Religion, which invites belief in God, has always faced opposition from those who view the universe itself as humanity’s creator. This is called atheism. Before the seventeenth century, religion and religious thought dominated politics on a global scale. For almost a thousand years after the advent of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), this dominance remained intact with the same authority. This duration has explicitly been described in the divine scriptures. It was a prophecy of God’s messengers, thus it was fulfilled to the letter, and now this dominance has ended globally. In the resulting environment, a large number of prominent standard-bearers of atheism have emerged, and they are making their case against religion with strong conviction and certainty. The case they present is fundamentally based on four objections. We will explain here the manner in which the Quran has responded to them:
The first objection is that the concept of God is the result of the intellectual evolution of mankind. Therefore, we can see that the God introduced by the Quran does not have any traces in the early history of humans. Wherever you look, the manifestations of polytheism are present in every direction, but monotheism is nowhere to be seen. Thus, the reality is that the concept of a single God gradually emerged in this history, and even then, it was presented by its proponents in various roles depending on the circumstances: in some places as a king, in others as an proud honorable husband, and in some and as a sympathizers of the poor, taking the position of a religious leader. Moreover, not just that, it (the concept of one God) has carried along the rites of worship from polytheistic religions were also carried along in this journey, and in every era, has demanded ascribing those rituals to it specifically. there was a demand to make these specifically one’s own. Keeping that in view, After this, how is it possible for any rational being to readily be ready to accept this God, created by humans, as their creator, master, and deity?
In response to this objection, it suffices to state must be stated that this tale of evolution is nothing more than a fiction. but a tale. It cannot finds any no basis in the realm of facts. The information obtained so far rRegarding the history of human religious thought, the information obtained so far can take us back at most five thousand years. However, is this also the age of humans on earth? If we consider the research carried out so far, even the lowest estimate of human existence on earth predates these figures by thousands of years. Then how can one refute the Quranic assertion that initially, all humans followed a single religion whose , under the guidance had directly descended from of their Lord Himself? Diversions eviations in their religious thought occurred afterward, leading to disputes. Polytheism came is from that era. Hence, the truth is that the journey of religious thought has been from monotheism to polytheism, not the other way around.
Allah Almighty says: It is said:
وَمَا كَانَ النَّاسُ اِلَّا٘ اُمَّةً وَّاحِدَةً فَاخْتَلَفُوْاﵧ وَلَوْلَا كَلِمَةٌ سَبَقَتْ مِنْ رَّبِّكَ لَقُضِيَ بَيْنَهُمْ فِيْمَا فِيْهِ يَخْتَلِفُوْنَ.
[They should not give reference of their forefathers with regard to this polytheism of theirs.] In reality, people were one community only; later they have differed with one another and had a matter not been decided by your Lord previously, the issue in which they are differing would have been decided among them.
(Surah Yunus 10:19)
The history of the last two thousand years also testifies to this truth. Scholars know that the beginning of this history was initiated with the call to monotheism by two distinguished prophets of God, Jesus and Muhammad, peace be upon them. However, afterwards, this, just observe how the mix of philosophy and mysticism has caused deviations in their teachings, to the extent that the followers of Jesus, peace be upon him, himself have turned him into the son of God and his mother into the Mother of God, praying to them for intercession, and among the followers of Muhammad, peace be upon him, people there have appeared arisen those who see the Unique (Ahad) behind the veil of Ahmad (Muhammad) and in a state of ecstasy exclaim:
وہی جو مستوی عرش تھا خدا ہوکر
اتر پڑا ہے مدینے میں مصطفیٰ ہوکر
He who was God, the Occupier of the throne,
Has descended in Medina in the guise of Mustafa (Muhammad).
Subsequently, it becomes unnecessary to seek further evidence to assert that worship rituals were essentially designated by God and for God alone, but when polytheism created its own objects of worship, it adopted these rites with some modifications for its own deities as well. Therefore, when the prophets were sent, their first and foremost demand from their people was e greatest demand made in their call to the people was this: O people, these rites of worship are exclusively for God and should remain soexclusive to Him, because only He is your sustainer, the king of the universe, and the only deity; there is no deity besides Him.
As for the perception that the concept of God appears to be different in divine scriptures, it is entirely this is merely based on due to a misunderstanding. These scriptures are the finest examples of sublime literature. Hence, it can be shown, on each occasion, by segregating the verses of these scriptures from the historical accounts of their compilers, how people have demonstrated tried to understand and explain them with a lack of knowledge, lack of contemplation, and tastelessness, tried to understand and explain them, thus completely destroying their beauty with their interpretations. After that, it can only be said that: (how did my verse reach the Madrasah?)شعر مرابہ مدرسہ کہ برد۔
The second Another objection posits the manner in which religious adherents have perceived and consequently developed religious thought embodies a collection of contradictions. series of inconsistencies. There is a lack of consensus on the concept of God, His attributes and actions, His ways of dealing with humans, His commands and guidance, His demands from humans, or Hhis conjectures regarding humans and the universe; as if to say: all friends have brought a different news from They have brought different news from the gathering of elegance, my friend!(لائے ہیں بزم ناز سے یار خبر الگ الگ۔) After this, can any sane person be expected tothat he will consider this collection of contradictions worthy of attention or will believe in it?
The response to this objection is that these differences are an inevitable result of theinv capacity for understanding existential realities and deriving conclusions from them, which has been granted to humans., inevitably leads to these differences. The achievements humans have displayed in this world are all the fruits of this capacity. There is no doubt that its misuse has led to problems, but upon reflection, it becomes evident that this very ability is the true honor of a human being. It is what makes a person human. The Creator made him this way and has also promised eternal life with this very capability. After this, how can one expect God to snatch this ability from humans just to it be expected that to create unity in the understanding of guidance., He would take away this ability from humans? Absolutely not, He has clearly decreed that آاِکْرَاہَ فِی الدِّیْنِ (There is no compulsion in religion), meaning no one is forced in matters of faith, nor will they ever be.
However, this does not mean that as a result, humans have been left to wander lost in the labyrinths of disagreements. The Quran has stated that the religion of God is only one, and it has always been known as ‘Islam’, but as soon as this state of confusion in understanding emerged, God began sending His prophets to every nation, and with them, He also sent down His scriptures. These scriptures were revealed as a scale(Meezan) and criterion(Furqan) to distinguish between truth and falsehood so that people could resolve their differences through them and thus establish justice in matters of truth. The Almighty says: It is commanded:
كَانَ النَّاسُ اُمَّةً وَّاحِدَةًﵴ فَبَعَثَ اللّٰهُ النَّبِيّٖنَ مُبَشِّرِيْنَ وَ مُنْذِرِيْنَﵣ وَاَنْزَلَ مَعَهُمُ الْكِتٰبَ بِالْحَقِّ لِيَحْكُمَ بَيْنَ النَّاسِ فِيْمَا اخْتَلَفُوْا فِيْهِ .
[They present differences among people as a pretext for their hypocrisy. They should know that] mankind was just a single community. Then [differences arose between them. So,] God sent forth prophets as bearers of glad tidings and as warners, and with them He sent down His Book as the decisive truth so that it may settle between people the differences among them.
(Surah Al-Baqarah 2:213)
The last scripture in this series is the Holy Quran. In the world of divine literature, it is now the only book about which it can be said with complete certainty that it is in our hands exists in our possession exactly as it was given, without any slightest alteration, in the same language, and the same order. Its continuous transmission(tawatur) itself is a miracle, because it is the only book in the world that even now, millions of Muslims can recite orally from memory—from the first chapter (Al-Hamd) to the last (Al-Naas). History informs us that this tradition of recitation has not been interrupted even for a single day over the past fourteen hundred years. This clearly indicates that its preservation has been arranged by the Creator of the world Himself. The aspects of the Quran to which the Quran itself draws attention at various places, as described in the words of Imam Amin Ahsan Islahi, are as follows:
First, during the time of revelation of the Qur’ān, the Almighty made arrangements that the devils were unable to interfere in the process of divine revelation in any way. Although there is a permanent arrangement to prevent the devils from eavesdropping and listening to divine matters, we have explained in the exegesis of Sūrah al-Jinn that during the time of the revelation of the Qur’ān special arrangements were made in preventing devils from meddling in revelations in any way so that nothing is able to enter the Qur’a#n from in front of it (مِنۡۢ بَيۡنِ يَدَيۡهِ).
Second, the angel which the Almighty selected to reveal the Qur’ān has been called by the Qur’ān (81:20-21) as “the one endued with power, held in honour before the Lord of the Throne, obeyed in Heavens, moreover trustworthy.” In other words, the angel is so powerful that evil spirits cannot overpower him; he is the head of all angels and he cannot forget anything. Whatever is entrusted to him by the Almighty, he fully protects. There is not a semblance of a chance that the slightest of change can take place in the revelation entrusted to him. He has a very high rank before the Almighty which shows that he is ahead of all other creatures as far as abilities are concerned – It is obvious that all this elaborate arrangement has been made to close the doors to any evil entering the Qur’ān from its very origin.
Third, the very person who was entrusted with the Qur’ān was firstly, the best of human beings in all respects and secondly, the responsibility of memorizing, arranging and safeguarding the Qur’ān was taken up by the Almighty: لَا تُحَرِّكْ بِهٖ لِسَانَكَ لِتَعْجَلَ بِهٖ . اِنَّ عَلَيْنَا جَمْعَهٗ وَقُرْاٰنَهٗ . فَاِذَا قَرَاْنٰهُ فَاتَّبِعْ قُرْاٰنَهٗ . ثُمَّ اِنَّ عَلَيْنَا بَيَانَهٗ. (75: 16-19) (To acquire this Qur’ān [O Prophet!] Do not move your tongue hastily over it. Indeed, upon Us is its collection and recital. So when We have recited it, follow this recital [of Ours]. Then upon Us is to explain it [wherever need be], (75:16-19)). It is evident from various narratives that whatever text of the Qur’ān was revealed the Prophet (sws) and his close Companions (rta) would memorize it. In every Ramaḍān, the Prophet (sws) read it out to Gabriel or listened to it from him so that no possibility of any error or omission could remain and this reading out or listening was according to the sequence the Almighty had arranged it. Also evident from certain narratives is that in the last Ramaḍān of his life, this mutual presentation of the Qur’ān took place twice. Then in this very arrangement and recital the whole of the Qur’ān was written down and later the rightly guided caliphs sent its copies to various cities.* This elaborate treatment was not received by any of the previous scriptures and about the Torah no one knows when its constituent scriptures were assembled and who was responsible for this task.
Fourth, the Qur’ān is a miracle with regard to its eloquent selection of words and the meanings they convey. And so distinct is it in this aspect to other discourses that they cannot match it. So much so, the words of the Prophet (sws) himself – who was the recipient of the Qur’ān and the most eloquent among everyone – could not rival it. Thus there is no possibility that any extraneous addition be made to it. Consequently, works of people who have dared to answer the challenge of the Qur’ān to bring something similar to it are preserved in history and literature. If a person compares them with the Qur’ān, he will notice the same difference between them If this was done, it was done to spread copies of the Qur’ān to various parts of the empire the way Muslim governments do even today. This should not be a cause of any misconception that an official codex of the Qur’ān was prepared at the state level. The way the Qur’ān is transmitted today, from the very beginning also scribes by writing it and memorizers by memorizing it have been transmitting it to the next generations. It was never in need of an official copy. as between a pearl and a pebble. In this manner, it is as if the doors to any adulteration from the rear too (مِنۡ خَلۡفِهٖ) have been closed.
Fifth, together with the promise of protecting the Qur’ān, the Almighty has also promised to protect and safeguard its language until the Day of Judgement. Because of the fact that the languages of some divine scriptures became extinct a lot of changes and interpolations were introduced by way of translations and we have no clue about them now. However, the real language of the Qur’ān is safe and sound and will remain so until the Day of Judgement. Hence there is no possibility of any evil creeping into it by way of translations and commentaries. If anyone tries to introduce some evil in it, men of learning can easily sift it out by testing it against the original text. (Amīn Aḥsan Iṣlāḥī, Tadabbur-i Qur’ān, vol. 7, 111)
“One is that during the period of the Quran’s revelation, Allah Almighty specifically ensured that the devils(shaytan) could not interfere with the revelation of the Quran. It is a permanent arrangement in this cosmic system that devils cannot hear the discussions of the celestial assembly, but especially during the period of the Quran’s revelation this arrangement was made so that the devils could not insert anything in it before it (min bayni yadayhi, مِنْۣ بَيْنِ يَدَيْهِ).
The sSecond is that, for this task, Allah Almighty chose one of His angels whose qualities are described in the Quran with phrases such as ‘ذِيْ قُوَّةٍ’, obeyed, strong, trustworthy, and ‘عِنْدَ ذِي الْعَرْشِ مَكِيْنٍ’. That is, the angel is so mightily powerful that evil spirits cannot overcome him, he is the leader of all angels, he cannot forget anything. Any trust granted to him by Allah Almighty, he executes precisely. There is no possibility of even a single dot being misplaced. He is very close to Allah Almighty, which signifies that he surpasses all creation in terms of his abilities. Of course, this arrangement has also been made so that the possibility of any falsehood entering the Quran from its source is eliminated.
Thirdly, the task of carrying this trust, the human chosen by Allah Almighty was firstly the best of creation in every aspect, and secondly, the responsibility for remembering the Quran and its preservation and arrangement was not placed solely on him, but Allah Himself took up this responsibility. Hence, in Surah Al-Qiyamah, it is said: ‘لَا تُحَرِّكْ بِهٖ لِسَانَكَ لِتَعْجَلَ بِهٖ. اِنَّ عَلَيْنَا جَمْعَهٗ وَقُرْاٰنَهٗ. فَاِذَا قَرَاْنٰهُ فَاتَّبِعْ قُرْاٰنَهٗ . ثُمَّ اِنَّ عَلَيْنَا بَيَانَهٗ.’ (And do not hasten with recitation of the Quran before its revelation is completed to you[O Prophet], and it is Our duty to collect it and to recite it. So when We have recited it [through Gabriel], then follow its recitation. Then upon Us is its clarification). Narratives confirm that the portion of the Quran that had been revealed was kept memorized by the Prophet, peace be upon him, and his close companions and every Ramadan the Prophet would review it with Angel Gabriel to ensure there was no chance of error or forgetfulness, and this review was done in the order that Allah Almighty had preferred to arrange the Quran. It is also known from narratives that the Prophet, peace be upon him, conducted this review twice during the last Ramadan of his blessed life. Then the entire Quran was transferred to written form in that same order and with the same recitation, and later the Rightly Guided Caliphs sent its copies to other cities of the state. No previous scriptures received such attention and care in its arrangement. For instance, it is not even known when and by whose hands the different scrolls of the Torah were compiled.
The fourth point is that the Quran is a miracle with respect to its eloquence in words and its profundity in meanings, making it such that the speech of others cannot be integrated with it. Even the speech of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, despite his being the bringer of the Quran and the most eloquent among the Arabs and non-Arabs, cannot compete with it. Thus, there is no chance that the speech of another could be mixed with it. The nonsensical attempts of those who have dared to produce a response to the Quran are recorded in the books of literature and history. Just place their examples in comparison with the Quran, and you will see the difference between substance and fluff as clear as day. In this way, the path for interpolation into the Quran from behind (وَلَا مِنْ خَلْفِهٖ) has been effectively blocked.
Fifth, along with the protection of the Quran, Allah Almighty has also promised the preservation of its language until the Day of Judgment. In the case of other heavenly scriptures, countless distortions entered through translations, due to the disappearance of their original languages, and now it is impossible to trace them. However, the original language of the Quran is preserved and will remain so until the Day of Judgment. Therefore, there is no chance for the intrusion of falsehood into it through translations and interpretations. If there is any attempt to insert falsehood into it, scholars can examine it against the original and cleanly separate out the falsehood.”
(Tadabbur-e-Quran 7/112)
The third objection is that religion invites belief in a God whose behavior is extremely cruel. He makes children cry and kills them through illnesses and suffering, makes humans slaughter millions of animals daily and pits them against each other, does not stop a murderer or oppressor but instead provides them with opportunities to commit their injustices, creates countless creatures just so that humans can domesticate them and rule over them, utilizing every aspect of them for their own use, and even encourages humans to fight and kill each other, promising rewards for it. Moreover, this world created by Him is not perfect in every regard. It has earthquakes, lightning, famines, and pains.Not only this, t, and even deficiencies can also could be pointed out in some places. How can one believe it be believed that such an entity is the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, the All Knowing, and the All Wise, with an unlimited mind and boundless power?
The answer given by the Quran to this objection is that the world where God’s attributes of perfection, majesty, and beauty will predominantly manifest is currently hidden from our view, and human beings were essentially created for that world. The colossal universe and its billions of galaxies that appear barren in front of Him us are merely the materials for the construction of that world, scattered throughout the vast expanse of space. The Quran states that the day is not far when this world will be transformed into a different earth and sky, and all creatures will stand exposed before Allah, the One and the Overpowering. Thereafter, a new world will come into existence, with its expanse as large as the entire universe. This will be a world of God’s dominion judgment and His mercy and favor. The world in which we open our eyes of conscience to is merely a prelude to that world. It is not set up for administering divine justice, nor to display the entirety of His splendor. Its sole purpose is to test us, and both jinn and humankind are in a state of trial. It is said:
الَّذِيْ خَلَقَ الْمَوْتَ وَالْحَيٰوةَ لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ اَيُّكُمْ اَحْسَنُ عَمَلًاﵧ وَهُوَ الْعَزِيْزُ الْغَفُوْرُ.
[He] Who created death and life to test you as to which of you does better deeds. And He is also Mighty and Forgiving.
(Surah Al-Mulk 67:2)
As a result, existence in this world is inextricably intertwined with dualities: life with death, joy with sorrow, pleasure with pain, tranquility with anxiety, relief with affliction. Blessings, too, are often accompanied by tribulations, as if these pairs were designed as inseparable twains. This world is a place of regrets of the past and fears of the future. The knowledge and wisdom gifted to humanity are for the purpose of understanding this reality. The Quran declares that this realization is the true wisdom, and whoever grasps it, attains a great treasure of good. It is through this understanding that a person recognizes the limits of human knowledge, and instead of blaming God, attempts to comprehend His plan with humility and confession of their incapacity, always praying to God remaining in prayer: “My Lord! Increase me in knowledge” (ورَّبِّ زِدْنِيْ عِلْمًا). The greatest deprivation of the disciplines of science in fields of knowledge and philosophy is the lack of this wisdom. It is the lack of this wisdom that gives rise to objections against God and consigns humanity to perpetual darkness, beyond which there is no light.
The fourth objection is that in the era of human infancy, there might have been a need for a religion, but now that human beings are mature and intelligent, they have to discovered the key to solving every problem through their knowledge and science, based on experience, observation, deduction, and induction. They have also come to understand the universe around them to a great extent, and for the organization of society and the needs of politics and economy, they have created highly sophisticated social structures and institutions. By observing these, one can estimate how superior and elevated human knowledge is compared to those religious laws which human beings have been carrying around their his necks in the name of religion for centuries. After this, who would be willing to accept these religious laws at any level?
In response to this objection, it is stated that only those who are unfamiliar with religion can make such a comparison. It is because The reason for this assertion is because religious guidance never targeted any of these issues. n did not have to was never intended for any of these purposes. It has neither been was not revealed to teach humans the laws of science, nor was it meant to fulfill their medical needs, nor to teach them how to organize society and address the needs of politics and economy by creating social structures and institutions. Whatever humans have accomplished in this world was meant to be done by humans themselves. Their Creator endowed them with extraordinary powers and abilities for this purpose. The objective of religion is the purification of a person’s knowledge and actions, and of their individual and collective life. The contents of religion, describedreligion described as , in terms of the terminology of Sharia include, are chosen for teachings and guidance regarding worship, commands for the physical cleanliness, purification of the body, guidelines for the purification of food and drink, and instructions for the purgation ification of moral conducts. Allnd all these things are essentially not required for this world, but are sought for the hereafter. It is God’s decree that His paradise is only for those who will attain purification in the above matters. purify themselves. Apart from these Beyond this, religion has no interest in anything else. Therefore, to understand God’s law, it must be understood in light of this objective and goal. Its the necessity will also be determined from this angle of it will also be decided accordingly, and its status and rank among the sciences and arts of the world will also be determined accordingly with this consideration.
هُوَ الَّذِيْ بَعَثَ فِي الْاُمِّيّٖنَ رَسُوْلًا مِّنْهُمْ يَتْلُوْا عَلَيْهِمْ اٰيٰتِهٖ وَيُزَكِّيْهِمْ وَيُعَلِّمُهُمُ الْكِتٰبَ وَالْحِكْمَةَﵯ وَاِنْ كَانُوْا مِنْ قَبْلُ لَفِيْ ضَلٰلٍ مُّبِيْنٍ.
It is He who brought forth among the unlettered a Messenger from among them, who recites to them His revelations and purifies them and for this instructs them in the Law and in Wisdom. In reality, these people were in manifest error before this.
(Surah Al-Jumu’ah 62:2)