Surah Ikhlas and The Existence of Allah SWT: Course Notes

Surah Ikhlas and the Existence of Allah SWT
Course Notes
Surely, in the creation of the heavens and the earth, and in the alternation of night and
day, there are signs for the people of wisdom, who remember Allah standing and sitting,
and (lying) on their sides, and ponder on the creation of the heavens and the earth (and
say) “Our Lord, You have not created all this in vain. We proclaim Your purity. So, save us
from the punishment of Fire. (3:190-191) The Meanings of the Noble Quran - Mufti Taqi Usmani
Conjecture a Means to Misguidance
Surely, conjectures are of no avail in the matter of truth at all (10:36)
Something based on a lack of or insufficient evidence, guess work or taken based on how it seems
Arguments in Logic & Critical Thinking
o The thesis or position being argued for (The conclusion)

o The justification or reason(s) why the conclusion should be accepted (The premises)
Two General Forms of Argumentation
 Inductive:
 Based on probabilities
 Forms the basis for much of Science
 Deductive:
 One or more premises
 Conclusion
Why deductive reasoning?
Can lead to certain knowledge if the premises are true and the conclusion naturally follows
Example of Deductive Argumentation Example 2
A. All swans are white (premise) A. All humans are mortal

B. This is a swan (premise) B. Zain is human
C. Therefore this swan is white (conclusion) C. Therefore Zain is mortal
What is the Kalam Argument?
A rational deductive argument originally formulated by Classical Ulama Al Ghazali, Al Juwayni, Al

Baqillani, Al Ash’ari & others Variations of the argument
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Clarity Amidst the Haze
As long as certain truths are accepted one cannot escape the conclusion
 The acceptance of rational proofs (specifically deductive reasoning), the three principles
forming the basis of logic
 The real existence of being, attributes and events in the world
 Our direct observation of them is sufficient in acquiring knowledge of their real existence
The Kalam Argument
A. Whatever begins to exist has a Cause

B. The Universe (or S.th) began to exist
C. Therefore the Universe (or S.th) had a Cause
o Cause: something that made it exist: Power, Will, Life (Al Ghazali)
Two Types of Existence
Contingent Existence
 Existence and non-existence is both equal, can be true but doesn’t have to be
 The Universe and all it contains (or all of creation) is contingently existent
 Attributes of a contingent existence
o Location, mass, size, time, matter, motion, change
 A contingent existence is dependent upon a necessarily existent being
“Is it that they are created by none, or are they themselves the creators?”
(52:35)
Necessary Existence
 Must exist by necessity, can never non-existent

 Free of any of the attributes of a contingent being
 Only God is necessarily existent
 Attributes of the Necessary being
o Necessary, Self-sufficient, Independent
The Causality Principle
 An axiomatic self-evident truth - a 70 year old no more convinced than a 7 year old
 Our knowledge of the world itself is based on the causality principle
 The direct opposite of ‘Everything which begins to exist must have a cause’ is ‘Not
everything which begins to exist must have a cause’, which is in the equivalent claiming
‘Some of what begins to exist do not have a cause’
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Infinite regress
Infinity a self-contradictory concept that leads to absurdity
A Potential Infinite
o A number that continues to grow but never reaches an actual infinite
An Actual Infinite
o An amount or number beyond any limit, unlimited

o Limitless or endless in space, extent, or size; impossible to measure or calculate
o Something limitless, endless, boundless, impossible to measure or calculate
This latter is the type of infinity under discussion
Physical Quantity
When we talk about infinity it must be in reference to natural numbers, physical objects in a set (not
abstractions, no negative numbers or fractions)
Natural numbers are possessive of the following three characteristics:
1. Divisible
2. Composed of units
3. Describable as = > <
Infinity & additions, divisions, multiplication and minuses etc.
o Infinity + infinity?
o Infinity - infinity?
o Infinity x infinity?
o Infinity / infinity?
o If you can add to infinity then it has a limit, it is a quantity – self-contradiction
o Earth and Mercury orbiting the sun, 365 and 88 days respectively
The above demonstrates infinity as an absurd, self-contradictory notion
Denying the beginning of the universe equivalent to claim:
o The universe has existed for an infinite quantity of time

o An infinite quantity of time has elapsed in the Universe
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An Objection: The Mathematical Infinity
 Mathematical Infinities do not describe physical quantities

 The Mathematical Infinity is not a number
 Purely abstract & imaginary - cannot exist in the real world
 Begging the question
Atheism vs. Agnosticism
An agnostic neither believes nor disbelieves in a God or religious doctrine
Agnosticism can also be to hold the view that we cannot know whether or not a God exists
Atheism means the negation of theism, the denial of the existence of God
Is Atheism a Tenable Position or an Irrational & Illogical Position? – A Critical Analyses
 Not a single sound positive argument has ever been produced from the atheist community
in support of its assertion nor any evidence
 An absence of evidence does not necessarily equate to evidence of absence
 Even if it were true (which it is not) that there was no evidence of a God, that leaves
agnosticism and not atheism
 To hold the proposition that a God does not exist is a claim to knowledge requiring
substantiation
 Atheists themselves at least on some level (whether consciously/unconsciously)
acknowledge their position is untenable & indefensible
 Atheism is nothing more than ‘doubt casting’
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Surah al Ikhlas (The Sincerity) & The Attributes of Allah swt
Say, “The truth is that Allah is One.

Allah is Besought of all, needing none.
He neither begot anyone, nor was he begotten.
And equal to Him has never been any one.”
Translation: Meanings of the Noble Quran by Mufti Taqi Usmani
o Surah was revealed as a response to those who asked for the ancestry and a description of
Allah swt
Say (Qul)
o Signifies prophet hood and fulfilment of a Prophecy mentioned in earlier scriptures
The truth is that Allah is One (Ahad)
o Both the words Ahad and Wahid (translated as One) are applied to Allah swt
o Ahad has an additional meaning implying Allah swt is above composition, division, plurality
and resemblance.
Had there been gods beside Allah, in the heavens and the earth, both of them
would have fallen in disorder. So pure is Allah, the Lord of the Throne, from
what they describe. (21:22) A Rational Argument from the Quran
Allah is Besought of all, needing none. (al Samad)

o The word al Samad means the One who is free of any need but all else is in need of Him
o This signifies absolute perfection in all modes and sense of the word
o One who is not absolute in perfection is incapable of being without dependency and nor can
such a being create
o The word signifies being free of all and any form of imperfections, impurities and the like
He neither Begot anyone, nor was He Begotten.
o Revealed in response to those who questioned the ancestry of Allah swt
o Negation of any concept of birth in any form He does not perish nor leave inheritance
And equal to Him has never been anyone.
o There is nothing like Him, He resembles nothing and nothing resembles Him
o He is totally unlike His creation, anything that can be ascribed to the creation cannot be
ascribed to Allah and anything ascribed to Allah cannot be ascribed to anyone or anything in
His creation (Shirk)
o He is beyond human comprehension, free from any and all limitations, imperfections
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The Kalam Argument and the Attributes of Allah swt
Attributes of Allah swt We Can Prove Rationally
 Monotheism
 Life - Infinite/Eternal
 Intelligence
 Having Will
 Omnipotent (All-Powerful)
 Omniscient (All-Knowing)
 Perfection, above imperfections
 Transcendent - completely Unique unlike anything else
 Without limitation, being beyond time & space
Some Verses of the Quran which mention Creation of the heavens and earth, creation etc.
2:21 2:29 2:164 3:190-1
4:1 6:1-2 6:73 6:100
7:54 7:185 7:191
10:3-6 10:34 13:16 14:19
And there are many more
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Surah Ikhlas and the Existence of Allah SWT

Conjecture a Means to Misguidance

Surely, conjectures are of no avail in the matter of truth at all (10:36)

Arguments in Logic & Critical Thinking

o The thesis or position being argued for (The conclusion)

Two General Forms of Argumentation

Why deductive reasoning?

Example of Deductive Argumentation Example 2

A. All swans are white (premise) A. All humans are mortal

What is the Kalam Argument?

A rational deductive argument originally formulated by Classical Ulama Al Ghazali, Al Juwayni, Al

The Kalam Argument

A. Whatever begins to exist has a Cause

Two Types of Existence

 Must exist by necessity, can never non-existent

The Causality Principle

o A number that continues to grow but never reaches an actual infinite

o An amount or number beyond any limit, unlimited

This latter is the type of infinity under discussion

Natural numbers are possessive of the following three characteristics:

Infinity & additions, divisions, multiplication and minuses etc.

The above demonstrates infinity as an absurd, self-contradictory notion

Denying the beginning of the universe equivalent to claim:

o The universe has existed for an infinite quantity of time

An Objection: The Mathematical Infinity

 Mathematical Infinities do not describe physical quantities

Atheism vs. Agnosticism

An agnostic neither believes nor disbelieves in a God or religious doctrine

Is Atheism a Tenable Position or an Irrational & Illogical Position? – A Critical Analyses

Surah al Ikhlas (The Sincerity) & The Attributes of Allah swt

Say, “The truth is that Allah is One.

Allah is Besought of all, needing none. (al Samad)

The Kalam Argument and the Attributes of Allah swt

Attributes of Allah swt We Can Prove Rationally

2:21 2:29 2:164 3:190-1

4:1 6:1-2 6:73 6:100

7:54 7:185 7:191

10:3-6 10:34 13:16 14:19

And there are many more

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