Is There Any Doubt About Allah?
In our present time, there are not merely those who entertain doubt about the existence of Allah, but rather individuals who outright deny His existence with full confidence in their claims. Beyond that, they even assert the scientific validity of their position.
We have received a comment regarding our writings from one of the friends of the New Islamic Mission. The commenter remarked that we write as though the existence of Allah is a settled matter, whereas for many intellectuals, both locally and abroad, His existence still requires proof.
The Quran states: “Has the story not reached you of those before you - the people of Noah, ‘Aad, Thamud, (who appeared generations after the Prophet Noah), and those after them - none knows them but Allah? Their messengers came to them with clear proofs, but they put their hands in their mouths and said: ‘We disbelieve in what you were sent with, and we are in grave doubt about that to which you invite us.’ Their messengers said: ‘Is there any doubt about Allah, the Creator of the heavens and the earth? He invites you to forgive you of your sins and delay your end for a specified term.’” (14:9–10)
Some might object, asking: How can someone cite the Quran to prove Allah’s existence to those who deny it outright? The answer is simple: the argument is not made through the Quran itself but through the phrase it contains, which appeals to an innate, lived certainty: “Is there any doubt about Allah, the Creator of the heavens and the earth?”
This phrase points to a deeply ingrained truth, established over the long course of human life: every creation has a creator. This principle has never failed, not even for a moment. When asked about his proof of Allah's existence, it is said that a Bedouin replied: “Camel droppings indicate the presence of a camel.”
This is such a self-evident truth that it requires no special intelligence. If something could create itself, it would introduce ambiguity, providing some excuse for those who deny Allah’s existence.
In another instance, the Quran states: “Were they created from nothing, or are they the creators? Or did they create the heavens and the earth? Rather, they are uncertain.” (52:35–36)
The phrase “Were they created from nothing?” implies: Were they created without a creator? The phrase “Or are they the creators?” asks: Did they create themselves? Both propositions are so absurd that they are rejected by innate reason.
A similar argument applies to the second verse: “Or did they create the heavens and the earth? Rather, they are uncertain.” Here, the claim of those who deny is brought to an end.
Consider how the Quran presents this point through the story of Abraham when the arguments of his opponent reached a deadlock: “Have you not considered the one who argued with Abraham about his Lord because Allah had given him kingship? When Abraham said: ‘My Lord is the one who gives life and causes death,’ he said: ‘I give life and cause death.’ Abraham said: ‘Indeed, Allah brings the sun from the east, so bring it from the west.’ So, the disbeliever was confounded, and Allah does not guide the wrongdoing people.” (2:258)
In another verse, the Quran states: “He created the heavens without pillars that you see, and placed firm mountains on the earth so it does not shake with you, and scattered therein every kind of creature. And We sent down water from the sky, causing every noble kind of plant to grow therein. This is the creation of Allah, so show Me what those besides Him have created. Rather, the wrongdoers are in clear error.” (31:10–11)
Once Again: Is This Argumentation Using the Quran to Prove Allah’s Existence to Those Who Deny Him?
No! Absolutely not. This is not an argument using the Quran to convince those who deny Allah’s existence. Rather, it is an adoption of the Quran’s methodology - the methodology of appealing to lived certainty (badaha ma‘asha).
Through hundreds of millions of years of lived experience, we have never observed a craft without a craftsman or an effect without a cause. As previously mentioned, consider the reply of the Bedouin who, when asked how he knew of Allah’s existence, said: “Camel droppings indicate the presence of a camel.”
The Quran is a book for the unlettered. Its Prophet was unlettered, and its community was unlettered. The Quran adopts a straightforward and simple - some may even say naïve - approach in addressing the greatest intellectual issue of modern times.
We are not, therefore, arguing with the Quran against atheists. Instead, we are appealing to a method that innate reason (badaha) finds undeniable. Innate reason confirms self-evident truths - those truths that are necessary from the perspective of the intellect. As the saying goes: “Nothing in the mind can be accepted as valid if the daylight itself requires proof.”
From these self-evident truths, Gnostics, thinkers, and scholars have advanced. One such gnostic, Al-Nabulsi, remarked: “Behind the veil of creation lies the sought-after, and from the word ‘subjugated’ arises the necessity of a ‘subjugator.’”
Reflect deeply on his phrase: “From the word ‘subjugated’ arises the necessity of a ‘subjugator,’” and you will find it self-evidently true.
It is also said that a Bedouin was once asked: “How did you come to know Allah?” He replied: “I came to know Him through the failure of intentions.”
A few years ago, the well-known Marxist philosopher Roger Garaudy visited Egypt to deliver public lectures to intellectual audiences. His visit was celebrated extensively, and his lectures were met with acclaim and praise. In one of his lectures, as reported by the magazine At-Tali‘a, Garaudy said: “Of course, I am an atheist.”
I paused for a long time at this bold statement. It occurred to me that a man who declares such a thing about himself is fundamentally unqualified to lecture to people - at any level of society. Such a man has a problem that he must resolve within himself before presuming to lecture others.
