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Showing posts with the label The Existence of God

God: al-Awwal, al-Akhir (The First & Last)

Description:  God is the First and nothing precedes Him and He is the Last whose existence persists without end.  This is a belief which humbles us and reminds us of the inevitable end of ourselves and this world. God says:  "He is the First and the Last, the Manifest and the Hidden, and He is the Knower of all things." (Quran 57:3)  God precedes all things; He has no beginning.  He abides after all things without ever coming to an end.  Prophet Muhammad, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, said, addressing God in supplication: "You are the First, so nothing precedes You.  You are the Last, so nothing comes after You.  You are the Manifest, so nothing comes above You.  You are the Hidden, so nothing comes below you.  Fulfill our debts for us and enrich us so we will not be poor." [1] God says:  "Say: He is God, the One.  God, the Self-Subsisting.  He begets not, nor is He begotten, and there is none li...

Science Increasingly Makes the Case for God

Description:  The odds of life existing on another planet grow ever longer.  Intelligent design, anyone? In 1966 Time magazine ran a cover story asking: Is God Dead? Many have accepted the cultural narrative that he’s obsolete—that as science progresses, there is less need for a "God" to explain the universe.  Yet it turns out that the rumors of God’s death were premature.  More amazing is that the relatively recent case for his existence comes from a surprising place—science itself. Here’s the story: The same year Time featured the now-famous headline, the astronomer   Carl Sagan   announced that there were two important criteria for a planet to support life: The right kind of star, and a planet the right distance from that star.  Given the roughly octillion—1 followed by 27 zeros—planets in the universe, there should have been about septillion—1 followed by 24 zeros—planets capable of supporting life. With such spectacular odds, the Search ...

Denying God, Denying Reality

Why We Don’t Need Evidence for God (part 1 of 3) Description:  The existence of God does not require evidence.  Part 1 discusses that belief in God is a self-evident truth and self-evident truths are cross-cultural, innate and provide the basis for a coherent worldview. Does God exist? This is the question I’ve constantly discussed with Atheist academics.  The discussion is often put forward in different guises but the premise is always the same; does God exist and what evidence is there to support this belief? In fact, I would argue that we don’t need any evidence for God’s existence.  So the question itself needs debating.  It shouldn’t actually be "does God exist?", but rather "what reasons do we have to reject His existence?" Now, don’t get me wrong, I believe we have many good arguments which support a belief in God.  The point I am raising here, however, is that we don’t require any evidence for His existence: God is an axiomatic belief....

God, His Signs are Everywhere

(part 1 of 2) Description:  God can be recognized by pondering over His creation.  Part 1 discusses the signs in the cosmos, and on the earth and how everything is running in complete harmony.  Whatever little man has made is not devoid of problems and harm. This world has one God.  He is its Creator and Master.  The greatest proof of God’s existence is the existence of the world itself.  Spread around us in all its vastness and complexity it bears witness to the existence of a great God who, in His infinite power, controls it.  If we have no choice but to believe in the world, we have no choice but to believe in God as well, for the world would be meaningless if we did not accept the existence of a Maker and Master along with it.  Look at how exquisitely the world has been fashioned.  How can it be that it has no Maker? Look at the perfect order which it maintains.  Could it really be that no one is controlling it?  The a...

How Do We Know God is One?

A Philosophical and Theological Perspective (part 1 of 3) Description:  The existence of God and His Oneness is known through reason and revelation.  Part 1 explains why there has to be a cause for the existence of the universe and that this cause has to be one. One of the many common questions that were asked during the Islamic Awareness Tour was “If God does exist what reasons do we have to believe He is one?” This question is important as it addresses a fundamental concept in Islamic theology, the concept of God’s oneness.  The oneness of God, in Arabic  Tawhid , is a central theme in the Qur’an and is the message of all of the Prophets. The Qur’an eloquently describes the nature of God and His oneness in the 112th chapter,  “Say: He is God, the One.  God is the One upon whom all creation depend upon for their sustenance.  He begot no one nor was He begotten.  No one is comparable to him.” Before I begin to answer the question, it i...