Basic Beliefs of Islam

Chapter 7 : Atheism - Kufr

What is Atheism

The antithesis ( direct opposite) of Tauhid is atheism and polytheism. Atheism is a belief that God does not exist.

There are many people in the world who believe without any solid knowledge that sun, stars, planets, earth, humans, animals, plants and billions and trillions of other marvelous things, have come into existence by accident i.e. by themselves and without any creator. All such people are called Kafirs (atheists).

Anyone whether a top scientist, a great scholar or a highly learned person who does not believe in the existence of God is not a wise man. Quran calls such educated people who refuse to accept the clear signs of God as the donkey laden with books (62:5).

The Holy Quran also confirms that such people, even if they have made great contributions in science and technology, are the great losers.

"The works of those who reject their Lord may be compared to ashes which the wind whips around on a stormy day. They can not do a thing with anything they have earned. That is the extreme failure." (14:18) Quran further evaluates the worth of their works.

"Those who disbelieve will find their deeds (scientific achievements) will disappear like a mirage in a desert, the thirsty traveler thinks it as water, but when he comes near, he finds that it is nothing. Yet he finds Allah there, who pays him back in full. Allah is prompt in accounting" (24:39)

"Or like darkness on a deep sea: one wave cover up another wave, above which are clouds, layers of darkness, one above the other: when he holds his hands, he can hardly see it. If Allah refuses light to anyone, there is no way he can find light. (24:40) "But those who are disbelievers, Allah will render their deeds astray". (47:8) Atheists, or Kafirs (unbelievers) are of two kinds.

Those who know the fact or can easily ascer tain it from their acquired knowledge, but deliberately refuse to accept. They understand the truth but determinedly reject it because of their personal reasons.

In other words, they know the truth but they hide it to an extent as if they don't know. A large number of people such as Firaun (Pharoh), Namrud, Abu Jahal, Abu sufian, Abu Lahab, and many world top scientists and educated people are atheists of this kind. To all these people, truth was revealed to them, but they rejected it out of their arrogance and hatred. Such people are real Kafirs and are the permanent residents of Jahannum.

The second kind of atheists (Kafirs) are those who are ignorant people. The cause of their ignorance is either their too much involvement in the worldly things or their extremely inattentive nature. Such heedless people view everything with blind eyes and never conclude the truth. A large number of learned non-Muslims and many illiterate Muslims fall in this category of Kafirs.

Atheism conflicts with many of the world's major religions, including Christianity, Judaism, and Hinduism etc. Confucianism, and Buddhism are atheistic religions.

Agnosticism.

Agnosticism is an offshoot of atheism. It is a religion of utterly confused people. The followers of this belief say that existence of God and other religious realities can not be proved. According to them, there is no way to prove the existence of God.

The word agnosticism has been derived from the Greek language agnostics, which means not knowing. i.e., they don't believe in God because they don't have means to know Him. This is absolute nonsense. All such people are Kafir as they pretend and deny the naked truth.

The word, agnosticism, was coined by the British naturalist Thomas Henry Huxley in 1869. Huxley was a staunch supporter of Charles Darwin, and people used to call him the bulldog win. The holy Quran condemns such people and has categorically stated that they will straight go to the hell-fire.

Does science disprove the existence of God ?

Many top scientists of the world do not believe in God. Does it mean that science denies the existence of God ? Not at all.

No scientist has ever proved, and can never prove, that there is no God. In fact, for the last 200 years, all scientists of the world have been trying to disprove the existence of God by their combined efforts, but they have been utterly unsuccessful in their attempts. For example, They have devised different theories to prove the self-existence of the universe.

They have formulated the theory of evolution to prove the self-existence of all living species.

Firstly, none of these theories can be proved on valid scientific standards. But even if we accept these theories as the true facts of science, the existence of God can not be denied. The most popular theory about the origin of the universe are:

1 The Big bang theory

In big bang theory, scientists have proposed that the universe came into existence by an explosion - called the big bang. This explosion occurred by itself 10 to 20 billion years ago. The main part of the fire-ball was matter, chiefly hydrogen. This matter, consisting of hydrogen and other light elements broke apart in huge clumps and became galaxies. That is how the universe of atheists was formed.

Now let us suppose that this is a correct theory. But does it invalidate the existence of God ? No; Because a valid question arises that, how matter consisting of hydrogen, helium and other light elements came into existence ?

So by this theory, the existence of God cannot be denied. The argument is that, one who created the hydrogen, will be considered as the creator of the universe even if the universe began as the result of an accidental big-bang explosion.

2 The Steady State theory

This is another forged theory to deny the existence of God. According to this theory, the universe has always existed in its present state.

Again if we accept this theory as correct one, a question will arise that, where this matter came from. This theory doesn't say anything about the origin of the matter. Thus, in these two popular theories of the West, we find very different explanations, and none is supported by astronomical observations or sound reasoning.

To deny or invalidate the existence of God, the atheist should create a universe without any raw material. They don't want to do so because if they do so, they will become god themselves as only God creates things out of nothing.

3 Organic Evolution

Similarly this Theory has also been tactfully designed to deny the existence of God. According to this theory, popularly known as the Darwin theory of evolution, all living species evolved from a single cell of life which lived about 3 billion years ago. i.e., All kinds of living organism that inhabit the ear th today are the descendants of a single cell.

Again, even if we supposedly accept this theory of evolution , the existence of God remains a valid and logical belief. Because, how a single cell came into being. i.e., whether we accept or reject this theory of evolution, the existence of God will remain a valid belief.

However, if one accepts the theory of evolution, the controversy will arise only over one issue; that millions of kinds of living creatures around the world have been created by God as they are seen today or God has created first a single cell and multiplied it into millions of different kinds of living creatures.

Apparently, it seems that all different kinds of living species were created by Allah Taala as we find them today.

Nevertheless, some useful variations and essential modifications might have been occur red in them in a period of time to meet the immediate natural demand of their body and to fulfill the essential requirements of the prevailing time.

This is the great mercy of Allah Subhanahu taala and an obvious sign that He is the sustainer and the caretaker of all the creatures He has created. Allah knows the best, what a par ticular living species needs and in what finest body structure, it can comfortably survive. This is the Islamic explanation of the Darwin's phrase, survival of the fittest, and the struggle for the existence.

So, atheist scientists have exhaustively tried to create a theory just to cast-off the concept of existence of God, but every theory proved that the denial of God is utterly unworkable. In fact, to explain the big bang theory, steady state theory and the theory of evolution, scientifically and rationally, scientists will have to accept the existence of God. That is why Kepler, a great scientists of 1700s said, "If there is no God, we must invent God to justify the scientific truths and make them rationally understandable".

Thus, the edifice of all scientific truths and established facts will crumble if one stubbornly denies the existence of God.

The entire building of science is based on the strong foundation of Tawhid i.e., intellectually recognizing the existence of Omnipotent being, who is none but Allah Subhanahu taala.

The rejection of Divine creator, or criminal silence on this basic issue of science is totally an irrational attitude. It distorts the amazing beauty and rationality of natural phenomena. The first and the most basic teaching of Islam and the true science is that, the universe and everything in it is the creation of a Supreme immor tal being called ALLAH.

Allah is the creator of all things, and of all things He is a guardian. His are the keys of the heavens and the earth. Those that deny His revelations shall assuredly be lost. (39:64) Thus, the pre-requisite condition of scientific research is that,

1- Scientists must acknowledge the existence of God. 2 - Scientists should make efforts to understand the purpose of His creation. 3 - Scientists should provide the rational explanation of the natural phenomena. 4 - Scientists should invite people to worship God