What Is the Rational Evidence for the Existence of Allah?

Dear Brother / Sister,

RATIONAL EVIDENCE FOR THE EXISTENCE OF ALLAH

1. Proving the existence of God through evidence of huduth (coming into existence afterwards).

This universe came into existence from a state of nonexistence. Therefore, it requires a Creator who has no beginning. This universe, whose existence and nonexistence are not inherent to itself, needs a Creator who prefers its existence over its nonexistence. That Creator must also have an existence that is self-subsistent; He must be the Necessarily Existent (Wajibul-Wujud). The only Being whose existence is self-subsistent, without needing another creator, is Allah the Almighty. Thus, this universe requires a Creator who is the Necessarily Existent. We can examine this proof in two points:

a) The proof based on the principle that bodies were created afterwards. Scholars of Islamic theology explain this argument as follows: This universe, in its form and matter, is hadith (created afterwards). Every hadith thing necessarily requires a creator. Therefore, this universe also requires a creator, and that creator is Allah Almighty. The creation of this universe afterwards has been proven through observation and rational arguments:

The universe is composed of substances and attributes. Attributes are the states of motion, rest, union, and separation that occur to physical bodies. These states are called “akwan al-arba’a” (the four states). Akwan al-arba’a are the attributes that give bodies different states and forms. All of those attributes came into existence afterwards—just as motion arises after stillness, light after darkness, and blackness after whiteness. Those attributes are not visible after they disappear. The fact that they are not visible is proof that they are hadith—that is, that they were created afterwards. If they were not hadith, they would have to be necessary (self-existent). If they were necessary, then they should not cease to exist upon the arrival of their opposites. However, they do cease to exist upon the arrival of their opposites. Therefore, they are not necessary, but hadith. The fact that attributes are proven to be hadith is proof that the substances with which they are combined are also hadith because something hadith can only exist together with a body that is also hadith. Substances (bodies) are necessarily in one of those four states. This universe, consisting of substances and attributes, is hadith; it was created afterwards. Every hadith requires a muhdith (creator). That muhdith is Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, whose existence is by His very nature, that is, the Necessary Being.

The being that created this universe is either Necessarily Existent (Wajibul-Wujud) or Contingently Existent (Mumkinul-Wujud), meaning its existence was created afterwards. Therefore, it too is dependent on another creator for its existence. If that creator, like this inventor, is dependent on another creator, then the chain of creators must continue indefinitely in this manner. Such a chain of causation is false and impossible. This assumed chain of creators must stop at a point and rely on a creator who is self-sufficient, perfect in every respect, and whose existence is inherent in its essence. This being is Allah, the creator of the universe.

b) Proof of Invention. The heavens and the earth, plants and animals were created out of nothing. Everything created out of nothing requires a creator. This universe also has a creator, and that is Allah. Any plant or animal we see in the universe came into existence at a later time. Each one’s existence has a beginning. Over time, states such as life, perception, and intellect are invented in beings. According to the law of causality, every invented thing requires an inventor because states such as life, perception, and intellect do not come into existence spontaneously. They absolutely require a creator. That creator is Allah, whose existence has no beginning and no end, who knows everything and has power over everything.

c) Proof of composition. This universe is a composite being (one whose parts have been brought together). Every composite being needs a composer that existed before it. The composite being is made up of parts. The parts exist prior to the whole and are separate from it. Therefore, the composite being did not exist before, but was created afterwards through the assembly of its parts. Like every created being, it needs a creator. This creator cannot be of the same kind as this universe, which is composite and dependent on something other than itself. Otherwise, an infinite chain of creators would be necessary, and an infinite chain is impossible. Therefore, this creator is an eternal being that does not need anything else in its existence. That is Allah, the Necessary Being.

2. Proof of Possibility

a) This universe is a being whose existence or non-existence is possible. Every possibility requires a force that prefers its existence to its non-existence. This universe, too, needs such an effective force to exist. That force is a being outside this universe, whose existence is inherent in its essence. That is Allah.

b) In reality, there is an existing thing. It is either one whose existence is inherent in its essence, or one whose existence and nonexistence are both possible. If its existence is inherent in its essence, then only Allah possesses this attribute. If this existing thing is possible in its existence, then since the existence of a possible being is not a necessity of its essence, it needs a creator—a being who prefers its existence to its non-existence—in order for it to exist. That Creator/the one who prefers is Allah.

c) Matter in the universe is always in motion. It has been scientifically proven that matter is in motion. Who is the creator of matter and the motion within it? Materialists say that matter and its motion are eternal. However, this motion within matter is the result of a previous motion. That, in turn, is the result of an even earlier one... This chain of motions cannot continue indefinitely. This series of motions must stop at a point, and the first motion must necessarily be based on a cause, a mover, whose existence is necessary. That cause is Allah, the creator of all things.

3. The Proof of Creation and Final Cause

If we carefully observe the world in which we live, we see that it was created in a very beautiful and perfect way, with no precedent. The sky, the sun, the moon, in short, every living and non-living being, was created for a purpose. Nothing in the universe was created in vain, without purpose, or for no reason. This universe is a community of beauty, purpose, and means. Man, the most valuable being in the universe, did not come into existence randomly, without cause or purpose. Every part of him is beautiful, perfect, useful, and purposeful. The creation of man is beautiful and perfect; his purpose in creation is to know, recognize, and worship Allah. Just as man has a purpose, wisdom, and benefit in his existence, so does every living and non-living being. Indeed, the harmony of creation and purpose observed in the living and non-living beings of the universe proves the existence of a Creator who devised and brought all these into being, and simultaneously demonstrates that this being is a deity possessing knowledge and power. This being, who creates everything for a specific purpose, is Allah the Exalted, the Necessarily Existent. There are many verses in the Holy Quran that express this proof. (al-Baqara, 2:22; an-Naba, 78:6-16, ...)

In conclusion, we can say that any person of sound mind, free from stubbornness and malice, can use the intellect that Allah has bestowed upon him to look at a work and discover its creator, look at a building and discover its builder, and look at created beings and discover their Creator. Therefore, Allah, in many places throughout the Quran, ask people to look at the works that serve as evidence of His existence, to reflect upon them, and to use their reason.

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