two ways. Firstly, it concerns the
basis of our Aqeedah and secondly we hope it
will enable us to become better Muslims by
recognizing the deficiencies in us, and the
perfection of Allah (SWT) who is the Creator
of all that exist,
Allah (SWT) says,
"Verily, in the creation of heavens and
earth, and in the difference between night
and day are signs for those who have
minds." (Al-Imran: 190)
We are told in the Quran to contemplate about
the universe and all that it contains in order to
reach the conclusion that Allah (SWT) is
indeed the Creator of all that exists. Hence we
begin by observing all that is around us. We
can identify three distinct forms of existence:
1. Beings (including humans and
animals)
2. Life (something that makes living
different from non-living.)
3. Universe (including celestial bodies,
elements that constitute the heavenly
bodies and interstellar matter)
EXISTENCE OF THE CREATOR
Let us proceed to examine each of these cases
separately. Our investigation should enable us
to establish one of the only two possible
conclusions regarding man, life and the
universe. That, either man, life and the
universe (all that we observe) are limited, and
therefore a creation or it is infinite and needs
no creator. The term "limited" needs further
explanation. First of all it is a description of
essence. In other words it is an attribute or
characteristic of an object. In the following
essay the word "limited" is used in an all
encompassing and a very general meaning.
"Limited", therefore includes depending
(suggesting a "need"), a measure of size, a slot
in time etc.
Man (like other animals) is clearly dependent
in everything he does. For example, he
depends on food and water to survive, on
other men/women to live in a society. Various
relationships exist in a society, and each
serves to fulfill a certain "need" that man has.
Man is limited in size, knowledge and power.
Hence it is sufficiently established that man's
sustenance is beyond his control. Therefore
man is limited in all aspects of his existence.
As for life, it is manifested in the living
things. We cannot observe it, but we sense the
effects of its presence. Hence, we know it
exists, and is separate from us, or the rest of
matter. But life is also limited, both in
physical dimension and in time. It is
manifested only in finite bodies, therefore it
cannot be considered infinite. It starts with
birth and ends with death. Therefore it
occupies a definite time slot.
Lastly, the universe (planets, stars, interstellar
matter) is indeed a large expanse that we live
in. But its immense dimensions should not
mislead us to conclude it is infinite. Our
observation regarding the universe suggests,
quite the opposite view. We know that the
planets, stars and intergalactic matter make up
the universe. Moreover, these are finite
objects by themselves. And since a collection
of "finite" objects will always result in a
larger but still finite body, likewise the
universe being a larger set of finite objects, by
necessity remains finite. Furthermore, simply
because we fail to perceive the end of the
universe does not imply it has no end! Also
worth noting is that the process of addition
does not transform the attributes of the
operands. Hence limited objects will not
transform into infinite objects simply by
becoming greater in number. (See preceding
paragraph for the meaning of the word
"limited".) An example to clarify this point is
that adding more sheep to a herd will not
make them horses. The result is simply a
larger (but finite) herd. Therefore everything
that we observe is limited. The obvious
question that we should ask ourselves is who
limited us, and all that is in the universe? It
can only be some one who is infinite in every
aspect of His existence. He should be above any prescribed limits
(either of time, size, power, knowledge etc...)
Therefore He cannot be a creation of anybody
else. Also the possibility that He is selfcreated
is to be ruled out because it implies a
contradiction. He should not depend on
anything for His sustenance. For if He does,
he becomes limited and therefore He is not the
"infinite" that we are talking about. Hence
only infinite and eternal can be the
requirements of independence. Now since we
already exist, then His existence becomes an
inevitable necessity. Therefore what we just
described were the conditions of the creator,
who created all that exists in the universe. It is
Allah (SWT), the supreme, the Lord of the
universe. Acknowledging the existence of
Allah (SWT) is undoubtedly the only correct
answer to our inquiries into the origin of the
universe, man and life. Moreover when we
truly accept this answer, we will find it not
only intellectually convincing but also in
harmony with the human nature. The instinct
of worshipping in man can now be rightly
satisfied. While the ignorant ones may satisfy
their instinct of worshipping by whatever that
meets their immediate need, the one that Allah
(SWT) guides submits only to Him. And it is
the submission to Allah (SWT), which raises
man to his rightful place as Allah's best
creation. All other forms of submissions are
intellectually invalid.
Islam
Its presence is felt in all walks of life, from
International politics to religious and ideological
circles to personal lifestyle. This is because Islam
is a dynamic way of life based on a powerful
intellectual doctrine. Islam does not establish itself
in its followers by blind faith or limitation, but
rather by an invitation to the human being to think
deeply about his existence and his surroundings
Islam calls human beings to ponder upon the
profound nature of this Universe. When we look
to the world around us, we observe many
phenomena that establish a definitive proof for the
existence of the Creator. Islam challenges the
human being to think about them and accept the
truth regarding the existence of the One Creator.
We are constantly discovering more and more
laws that make up this order. We utilize the laws
for the satisfaction of our needs. However, many
people have failed to address the fundamental
issue: Who or what establishes these laws? Did
they create the Universe, which they govern or did
the Universe create them so as to bring order to it?
It is impossible that either of these is the case
because the matter in the Universe is dependent on
the laws that govern it, and the laws are a function
of the matter. Therefore, there must be something,
independent of both matter and natural law, which
created them.
It is only the Creator, the only one who is
unlimited, self-subsistent, and eternal that is
worthy of being worshipped.
The Creator in Islam is called Allah.