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The question this begs is whether the essence of an unlimited
Creator is understandable through a limited, imperfect human
mind when God lies beyond our perception? Rational thought would
dictate that if God exists then knowledge of God’s attributes
can only come from Itself. Therefore, famine in the world
leading to the deaths of millions would not deny the Justice,
Mercy or Love of God as the Governor and Controller of the
universe. This is the failure of Christianity and indeed all
religions as their belief becomes a matter of Blind Faith.
Consequently, they allow themselves to be plagued by rational
contradictions which inevitably lead to intellectual refutation.
With regard to the opposing view proposed by scientific theories
to disprove the existence of God. Are these arguments valid? To
understand the validity of any proposed argument the premise
should be examined. Science is concerned with the methodology of
processes in the physical world i.e. it deals with ‘how’ and not
‘why’. Thus scientists are not concerned with why gravity exists
but how gravity influences bodies to shape the universe.
The scientific method is limited in that it can only deduce
rules by repeated observation of physical phenomena. This
question of the existence of God does not and cannot fall into
the realm of scientific thought because science deals with the
mechanisms of events and phenomena within the universe, i.e. the
tangible and not the intangible. To test the hypothesis to apply
scientific proof for or against God, one would effectively have
said that God is ‘testable’. Therefore, logically one would
conclude God to be within the universe since God must be
physically tangible and contained within the universe. God must
be limited and therefore cannot be God.
Thus scientists are falling into the same trap as the blind
followers of religion, that is they are implicitly defining a
role to God as the ‘one who makes things work’. Since scientists
have explained how things work the question of God does not
arise. Those who argue from this angle have falsely assumed an
attribute/essence of God in the same way Christians say God has
a son or is Love. To prove or disprove the existence of a
Creator we need to go beyond the limitations of the scientific
method and proceed rationally for it is only rational thought
which has the ability to deal with an issue like this.
The Rational Thought
Man progresses as a result of his thoughts concerning everything
around him. Thoughts are what distinguish man from other animals
and without them man would be lost. Thought occurs when man
receives information about something through his five senses. He
then distinguishes it by linking it to previous information and
experiences he has encountered. For example, a person comes
across a plant. He knows that it is a plant due to his previous
knowledge of what a plant looks like. But only when he links it
with previous information on the various types of plants will he
be able to tell if it is edible or poisonous.
Hence, just receiving information is not enough. It will only
remain as information that we cannot appreciate or understand.
However, the process of linking it to previous information and
distinguishing the information is the process of thought and the
key of understanding and progressing.
Consequently, when a man becomes convinced of the correctness of
a thought, it becomes the concept which he carries, thus,
affecting his behaviour. For example, if we carry the concept of
dislike of someone, it will affect our behaviour towards that
person. So we see that carrying false ideas has serious
implications for a person and if such false ideas are carried
widely it has serious implications for society
Thus the idea and question of God has serious implications
because the answer obtained becomes the very basis by which we
understand the creation and purpose of man, life and universe.
Therefore, the method used should not only be the rational
thought but the comprehensive and agree with reality. Anything
hypothetical or emotional should be rejected since their basis
disagrees with ration and reality.
The Rational Proof of God
When we look around us at everything we can sense one factor is
shared by these things, and that is that they are all limited.
By limited we mean that they have restrictions, a starting point
and an ending point, and they have definable attributes i.e.
they are all finite.
Man is born and he dies. There is no-one alive who will not die.
During his life span, he will grow to a certain height, weight
and volume.
The universe is defined as all the celestial planets. All these
objects have certain mass, shape, volume and so on. The life
span of a star may be very long, but a point in time will come
when it will cease to exist.
The universe is large, but still a finite space. No scientist
could ever prove using hard facts that the universe has no
bounds. In fact when we say that the universe arose from the Big
Bang and expanding they inherently admit it is finite in size,
otherwise it could not expand!
There is nothing in reality which is unlimited. No matter how
hard we try, man is unable to find anything unlimited around
him. All he can perceive is the finite and limited.
A further attribute of everything around us is that they are all
needy and dependent in order to continue existing. They are not
self-sustaining or independent. Man has needs. He has to satisfy
in order to survive. He has organic needs. Man must eat and
drink if he is to survive. If he does not he will die. We see
the need and dependency in plants and animals. They depend on
other parts of the food chain for their existence. The water
cycle is dependent on the sun, which is dependent on the laws of
the galaxies and of burning mass, and so on... Nothing man can
perceive is self-subsistent. So things exist, but do not have
the power of existence. They cannot control when they die or
when other bodies die.
Thus what we see is that everything around us is limited and
finite. Everything that is limited and finite is dependant and
everything that is dependant is dependant upon something greater
than itself.
Applying this to everything we see will bring us to a
conclusion. If everything in the universe is dependant because
it has not the power of being in existence on its own accord,
and is also finite and limited, then what is everything
dependant upon for its existence? Hence, two possibilities
exist, that is either all finite and limited objects depend upon
each other in an infinite chain of inter dependencies (infinite
regression). Or there is a first cause a sole creator upon which
everything depends. To explain this further we can understand
this by way of analogy. Consider a set of dominoes for example,
for the final domino to fall it is dependant upon the domino
before it, and for that domino to fall over it is dependant upon
the domino before it. Now imagine if there was an infinite
number of dominoes…… would any of the dominoes fall over?
The answer is no, none of the dominoes would fall over. Now to
view any aspect of the universe we would see that something is
already in existence in essence the last domino has fallen over.
Thus meaning that finite things are not dependant upon each
other in an infinite chain. Therefore, there needs to be a first
cause or a sole Creator upon which everything depends and itself
being independent. Now, we have noted that everything that is
finite and limited is also dependant, hence, for something to be
independent it would need to be infinite and unlimited. This is
whom we Muslim call Allah (swt) the sole Creator, self
subsistent, and completely unique and different from creation.
And
Allah (swt) says
"Declare, Allah is one and only,
Allah is self sufficient (needy of nothing but upon which
everything depends),
Neither Allah begets nor was he begotten,
And there is nothing equal to or comparable unto Allah" Quran [TMQ
112]
The only rational and intellectual solution to the question of
creation is that there is a Creator that has accounted for all
that we see and perceive. Ration tells us that nothing can be
created without a creator. Ultimately, there must be a Creator
who is unlimited in every aspect.
Conclusion
Belief in Allah is not a superstition nor a mythology, but is a
definite fact that is established upon the use of the mind and
is felt within every person. Hence, looking at any planet in the
universe, contemplating on any phase of life, or comprehending
any aspect of man provides a conclusive evidence for the
existence of a Creator, what Muslims call Allah (swt).
"Verily in the Creation of the heavens and the Earth and the
alternation of the night and the day the are indeed signs for a
people who depth and thinking" Quran [TMQ 3:190]
Source > > http://www.pzq.cjb.net
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