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Ten Proofs for the Existence of God

Of all the objections raised against religion in the present age by the materialistic world, the greatest are those which relate to the existence of God. Idolaters associate partners with God, but at least they believe in His existence. Atheists, on the other hand, reject the very idea of a deity. The foundations of contemporary science are built on [the principle of ] observation; therefore, atheists argue that if there is a god he should be shown to them, otherwise it is impossible for them to believe in him. Modernity has eradicated the concept of the Holy God from the hearts of most of our youth. Hundreds of college students, barristers and other such professionals are turning away from belief in His existence and every day their number increases. Moreover, the hearts of thousands of others are devoid of faith in God, though they do not publicly confess it from fear of societal repercussions. Accordingly, I have long resolved that if God blessed me with the opportunity, I would write and publish a short treatise on this subject in the hope that some fortunate souls may benefit from it.

Atheists primarily contend that they would believe in God if they could see Him. I have heard this argument many times before and it always surprises me since people perceive different types of physical properties through different senses; for example, [some properties are perceived through] sight, others through touch, or smell, or sound or taste. As a case in point, colour is recognised through sight rather than by smell, touch or taste. Hence, if a person denied its existence on the grounds that they could not discern it by way of the faculty of sound, would they not be considered a fool? Similarly, sound itself is perceived through hearing. Again, would it not be ignorant for a person to insist they would only believe someone could speak once they had seen their voice? Likewise, fragrances are known through the sense of smell; yet, if someone were to claim they would only accept the truth of the aroma of a rose if they could taste it, could such a person be considered erudite and intelligent? In contrast, flavours such as sweet, sour, bitter, salty and so on are known by taste and can never be recognised through smell. Hence, it is not necessary to disbelieve in that which cannot be seen and accept only that which is visible to the naked eye. To do this would be to deny the existence of the fragrance of a rose, the sourness of a lime, the sweetness of honey, the bitterness of aloe, the hardness of iron and the beauty of the [human voice]; none of these phenomena are perceived through sight, rather through the faculties of smell, taste, touch and sound. Thus the assertion that one has to see God to believe in Him is gravely mistaken. Do such detractors recognise the fragrance of a rose or the sweetness of honey through their sight? If not, why do they insist on sight as the determining factor for belief in God?

Again, there are numerous parts of the human body whose presence we affirm without having viewed them and in fact we are compelled to admit to their existence. Do people believe in the heart, liver, brain, intestines, lungs and spleen only once they have seen them or do they recognise them otherwise? If a person tried to remove their organs in the hopes of being able to see them and prove that these organs existed, they would die before ever getting the chance to see them.

So far, I have cited examples which demonstrate that not all objects are recognised by sight alone, rather some are perceived by the five senses. I will now turn to those phenomena which are known, not through the five senses directly, but by different means. For example, the existence of the mind, intellect and memory is an accepted truth which no one in the world denies; yet has anyone ever seen the intellect, or heard, or tasted, or smelled it? How then was the intellect recognised and how was the existence of memory discerned? There is also strength: an ability which all beings, whether powerful or weak, possess to some degree. But, has anyone ever seen, heard, [smelled], touched or tasted it? Again, how then was the existence of strength established? It can be easily understood from this, even by the most ignorant of people, that such phenomena are determined not through our senses, but by contemplating their effects. For example, when we see people take the time to resolve the various problems that afflict them, it is evident that there is something within them that has assisted them at that moment; we call this thing intelligence. Thus the intellect is not discovered directly through the five senses. Its fundamental truth is determined by witnessing its wonders. Similarly, when a person carries a heavy load, it is clear they possess some sort of capacity which enables them to lift the weight, or to physically manipulate a weaker object; we refer to this as strength or power.

Accordingly, the more refined and subtle a thing is, the more imperceptible it is to the naked eye. Its existence is known through its effects rather than by looking upon it, by smelling it, by tasting it or by touching it.

Hence, when seeking to determine the existence of Allah the Exalted Who is the most subtle of all, it is unjustified to put limitations on the requirements for belief in His existence such as that His existence can only be attained through sight. Has anyone seen electricity? And yet is it possible to deny the truth of electricity when telegrams are sent by it, machines are operated by it and bulbs are lit by it? Modern research on ether has initiated many breakthroughs in the physical sciences, but have scientists been able to discover a method of seeing, hearing, smelling, touching, or tasting this compound? Yet if one denies its existence, the process by which sunlight reaches the earth cannot be explained. Therefore, under these circumstances, it is wrong [for atheists] to ask to see God in order to believe in Him. Allah the Exalted is certainly visible, but He can be observed only by such eyes as are capable of seeing Him. For those who desire to look upon Him, God stands before the world through His strength and power and despite being hidden, He is the most manifest of all. God Almighty explains this in the Holy Qur’an in the following brief yet incomparable words:

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The being of Allah the Exalted is such that eyes cannot reach Him but He reaches the eyes. And He is the Incomprehensible, the All-Aware.

Here Allah the Exalted draws the attention of human beings to the fact that their eyes are incapable of seeing Him for His being is subtle and the finest subtleties cannot be discerned by sight. Power, intelligence, the soul, electricity and ether cannot be seen; how then can the human sight penetrate to the subtleness of God’s being?

With that said, how are people meant to see God, and attain knowledge of His being? To this the Holy Qur’an says:

That is, He Himself reaches the human eye, and though it is too frail to penetrate to the truth of His being, God reveals Himself to human beings through His power, strength and the manifestation of His perfect attributes. The human eye cannot see Him and so He shows Himself in different ways through demonstrations of His infinite power and strength— whether by way of calamitous punishments, by way of the prophets, by way of signs of divine mercy or through the acceptance of prayer.

If after this explanation, the truth of God’s existence is still dependent on observation and it is argued nothing can be accepted until it is seen, then almost four-fifths of the phenomena of the world would have to be denied. And according to some philosophers this would be true for all phenomena, as in keeping with their beliefs, no worldly objects are perceivable, only their attributes can be observed.

I will now seek to present those proofs that establish the existence of God and strengthen human beings in the conviction that they have a creator and are not self-created.