Abstract
The world can be divided between atheism and theism, a division that also fuels its social conflicts, moral outlook, and social evolution. If not for the question of why God did not create everything in peace, harmony, and reconciliation, we might not have seen this division. Atheism thrives and lives on the consideration of a merciful God allowing suffering, hardship, and punishment while theism on the belief in divine tests practiced through higher values. However, the arguments for theism and atheism are still ongoing while affecting humanity at large. Even though theism is not as strong globally as it was at some time in the past, it still has a considerable influence in many major areas of the world. Islamic theism is a major influence driving the politics and addressing social conflicts in the Middle East and many other parts of the world. This discussion analyses both Islamic theism and atheism comparatively arguing for Islamic theism and against atheism. As atheism has no authoritative sources like Islamic theism has in the Quran and Hadith the atheistic perspectives are largely dependent upon its leading proponents and history. The discussion finds atheism is great for those who have wealth, resources, and influence while theism is best suited to make positive changes for humanity as a whole. Atheism is then a luxury while theism is a necessity. The reader is strongly urged to consider the footnotes for greater understanding.
Keywords
Atheism, Theism, God, Creation, Morality, Evolution, Religion
1. Islam: A Short Spiritual, Social, Political and Cultural Introduction
Racism, nationalism, aristocracy, tribalism, and similar secular concepts are rooted in the idea of belonging to a biological, geographical, or material group. In contrast, Islam is founded on the commitment to divine values, beliefs, and actions. Islam stands out as the most inclusive and universal system and ideology, with a message of peace achieved through justice. The peaceful message of Islam emerges from its various aspects: its political message advocates resistance against tyranny, persecution, and exploitation; its legal message promotes justice and deterrence; its economic message emphasizes equity and welfare; its social message encourages morality and charity; its military message supports defense and protection of the oppressed; and its spiritual message fosters humility, repentance, prayer, and mercy. Islam grants every individual, regardless of their faith or loyalty to God, rights such as the right to life, justice, sustenance, knowledge, welfare, charity, marriage, family, self-defense against injustice, property, freedom from liability, and limited religious freedom. These rights ensure that everyone has the opportunity to discover Allah and His religion and be accountable for their free actions.
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Table 1. Islamism vs secular “isms”
Islamism | Secular “isms” |
Islam is from God and promotes divine values | Secular “isms” are from the people and promote the values of their dominant ethnicity/group |
Islam’s call is universal | Nationalism is for it’s people. |
Islamism is a construct based on adherence to divine values, beliefs, and actions derived from revealed texts of the Quran and Sunnah | Racism, nationalism, aristocracy, tribalism, etc. these secular constructs are based on a sense of belonging to a biological, geographical and/or ethnic group |
Islam differentiates based on faith, piety and merit | Nationalism differentiates based on ethnicity |
Islamism prioritizes the interests of Islamic texts (implementation and practice) achieving divine justice, equity, and fairness | Nationalism prioritizes interests of monetary profit, empowerment of its dominant ethnicity/group, and enforcement of its ethnocultural influence |
Islamism supports reason, proportionality, and evidence | Nationalism supports emotional bias, collective demonization, collective punishment, and propaganda |
Islamism prioritizes merit and piety in people | Nationalism prioritizes the men and women of its dominant ethnicity/group |
Islamism gives everyone with proven merit and uprightness an equitable opportunity for job and income | Nationalism only prioritizes the people and businesses of its dominant ethnicity/group |
Islamism is based on balanced emotion, absolute reason, and devoted spirituality | Nationalism is based on deviant extremist emotion, irrationalism, and ancestral veneration |
Islamism is the brotherhood of faith and divine values | Nationalism is the brotherhood of skin color and shared ethnic traits of language and ethnic culture |
Ethics and morals in Islamism is based on the Quran, Sunnah, and Ahl Bayt | Ethics and morals in nationalism are based on whatever empowers the ethnicity and its people irrespective of the means and ends. |
Islamism obligates selfless altruism | Nationalism demands selfish Darwinian moral adherence |
In Islamism, justice transcends ethnicity, map, or jurisdiction | In Nationalism, justice is limited and often impeded by slogans of national interest and ethnic empowerment. |
Islamism sees foreigners under it as equal because foreigners must pay Islamic taxes and adhere to Islamic law | Nationalism sees foreigners under it as an exploitable opportunity |
Islamism rejects nationalism, racism, tribalism, secularism, and aristocracy starting in the minds, beliefs, and words, and then action when opportunities arise or are created. | Nationalism rejects Islamism and/or pollutes it by trying to make Islam nationalist. |
2. What Is Atheism
Evolution serves as a replacement for God in atheism, with atheists attributing decision-making power to evolutionary processes
| [3] | Dawkins, R. (2006), Chapter 3. The God delusion. London Black Swan. |
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. Even atheists, on some level, vaguely acknowledge the concept of a supreme intelligent being. While atheism supports the idea of macroevolution, this belief is not fully backed by scientific evidence, as macroevolution cannot be tested, observed, or falsified. Some theories suggest that life may have originated from multiple ancestor cells or sources
. However, on what scientific grounds does atheism accept "millions of years" as the timeframe for evolutionary changes? Atheism denies the supernatural aspects of Islam through evolution and natural selection and dismisses Islamic law through the lens of secular Western ethnocentrism.
Atheism explains the functioning of a watch but then denies the existence of a watchmaker. It also denies the concept of a just afterlife, where good and bad people receive their due rewards or punishments, despite lacking scientific evidence for such a conclusion. Atheism claims that science is the only way to discover truth, yet this claim itself is not scientifically validated
. The scientific process of induction relies on faith in limited evidence, but theism argues that science works because God ensures it. Additionally, morality cannot be scientifically proven. Atheism tends to promote selfishness, solipsism, and a focus on immediate material gratification
| [4] | Hitchens, C. (2017), Chapter 1, 3, 6. God is not great: how religion poisons everything. Atlantic Books. |
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3. Morality, Justice, and Atheism
Atheism views human beings as naturally solipsistic
| [4] | Hitchens, C. (2017), Chapter 1, 3, 6. God is not great: how religion poisons everything. Atlantic Books. |
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, meaning it perceives humans as inherently self-centered and bad, leading to apathy and selfishness. In contrast, the Quran teaches that every human is born with a conscience from God and an innate sense of right and wrong. Humans are primarily inclined toward good, but this moral conscience can only be preserved and developed through continuous obedience to and worship of God .
In atheism, morality is often practiced based on reciprocity, kinship, and the pursuit of reputation and influence
| [5] | Dawkins, R. (2006), Chapter 6. The God delusion. London Black Swan. |
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as these behaviors increase biological survival by protecting and acquiring resources. This approach, however, can lead to unethical behaviors, especially conflicts over resources. Islamic morality, on the other hand, is practiced for a higher purpose, rooted in love and obedience to God , and it positively influences our lives. Islamic morality is selfless, whereas atheistic morality is often seen as selfish. If moral inclinations were biologically driven like hunger or sexual desire, global suffering and evil would have been eradicated by now.
Atheism claims moral progress has been achieved without God, citing examples like the abolition of slavery and the fight against the oppression of women and the abuse of children. However, in reality, new forms of exploitation have emerged, such as corporate capitalism’s exploitation of labor, the objectification of women under the guise of feminism, and the sexualization of children. Islamic guidance, law, and morality are beneficial and have positive scientific, social, and existential consequences, while a godless conscience and social system can lead to greater social harm. For example, serial killers may commit crimes out of a twisted sense of pleasure, rapists may be driven by the provocative stimuli of the nude feminine physique, and corporations may engage in injustice and exploitation under the banner of competition, individualism, and success. Social, economic, racial, and ethnic inequities can result in frustration and crime, which are against Islamic principles.
Atheists argue that theists practice morality out of fear of punishment, but this is a misconception. In Islam, love is essential for faith., and the fear of God is similar to a child’s respectful fear of their parents, which is coupled with love. The Quran invites diverse humanity to Islam using various methods, including the promise of rewards, philosophical arguments, and historical, social, psychological, and political reasoning, with the threat of punishment being just one among many.
Do we need God and religion to be moral? We do need to be highly and consistently moral but without them, we can be moral inconsistently and unstably just as the picture of secular societies shows: apathy, greed, racism, xenophobia, hedonism and materialism, corruption, exploitation, injustice, sexual and moral perversions that resulted in a gradual heading towards self-annihilation of the species. Atheistic or agnostic morality also results in the moral zeitgeist of the dominant culture rather than complete, justified, and objective standards through God and His religion. Reason is insufficient to achieve moral truths and evolution due to its limit based on limited yet evolving knowledge. God and His religion is the most satisfactory and rational appeal due to its objectivity, God's perfect knowledge, and absolute justice. No other moral theory, principle, or rule except God proposes for man the necessity to submit to a higher power and see himself as lowly and inferior, and as long as this belief of humility and inferiority does not take hold of the man and as long as humanity is not certain of inescapable accountability and higher judgment, he will ever be highly vulnerable to deviance and evil. Undoubtedly, if one sincerely believes in God and practices His religion sincerely, these will be the most powerful control mechanisms toward moral triumph. One must remember that the evil of religious people or subscribers of religion is different from the evil of religion if any, and this evil of people arises from secular motives or ignorance.
In practice, atheistic countries have often been police states
| [2] | David-Fox, M. (2023). The Secret Police and the Soviet System. University of Pittsburgh Press. |
| [11] | PUCCI, M. (2020). Security Empire: The Secret Police in Communist Eastern Europe. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv138wqz9 |
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, employing oppressive, unjust laws to instill fear and maintain order. Political atheism, such as communism, has concentrated power, enforced atheistic indoctrination, and demanded strict adherence to authority. The actions of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) toward Uyghurs, religious minorities, Hong Kong, and Tibet demonstrate this pattern
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Atheism criticizes Islam for restricting diet and limiting the enjoyment of fine foods and drinks, questioning why Islam prohibits pork and alcohol
| [4] | Hitchens, C. (2017), Chapter 1, 3, 6. God is not great: how religion poisons everything. Atlantic Books. |
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. The Islamic diet, however, is based on rational and ethical principles, requiring food to be hygienic, healthy, and beneficial, with animals being treated and killed humanely. Pork is prohibited because it is considered unclean, as pigs consume filth and sometimes even their own young or excrement
| [4] | Hitchens, C. (2017), Chapter 1, 3, 6. God is not great: how religion poisons everything. Atlantic Books. |
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. The rise of pork as a common food in medieval Europe was due to its cheapness and its utility in cleaning streets, farms, and homes. As for alcohol, Islam prohibits it because its harms far outweigh any potential benefits
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4. Atheism, Supernatural, and the Afterlife
Muslims deduce specific truths about the supernatural and the afterlife based on general truths, such as the Quran's scientific and linguistic miracles
, fulfilled prophecies, and the exemplary character of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Additionally, atheism is challenged to consider the testimonies of countless witnesses throughout history who claim to have experienced supernatural beings and events.
What atheism dismisses as fantasy is, in fact, a new reality for a transcendent existence. This existence envisions humans in a pure biological, moral, spiritual, and environmental state, free from filth, weakness, sickness, envy, conflict, stress, and anxiety. It involves a life characterized by purity, hygiene, non-intoxicating drinks, a clean and refreshing natural environment, and a peaceful, beautiful existence.
Atheism argues that religious experiences, particularly in Islam, are hallucinations or signs of mental disorder. However, a mental disorder is characterized by feelings or behaviors beyond one's control that lead to distress and dysfunction, whereas experiences with God and Islam typically lead to discipline, commitment, and determination.
Atheism also claims that the Prophet Muhammad hallucinated in the cave, but this assertion lacks medical evidence. The Prophet witnessed a miracle, producing the Quran despite being illiterate. The Quran contains scientific information and prophecies, which are unlikely to have been produced by someone suffering from hallucinations. Moreover, it is implausible for someone with a mental disorder to lay the foundations of a great civilization and establish comprehensive political, legal, economic, social, and moral systems.
The claim that the Prophet copied the Quran from the Bible is unfounded. Any similarities between the two texts suggest a common divine source. Furthermore, the Prophet’s illiteracy prevented him from reading or writing, ensuring that accusations of plagiarism would not arise. Notably, none of the Prophet's contemporaries accused him of copying from the Bible; instead, they accused him of magic and sorcery, implying a non-human origin for his message.
Atheism finds it strange that the Quran suggests someone else was crucified in Jesus' place, but mistaken identity is a common occurrence, even in the modern age. In Roman Palestine, where Jewish adult males often dressed and looked alike, the likelihood of mistaken identity was even higher. The Romans were more concerned with maintaining order than with apprehending Jesus or dealing with Jewish prophecies, so the Quranic account of someone else being crucified is entirely plausible.
Atheism rejects miracles and offers scientific explanations for them, arguing that miracles violate established scientific laws. However, miracles, performed only by prophets when necessary, are acts that transcend human capability at the time they occurred. While future technological advancements might replicate these miracles, they would still be considered miraculous because the knowledge and technology required did not exist during the prophets' lifetimes. For instance, the Prophet Muhammad's journey to the heavens, which took place within our space and time, may seem like science fiction today but could become a reality in the future, similar to other scientific breakthroughs.
Atheism ridicules the idea of trusting in God and praying, but science has been used to distance people from believing in God. Muslims should understand that much of science is preordained, with God as the programmer who can update His creation as needed, such as by increasing a medicine’s efficacy or its side effects. Trust in God means leaving the outcome to His will after making efforts based on knowledge, reason, and sufficient resources .
Atheism accuses Muslims of being lazy and relying solely on prayer for solutions. However, Islam advocates for reasonable prayer, emphasizing that prayer is not a substitute for effort and planning. Muslims should not expect miracles from prayer, and they must understand that any prayer may be rejected by Allah. Prayer is a means of seeking Allah’s help, and His response to prayer is rational and does not violate the scientific and logical systems He created.
How can one know if their prayer has been accepted? It is not always possible to know for sure, but a sharp mind can sometimes discern this based on relevant variables related to the prayer. Some general indicators that a prayer may have been accepted include:
1. Something with a very low probability of happening occurs or keeps happening after the prayer. For example, a medication that gave you always bad side effects started working suddenly after your prayer or throughout your prayer
2. A logical and possible event becomes true for the person after their prayer. For example, your diabetes becomes critically low in hypoglycemia but God saves you from most of its severe symptoms.
3. A person who was previously bad, unable, or misguided suddenly exhibits positive changes after the prayer. An example is a person who is miserly and too hasty to earn profit making bad decisions but still was able to make a lot of profit and wealth for you, in a place where people are mostly bad, cheat, etc. while you were praying to God to care for your life.
Even if these events happen without prayer, it is still considered God's will, though the reasons may be unknown. On the other hand, one cannot always conclude that a prayer has been accepted just because the desired outcome occurs. It might have happened due to someone's free will, such as a good doctor properly treating a patient when others were negligent. If prayer was involved, perhaps God accepted it by inspiring the right person to act. Even in the absence of prayer, such events warrant gratitude toward God for the good conscience He created in others. The most certain way to know if a prayer has been accepted is through divine revelation.
5. Atheism and God
Does God exist? God’s existence can be proven through reason which is known as rational thought. As God is not a substance or subject of the experiment or observation empirical processes and models cannot be used to establish the existence of God. Many inferential rational arguments have been proposed.
Argument from cause states cause and effect form the foundation of the first cause argument. The premise is that nothing in our world originated from nothing and that everything that exists has a cause. Since humans are accustomed to seeing cause and effect in daily situations, it is simple to relate to this argument. The world had to have been created by someone or something. God is the cause, and the world is the result. Now God is the greatest cause as well that cannot be caused by something greater.
Argument from design states existence has a design with all its logical constructs such as repetitions, processes, conditions, variables, and cause and effect. A chaotic existence would not have these constructs but as it has then it follows that it has a designer that we call God.
Argument from fine-tuning states sensitive factual or property dependences on specific parameter values are referred to as "fine-tuning." Devices that use technology are prime examples of fine-tuning. The parameters that characterize the composition, configuration, and physical characteristics of their constituents—such as their elasticity, conductivity, and coefficient of thermal expansion—are highly sensitive to whether they perform as intended. Technical engineers and manufacturers are the real "fine-tuners" who create and construct technological devices; however, for the purposes of this article, sensitivity to specific parameter values is sufficient fine-tuning. The universe's ability to support life depends delicately on a number of its fundamental features, most notably the structure of the laws of nature, the values of some of nature's constants, and elements of the conditions present in the universe when it was first formed. One common way to interpret the observation that our universe appears to have been designed with life in mind is to suggest that there is a cosmic designer who brought about favorable conditions for life.
Arguments from morality state morality demands guaranteed justice. So, if we do not get this justice in the world, then there must be a world where guaranteed justice must be attained, and this world is what we call heaven and hell. If there is heaven and hell then there must be an absolute judge who we call God. Without God, I do not need to believe in concepts of morality such as good and bad, right and wrong. The alleged evolution from ape is physical and in no way necessitates moral adherence. Thus, without God, I am morally unaccountable. God is thus a moral necessity.
Argument from possibilities states we can also establish God’s existence from possibilities. The universe with its fundamental rules and constraints is a possibility from many possibilities. It could have been a world like the “upside down” film, but it is not. This possibility of present universe as we know it, from other type of universes show a decision. The decision implies a will and “will” implies Intelligence. This is what we call God who is Intelligent. Also, it could have been possible for the universe to not exist, but it exists, and it needs a necessary determinant, which we call God.
Arguments from language state we can prove God’s existence from the semantics of the language. There are laws so there must be a lawgiver. There are designs so there must be a designer. There are programs so there must be programmers. There are products so there must be producers. The universe has laws, designs, processes, and products [of processes] thus there must be someone to satisfy the requirements of language and this is what we call God.
In argument from evolution let’s ask can the universe and life be eternal? Evolution and natural selection according to atheism suggest simplicity becomes complexity. How is this possible without an external cause, a more perfect cause from which everything emanates? This power is God. Secondly, simplicity and complexity cannot be eternal as one being eternal would negate the other. It then follows that the universe and life are not eternal and had to start somewhere but nothing starts by itself. The universe and earth are fine-tuned for life. It sustains life. How can such a fine-tuned design exist without a designer? As smoke indicates fire so does such a life-sustaining design of the universe indicating God the designer.
Atheism says God is an imagination like Santa Claus or a unicorn. The fact that these imaginary things are all within the spatio-temporal matter boundary then it follows that they could be reasonably proven or disproven by a simple observation or other verifications. There is an equal probability of existence and non-existence in some worlds, but not all worlds, or else we would have found it in our world. For example, we say Santa Claus is a fantasy but not alien. This is because Santa Claus has been attributed to our world in a certain place and we can easily verify these places for Santa Claus’s existence and that is it does not exist. However, aliens have been attributed to galaxies and we cannot verify all the galaxies to establish or refute their existence. On this reasoning, God’s existence is not a fantasy just like the existence of aliens is not a fantasy.
The oneness of God is a necessity because the Conflict of divine wills and chaos will render existence unlivable, if equal gods then the multiplicity of gods becomes futile, if unequal gods then one most powerful God but then atheism asks which God is true. There is only one God who has the best attributes and the source of all ideas and objects and who must be more perfect than what exists. The one God without decay, limit, weakness, likeness, finiteness, and resemblance. Also, God has no need. All idol-worshipping or pagan or polytheistic religions put food in front of their deities or ancestors that rot and decay. Christianity carries their God Jesus on their shoulders in idol form and also vaguely resembles cannibalism by eating the body of Jesus. Jewish God became man and lost a wrestling match with a Prophet. While Allah does not need anything. The sacrifice you make for Allah such as cows, goats, etc is for charity and piety. Charity goes to the poor, and needy, and the meat from Islamic rituals becomes a socializing means among family, relatives, and friends.
Atheism criticizes free will and God’s foreknowledge. If God knows everything what is the point of free will? Free will is the absence of force on your ability and freedom to choose. God doesn’t force you on your freedom to choose. As to foreknowledge of God can’t God choose to not know? An analogy would be predicting something by a specialist who may choose to not know a prediction but if he wanted he could gather data and apply probability and statistics to predict something that will be true with high probability, except that God won’t need anything to know except his will to know. God can have foreknowledge also.
Why did the simple idea of God survive the evolutionary complexity? Evolution is meant to discard simplicity towards complexity. Our complex evolved brain should have abandoned the simple idea of God. This shows God's conscience is something very innate, real, and true. Atheism may explain weakly this objection by non-scientific non-experimental means.
Atheism says God of the Bible is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent.
The portrayal of biblical God with Islamic God cannot be equal. The God of Islam has ninety-nine names that describe him as well as the Quran and Sunnah that explain him in the best way. God prohibiting feminism and homosexuality is only for the good of mankind. God is not racist but welcoming to all and tolerant to the non-hostile disbelievers in the Quran and Sunnah, and even in the farewell pilgrimage Prophet prohibited racism while setting piety as a standard of justified discrimination. God in the Quran prohibited infanticide and genocide. God in the Quran is just, the creator, and bestower of bounties who deserve to be thanked and worshipped.
Abandoning God will suppress moral conscience gradually. For example, atheist Stalin said the death of a man is a tragedy while the death of millions is a statistic. This means one man’s death is sad due to kinship but millions are just a number due to the process of evolutionary annihilation. Also look at how China amorally and apathetically tortures humans, animals, and the environment. You may say many atheists are charitable and good humans. It is not them that is concerning but the number of bad atheists that have resulted. The cumulative psychological effect of a godless conscience is harmful, detrimental, and destructive to our society.
Atheism blames God for the suffering and evil in this world. But in an atheistic world doesn’t the same or even more suffering and evil existed and exist? Fascism, communism all godless ideologies created the most untold suffering and they all believed in evolution and natural selection as the mightiest power over life. Just because atheist communist leaders didn’t shout “in the name of atheism” before their atrocities does not mean they didn’t commit atrocities for theism and just because religious people shouted “in the name of God” meant they did it for religion.
God may directly impose suffering as a test or punishment , depending on His plan and a servant’s situation. God may also make humans inflicting suffering on other humans a trial or punishment. The suffering of a believer however is always less, different in form, intensity, and consequence than that of a disbeliever. Suffering is an opportunity to be stronger, self-reflection, familial and social unity, initiation of hope, and a test of responsibility and duty.
Atheism calls God cruel for creating hell. Hell is another world where life will be of perpetual suffering, which means burning in fire may not be the only punishment but part of it. Imagine a lost person struggling in a lifeless desert under the scorching heat of the sun. This can be a similitude of life in hell. Why Quran condemn the disbelievers to eternal suffering in hell? Because disbelievers died as disbelievers it follows that they would remain disbelievers forever, so their evil along with their potential to do great evil will be eternal, and as such their punishment too will be eternal.
6. Evolution, Natural Selection and Atheism
Genetic processes are probabilistic and random. Atheism fills these probabilities and randomness with the theory of natural selection which they call an invisible force
| [3] | Dawkins, R. (2006), Chapter 3. The God delusion. London Black Swan. |
| [4] | Hitchens, C. (2017), Chapter 1, 3, 6. God is not great: how religion poisons everything. Atlantic Books. |
| [5] | Dawkins, R. (2006), Chapter 6. The God delusion. London Black Swan. |
[3-5]
. Understand the difference between natural selection being considered the determining factor or the driving force of genetics and the established processes of genetics being called natural selection.
We are born, we grow up, we marry and we have a purpose in life. Is it biology and natural selection determining? Or do we have something like a soul? Natural selection should only be a process of biology, not an intelligence. Natural selection is like a body’s activities without a brain.
Did evolution and natural selection create religion? Then why should atheism complain? If we are truly purely material entities created through the evolutionary process of natural selection then it follows that our evolutionary brain must only be limited to concepts of physicalism but it is not. It also doesn’t explain divine transcendence and religious experience.
Evolution and natural selection should be a scientific process and that means it must not have a mind and will. If the human species is defined in terms of these then they must not have free will. How can deterministic or probabilistic systems create free will and decision-making ability in the human species? This means we must not be held morally accountable any more than we are to be held accountable for having red hair, blue eyes, or short height. If atheism irrationally holds that evolution gave us free will and moral conscience then still it seems that without God and religion, mankind has not been able to act morally for most of his existence. Morality is perfected and guided by God’s religion. As an example, those atheists who believe few lives should be sacrificed to save many have rejected God’s justice and mercy. It is either suffer all together or live all together.
Why we humans can be spiritual, rational, literary and artist, just yet also tyrant, creative yet also destructive while all other animals just respond to their biological needs and survival instincts? What about artificial intelligence? Will they be ever human by replication of our brain activities? Humans have same sensory channels to create perceptions, yet our perceptions can differ from each other. If the brain and the greater body were the end and ultimate destination, we would all perceive the same. This indicates we must have something beyond brain and body. Also consider when we exercise free will, rationality and creativity we are telling the brain what kinds of biochemical and electrochemical processes should take place and not brain doing these by its own decisions. So our awareness our conscience the human soul is using the brain as a tool. The answer to these gaps and confusion is the human soul. The soul and body complement each other and when the soul leaves the body dies and its biochemical and electrochemical processes cease.
7. Atheism and Religion
Atheism says we don’t need revealed religion to be moral but Islam is part of a complete guidance of humanity, details, unlike atheism, enough moral guidelines for man’s mind to find understanding and guidance. There is not enough chance for the mind to remain in a vacuum of moral guidance as rules of Islamic interpretation bring forth new guidelines, and thus Islam provides continuous guidance for the mind to remain moral. This Islamic guidance both internal such as faith, philosophy, and spirituality as well as external such as wide-ranging Islamic laws acts as a social control mechanism that is designed to guide mankind and make him better to the point he achieves salvation in this world, for examples self-preservation of humanity, their society, morals and personal selves, and the afterlife. Divine law establishes the correct belief, correct thought, and correct emotions, and thus correct actions
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Atheism asks which religion is true and worthy of acceptance. First understand that the existence of multiple religions is due to the propaganda of the devil, much like political propaganda where many falsehoods are created to confuse the truth so society abandons search for the truth. Here we must listen to President Eisenhower about the need for an aware citizenry. A Religion is to be accepted based on its deity and the system it offers. We can negate all religions except Islam when it comes to the acceptance of deity. Islam offers the highest nature, most honorable, and lofty identity of God revealed through His names, attributes, and interventions throughout human history.
Atheism accuses Islam of being sectarian and creates violence among Muslims. Islam is not sectarian but rather Islam has only intellectual schools of thoughts in law and theology that needs uniformity and unity through arguments and reconciliation. The sectarianism was created by Muslim ethnic hatred among themselves but the Quran and Hadith prohibited Muslim civil war. The first civil wars in Islam were also secular such as for tribalism and power-hungry Arab chiefs who completely disregarded the Prophet’s last will
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Atheism says Islam is dying. It is not Islam is dying but people have become lost: impulsive, irrational, lustful, unethical, apathetic, knee-deep in sexual, material, and dietary indulgence, and selfish while prioritizing looks, wealth, and fame. Their motto today is self-interest at any cost. While Islam contradicts those, people are unwilling to live by rules, morality, justice, reason, accountability, transparency contentment, humility, knowledge, and understanding. Islam provides continuous guidance to build correct beliefs, thoughts, acts, and behavior.
Atheism says Islam worships idols in Mecca. Islam attributes no divinity or power to the Kaaba. It is only directional guidance and uniting sign for Muslims to perform some rituals unitedly and organized, otherwise, Muslims would worship inconsistently, disorganized, and whimsically.
Atheism states that Islam hates non-Muslims and is conquering them. Historically Islamophobia was a reaction against the popularity of Islamic monotheism, justice, and equity while Kafirophobia was a reaction against pagan tyranny and persecution
| [7] | Mohammad Mushfequr Rahman. (2023b). The Religio-Political Biography of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH): Philosophy, Ethics and Lessons. International Journal of Law and Society, 6(4). https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijls.20230604.11 |
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. The term Kafirophobia thus is more restrictive than what is implied by propagandists. If Islam was kafirophobic it would have never won over the hearts and minds of pagan divided Arabia, and the pagan lords would never need to launch war after war to stop this popular Islamic movement. Islam is kafirophobic to the hostile oppressive non-Muslims and ideologies so The Quran’s threat against disbelievers is not merely for their being disbelievers, but because of their disbelief accompanied by hate and hostility against Islam and Muslims. Islamic movements whether early or in modern times have always targeted tyrannical establishments and tyranny. Islamic conquests of Persia and Rome started because these gigantic empires had been occupying parts of Arabia. Prophet wanted to unite Arabs on Islam and evict these occupiers
| [7] | Mohammad Mushfequr Rahman. (2023b). The Religio-Political Biography of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH): Philosophy, Ethics and Lessons. International Journal of Law and Society, 6(4). https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijls.20230604.11 |
[7]
.
Atheism condemns sacrifice, but does it condemn the blood sacrifice of soldiers and patriots for their countries? Does Hitchens believe in blood sacrifice to save the oppressed and the persecuted from the grip of tyranny? Does Hitchens accept the whole-scale annihilation of species by evolution and nature? Blood sacrifice can be done for good reasons and bad reasons. In Islam, ritualistic animal sacrifice is not only an act of piety but also an act of charity because in Islam every sacrifice is shared among people but for God remains your loyalty and sincerity from this sacrifice. Sacrifice teaches us to learn to let go of something of worth to us for a higher purpose.
Atheism criticizes atonement. Atonement is realizing one’s guilt and thereby making a remedy for such. It teaches us responsibility, accountability, and the realization of our wrongs. If people find someone wrongfully guilty then it is not the issue of atonement being evil and immoral. For example, religious compensation for many missed religious acts or performance of wrongful acts in Islam begets even more charitable actions towards the poor and the unfortunate ones. This is one way of showing atonement and achieving collective care in Islamic law. Why is atheism so arrogant that it wants to create luciferin rebels in every human?
8. Islamic Rule and Atheism
As to religion, there is no doubt Islam is the most comprehensive, just, moral, and rational religion. It gives restricted but rational freedom and Islam is practical, functional, and pragmatic
. Islam is a service to the creator through an organized system. Its prophet has been the most recorded and analyzed person in history. While atheism is about the self and individual gain Islam is about the weakest being empowered by the many. The French Revolution shows the birth of secularism has been cruel, violent, and fundamentalist
.
Atheism rejects religion and religious identity as divisive. But religions are not equal like the five fingers. Islam is the most uniting religion through the concept of brotherhood and rejection of forced conversion. There is division through culture, nationality, ideology, etc but the division that creates tolerable yet justified and reasonable differences can be accepted.
Atheism rejects Islam as being intellectually afraid and based on censorship of rational thought. Islam believes in the freedom of rational thought and understanding . Atheism says Islam is intolerant and kills. This is entirely false because only ignorance of Islam or abusing it for political purposes may result in people's intolerance and unjustified violence. For example, Islam rejects forced conversion and allows worship by other religions. Also, freedom of religion in Western secular society is limited for example Muslims cannot slaughter animals near their homes, women cannot perform Islamic circumcision, women cannot wear the hijab, and many other restrictions. Likewise, many things are also limited under Islamic rule.
As to violence, secularist Baathist Saddam called for Jihad to defend his unislamic government. ISIS was also created by Saddam's former generals and security chiefs to counter Islamic Iranian dominance in Shia-majority Iraq
. These people committed cruel unislamic acts on innocent people and punished people through kangaroo courts and hasty trials in the name of Jihad. Also, honor killing is a deviant form of respect for parents where male members murder their daughters, and sisters for marrying their choices. This honor killing is a misunderstanding of the Islamic command of respecting parents. These male children honor their parents excessively just as Christians honor Jesus excessively (crusades, burning at the stake, etc.) by making him God.
Atheism says the West is successful because it has abandoned religion and adopted Secularism and Godlessness. West has indeed been successful but it is also true West is declining. West’s success has been due to firstly oppression and looting of the world’s knowledge and resources through colonialism and secondly recently post WW2 due to following some major Islamic principles such as the rule of law, justice, accountability, basic human rights, honesty, integrity, research, and knowledge. The latest development in many developed countries is the adoption of the prohibition of smoking in public places and this is also based on the Islamic principle of avoiding greater harm. The decline of the West is due to not following Islamic guidance such as resource-intensive hedonism, predatory financial and economic practices, corruption, feminism that is breaking marriages and reducing them, climate damage, violent and apathetic society, etc.
Atheism tries to discard Islam and Islamic rule by weirdly representing Iran as a failed state. The Islamic revolution brought changes in all the political, economic, and social corruption and injustice. However crippling sanctions since the beginning of the Islamic revolution combined with billions of looted Iranian assets by Western imperialism have prevented Iran from fully realizing the Islamic revolutionary vision.
The guidance of the Quran and Sunnah, and the example of Imam Hussein only continuously inspires Iran to fight tyranny and oppression which most Muslim countries are lacking due to their blind pursuit of secularism, corruption, and self-inflicted inferiority conscience. Islam has empowered Iran and gave it the guidance and courage to continue in various noble endeavors such as:
1. Development in morality, religion, and social measures of relationship, security, and peace
2. Development in science and technology
3. Fighting an intelligence war against the CIA, MOSSAD, and Arab intelligence
4. Victory over Saddam Hussein.
5. Fighting Western Arab-backed terrorist insurgency near its borders.
6. Fighting western economic terrorism.
7. Fighting Israel in Syria, Lebanon, and Gaza against the greater Israeli project.
8. Supporting the oppressed Yemenis against Arab Western aggression.
9. Defeated ISIS in Iraq and Syria.
10. Defended Iraq against American dominance.
9. Islamic Law and Atheism
Atheism rejects some Islamic legal norms because these contradict major secular values. Atheism promotes free sex, feminism, nude dressing, and homosexuality. It rejects Islamic polygamy, hijab, patriarchy, disciplining wife, child marriage, slavery, jihad, marital so-called rape, Islamic governance, Islamic education, and Islamic law. All these have been criticized and Islamic positions defended on rationale, scientific, sociological, and psychological basis
. In simple words, these Islamic morals, laws, rules, and values are beneficial for mankind while the secular ones are harmful.
For example, Islam came to abolish slavery through reformation. The reformation was done in these ways: 1. Prohibition of enslaving free people and limiting it to only defensive or humanitarian war for prisoners and combatants. 2. Keeping a lot of legal obligations to free slaves as compensation for legal wrongs. 3. Obligating treatment of slaves as human beings and servants of God thereby minimizing the chances of cruelty and humiliation. 4. Promising spiritual rewards for freeing slaves voluntarily.
Islam supports defensive and humanitarian wars. The law of proportionality is applied in both war and other laws of Islam and it means punishment of a certain wrongdoing should be in proportion to the severity of the wrongdoing itself. In the context of war, this prohibits indiscriminate destruction of properties and the killing of women, children, old people, religious priests, and other non-combatants.
Atheism considers Islamic education and social upbringing as child abuse. In a time of digital communication and media when various conscious and subliminal “brain shaping” and psychological fashioning of children is happening, parents and society must be more careful than ever of how to up bring their children. There is no escape from childhood indoctrination whether religious or secular, so the real question that needs to be asked is which ideology, worldview, and morals should we teach our children to be best prepared in this world. Should we teach the worldview that teaches reasoning, understanding and application of knowledge, responsibility, accountability to a higher power, repentance, humility, justice, and realization of guilt or should we teach a worldview of amoral existence, disdain for all forms of authority and pursuit of self-interest? Look at the Bangladeshi students where I am from. They are without a moral compass and have become sexually deviant, behaviorally ill-mannered, and cognitively deficient existing on memorizing education.
10. Conclusion
The text presents Islam as a comprehensive, rational, and moral system that promotes peace, justice, and the well-being of humanity. It argues that Islam provides a balanced approach to life, including political, legal, social, and spiritual guidance, while also granting individuals various rights and freedoms. The text critiques atheism for rejecting religious values and promoting secular ideals like free sex, feminism, and homosexuality, which it claims are harmful to society. It defends Islamic practices as being rational and scientifically supported and criticizes the atheistic perspective as lacking moral and spiritual depth.
The text also argues that atheism's reliance on evolution and natural selection as explanations for human existence and morality is insufficient and unscientific. It contrasts atheistic and Islamic views on morality, suggesting that Islamic teachings provide a superior moral framework based on love for God, while atheism leads to selfishness and societal harm. The text defends Islamic laws, including those related to war, and education, as ethical and beneficial, while criticizing secularism for contributing to the decline of Western society
.
Additionally, the text addresses criticisms of Islam, such as accusations of violence, slavery, intolerance, and sectarianism, by explaining that these issues stem from misunderstandings or misuse of Islamic teachings. It highlights the resilience and achievements of Islamic societies, particularly Iran, in the face of external pressures, attributing their success to Islamic guidance. Overall, the text asserts that Islam offers a more comprehensive, rational, and just way of life compared to atheism, which is portrayed as rationally, morally, and spiritually lacking.
Author Contributions
Mohammad Rahman is the sole author. The author read and approved the final manuscript.
Conflicts of Interest
The author declares no conflict of interest.
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Cite This Article
-
-
@article{10.11648/j.ijp.20241203.13,
author = {Mohammad Rahman},
title = {A Comparative Analysis Between Islamic Theism and Atheism
},
journal = {International Journal of Philosophy},
volume = {12},
number = {3},
pages = {40-49},
doi = {10.11648/j.ijp.20241203.13},
url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijp.20241203.13},
eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijp.20241203.13},
abstract = {The world can be divided between atheism and theism, a division that also fuels its social conflicts, moral outlook, and social evolution. If not for the question of why God did not create everything in peace, harmony, and reconciliation, we might not have seen this division. Atheism thrives and lives on the consideration of a merciful God allowing suffering, hardship, and punishment while theism on the belief in divine tests practiced through higher values. However, the arguments for theism and atheism are still ongoing while affecting humanity at large. Even though theism is not as strong globally as it was at some time in the past, it still has a considerable influence in many major areas of the world. Islamic theism is a major influence driving the politics and addressing social conflicts in the Middle East and many other parts of the world. This discussion analyses both Islamic theism and atheism comparatively arguing for Islamic theism and against atheism. As atheism has no authoritative sources like Islamic theism has in the Quran and Hadith the atheistic perspectives are largely dependent upon its leading proponents and history. The discussion finds atheism is great for those who have wealth, resources, and influence while theism is best suited to make positive changes for humanity as a whole. Atheism is then a luxury while theism is a necessity. The reader is strongly urged to consider the footnotes for greater understanding.
},
year = {2024}
}
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TY - JOUR
T1 - A Comparative Analysis Between Islamic Theism and Atheism
AU - Mohammad Rahman
Y1 - 2024/09/20
PY - 2024
N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijp.20241203.13
DO - 10.11648/j.ijp.20241203.13
T2 - International Journal of Philosophy
JF - International Journal of Philosophy
JO - International Journal of Philosophy
SP - 40
EP - 49
PB - Science Publishing Group
SN - 2330-7455
UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijp.20241203.13
AB - The world can be divided between atheism and theism, a division that also fuels its social conflicts, moral outlook, and social evolution. If not for the question of why God did not create everything in peace, harmony, and reconciliation, we might not have seen this division. Atheism thrives and lives on the consideration of a merciful God allowing suffering, hardship, and punishment while theism on the belief in divine tests practiced through higher values. However, the arguments for theism and atheism are still ongoing while affecting humanity at large. Even though theism is not as strong globally as it was at some time in the past, it still has a considerable influence in many major areas of the world. Islamic theism is a major influence driving the politics and addressing social conflicts in the Middle East and many other parts of the world. This discussion analyses both Islamic theism and atheism comparatively arguing for Islamic theism and against atheism. As atheism has no authoritative sources like Islamic theism has in the Quran and Hadith the atheistic perspectives are largely dependent upon its leading proponents and history. The discussion finds atheism is great for those who have wealth, resources, and influence while theism is best suited to make positive changes for humanity as a whole. Atheism is then a luxury while theism is a necessity. The reader is strongly urged to consider the footnotes for greater understanding.
VL - 12
IS - 3
ER -
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