The question of God’s existence is the most profound enquiry that any human being can undertake. In Islam, belief in the existence of God is not derived through merely a matter of spiritual sentiment, through blind faith or through inherited tradition. Instead, the Islamic approach insists that belief (iman) in Allah must arise from enlightened, rational thought (al-fikr al-mustaneer) and not from blind faith, emotion or tradition alone. This approach makes Islam distinct amongst other religious traditions, as proof of God is profoundly rational, appealing directly to the human mind while resonating with our innate nature (fitrah).

To demonstrate this fitrah (the innate disposition of man), I’d like you to take just a few seconds to answer the following question: “If you woke up one day in an empty room, what thoughts would run through your mind?“. The sane person, thinking rationally, would ask; “Where am I?“, “How did I get here?“, and, “How do I get out?“. These are questions that man is inherently inclined to ask, and so, naturally, these questions must be asked in the real world too. And once we start asking these questions, we find that only Islam can answer these questions through rational foundations.

A Rational Foundation for Belief

The Islamic argument for God’s existence begins by observing the reality around us, i.e., observing man, life, and the universe. Through mere logic, we can easily conclude that man, life, and the universe are limited, imperfect, weak, and dependent. Man, for instance, can grow only to a certain limit before his body cannot sustain him, or he can only breathe under water for so long, before his lungs give way. Life, as we know it, manifests itself in these limited, imperfect, weak and dependant individuals and ends with them. We cannot, for example, give life to those who have left this world. And, the universe, comprising of celestial bodies, is also limited. There are only so many stars, planets and galaxies, even if, the number is beyond our limited comprehension.

Therefore, we conclude with another rational statement, which is; the sum of limited parts cannot be unlimited.

But can the Creator Himself be created? This leads to a rational impossibility. If He were created by something else, He would be dependent and limited. If He created Himself, this would imply that He existed before His own existence, an obvious absurdity. Thus, the only rational conclusion is that the Creator is eternal (azali) and indispensable in existence (wajib ul-wujood), depending on nothing while all else depends on Him. Therefore, belief in Allah as the eternal Creator is the only rational conclusion.

Qur’anic Encouragement of Rational Thought

Once the premise is accepted, that man, life and the universe are limited and dependent, the Qur’an instructs humans to use their senses and intellect to derive proof of the Creator’s existence. This is where Islam’s rational methodology is made vivid. Instead of appealing to mystery, Islam appeals to observation and reflection.

There are many Qur’anic verses that call upon man to reflect deeply on the natural world:

“Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of the day and night there are signs for people of reason.” [Al-Imran: 190]

“And one of His signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the diversity of your languages and colours. Surely in this are signs for those of ˹sound˺ knowledge.” [Ar-Rum: 22]

“Do they not ever reflect on camels—how they were ˹masterfully˺ created; and the sky—how it was raised ˹high˺; and the mountains—how they were firmly set up; and the earth—how it was levelled out?” [Al-Ghashiya: 17–20]

“Let people then consider what they were created from! ˹They were˺ created from a spurting fluid, stemming from between the backbone and the ribcage.” [At-Tariq: 5–7]

“Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth; the alternation of the day and the night; the ships that sail the sea for the benefit of humanity; the rain sent down by Allah from the skies, reviving the earth after its death; the scattering of all kinds of creatures throughout; the shifting of the winds; and the clouds drifting between the heavens and the earth—˹in all of this˺ are surely signs for people of understanding.” [Al-Baqarah: 164]

These verses are not poetic metaphors or vague spiritual imagery. They are intellectual challenges. They draw attention to the observable characteristics of the world and demand that man investigate the origin, order, and structure of things. Through this, the mind is led to the only rational conclusion: that there exists a Creator who is independent and eternal.

Islam Forbids Imitation in Belief

A crucial aspect of Islam’s rational method is its rejection of imitation in belief. It is not sufficient for one to say, “I believe in God because my parents did,” or “because my community believes so.” This emotion-led belief opens the door to superstition, distortion, and even polytheism. Islam warns against following the ways of one’s ancestors without rational verification:

“When it is said to them, “Follow what Allah has revealed,” they reply, “No! We ˹only˺ follow what we found our forefathers practicing.” ˹Would they still do so,˺ even if their forefathers had ˹absolutely˺ no understanding or guidance?” [Al-Baqarah: 170]

Emotion-based belief (wijdaan) is particularly susceptible to error. While Islam acknowledges the human fitrah, our innate inclination towards belief in a higher power, it does not base the proof of God solely on emotional instinct. Emotions can be unstable and susceptible to myth and superstition. Indeed, many forms of polytheism and superstition stem from unbridled emotional belief without rational anchoring. Islam safeguards belief by ensuring it passes through the filter of intellect.

Rational Belief Does Not Mean Comprehending God’s Essence

A subtle but essential distinction made in the Islamic approach is between belief in God’s existence and comprehending God’s essence. Islam holds that the human mind, while capable of recognising that God must exist, is inherently limited in its ability to understand what God is, without Him telling us.

This is because the mind is unable to comprehend what is beyond its bounds. For example, if I were to ask you; “think of a new colour“, you would not be able to so. So, we can rationally conclude, the mind is finite; it works within the parameters of what can be sensed, measured, and logically inferred. Since Allah is beyond man, life, and the universe, He is beyond the grasp of the mind’s comprehension. This limitation, however, does not undermine belief, it reinforces it. Recognising the limits of one’s cognitive capacity is part of the rational process.

Therefore, Islam teaches that:

• Belief in God’s existence is rational and based on empirical and intellectual reflection.
• Comprehension of God’s essence is beyond human capacity and must be accepted on divine authority.

So, while the human intellect is fully capable of arriving at the certainty of God’s existence through reflection on creation, it cannot grasp what Allah is in His essence. The Qur’an states:

“There is nothing like Him, for He ˹alone˺ is the All-Hearing, All-Seeing.” (Qur’an, Ash-Shura 42:11)

Furthermore, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said:

“Reflect upon the creation of Allah, and do not reflect upon Allah (Himself), for you will never be able to grasp His reality” (Sunan Abi Dawood, 4726)

This clearly delineates the Islamic position: rational reflection leads to firm belief in the Creator’s existence, but the essence of the Creator lies beyond the bounds of human intellect. Recognising this limit is not a weakness of belief, but a pillar of sound tawhid (monotheism).

Conclusion

Islam’s approach to proving God’s existence is not built on blind faith, inherited tradition, or mysticism, but on direct engagement with reality. By contemplating the limited, dependent nature of the universe, man arrives rationally at the existence of a necessary, eternal Creator.

In a world that often sees faith and reason as opposites, Islam provides a model where belief is the natural result of sincere reflection and enlightened thought. Islam challenges you to use your mind, rather than merely believe blindly, and this in itself bears the mark of truth, because truth does not fear scrutiny – which could arise from those who reflect. And so, I would like to conclude this, with:

“…Will you not then reflect?” (Surah Al-Anaam, 6:50)