Atheism, in modern terminology, means denying the Creator altogether, denying that He exists and not acknowledging Him, may He be glorified and exalted. The universe and everything in it, according to their claims, came about purely by chance. This is a strange view that is contrary to sound human nature, reason, and logic and is contrary to simple logic and indisputable facts. Allah says:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اذْكُرُوا اللَّهَ ذِكْرًا كَثِيرًا وَسَبِّحُوهُ بُكْرَةً وَأَصِيلًا
“O you who believe, remember Allah with much remembrance and exalt Him in the morning and evening.” (Surah Al-Ahzab 33:41)
God calls on us to acknowledge Him through His signs and has made it our responsibility to ponder and reflect to recognize Him. Some people are receptive to these signs and see God’s work all around them, while others dismiss everything as random and meaningless. God has placed in every person, a natural inclination to believe, but this innate predisposition to believe can either be nurtured or suppressed. Allah says:
سَنُرِيهِمْ آيَاتِنَا فِي الْآفَاقِ وَفِي أَنفُسِهِمْ حَتَّىٰ يَتَبَيَّنَ لَهُمْ أَنَّهُ الْحَقُّ أَوَلَمْ يَكْفِ بِرَبِّكَ أَنَّهُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ شَهِيدٌ
“Soon We will show them Our Signs in the horizons and themselves until becomes clear to them, that it (is) the truth. Is (it) not sufficient concerning your Lord, that He (is) over all things a Witness?” (Surah Fussilat 41:53)
Importantly, God guides people who are sincere and willing to receive guidance. In other words, those who do not want to believe in God will not be guided. Allah says,
وَاذْكُرُوا اللَّهَ كَثِيرًا لَّعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ
“Remember Allah often that you may succeed.” (Surah Al-Jumuah 62:10)
This requires objectivity and an unbiased attitude to the possibility of God’s existence, which can be quite confronting and humbling for some people, but without this genuine openness and willingness, no amount of information can make someone believe. God warns us that those who approach His signs from a position of pride and arrogance will only find justification for their disbelief. The first evidence that points to the existence of a Creator relate to understanding the origin of the universe. Allah says:
أَمْ خُلِقُوا مِنْ غَيْرِ شَيْءٍ أَمْ هُمُ الْخَالِقُونَ
“Or they were created of nothing, or (are) they the creators?” (Surah At-Tur 52:35)
Human experience and simple logic tell us that something that has a beginning does not simply come from nothing, nor can something create itself. We can reason that a higher “being” created the universe. This “being” must be powerful and intelligent as it brought the whole universe into existence and created the ‘laws of science’ which govern it. We can also reason that this “being” is timeless and spaceless, because time, space and matter began at the creation of the universe. All of these attributes make up the basic concept of God, the creator of the universe. Allah says:
وَيَقُولُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لَوْلَا أُنزِلَ عَلَيْهِ آيَةٌ مِّن رَّبِّهِ قُلْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُضِلُّ مَن يَشَاءُ وَيَهْدِي إِلَيْهِ مَنْ أَنَابَ
“And say those who disbelieved, “Why has not been sent down upon him a sign from his Lord?” Say, “Indeed, Allah lets go astray whom He wills and guides to Himself whoever turns back,” (Surah Ar-Ra’d 13:27)
One of the main purposes of the book of Islam, the Quran, is to invite people to reflect on and appreciate God’s creation as a way of believing in Him. Throughout the Quran, God calls our attention to His marvellous designs and complexities in the universe and within ourselves, which are sufficient to indicate that we are a product of design, purpose, and intelligence. For example, Allah says:
سَنُرِيهِمْ آيَاتِنَا فِي الْآفَاقِ وَفِي أَنفُسِهِمْ حَتَّىٰ يَتَبَيَّنَ لَهُمْ أَنَّهُ الْحَقُّ أَوَلَمْ يَكْفِ بِرَبِّكَ أَنَّهُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ شَهِيدٌ
“Soon We will show them Our Signs in the horizons and themselves until it becomes clear to them, that it (is) the truth. Is (it) not sufficient concerning your Lord, that He (is) over all things a Witness?” (Surah Fussilat 53-54)
The role of science helps us describe the many observed patterns that God places in His creation and appreciate the extent of His power and wisdom. Advances in scientific discoveries, just like any mechanism or process we find in the natural world such as the water cycle or gravity – provide signs of an organizer and designer, not an argument against God. Allah says:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا ارْكَعُوا وَاسْجُدُوا وَاعْبُدُوا رَبَّكُمْ وَافْعَلُوا الْخَيْرَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ
“O you who believe! Bow and prostrate and worship your Lord and do [the] good so that you may be successful.” (Surah Al-Hajj 22:78)
Therefore, we hope that those who are sincere, open-minded and genuinely seeking the truth can benefit from this information and that it helps to present a new perspective to understanding God. It is also important to note that due to the significant differences between Islam and Christianity, many criticisms of Christianity simply do not apply to Islam.
