Existence of God
Death is mystery to many of us and at some point in our lives start to question- where did we come from? What happens to us after we die? Is death the grim end, or is it but a gate that leads us into a different kind of existence? We often wonder how did it all come to be? Is there some kind of power responsible for the creation of the vast universe and all that’s in it, or did everything around us just happen to be? Is there a God who controls everything?
To some people, the affirmative answer is the only one there can be, while to others’ belief it is no more than a calculated bet. The French Philosopher Pascal concluded that belief was the wisest bet because the believer will either have bliss if he is right or oblivion if he is wrong, whereas the atheist has the less attractive alternatives of oblivion or damnation. To some people the word ‘Nature” is some kind of force responsible for shaping life, but can there be justification in saying that “Nature” is a concrete intelligent force responsible for creating as well as shaping life? Or, is ‘Nature’ merely an abstract man-made label that acts as a convenient coat-hanger to the more urgent questions in our attempt to explain the cause of things?
If we were to trace the age of the earth we would have to go back in time 4.5 billion years. The age of our Galaxy, the Milky Way, would take us even further back 12 billion years, while as the estimated age of the entire universe is somewhere between 15 to 20 billion years.If the ‘terrestrial nature’ represents the earth and everything on it, there would still remain a very long period of time prior to the formation of the earth when there would have been no meaning to the word ‘Nature’. Still, some force had to account for what occurred before.
If we were to chart the age of mankind against the age of the universe we would find it very insignificant in universal terms. The first Homo Sapiens, who are our direct ancestors, walked on earth a mere 15, 000 years ago! Clearly then the school of thought that claims that God is not an external being but is to be found inside each of us is both naive and pretentious. It is naive because if we were to claim that God exists only inside us then we would have to believe that before 15, 000 years there was no God. Even if one employs Darwin’s theory of evolution to suggest some kind of link between man and ape, and as a result associate an older age for mankind, one would still have to say that God did not exist before 30 million years ago, that is when the first apes walked on earth. It is also pretentious because no matter how clever we think we are, we are only one species of creatures on one planet that revolves around one star. The star, being the sun, is merely one star among 100 million other similar stars that belong to our galaxy, the ‘Milky Way’. In the universe there are billions of other galaxies!.
Finding God and accepting His existence is not necessarily a matter related to any particular religious belief. Why God exists is a purely intellectual and rational manner without referring to any religious beliefs. If God exists, where lies the ‘Truth’? That search too can be conducted in a purely intellectual manner that is far from prejudice or dogmatic statements. Never will the phrase “Because it is written in such a Book” be an answer to a question. Never will the very consumed phrase “just have faith” be an answer to some other question. However, conclusion will be adopted if it is in agreement with historical evidence, current scientific knowledge, and supported by rational analysis. In order to be able to present the argument it is essential to refer to various fields of scientific knowledge. A fact must be stressed here whilst reference is made to some established scientific theories in as far as they serve the argument:
The second law of ‘thermal dynamics’ states that heat travels from hot bodies to cooler bodies and not the opposite. From what is known about the life and death of stars in modern theories of cosmology, it is known that they would continue to radiate energy until they consume all their resources. To be precise, when all the hydrogen, that constitutes the vast majority of the mass of stars, has been converted into helium and other heavier elements in a process of continuous nuclear reactions. After that stage the stars start to collapse and end up as cold dead bodies. What that means is that the universe had a definite beginning.
The law of conservation of matter states that ‘Matter cannot be created nor destroyed’. What that means is that all that we are able to do is convert one form of substance to another.We can never create matter from nothing, and similarly we cannot turn matter into nothing. Therefore, all matter had a definite beginning or a moment in time when it came to exist, the moment when the universe was created.
The Big Bang theory states that sometime between 15 and 20 billion years ago all the matter in the universe originated from an extremely dense concentration of matter and space that exploded outwards giving birth to all the galaxies and other heavenly bodies that comprise the universe as we know it today. Another very important discovery that supported the theory of the Big Bang was the discovery that the universe is expanding, every day the universe gets bigger. This necessarily means that if we were to go back in time the universe would be contracting until it would reach a point from which it started, and that takes us back to the Big Bang. Now if we accept that the universe had a definite beginning, the next step would be to debate whether that beginning was caused by an intelligent power or by mere chance.
The laws of probability offer another interesting argument: The science of Genetics offers vivid evidence that chance could not be a factor in the process of creation due to the very precise combinations necessary in the building of cells. These requisite combinations defy all laws of probabilities.
The mechanical argument (Newton’s third law of motion) is also in support of the concept of a creator. ‘For every action there is a reaction, equal to it and opposite in direction.’Everything that has moved was moved by something else. If we go back in time, tracing everything to its original mover, we would ultimately arrive at that which was not moved by anything else. That analysis will also lead us to the unavoidable conclusion of an initial Creator.
The Macro/Micro pattern: there is so much symmetry in the universe to be able to go through all of it, but one particular design has special appeal. The universe at large is composed of vast areas of empty space and also other areas containing shapeless matter in the form of hot gases, dark matter and formed stars. These stars group together to form galaxies. Galaxies group together to form clusters of galaxies and once again individual galaxies revolve round the center of gravity of the cluster. Clusters group together to form super-clusters, and these obey the same laws. These are the largest units in the universe as we know it today.However, and if we proceed in the opposite direction, we notice that the similarity is truly remarkable. If we look at the other end of the scale and examine the atom which is the smallest form of substance able to exist in a chemical reaction, we find that it is composed of electrons revolving round a nucleus, in the same way as stars revolve round the center of gravity of their galaxies. Are we but seeing the finger prints of the creator?
Our galaxy, ‘The Milky Way’ has within it no less than 100 billion individual stars. Our star, the sun, has nine planets in orbit around it. Most of these planets have a number of moons again in orbit. The basic force that governs the movement of all these bodies is gravity. The moons rotate around their planets, which all rotate around the mother star, which in our case is the sun.
The absolute God means that nothing is like or akin to Him, but if we were to consider the possibility of the existence of more than one god, immediately the question will arise as to: which god came first, which god is more powerful and so on, and that would ultimately reduce these gods to being relative because comparisons will arise. If God is absolute, by definition, He must be one.
Again, from the Big Bang theory we realize that what brought it about must have been a power that is above all the laws of physics that govern the universe. When scientists study the evolution of the universe they trace it back to the moment of creation or the Big Bang, but when they reach that point they find that all the laws of physics cease to be. Had they considered the same situation in a forward direction they would have realized that the Big Bang was the moment when all the laws of physics have actually began to be! Now the force that brought about the Big Bang, and in effect the creation of the universe, could not have been related to this universe in any physical sense, for it is clearly the cause and not the effect of the universe. Since this supreme power is the cause then it must have been existent prior to and independent of the universe. Thus we can say that nothing in this universe can be related to that supreme power, and if nothing can be compared or related to that power, then by definition that power is absolute.
Proofs from Final Revelation
God is One and there must be one ‘Truth’. Then do we expect that there must be one revelation? Mankind has gone through enormous changes through the ages physically, mentally and spiritually, that there was always the need for various revelations at different times and for different peoples. Because of these diversities, God never addresses identical revelations to two different people. This being so, it can be said that the diverse revelation do not, and should not contradict one another, for although they differ in form, the ‘truth’ in all of them is one. In fact, they supplement one another, one revelation preparing for what is to follow, each revelation being one further chapter in the same book or a revised edition of the same book. Thus, all revelations as a whole advocates one message, and one ‘truth’.
Thus, there are proofs for all of us including from very intelligent persons to simple minded ones to reflect and realize His presence to accept Him as our Creator and Lord based on the proofs as given by Him in His final scripture. He sends messengers and scriptures to help us believe in Him to lead a righteous life as He promised when He decided to send us all from Heaven to earth to give us another chance for redemption of the sins that we committed by disobeying Him in the High Society (7:23). Although they are sent with signs as their support and specific message to deliver but we rejected some of them and we killed some of them (2:87) while we idolized some against their will to maintain the ”Status Quo” (3:79).
[2:38] We said, “Go down therefrom, all of you. When guidance comes to you from Me, those who follow My guidance will have no fear, nor will they grieve.
[57:25] We sent our messengers supported by clear proofs, and we sent down to them the scripture and the law, that the people may uphold justice. And we sent down the iron, wherein there is strength and many benefits for the people. All this in order for GOD to distinguish those who would support Him and His messengers, on faith. GOD is Powerful, Almighty.
[7:75] The arrogant leaders among his people said to the common people who believed, “How do you know that Sãleh is sent by his Lord?” They said, “The message he brought has made us believers.”
Logical Proofs
God is the Most Gracious and the Most Merciful, and He has given us so many marvels around us that we may miss some but not all unless we ignore them from our end.
[12:105] So many proofs in the heavens and the earth are given to them, but they pass by them, heedlessly!
[16:12] And He commits, in your service, the night and the day, as well as the sun and the moon. Also, the stars are committed by His command. These are (sufficient) proofs for people who understand.
[36:40] The sun is never to catch up with the moon – the night and the day never deviate – each of them is floating in its own orbit.
[6:59] With Him are the keys to all secrets; none knows them except He. He knows everything on land and in the sea. Not a leaf falls without His knowledge. Nor is there a grain in the depths of the soil. Nor is there anything wet or dry, that is not recorded in a profound record.
[35:11] God created you from dust, then from a tiny drop, then He causes you to reproduce through your spouses. No female becomes pregnant, nor gives birth, without His knowledge. No one survives for a long life, and no one’s life is snapped short, except in accordance with a pre-existing record. This is easy for God.
[3:191] They remember God while standing, sitting, and on their sides, and they reflect upon the creation of the heavens and the earth: “Our Lord, You did not create all this in vain. Be You glorified. Save us from the retribution of Hell.
Physical Proofs
God informs us in 74:25-30 that the authenticity of the Quran will be proven by the number 19 describing it as “One of the greatest miracles” (74:35). Quran being one of the wondrous creations of God there is also so much symmetry in it to be able to go through all of it, but one particular design with the word of “God” has special appeal.
1. The word “God” (Allah) occurs in the Quran 2698 times, and this number equals …………………………………………………………………………………………………19×14.
2. The sum of the verse numbers wherever the word “God” is found comes to 118123, and this number equals ……….……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….19×6217.
3. The sum of all the occurrences of the word “God” in all the verses whose numbers are multiples of 19 (i.e., verses 19,38,57,76, etc.) is 133, and this number equals ………………………………………………………………….. …………………………….19×7.
4. (It follows from #1 and #3) The sum of all the occurrences of the word “God” in all the verses whose numbers are NOT multiples of 19 comes to 2,565 (2,698 – 133), and this number equals ………………………………………………………………………………………………. 19×135.
5. The suras whose number of verses is divisible by 19 are Suras 47, 82, 87, & 96. The word “God” occurs in these suras 27, 1, 1, & 1 times, respectively. By adding these sura numbers, plus the occurrences of the word “God,” the total is 342,and this number equals………………………………………………………………………………………………………..19×18.
6. From the first set of Quranic Initials (A.L.M. of Sura 2) to the last Quranic Initial (N. of Sura 68), the number of occurrences of the word “God” is 2641 times, and this number equals ………………………………………………………………………………………………..19×139.
7. Outside the initialed section of the Quran (Sura 1 on one side, and Suras 69-114 on the other side), the word “God” occurs 57 times, and this number equals ……..…………………………………………………………….19×3.
8. By adding the numbers of suras and verses where these 57 occurrences of the word “God” are found (Item 7 above), the total comes to 2432, and this number equals …………………………………………………………………………………………………19×12.
9. The Quran’s message is that “God is One.” The word “One” (Wâhed) occurs in the Quran 25 times, 6 of them do not refer to God, and the ones referring to God are precisely…………………………………………………………………………………………..19.
10. Take all the suras whose number of verses end with the digit “7”. These are suras, 1, 9, 25, 26, 45, 86, & 107. Their number of verses are 7, 127, 77, 227, 37, 17, & 107, respectively. The total occurrence of the word “God” In these suras is 209, and this number equals …………………………………………………………………………………………………19×11.
11. Take all the suras whose numbers of verses end with the digit “9.” These are sura 10, 15, 29,43, 44, 48, 52, 57, 81, 82, 87, 96, & 104. They consist of 109, 99, 69, 89, 59, 29, 49, 29, 29, 19, 19, 19, & 9 verses, respectively. The total occurrence of the word “God” in these suras is 190, and this number equals …………………………………………………………………………………………………19×10.
12. The number of occurrences of the word “God” from the beginning of the Quranto the end of Sura 9 (9:127) is 1273, and this equals………..…………………..……………………………………….19×67.
13. The sura number (9), plus its verses (127), plus the word “God” in Sura 9 (168), gives 304, and this number equals ……………………………………………………………………………………………….. 19×16.
14. The word “God” occurs in 85 suras; the sum of every sura number, plus the number of the last verse where the word “God” occurs, gives a total that equals 3910 + 5191 = 9101, and this number equals ………………………………………………………………………………………………..19×479.
15. Take the 85 suras where the word “God” occurs. Add the number of every sura, plus the number of verses from the first to the last verse where the word “God” occurs, and you get 3910 + 4260 = 8170, and this number equals.. ………………….……………………………………………………………………………………….19×430.
Conclusion
There are those who will completely do without an intellectual approach to belief insisting that for them belief is in the heart and not the mind. Whilst one must understand and respect this point of view so far as the first part of the search goes, and that is the initial belief in God, it is of prime importance that the process of selecting a faith to believe in should not be left to the heart alone, but is a matter that should be researched thoroughly by taking time to consider and debate all points of view which also conforms to the commandment found in the Quran (46:15). This is necessary because of the unfortunate yet intentional misguidance and misrepresentation conducted by various religious organizations. Sadly, all major religions in the world today can be accused of corruption in one way or another.
One tends to be more inclined to the view that even though a spiritual or emotional belief may appear to be of great strength, yet if it is not supported intellectually, it may often be vulnerable to crack. One has often come across people who have suddenly acquired a very intense faith only to completely lose it after a period of time. For as the saying goes ‘easy come easy go’. On the other hand, a slow contemplated intellectual approach has a better chance of endurance because it is built on reason. Through their adopted faith, whether it is researched or most commonly inherited, they seek to find God. However, it may make better sense to reverse the procedure. So it may be wiser to seek God first and then search for His true word. After all God has always existed while as the establishment of any faith or religion is a time related event.
We have no choice as to which faith we were born into but we all have the free will to seek the Truth. One should adopt a faith only when one is totally convinced that it is the Truth. There are other people who follow a certain faith because they say it suits them! It is very ironic that they could adopt a faith that affects their entire life in the same way they would go shopping in a super-market! Look and see what is on display and then opt for the faith that would not place too many sacrifices on their normal way of life!
Today we live in an age of reason and not of blind faith. It is thus necessary for any intelligent person to debate all matters and not succumb to the influence of their native environment alone. One should not rely on the religious background passed on through parents or the society alone. One often hears the saying ‘this is the religion of my father and my fore-fathers, they cannot all be wrong!’ But if a Jew, a Christian, a Buddhist, a Hindu and a Muslim who can differ on basic issues all said so, each thinking that they have inherited the truth, chances are that most, if not all, of them will be wrong.
If one is convinced beyond any doubt that a certain faith is the true word of God, one should accept it in its entire form, though it is too rigid. One should follow its teachings even if it means altering one’s way of life, and not as is, sadly happening today within some well-established religions, with an attempt of constant bending and reshaping of the faith to conform to modern values.
Peaceful Friday, salaam and God bless.
Tafazzal (6/12/2015)