Argument Based on Fitrah, i.e. Human Nature

Now I come to the main arguments proving the existence of God. The first argument that I want to present is based on human nature. While discussing the need to investigate God’s existence I had mentioned that our nature raises this question from within us: Is there a Creator and Master of the universe or not? Therefore, we cannot ignore this question. Human nature not only raises this question but also answers it. Those who are accustomed to listening to their nature do hear it.

What is meant by fitrah? One must understand this clearly, otherwise it will be difficult to understand what the voice of fitrah truly means. Fitrah is an Arabic word derived from fitar. Thus it is said:

Thus, fatara means to make something that did not exist before; he originated it and—having brought it into existence from nothing—enabled it to progress further in life. On this basis the lexicologists have translated fitrah as:

That is, fitrah is the name given to those qualities invested in every child from the moment of its creation. According to this definition, human fitrah [nature] means the features and characteristics which are not developed under the influence of environmental factors, but are endowed in man, through the process of creation and in his nature, in order to enable him to explore the avenues of progress. Everything has certain characteristics known as its natural traits. The sum total of such characteristics is fitrah. These characteristics and attributes are either suppressed or augmented under the influence of environmental factors and on that depends the progress or decline of the person. Everyone can analyse themself and find out which way their inborn qualities are heading. For instance, truthfulness is an innate quality; i.e. it is an innate feature of man to utter only that which is in accordance with the facts. Therefore, every child initially conforms to this innate quality. However, when he sees that his parents sometimes become upset when they see him doing a particular thing which he very much likes to do, the desire to do that act grows in him, but fearing their displeasure he tries to hide it from them. That is the first veil that befalls his fitrah. Gradually he is prepared to carry on with his desired act and not only hides it from his parents but on their questioning tells a lie and denies the act. Thus the innate quality—to tell the truth in all cases—continues to be suppressed under the veils of darkness till, as it were, he totally forgets his fitrah. At this stage, it is said that his fitrah has died. Though, in fact, fitrah never dies; it only becomes obscured and veiled under external influences. The same applies to other innate emotions. For instance, love, hate, clemency, wrath, forgiveness, revenge, bravery, fear, chastity, lust, desire for progress and hatred for decline, and other similar emotions are naturally ingrained in human fitrah, but external influences suppress or augment them. That is to say, these emotions can be taken to the highest or lowest extremes, and at times practiced in moderation.

Given these circumstances, therefore, the voice of fitrah represents a very delicate and difficult issue. Apart from those whose emotions are in a state of moderation, people are generally deceived about their own fitrah. In spite of all that, undoubtedly, fitrah is an undeniable reality. Each innate quality makes a demand that is called its voice. For instance, truthfulness is an innate quality and it demands that one should describe an event exactly as it happened, neither contrary to it nor anything additional. This demand is called the voice of fitrah. To keep this innate voice alive, Allah the Exalted says in the Holy Quran:

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That is, O man! Stay focused on moderation so as to maintain the nature according to which Allah has fashioned mankind.

Now, everyone should look into his inner self to discover whether or not his fitrah tells him anything about the existence of God. In solitude, let him ask himself: Do I owe my existence to mere chance or to creation by a Higher Being? In response, in the absence of any preconceived notion based on logic, does he hear the voice of fitrah or not? The Holy Quran says:

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That is to say, when God started the human race, He made them witnesses against their own selves by asking them: Am I not your Lord? And they said: Indeed, You are our Lord. This He did lest they should say on the Day of Judgement: We never knew anything about God.

This verse means that, when God created man, just as He inscribed in man other qualities and attributes, similarly He inscribed in man’s fitrah that he has a Creator and a Master, of whom he should not remain oblivious. God did this so that no one could present an excuse on the Day of Judgement that they were unaware; otherwise, they would have certainly paid attention to God. In short, like other natural qualities, this special natural quality has also been endowed in us, to realize that we did not come into existence by ourselves and it is the creative power of a Higher Being that has brought us into being. Everyone whose fitrah is not obscured or veiled by external influences will from time to time hear this voice rising from within, that he has a Creator. Even the fitrah of those who have buried it under the veils of darkness and oblivion, under certain circumstances, suddenly comes alive, and whispers this message into their ears. It has been observed many a time that even an atheist during periods of severe and sudden calamity starts calling out, O Allah or O Ram! One may say that it is because of habit; however, habits develop under the effect of circumstances. But it cannot be said that one who denies God and has insisted on denial for years and who regularly spits venom on believers in his utterances and writings might call on God out of habit. His habit is to revile God and abuse Him—not to call on His help. Thus, the words ‘O Allah’ or ‘O Ram’ suddenly coming out of the mouth of a confirmed atheist during a calamity cannot be anything but the voice of fitrah. In fact, a calamity has the likeness of an earthquake: just as the latter sometimes unearths buried things, a sudden earthquake of calamities sometimes brings out the buried fitrah of a man and exposes it. The same voice of fitrah, which could not be heard earlier due to it being buried under thousands of veils, comes to light.

Similarly, we see that when a person becomes older, his ears begin to hear the voices of his fitrah more clearly. This happens for the same reason that during youth, man is beset by a multitude of diverse neglects and there is an abundance of worldly occupation, and the passions, being astir, usually exceed the bounds of moderation. As one matures, however, passions wane, negligence evaporates, and one has more time at his disposal as worldly commitments decrease. At such a time, one’s fitrah once again makes itself heard. You may go and observe that among the atheists the majority will be youth; however, with the advancement of age, their views begin to change. It has been observed that during old age, many atheists start believing in God, because, with maturity, the voice of their fitrah compels them to desist from denying the existence of God. Of course, there are always exceptions to this rule, and some people are unable to appreciate the call of their fitrah even in old age. If under various pressures one keeps suppressing his fitrah during the mature years, one would succumb to atheism. But, by and large, it is the period of youth when one faces distracting influences and is therefore more likely to succumb to atheism.

It could be argued that this change is due not to the voice of fitrah but to a fear of death. That is to say, when an old man realises that his death is nigh, he naturally starts fearing and it is this fear that makes him inclined towards God. I say that this point also supports the philosophy of fitrah. The fear of death is indeed a voice of fitrah; otherwise, why would the fear of death influence one’s atheistic beliefs! A person who regards life as the result of mere chance also considers death in the same way: the end of that life, which had come into being by mere chance, occurs also by chance or for some other random reason. And that is all there is to it. Therefore, proximity to death cannot affect the heart of an atheist. Clearly, therefore, the fear of death itself is the result of some internal change and we call this the voice of fitrah. Our fitrah prevails over our hearts when we overcome ignorance and darkness and we are pulled towards belief in God by an indiscernible power. How beautifully the Promised Messiah(as) has said:

But for the countless veils covering people’s eyes,
Your Countenance should indeed be the goal of every believer and non-believer.

In short, human fitrah is strong and undeniable evidence for the existence of God, which no intelligent person can deny. It is entirely through His Grace that God sowed a seed of belief in our fitrah for our guidance. The Holy Quran says:

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That is, O people! You do not have to go here and there; Divine Signs are there in your own selves, if you only pay attention and try to see.

A poet has said it beautifully:

In the mirror of my heart I carry the portrait of my Beloved;
If I bow my head but a little, I can see Him.

Regardless of what this poet had in mind, there is no doubt that God has engraved His image in everyone’s heart. But man in his arrogance is not prepared to bow his head to see Him! God has placed a spark of His love in every man’s fitrah, but there are few who make an effort to save it from being extinguished.

The Promised Messiah(as) said:

With Your own hands You have sprinkled the mineral of love over souls,
Which has caused agonised cries of pining lovers.

Not for a moment am I at ease without You;
Life seems to ebb away like the sinking heart of an ailing one.

Find out quickly wherefore is this noise in Your street;
Lest someone madly in love perishes.