The first benefit of belief in God that I would like to mention is that it creates the extremely useful sentiments of unity and brotherhood in the hearts of the people, which are essential for the progress and welfare of mankind. It is essential for world peace and welfare of the world’s nations that they live with mutual love and brotherhood, and do not permit any prejudice to take root in their hearts. They should instead adopt the policy of sympathy, sacrifice, and selflessness for others to the best of their ability. Similarly, at the individual level it is also essential to develop the spirit of mutual love and brotherhood, sympathy, and cooperation. Without this spirit—which is essential both for individuals and nations—world peace, progress, and the welfare of mankind are impossible. Therefore, it is the duty of every well-wisher of mankind to pursue all of the means that create and nurture unity and mutual brotherhood, and prevent feelings of malice, jealousy, undue rivalry, and prejudice from taking root in the hearts. As stated above, belief in God is the greatest and most effective means for that.
This doctrine—that, despite our numerous and multifarious differences, we are created by, and belong to, an Omnipotent and All-Governing Being with a decisive will who is our final refuge and shelter—creates uniquely strong and clear sentiments of mutual love, unity, and brotherhood in our hearts. Belonging to the same country, nation, governing authority, etc., creates unity and brotherhood to a variable extent. However, the most powerful motivator for this is the belief that we are the creation of one Creator and we originate from one fountainhead of Grace and that our Master is not like a deceased father whose undisciplined sons sometimes start quarrelling with one another after him, but He is very much alive and will remain alive forever. This belief puts the whole of mankind on equal footing, like brothers. With the inception of that belief, the sentiments of resentment, rancour, malice, and hostility to each other start vanishing and are replaced by sentiments of love, brotherhood, sympathy, and sacrifice. Belief in God is akin to regarding one another as the offspring of the same father and mother. Once you believe in God, you have to agree that the relationship of man with God is deep and vast, the like of which cannot be found among any worldly relations.
In short, belief in God is the strongest motive for creation of mutual love and brotherhood. Patriotic and nationalistic ideas also create these sentiments. But the impact of such ideas is not as strong or deep and tends to be limited to a certain group, rather than the whole of the human race. Moreover, on occasion it could be counterproductive, as it leads to sectarianism, nationalism, undue prejudice, and jealousy. It is only belief in God that can create the sentiments of unity and brotherhood in the human race worldwide. Take away the idea of God from people’s hearts and the sentiments of unity and brotherhood will start vanishing instantaneously, leaving only legal and business dealings among the people, which can never produce any sentimental ties. Remember well that if there is no God and everyone is by himself and is independent, then there can be no unity or brotherhood. On the contrary, selfishness, undue rivalry, and jealousy would become rampant, and they are the greatest causes of strife in the world. It is only the idea of God and nothing else that can create brotherhood in the human race in certain and definite terms. Take away this belief and it would be impossible for this sentiment to last universally as a living reality.
I am not saying that everyone who claims to believe in God has sentiments of mutual brotherhood and unity. Many factors affect the state of man and it is possible that under the effect of other influences, a believer in God may not harbour these pious feelings. It is also possible that one’s belief in God is too weak to create sentiments of brotherhood and unity in his heart and mind. However, in principle, belief in God is undoubtedly the most important and the greatest factor in creating such sentiments. In the absence of other factors, a believer in God is certainly more sympathetic, beneficent, and more loving towards mankind than a disbeliever. Everyone who earnestly believes in God will bear witness that belief in God keeps generating in him sentiments of brotherhood and unity very strongly, and that these sentiments influence his actions as well. One who is given to analysing himself will certainly realise that, God forbid, if belief in God is done away with, he will never be the same again. This belief creates a kind of love, tenderness, and affinity, not only between human beings, but also generates these same types of sentiments in one’s heart for lower animals, plant life, and inanimate objects.
There is a saying: ‘Love me, love my dog’. That is, if you love me, you must love everything about me. This saying is based on an accurate analysis of human nature. If we really believe in God and have a relationship with Him, then it is absolutely impossible that our heart be devoid of love for His creation—especially for man. I can accept that one who claims to believe in God may be false in his claim or self-deceived. But I cannot accept even for a moment that the heart of one who truly believes in God can be devoid of love and sympathy for creation (because that would be against human nature). The history of the world also bears witness to the fact that those who have a strong belief in God have a higher level of sympathy and love for mankind. When people’s belief [in God] weakens, their sentiments of love and brotherhood also decline. In short, there is absolutely no doubt that belief in God is the strongest, surest, and fastest acting motive for unity and brotherhood among the human race. As the sentiments of unity and brotherhood are essential for world peace and desirable progress and welfare of all nations, every wise person is obligated not to abandon this useful and blessed belief.
One may think that those who do not believe in God commonly treat others with love and sympathy and take interest in philanthropic activities, indicating that belief in God is not essential for such sentiments. Our answer is that we never claimed that such sentiments cannot be produced by anything other than belief in God. We believe that many factors produce such sentiments to a variable extent. However, we maintain that only belief in God can produce these sentiments in their most perfect form and in a comprehensive manner in mankind. Other factors in their capacity and quantity cannot compare with it. Therefore, our claim can be rejected only if it can be proven logically that belief in God cannot motivate sentiments of brotherhood and love; or if it can be demonstrated by experience and observation that those who do not believe in God are more sympathetic, philanthropic, and loving to mankind than those who believe in Him. Unless either of the two is established, no one has the right to contend that belief in God is not, or atheism is, conducive to such sentiments, merely on the grounds that an atheist also has such sentiments to some extent.
I cannot believe that a sensible person can accept even for a moment that atheism in itself can—or that belief in God cannot—be conducive to these sentiments. These two statements are so obviously unnatural and contrary to fitrah that no sensible person can accept them. If properly believed in, God is the focal point upon which all creation ultimately converges. The concept of unity and oneness are inseparably linked to this focal point; rejecting it [i.e. God] is tantamount to admitting that this universe has no centre or origin. As soon as you entertain this notion, ideas of unity and oneness start vanishing. Can anyone say that common fatherhood cannot lead to unity and brotherhood but separate fatherhood can? No, never! If, at times, sons of different fathers live together in peace and with love, we cannot conclude that common fatherhood cannot lead to love and brotherhood. We will instead infer that some other factors have brought them together at one point despite, but not because of, being sons of different fathers. Likewise, admittedly, if these sons of different fathers—strung together in unity and oneness by some factors despite this difference—were in fact sons of the same father, their mutual love and brotherhood would express itself more perfectly. Therefore, if atheists at times are found to be loving and sympathetic to other humans, this does not mean that belief in God is not needed anymore. These sentiments would manifest only in their perfect form, quantitatively and qualitatively, when, in addition to other motives for unity, people are united in their belief in God—when they regard themselves as originating from one source of creation and springing forth from one fountain of life.
My dear ones! How can I convince you that belief in God (if it is a real and living belief ) stirs up a vast ocean of love and sympathy for mankind and sentiments of brotherhood for them? It is impossible to find a parallel elsewhere. All other motives for such sentiments are empty rhetoric by comparison, both quantitatively and qualitatively.
If the question is asked, why does an atheist have these sentiments, there are generally two reasons. First, consciously or subconsciously, an atheist, influenced by teachings of religions in his environment, concludes that [expressing] sympathy and love for mankind is a good deed and not doing this will lower his standing among people. In addition to losing respect personally, he feels that he will give the people a chance to criticise his beliefs, saying that he lacks sentiments of love and brotherhood for mankind because he is an atheist. Therefore, intentionally or unintentionally, he tries not to lag behind those who believe in God in those deeds that are universally considered to be good. In other words, the spirit of competition and fear of disrepute motivate him to these acts. Obviously, these sentiments cannot find highest and most perfect expression in him and will never acquire the selfless and natural character found in one who believes in God. His love is like that of a stepmother, who shows love for the children of her husband’s deceased wife to please her husband or to guard against disrepute in the neighbourhood. But the people can tell the difference between a mother’s instinctive love that surges naturally in her bosom, and a stepmother’s pretensions—with perhaps rare exceptions. Second, like others, an atheist also realises that it is essential for the progress and welfare of mankind and the stability of social order that people live with mutual love and harmony and cooperate with each other in matters that promote physical, moral, intellectual, and economic welfare of the people. Therefore, an atheist, being a citizen of the world, develops such sentiments and takes an interest in such matters. Obviously, this state of affairs has a legal and business character and cannot produce the natural and sentimental ties produced by belief in God. A person who develops sentiments of sympathy for mankind for such reasons cannot attain the status of a person who has developed love and brotherhood for mankind because, considering that they are creation of one God, this passion has become part of his nature. In other words, whereas belief in God creates these sentiments in one’s heart in a natural way, the ideas that come from reflection draw one’s attention to it only in legal and business terms. The difference is obvious.
To summarise, the motives that arouse sympathy for mankind in an atheist can never lead him to the high level of nobility, attainable as a result of belief in God. Moreover, it should be remembered that other motives that arouse sympathy and love are general, from which a believer in God can benefit as well as an atheist. However, the sentiments created by belief in God are specific to the believers and an atheist cannot derive benefit from them. It is obvious when several factors exert their influence collectively, the result will definitely be more perfect. Therefore, belief in God emerges as beneficial and profitable from this point of view as well.
It should also be remembered that although all other motives of unity may produce—to some extent—the spirit of cooperation, sympathy, and sacrifice, they cannot produce the sentiment of brotherhood, for this can only develop if one Creator, Master, and Lord of mankind is acknowledged. Brotherhood implies that all of us originated from one source. However much cooperation or sympathy other motives may produce among individuals or nations, they can never produce brotherhood. From this point of view as well, the need for belief in God and its usefulness is established. It is obvious that unless sentiments of brotherhood and unity are born naturally in the human race, their apparent unity and cooperation cannot be such as can attain any reliable status. There will always be a danger of minor disputes stirring up selfishness and creating rancour and hostility. World peace will remain severely endangered unless and until people establish this belief as a living reality—that there is one God, who is our Creator and Master. Therefore, we should live like brothers and should not act unjustly in the face of a conflict; rather, we should be prepared to act selflessly and make sacrifices for each other. In fact, if one ponders carefully, it will be seen that legal and business ties are based on selfishness, because one knows that not investing in a good relationship with others would result in others doing the same, and this may affects one’s personal interests. Therefore, one adopts the policy of good behaviour as a safety measure and treats others with sympathy and cooperation, expecting them to reciprocate accordingly. Although the effect is useful and profitable to some extent, it cannot compare with the lofty and noble station wherein sentiments of brotherhood and unity are developed as natural feelings. That natural feeling which unfolds itself in the form of brotherhood can never be achieved without belief in God.