Islam and Atheism
Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ “He is Allah—One ˹and Indivisible˺; Allah—the Sustainer ˹needed by all˺. He has never had offspring, nor was He born. And there is none comparable to Him.”
- Al-Ikhlas
Islam
"Tawheed" (تَوْحيد) is the basis of Islam. The literal meaning of this word is unification (making something one) or "asserting oneness". It's the concept of one, indivisible, all-powerful God, and no other god but him. He sees and hears all and is the Creator of everything, living and non-living, in the universe and beyond. Allah refers to Himself in the Quran with 99 different names, which are his attributes. Tawheed means specifically that there is no other being or deity worthy of worship except Allah.
"Islam" (اسلام) in Arabic means "submission to the will of God". "Islam" is derived from the Arabic word "sal'm" which literally means peace. Everything and every phenomenon in the world other than man is administered totally by God-made laws, ie. they are obedient to Allah and submissive to his laws, they are in the State of Islam. Humans possess the qualities of intelligence and choice, thus they are invited to submit to the good will of Allah and obey His law, ie, become a Muslim.
If we take Islam as the essential belief that there is one, supreme Creator and that everything else is merely a creation of the Creator with no share in divinity, then a belief in no god at all is contrary to that which is espoused in the Qur’an. The relationship of the Qur’an with atheistic belief is an interesting one in that certain realities exclusive to mankind are assumed to be true. In fact, Islam takes the belief in a higher power as an innate disposition placed in human beings as evidenced by the overwhelming majority of human societies believing this to be the case, even without external factors or influence. However, this does not imply that human societies tend to have the correct beliefs about God; interestingly, the Qur’an addresses this phenomenon.
Atheism is characterized by the rejection of the existence of a higher power. According to Islam, this notion is so absurd that the Qur’an deals with it directly only a handful of times. As we will see, the specific arguments are extremely logical by design, but the remaining approach on atheism throughout the text is notably subtle and consistently so. This is because further arguments are actually intertwined with multiple other issues human beings face, the least of which is correcting wrong beliefs about God in general. So what does the Qur’an say about atheism? In Surah At-Tur, Chapter 52 Verse 35, the Qur’an asks the reader a set of rhetorical questions:
“Or were they created by nothing, or were they the creators [of themselves]?”
And in the following verse 52:36 the Qur’an says:
“Or did they create the heavens and the earth? Rather, they are not certain.”
As you can see, the Qur’an uses arguments against atheism that are very straightforward and to the point, yet these few words are packed with deep meaning. Despite clear and concise reasoning, the Author of the Qur’an knows the reader may not be convinced by this alone. As such, the Qur’an doesn’t actually leave the topic. Instead, it employs a consistent strategy no other book has come to match in terms of approach. Take these verses for example:
“We will show them Our signs in the horizons and within themselves until it becomes clear to them that it is the truth. But is it not sufficient concerning your Lord that He is, over all things, a Witness?” – 41:53
“And a sign for them is the dead earth. We have brought it to life and brought forth from it grain, and from it they eat. – 36:33
These and many, many other verses can be found in the Qur’an, each time using a variety of different examples urging its readers to reflect, challenge, and reconsider their beliefs about God that are not in line with the truth. That one could look at the night sky filled with stars and get just a small glimpse of the vast universe, that the sun and the moon serve clear and precise purposes in our lives, and that nature is so perfectly symmetrical yet complex, just to name a few, are all testaments that something intelligent and powerful placed them there to function as they do. Yet still the Qur’an gently reminds the reader to use their intellect and reflect if they have doubts about the existence of a Creator. It does something very special in terms of style here: The Qur’an proposes, in a distinct yet notably succinct and meaningful way, arguments whereby a whole array of issues are covered at once. In fact, it covers multiple facets of life in one verse using as few words as possible.
There are no less than three purposes achieved in such verses: incorrect beliefs about God are clarified and corrected, those who are ungrateful are given a reminder about the realities of the world and that God is aware of what they do, and those with no belief in God are asked to ponder over the signs of the creation to logically conclude that there had to have been an intelligent causer behind it all. And this very style of speech in its ability to captivate an audience from many angles leads to a fourth argument for the existence of God; perhaps the strongest evidence for the existence of God is the miraculous nature of the Qur’an itself, a feat no human could accomplish.
Consider for a moment the original listeners of the Qur’an – those who spoke fluently and understood the nuances of the language – who were enamored by the multi-faceted yet elegant approach of the Qur’an. How could a book that steers clear of following the norms of any known writing style, cover so many different topics in a matter of a few words, all the while making complete sense throughout?
Sticking to the realism the Qur’an adheres and holds itself to, its Author knows too well both the limitations and potential of the creation. Despite seeing, hearing, and feeling clear arguments for God’s existence, the free will of this creation can still lead to his or her denial of the truth via arrogance. The Qur’an remarks on this phenomenon directly – that even if a revelation was to be sent upon these same deniers from the sky, they would still disbelieve. It humanizes this further by saying that some may believe for a little while until they are once again distracted by worldly temptations which in turn could lead to a state of heedlessness.
True to its message of being a timeless book for all of mankind, the Qur’an addresses universal questions and problems. It actively acknowledges the nature of a human being to believe in a higher power without dismissing the fact that these same beings are prone to incorrect beliefs including the disbelief in a Creator, especially when those beliefs go unchallenged or become normalized. And it is in this unique approach to and recognition of the vastness of the human experience that the Qur’an stands out.
Atheism
Atheists might assert that they don’t acknowledge the existence of God, but the view of some Christians and all Muslims is that at some level even the confirmed Atheist affirms God’s presence. The innate but neglected awareness of God typically surfaces in Atheist consciousness only in times of severe stress, as exemplified by the World War II quote “There are no Atheists in a fox-hole.”1
Undeniably there are times — whether during the agonizing days of a lingering illness, the seemingly eternal moments of a violent and humiliating mugging, or the split second of anticipating the impact of an imminent car crash — when all mankind recognize the reality of human fragility and the lack of human control over destiny. Who does a person beseech for help in such circumstances other than The Creator? Such moments of desperation should remind every person, from the religious scholar to the professed Atheist, of the dependence of mankind upon a reality far greater than our own meager human selves. A reality far greater in knowledge, power, will, majesty and glory.
In such moments of distress, when all human efforts have failed and no element of material existence can be foreseen to provide comfort or rescue, Whom else will a person instinctively call upon? In such moments of trial, how many stress-induced appeals are made to God, complete with promises of lifelong fidelity? Yet, how few are kept?
No doubt, the day of greatest affliction will be the Day of Judgement, and a person would be unfortunate to be in the position of acknowledging the existence of God for the first time on that day. The English poet, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, spoke of the irony of the distressed human appeal in The Cry of the Human:
“And lips say “God be pitiful,” Who ne’er said, “God be praised.”
The thoughtful Atheist, full of skepticism but fearful of the possibility of the existence of God and a Day of Judgement, may wish to consider the ‘prayer of the skeptic,’ as follows:
“O Lord–if there is a Lord, Save my soul–if I have a soul.”2
In the face of skepticism blocking belief, how can a person go wrong with the above prayer? Should Atheists remain upon disbelief, they will be no worse off than before; should belief follow a sincere appeal, Thomas Jefferson had the following to say:
“If you find reason to believe there is a God, a consciousness that you are acting under His eye, and that He approves you, will be a vast additional incitement; if that there be a future state, the hope of a happy existence in that increases the appetite to deserve it…”3
The suggestion can be made that if an individual doesn’t see the evidence of God in the magnificence of His creation, they would be well advised to take another look. As Francis Bacon is noted to have commented, “I had rather believe all the fables in the legend, and the Talmud, and the alcoran (i.e. the Qur’an), than that this universal frame is without a mind.”4 He went on to comment, “God never wrought miracle to convince atheism, because his ordinary works convince it.”5 Worthy of contemplation is the fact that even the lowest elements of God’s creation, though perhaps ordinary works in His terms, are miracles in ours. Take the example of as tiny an animal as a spider. Does anybody really believe that such an extraordinarily intricate creature evolved from primordial soup? Just one of these little miracles can produce up to seven different kinds of silk, some as thin as the wavelength of visible light, but stronger than steel. Silks range from the elastic, sticky strands for entrapment to the non-adhesive drag-lines and frame threads, to the silk for wrapping prey, making the egg sac, etc. The spider can, on demand, not only manufacture its personal choice of the seven silks, but reabsorb, breakdown and remanufacture–self-recycling from the component elements. And this is only one small facet of the miracle of the spider.
And yet, mankind elevates itself to the heights of arrogance. A moment’s reflection should incline human hearts to humility. Look at a building and a person thinks of the architect, at a sculpture and a person instantly comprehends an artist. But examine the elegant intricacies of creation, from the complexity and balance of nuclear particle physics to the uncharted vastness of space, and a person conceives of…nothing? Surrounded by a world of synchronous complexities, we as mankind cannot even assemble the wing of a gnat. And yet the entire World and all the Universe exists in a state of perfect orchestration as a product of random accidents which molded cosmic chaos into balanced perfection? Some vote chance, others, creation.
Most Atheist arguments challenge the compatibility of an all-loving God with the perceived injustices of life. The religious identify such challenges as reflecting an arrogance of intellect — being the assumption that we as mankind, an element of creation ourselves, know better than God how His creation should be ordered — coupled with the failure to appreciate a larger design.
The fact that many of mankind fail to make sense of certain aspects of this life should not dissuade from belief in God. The duty of man is not to question or deny the attributes or presence of God, and not to incline to arrogance through professing to be able to do a better job, but rather to accept human station in this life and do the best that can be done with what we’ve been given. By analogy, the fact that a person does not like the way the boss does things at work, and fails to understand the decisions he makes, does not negate his existence. Rather, each person’s duty is to fulfill a job description in
order to be paid and promoted. Similarly, failure to grasp or approve of the way God orders creation does not negate His existence. Rather, humankind should recognize with humility that, unlike the workplace boss, who may be wrong, God by definition is of absolute perfection, always right and never wrong. Humankind should bow down to Him in willing submission and in recognition that failure to understand His design on our part does not reflect error on His part. Rather, He is The Lord and Master of Creation and we are not, He knows all and we do not, He orders all affairs according to His perfect attributes, and we simply remain His subjects, along for the ride of our lives.
The confused and sensitive souls who encounter difficulty reconciling God’s existence with a harsh and often painful life deserve sympathy and explanation. If a person accepts the fact that God knows what He is doing and we don’t, he or she should rest comfortable with the understanding that deep down things may not be what they at first seem. Perhaps the wretched amongst humankind deserve their lot in life for reasons unforeseen, and perhaps they suffer only a short worldly existence to receive an eternal reward in the next life. Lest a person forget, God granted the favorites of His creation (i.e. the prophets) the greatest worldly gift of certainty, guidance and revelation; however, they suffered greatly in worldly terms. In fact, the trials and tribulations of most people pale in comparison to those of the prophets. So although many people do suffer terribly, the message of hope is that the archetypes of God’s favorites, namely the prophets, were deprived of the pleasures of this world in exchange for the rewards of the hereafter. A person might well expect a comparable reward for those who endure the trials and hardships of this life, while remaining steadfast upon true belief.
Similarly, a person cannot be faulted for expecting the disbelieving tyrants and oppressors to have all the enjoyments of this world, but none of the hereafter. Some of the known inmates of Hell spring to mind. Pharaoh, for example, lived a life of posh magnificence to the point that he proclaimed himself to be the supreme god. Most likely opinions changed when he broke wind. In any case, a person can reasonably expect him to be somewhat dissatisfied with his toasty abode of the moment, and the memories of his plush carpets, fine foods and scented handmaidens to have lost their charm of consolation given the heat of the moment.
Most people have had the experience of ending a great day in a bad mood due to some sour event at the conclusion of events. Nobody values a fine meal that ends in divorce, a romantic interlude rewarded with AIDS, or a night of revelry capped off by a brutal mugging or crippling car crash. How good could it have been? Similarly, there is no joy in this life, no matter how great the ecstasy or how long the duration, which is not instantly erased from memory by a 100% full body burn. One side of one hand represents 1% of the total body surface area of a human being, making a kitchen burn of a fraction of a fingertip count for less than a thousandth of the total body surface area. Nonetheless, who doesn’t forget absolutely every little, every big, everythingduring that moment of painful thermal affliction? The agony of a whole-body burn, especially if there is no relief — no jumping back, no pulling away — is beyond the capacity of human imagination. The few who have survived such burns agree. Not only does the torture of a total burn exceed the boundaries of human imagination, but the agony of the experience
The second element of dawning spiritual awareness is simply to understand that there is seldom a free lunch. Rarely does anybody get something for nothing. Should a man work for a boss whom he does not understand or with whom he does not agree, in the end he still has to do his job in order to get paid. Nobody goes to work (for long, anyway) and does nothing more than saying, “I’m at work,” expecting a paycheck to follow based on nothing more than unproductive attendance. Similarly, humankind must satisfy a duty of servitude and worship to God if hoping to receive His reward. After all, that is not only the purpose of life, it is our job description. For that matter, Muslims claim that such is the job description for both men and Jinn (plural for ‘spirits;’ singular ‘Jinn’ee,’ from which the Western word ‘genie’ is derived), for God conveys in the Holy
Qur’an, “And I have not created Jinns and men, except that they should serve (worship) Me.” (TMQ 51:56).
Many people question the purpose of life, but the position of the faithful of many religions is exactly that stated above – mankind exists for no other reason than to serve and worship God. The proposal is that each and every element of creation exists to either support or test mankind in the fulfillment of that duty. Unlike worldly employment, a person can duck his or her responsibilities to God and be granted a grace period. However, at the end of this probationary period called life, accounts become due and payable, and such is certainly not the best time to find one’s account ‘in the red.’
Again, those who doubt that which cannot be directly experienced may find excuse for denial of the soul, but they will most likely find themselves to have scant company. Furthermore, the discussion then moves into one of the nature of truth, knowledge, and proof, which logically springboards into the next section, on agnosticism.