BARBARA—I sometimes wonder why do people believe in the existence of God without any concrete evidence?
BUSHRA—Most people have inherited such a belief from their ancestors without themselves ever questioning the idea. They somehow find peace in their belief and are deeply convinced that God exists without being able to support their belief with concrete evidence.
It is not possible to provide one single argument which would convince all human beings alike, as different people have different attitudes. Some arguments can convince some people while other arguments are required to convince other people.
In fact, there are many misconceptions and misunderstandings about God. That is why people started worshipping many deities besides God.
BARBARA—I know! I have been told that in ancient times people thought that the sun was God because the sun gave them heat and light. Some even worshipped fire. There were others who worshipped animals, because they were afraid of them. Gradually they searched for a supernatural Being, which they called God and this is how they started worshipping Him.
BUSHRA—It’s true that some people worshipped the sun, the moon, the stars and even fire. We also find that even today there are many who worship various other deities besides God. But this is not how it all developed. The Holy Quran resolves this dilemma and explains how the beliefs of people became corrupted, giving birth to superstitions resulting in material images of God.
According to Islam, it is not true to say that people worshipped objects like the sun or the moon first and then gradually they started to believe in one single God. In fact the opposite is true.
If we study the history of world religions and the psychological trends of man, we find no evidence whatsoever that idol worship and belief in many gods converged, through an evolutionary process, into the belief in one single God.
On the other hand we have irrevocable evidence that religions, which began with belief in One God, gradually deteriorated and with the passage of time many partners with God were devised. We can therefore say with certainty that monotheism, under the influence of human weakness, gradually gave way to beliefs in many gods.
If you are interested in the history of religions, you will find that the great religious founders claimed to be ordinary human beings and preached the worship of one God. But ironically they themselves were gradually raised to superhuman level by their followers. People started worshipping saints and ordinary human beings were elevated so as to possess supernatural powers. Thus deities besides God were created. There is therefore absolutely no evidence from religious history that One God evolved out of many, while there is repeated evidence that many gods were created out of one.
Islam has a very logical and deeply convincing approach to the belief in one Supreme Being as the only God and the only Creator. In one chapter of the Holy Quran it is stated:
قُلۡ ھُوَ اللّٰہُ اَحَدٌ ۚ اَللّٰہُ الصَّمَدُ ۚ لَمۡ یَلِدۡ ۬ۙ وَلَمۡ یُوۡلَدۡ ۙ وَلَمۡ یَکُنۡ لَّہٗ کُفُوًا اَحَدٌ
Say, ‘He is Allah, the One; Allah, the Independent and Besought of all. He begets not, nor is He begotten; And there is none like unto Him.’ (112:2–5)
The concept of a single Creator perfectly tallies with the study of nature. The uniformity of the laws of nature always point to the singleness of God. This is the argument presented by the Holy Quran. Had there been two or more gods there would have been chaos in the world. Those who obey God’s commands and submit themselves to the Will of God do not need any concrete evidence to believe in the existence of God. God speaks to them and tells them not to be afraid of calamities or of enemies. He reassures them that He is with them and He will help them through His inspiration and revelation and through heavenly signs. The Holy Quran shows that the best means of the recognition of God is prayer, and that it is only through prayer, that the complete and perfect understanding of the existence of God and His perfect attributes can be obtained, and that it cannot be attained in any other way.