Belief in the Existence of God

• Arguments for the existence of God

  • Everything around me points to God
  • God is the only being able to select one form over another in creation
  • Everything with a beginning has a cause: and God is the cause for what is around us
• Human eyes can see colours, shades and tones in a way that the most advanced camera still cannot replicate
• Perfection and order


  • It is a product of an intelligent designer
  • The universe demonstrates perfection and order
  • Therefore, the universe is a product of an intelligent designer
• Beautiful forms and repeating patterns are found in nature including the human body. This is not a coincidence
• God is the being that chooses one form over another


  Everything has its own particular shape and form, but that particular shape and form did not have to be that way. If one thing could have existed in two different ways, why does it exist in the way it does? The 'thing' itself could not have decided it. Only an external, powerful and knowledgeable being with a will makes such a decision; that being is God
• Allāh leaves His signature all around us in nature. He does this by creating beautiful patterns that are recurring across the different wonders of the world. These beautiful forms cannot be a coincidence or accident
• Everything with a beginning has a cause


  Since everything big and small around us has a beginning, it follows that the universe too has a beginning. Therefore, because the universe has a beginning, it must also have a cause
• If cause after cause goes on for infinity, then the effect would not come into existence at all. Since it does exist, it must be caused by something outside of the cycle of causes (an independent cause)
• Definition of God


  A being that is One, All-Powerful, All-Knowing, Eternal and has a Will. God is also Independent (whilst all creation is dependent on Him) and He is unlike His creation
• Only things that have a beginning (which implies something is bound by time) have a cause. God does not have a cause
• The human ability to reason is limited - the reasons and arguments a human mind comes up with can only take you to the existence of an all-powerful, all-knowledgeable being
• Revelation (the Qur'an and the Sunnah) gives guidance and certainty in terms of what exactly one should believe
• Belief of the ṣaḥābah


  For the saḥābah, the prophethood and miracles of the Prophet, especially the Qur'an, was enough for them to confidently believe without having to explore rational arguments for the existence of God
• The human mind has an amazing ability to think and use logic. However, it also needs revelation when it comes to matters of belief
• Revelation was ongoing at the time of the saḥābah, who had the blessed company of the Prophet and witnessed his prophethood and miracles - the greatest of which is the Qur'an
• For the saḥābah, this was enough for them to confidently believe without having to explore rational arguments for the existence of God
• Abu Bakr was given the title of al-Siddiq due to his strong belief in the truthfulness of the Prophet
• Like Abu Bakr, the şaḥābah and the majority of Muslims throughout history based their belief in the truth of Islam on the character and truthfulness of the Prophet
• Human mind


  Has an amazing ability to think and use logic, but also needs revelation when it comes to matters of belief
• After the Prophet went on al-Isrā' wa 'l-Mi'rāj, he informed the people of Makkah about it. Whilst they doubted and mocked the Prophet, it was Abu Bakr who was the first to believe him, demonstrating the quality of al-Şiddiq (one who firmly believes and follows the truth)
• During the event of al-Isrā' wa 'l-Mi'rāj, the Prophet travelled from Makkah to Jerusalem in a single night
• 'Ilm al-Kalām


  Field of study that developed as early Muslim thinkers and theologians began writing and defending Islām and Muslim beliefs (in the Qur'an and Sunnah) in an independent and logical manner
• This effort of supporting the Qur'an and Sunnah developed into an area of knowledge that became known as 'ilm al-kalām
• Major Muslim figures in the field of kalām from amongst the Ahl al-Sunnah wa 'l-Jama'ah


  • Abu 'l-Hasan al-Ash'arī
  • Abu Mansür al-Māturīdī
  • Abū Hāmid al-Ghazālī
• Abu 'l-Hasan al-Ash'arī


  • Emphasised using the Qur'an, Sunnah and reasoning to ensure Muslims maintained correct beliefs concerning Allāh
  • One of his key points was that one cannot solely rely on human intellect to understand Allah, since it is limited in its capacity
  • He opposed those who held misguided beliefs, even when people in power tried to stop him
• Abu Mansür al-Māturīdī


  • Developed some of the teachings of the Ahl al-Sunnah wa 'l-Jama'ah by arranging and explaining the beliefs in the Qur'an and Sunnah so they were simple and easier to understand for all
  • He intelligently defended the beliefs of the Ahl al-Sunnah wa 'l-Jama'ah against attempts by some groups and sects to alter them
• Abū Hāmid al-Ghazālī


  • Went through difficult phases in his life, leading him on a decade-long journey to ponder over life's greatest questions, the most important of which was the nature of human knowledge
  • This eventually led him to prove the existence of God in a logical manner and write about the importance of spirituality
  • He earned the title Hujjat al-Islām (the Proof of Islam)
• Similarly, throughout history, there were other scholars of the Ahl al-Sunnah who worked hard to protect the faith of Muslims for generations to come, while maintaining the teachings of the Qur'an and Sunnah
• Their approach was to remain focused on the text of the Qur'an and clear sayings of the Prophet, thus guiding the masses away from delving into philosophical questions
• It is normal to ask questions and seek clarity about matters of faith; feeling concerned is evidence of faith itself
• One should be wary not to let waswasah (whispers of Shaytan) take over
• One should not become too pre-occupied with complicated and technical debates regarding Allāh, how He might be or how He does things. Leave such debates and instead, focus your time and energy on worship, good deeds and making du'a' to Allāh to keep you firm in your faith
• Ultimately, all arguments and differences will be resolved on the Day of Judgement