In 1965 in Lucknow I met a university Professor who had done his doctorate in Philosophy. He had turned an atheist. The subject of our conversation was the existence of God. During this conversation he remarked: “What criterion you have to prove the existence of God” I replied that I had a valid criterion and this criterion was exactly the same as is employed in science to prove any natural fact. Bertrand Russell has aptly said there are two kinds of knowledge: knowledge of things, knowledge of truths. So far as the “things” are concerned it is possible to apply direct argument to them. But inferential arguments alone can be applied to prove “truths,” as it is related to the law of nature. The validity of inferential arguments is held valid in science that is to admit the existence of some “reality” on the basis of the existence of things.
On the basis of this reality Bertrand Russell has acknowledged that the “argument from design” brought forward, by the Religious people is a valid argument, according to science. The argument from design is to prove the existence of a designer from the existence of design.
By the first half of the twentieth century people used to debate over the existence of God. But by the end of the twentieth century this is no longer considered a debatable topic. Now in academic circles the existence of God is held to be a fact. Particularly after the Big Bang theory this matter has been almost settled.
Now we are right, scientifically, in saying that the choice for us is not between universe with God and universe without God, Rather the real choice is between universe with God or no universe at all. Since from scientific viewpoint we are not in a position to take a choice of no universe at all, we are compelled to take the choice of the universe with God.
As regards the scientific evidence on the existence of God perhaps the first notable account was that prepared by Sir James Jeans titled The Mysterious Universe, published in 1930. Afterwards many important books have come out on this topic. These books have described how all the fields of the science of the universe point to the existence of God. Here I would like to refer to a very valuable book on this subject. This book consists of forty articles written by qualified Western scientists. It is titled The Evidence of God in an Expanding Universe, and is edited by John Clover Monsma.
The truth is that revealed knowledge and scientific knowledge both equally prove that there is a God of this universe. And that God is only one. Not believing in God is as illogical as believing in many gods. In this present world man is given freedom for the purpose of being tested. Everyone is free to say what he wants to and to believe in anything of his own free will. But so far as reason is concerned the concept of one God is the only rational concept; everything else is irrational. No valid argument exists in its favour.
Once a group of young men in an Indian town were discussing on the subject whether God existed or not. Even after a long discussion the matter could not be settled. Finally, they agreed to refer the matter to a certain pious Muslim scholar of the same town. On invitation, that scholar came to the place. He stood among the youth and simply recited this verse from the Quran:
“Is there any doubt about God, the Creator of the heavens and the earth?” (14:10)
The result was miraculous. The youths were left speechless. They found this argument from the Quran so convincing that they needed no further arguments to believe in God. Why it happened that the assertion alone was sufficient to bring them to belief. It is because God is self-subsisting. He needs no proofs for His existence. The reason for God being self-evident is twofold. One, the existence of the universe itself is a proof of the existence of God. Secondly man believes in God because he is bound to believe in God. Man’s existence in itself is a proof of God’s existence. His inner nature speaks for God. Hence, most often, a simple assertion about the existence of God suffices for a man with unbiased mentality to believe in God. Keeping one’s nature intact; one cannot afford to deny God, as it is tantamount to the denial of one’s own nature. At the same time, in the external world man sees clear evidences of God in nature all around him day in and day out. God is so evident that the denial of God becomes an artificial situation. That is why those who apparently deny God, they too come to believe in God, when confronted with utter helplessness. (31:32; 10:22)
One concept of God is that which has been handed over to man by the Prophet. This is the concept of pure monotheism that is “There is no god but one God.” This Prophetic concept has been briefly described in a short chapter of the Quran:
Say: He is God, the One God. The Eternal, Absolute. He begets not. Nor is He begotten. And there is none like unto Him. (112:1-4)
