If religion is truth, it should be able to withstand some questioning, and that’s exactly what you should do to reach the belief you need.
If religion is truth, it should be able to withstand some questioning, and that’s exactly what you should do to reach the belief you need.
Wouldn’t you love for someone to simply show you the evidence for Allah’s existence? No telling off. No statements of, “You just have to believe”, etc. Well, here is an attempt to candidly offer some of the reasons why you should believe Allah is our creator. Read the following 5 reasons that may help strengthen your belief in Allah (swt).
1. Everything we can sense has been designed and made
Let’s talk about you for a little while. You are the most intelligent creature walking the Earth. You are an awesomely designed living, breathing, machine. You have a brilliant brain and 5 amazing senses. Using all 5 senses you’re going to deduce that everything around you has been deliberately designed and created.
You can divide objects around you into 2 groups:
- Objects made by people
- Living things you see in nature
Let’s have a closer look at things made by people. How do you know if an object was made by a person (man-made)? Let’s take your phone or tablet as an example; you know it was made because someone gave it a shape, decided how slim and shiny it would be and gave it a colour. You didn’t witness the whole design process or see the Chinese factory worker who assembled it, but you know it all happened. If you took everything you sense, i.e. music, perfume, YouTube videos, or smoothies, they are all made by someone and they all take time and effort: it’s indisputable.
Now, let’s turn our attention to living things in nature. So, who made them? Just like man-made objects, living things like you, sunflowers, cats, or the moon have a size, shape and colour, they can grow but only to a certain height and then they stop. Living things all have a beginning and an end. You were born and one day you will die. Plants, animals, the sun, stars all have an end date. If you agree that a complex phone definitely has a designer, then it makes sense to say an even more complex ‘machine’ i.e a human being or the Earth also has a Creator.
2. The Big Bang didn’t happen on its own
Scientists are convinced that our universe began with one enormous explosion of energy and light, which we now call the Big Bang. The Big Bang Theory states that 12-15 billion years ago, the universe came into existence from one extremely hot and dense point and something triggered the explosion of this point that brought about the beginning of the universe. The universe, since then, has been expanding from this single point.
Scientists have no explanation for the sudden explosion of light and matter. Yet, astonishingly well before telescopes were even invented, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) used to recite a verse of the Quran to his companions that ultimately stated that the universe is expanding.
“And the heaven We created with might, and indeed We are (its) expander.” [Surat Al-Dhariyat. 51:47]
At the time of the revelation of the Quran, the word “space” was not known, and people used the word “heaven” to refer to what lies above the Earth. In the above verse, the word “heaven” is referring to space and the known universe. The verse points out that space, and thus the universe, happens to be expanding. That the Quran mentioned such a fact centuries before the invention of the first telescope, at a time when there was primitive knowledge in science, is remarkable. This is more so considering that, like many people in his time, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was not formally taught to read and simply could not have been aware of such facts by himself. He would only have known this through divine revelation from the Creator and Originator of the universe.
It is also mentioned in the Quran:
“He (God) is the Originator of the heavens and the Earth.” [Surah Al-Anam. 6:101]
“Is not He who created the heavens and the earth able to create the likes of them? Yes; and He is the Knowing Creator. His command is only when He intends a thing that He says to it, ‘Be,’ and it is.” [Surah Yasin. 36:81-82]
The above verses show that the universe had a beginning, that God was behind its creation, and all that God needs to do to create is to say “Be,” and it is. This is the explanation as to what triggered off the ‘Big Bang’ that brought about the beginning of the universe.
3. All living things are governed by fixed natural laws
The universe operates by uniform laws of nature. Why does it? Much of life may seem uncertain, but look at what we can count on day after day: gravity remains consistent, a hot cup of tea left on a counter will get cold, the earth rotates in the same 24 hours, and the speed of light doesn’t change — on earth or in galaxies far from us. How is it that we can identify laws of nature that never change? Why is the universe so orderly, so reliable?
We all need food, water, air, heat and sunlight to survive. We depend on these things but have no control over them. We’re not as self-sufficient as we think. Who is ensuring we get these necessities every day? You could say we’re a bit like a kitten that depends on its carer for milk and shelter. But who is beneficently taking care of our needs every day?
There are certain instincts that we share with animals. For example, no one tells us that we must have friends, we just crave company. As we get older we begin to find the opposite gender attractive and want to have a relationship. We have no control over how our bodies change during puberty, it’s like we ‘magically transform’ and suddenly we can have babies! Who put those feelings, needs and desires inside us?
Humans can clone animals, transplant hearts, fertilize eggs in petri dishes, plastic surgeons can restructure your nose and give you a tummy tuck but they can only work with an existing human body, they can not give life to a dead person or stop a person from dying. The complexity of the laws of nature point to a deliberate designer, Allah (swt), who not only created us with needs but then mercifully sustains and provides for us.
4. You don’t have to see your Creator to know He exists
There things you believe in but you can’t see, i.e. gravity, love, and jealousy. You can only see the effects or results of them, but you can’t touch or feel them. You can think and reason, which is the difference between us and animals, as we can understand things even if we can’t see them. An animal must see or sense danger and then it will react. We can understand something is dangerous even if we don’t see or experience it. If we see paintings without seeing the artist in action, we would not deny that the artist existed. In the same way, we can believe that Allah created everything without having to see Him (or touch, or hear, etc.). When He created us, He gave us the free will and intelligence to either acknowledge the multitudes of signs that point to Him being the designer and creator of the universe or to deny His presence.
5. Allah encourages us to mindfully believe in Him
In the Quran, Allah encourages us to use our minds and realise he has created the world around us:
- “Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of the night and the day are signs for those of understanding.” [Surah Ale Imran. 3:190]
- “And Allah has sent down rain from the sky and given life thereby to the earth after its lifelessness. Indeed, in that is a sign for a people who listen.” [Surah Al-Nahl. 16:65]
- “This is the creation of Allah. So, show Me what those other than Him have created. Rather, the wrongdoers are in clear error.” [Surat Luqman. 31:11]
- “Or were they created by nothing? Or were they the creators [of themselves]? Or did they create the heavens and Earth? Rather, they are not certain.” [Surah Al-Tur. 52:35-36]
- “God creates what He wills for verily God has power over all things.” [Surah Al-Nur. 24:45]
Once we have realised we are created and there is a God, than the natural question one would ask is why did God create us? What is the point or purpose of our existence? If you were born in a Muslim family, you are told Allah is there and is your creator, but oftentimes its assumed you will just believe. Allah Himself encourages us to ponder on His signs.
How can I know for certain that Allah (swt) really exists?
Having thoughts where you seek to understand your religion or Allah is normal, and people of all religions at some point question their beliefs. Our ability to think and change is a unique quality.
A hadith states:
“The mother of every person gives him birth according to his true nature. It is subsequently his parents who make him a Jew or a Christian or a Magian. Had his parents been Muslim he would have also remained a Muslim.”
Every parent will teach their kids what they believe, and your parents were no different. If religion is truth, it should be able to withstand some questioning, and that’s exactly what you should do to reach the belief you need.
