Finding the Absolute Truth of our Existence

A rational systematic argumentation in support of monotheism and ultimately Islam

Hashir Shaikh

Table of Contents

Main Questions

1) What can explain the existence of the universe and ultimately our own existence?

2) How many independent beings are there?

3) If this independent being is real, why should I care about this being?

4) What if the universe wasn’t created by an independent being?

5) Has this independent being made itself known on Earth and given us
rules/responsibilities?

6) What is the definition of Absolute Truth?

7) How do we tell if a religion holds the Absolute Truth?

8) There are so many religions, so which religion holds the Absolute Truth?

9) Does Islam hold the Absolute Truth from the independent being?

Extra Questions

1) How come there are so many religions?

2) Islam came after so many other religions, so it’s a new ideology that was not
present in the past. Therefore how can we believe in Islam if it’s something new?

3) Was the belief in God a Man-Made idea?

4) What does Allah mean? Is this a God specific to Islam?

Main Assumption before continuing:
 Humans have free will
 All Humans, if mentally capable, can use rationality and their
intellectual faculties to come to the conclusions that will be
made in questions 1-7 (questions 8-9 require knowledge)

QUESTION 1

What can explain the existence of the universe and ultimately our own existence?

Possible answers:

1) The universe is eternal or infinite

2) The universe is a product of a multiverse
3) The universe created itself or came out of nothing
4) The universe was created by a dependent existence
5) The universe was created by an independent existence

Rationalizing each answer

1) The universe is eternal or infinite

a. Time and space seem to be a reality of our universe. The universe is also
measurable and contains measurable objects. Therefore, if the universe is bound
by these finite limitations, it is not possible for the universe to be eternal or
infinite. The universe is composed of finite things. If we make a sum of all finite
things in the universe we will always reach a finite value because everything in
the universe is finite. Therefore the universe is finite. If time exists there must
have been a beginning to the universe.
b. Red-shift observation- this is an observation made by astronomers which lends
credence towards the expansion of the universe. If the universe is expanding
with the passage of time then going back in time would show that the universe
had a beginning, from which is derived the theory of the Big Bang.
c. Infinite cannot exist in our known reality which is the universe because it is
composed of limited things. Also infinity is a concept.
d. Additionally the universe is dependent as we do not have any evidence of
something within this universe that does not require something else to exist (i.e
 self-subsisting) as this would violate certain laws of the universe. Everything in
the observable universe is dependent on something else
e. The universe is always changing. Either its expanding. OR it has within it: stars
dying or stars forming, nebulas forming, planets forming and blackholes forming
and so on. This again lends credence to the fact that the universe is limited. We
find a lot of change that occurs in the universe.
f. The universe is dependent, changing, finite, and limited.
2) The universe is a product of a multiverse.
a. A possibility that is theorized by some scientists.
b. This answer to the beginning of the universe only raises the question: where did
the multiverse come from (because the multiverse is also something with
limitations/is finite)? Thus does not truly answer our question.
3) The universe created itself or it came out of nothing
a. From the laws of nature, it is impossible for something to create itself. It is also
impossible for something to come out of nothing. This is because it would go
against the laws such as the first law of thermodynamics, newton’s third law,
and laws of causality.
4) The universe is created from something dependent/finite
a. This is the same answer as that of the multiverse theory.
b. If what created the universe was dependent then that means it also needs a
cause.
c. This leads to the paradox of infinite regression. In other words, the dependent
being must have been created by another dependent being, which must have
been created by another dependent being and so on in an infinite series of
casual reactions. However, from the infinite regression, cause and effect are not
possible as the cause would infinitely regress and thus prevent the effect from
ever occurring. In other words, the universe would never be created by the
dependent being.
d. An example of the impossibility of infinite regression: If someone (A) wanted to
jump, they require permission from someone else (B). B requires permission
from someone else (C) to give permission for A to jump. This chain infinitely
regresses backwards. Therefore, A will never be able to jump because he will
never be able to receive permission to jump due to the infinite regression of
permission. As such, an infinite regression can never lead to an effect and the
universe would not exist. Another example is that of dominos. If there are
infinite dominos then the “last” domino will never fall (i.e. the effect will never
happen).
 5) The universe was created by an independent/infinite existence
a. This cause would prevent the paradox of infinite regression from happening
because this being is independent and infinite and therefore the first cause of
existence. In other words, this being would not be created by anything else, nor
would this being ever have an ending.
b. This being would not be dependent on the universe, but the universe would be
dependent on it. Therefore this being would be independent of our universe.
And the being would not be measurable (unlike the universe)
c. From philosophical reasoning it is possible to assume an independent being
caused the universe
d. For example, the contingency argument claims that all things in nature depend
on something else for their existence (i.e. are contingent), and that the whole
cosmos must therefore itself depend on a being which exists independently or
necessarily or else we face the problem of infinite regression. If this being never
existed the universe would never exist.
e. The fine-tuned argument: the conditions that allow life in the Universe can occur
only when certain universal dimensionless physical constants (ex. gravitational
constant) lie within a very narrow range of values, so that if any of several
fundamental constants were only slightly different, the Universe would be
unlikely to be conducive to the establishment and development of matter,
astronomical structures, elemental diversity, or life as it is understood. In other
words, an intelligent independent being must have chosen these precise
numbers in order for the universe to exist OR the existence of our universe is
from complete chance with a probability larger than t.
f. Since the universe is composed of dependant parts, it is therefore entirely
dependant. Therefore, an independent existence must exist for the dependent
existence to exist or else we would face the problem of infinite regression.

Conclusion for Question 1:

An independent being is the most likely rational possibility for the existence of our universe. .
IT is necessary for there to be an independent, infinite being for the universe to exist to prevent
infinite regression. Some qualities of this being can be deduced from reasoning. For example,
this being must be independent or self-subsisting to prevent the paradox of infinite regression,
must be infinitely knowledgeable because it created the laws that govern our universe, must
be infinitely powerful because it created the universe, must be unimaginable and
unquantifiable to the human mind or else it would be finite, and must be unchanging as it is
infinite.
Question 2

How many independent beings are there?

Answer:

Logic dictates that there can only be One independent being. Why?

1) More than one independent being would lead to a logical paradox or fallacy
2) Multiple independent/infinite beings would compete over superiority thus leading
to the contradiction of dependency.
3) Infinite cannot be divided into separate parts in a mathematical point of view.
4) Multiple independent beings would necessitate one being being dependent on the
other, which would go against the attribute of independence.
5) Occam's razor (or Ockham's razor) is a principle from philosophy. Suppose there
exist two explanations for an occurrence. In this case the one that requires the least
speculation is usually better. Another way of saying it is that the more assumptions
you have to make, the more unlikely an explanation. As such, believing in One
Creator is the most likely explanation.

Question 3

If this independent being is real, why should I care about this being and what this being has to
say?

Answer:

There are many reasons to care about the independent being. Here I will mention four
reasons:

1) We have limited knowledge: We should care because we as humans have many

issues and problems. Among certain issues and problems there may arise many
solutions from various human minds. However, these solutions may contradict one
another and some humans may favor one solution over another. In some instances
humans may choose a path that is otherwise harmful for them in the long run
although in the short term they may derive pleasure from it. As such it is hard to say
what the definitive solution to any ambiguous problems is. This is because humans
do not have full knowledge about everything. It is due to this that humans can only
hope to achieve definitive solution(s) from a source that knows everything. This
source can only be the independent being as this being is all-knowledgable. In other
 words, if humans would like to seek definitive solutions for their problems they
should try to determine if the independent being has provided any answers and
follow them accordingly.

2) We have a bias: Human beings will always have biases based on their contexts.
These biases can be conscious, or sub-conscious. Due this bias, Humans can never
hope to achieve laws and solutions to problems that will uphold Absolute Justice in
society. Therefore, humans require a source of knowledge that is unbiased and all-
knowledgeable if they want to make laws that are Just. The only source that has
both of these attributes is the independent being.

3) Being grateful: This is the most important reason. We should care because we are
dependent on this being. In other words, it is the RIGHT of this independent being to be
acknowledged and thanked by its creation. Anything less would be injustice on the part
of the creation as the creation would receive sustenance and maintenance with no
reciprocation of gratitude. This type of injustice would go against the laws of nature
itself; everything in the universe is submitting to the will of the independent being while
the human, with his/her free will, is not submitting to the will of the independent being.

What would be the magnitude of this injustice? The magnitude of this injustice would
be the greatest injustice that can be thought of by the human mind, an injustice greater
than the murder of another human being. Why? This is because the rights the
independent being would have on us would be far superior to the rights a fellow human
would have on us. To explain, the independent being is the one who gives life to all
living things, and has given humans everything, and so to deny this being would be an
injustice on a magnitude that may as well be unquantifiable if it weren’t for the fact that
we are ourselves limited. A few example of things that the independent being has given
us to which we should be grateful is eyesight, ability to walk, ability to smell and breath,
ability to hear, ability to think, ability to talk, ability to live, parents, family, food, shelter,
and so on. This list is very short, and if one were to ponder about the things the
independent being has given them, they would exhaust many years’ doings so. Since
humans have free will, they are under the obligation to use this free will to be
acknowledging and be grateful to the independent being. Also we must realize the
extent of injustice we would be committing if we were to deny the independent being.

4) Fulfilling a Contract/Covenant: This reason for obeying the independent being is

based on Islamic theology and does not have to be read by those that do not believe in
 Islamic theology in the first place. In other words it is not an argument that can be
deduced rationally and can be skipped. Nonetheless, the argument is as follows: in the
Quran, God mentions that humans agreed to the test of their worldly life.

 Chapter 7, verse 172

o And ˹remember˺ when your Lord brought forth from the loins of the
children of Adam their descendants and had them testify regarding
themselves. ˹Allah asked,˺ “Am I not your Lord?” They replied, “Yes, You
are! We testify.” ˹He cautioned,˺ “Now you have no right to say on the
Day of Judgment, ‘We were not aware of this.’
 Chapter 33, verse 72
o Indeed, We offered the Trust to the heavens and the earth and the
mountains, but they ˹all˺ declined to bear it, being fearful of it. But
humanity assumed it…

The first verse presented here describes how every human (i.e. their souls) has made an
oath to God before they were born. Therefore it becomes important to fulfill this oath
or else there will be consequences. The second verse refers to a “Trust” and this “Trust”
was given to humans. Again fulfilling this trust becomes necessary because we humans
have “assumed it”.

Question 4

What if the universe wasn’t created by an independent being?

Answer:

First of all, we have to realize that an independent being creating the universe is the most likely
possibility for the existence of our universe out of all other explanations as has been
rationalized in Question 1. The existence of dependent beings NECESSARILY means the
existence of an independent being, otherwise the dependent beings would never exist.

Some might ask for empirical evidence of the independent being. This is immediately a mistake
which a lot of atheists and agnostics tend to make. Science is limited in the sense that it can
only search for a natural explanation for everything within the universe (basically saying that
the assumption is naturalism). It can't account for the supernatural or the metaphysical or
anything outside the universe. Since the Independent being is outside the natural world (i.e.,
time and space) science is the wrong tool to use. It's like the equivalent of using a measuring
stick to measure how much you weigh in kilograms. (Refer to the question “Is the belief in God
a Man-made idea?” which goes over a strong argument for the existence of God based on this
very line of thinking)

That being said, however, science is built upon a few foundations of knowledge: mathematics,
logic, and testimony. All 3 of these are valid ways of attaining knowledge, and as such, logic is
the best way to come to the understanding of the existence of our universe. Logic involves use
of laws and undeniable recurrent observations in our universe to make predictions about its
existence. For example, the contingency argument states everything that exists has an
explanation of its existence; therefore the universe has an explanation for its existence because
it exists. The independent being exists necessarily in order for the universe to exist and the
independent being itself does not require an explanation for its existence or else we face the
impossibility of infinite regress (as mentioned before). Also, testimony is another way of
attaining knowledge. For instance, how does a human know if his/her parents are actually
his/her parents? The testimony of your family members, your parents, and your community lets
you come to the conclusion that your parents are in fact your parents. Similarly, prophets have
been known to come throughout history to preach the existence of an independent being and
we find the belief in the independent being in many religions.

Nonetheless, even if there is even the slightest possibility of the existence of an independent
being that we are dependent upon, which logically and rationally there is (as established in
Question 1), then this explanation would take precedence over all other explanations for the
existence of our universe. Why?

Unlike all other explanations for our existence, the denial of the independent being would
result in great injustice on the part of the creation. Whereas, the other explanations for the
universe’s existence would not require any responsibility on the part of the creation and so it
would not matter if we acknowledge the origin of our existence or not.

Therefore, unless we are 100% sure that the universe was not created by an independent being
(which we are not), we humans should have a default understanding of our universe being
created by this independent being to prevent us from falling into unnecessary injustice,
ignorance, and ingratitude.

Question 5

Has this independent being made itself known on Earth and given us rules/responsibilities?

Answer:

There are two possible answers to this question:

 1) No.
a. If this is the case then we only have to acknowledge this independent being
and be grateful to it, while living our life as is. (belief in the independent
being should be the default belief by all people that do not have certainty of
the origin of the universe for reasons explained in Question 4)
2) Yes
a. Then it is our responsibility to follow what the independent being has
commanded of us or else we would be going against the rights of the being,
and would be doing a great injustice.

In order to be free from injustice and ignorance, determining the validity of answer 2) takes
precedence over answer 1). In other words, from default it is our responsibility to determine if
the independent being has made itself apparent to humankind. This is because it is incumbent
upon us to acknowledge the independent being, and ignoring revelation from this independent
being would be a type of denial. If we find proof that the being has made itself known, then we
must follow whatever that has been revealed (as stated in 2) ). After exhausting all possible
claims to the Truth/revelation from the independent being and not finding anything convincing
or free from human corruption, then we can live life as stated in 1).

Question 6

What is Absolute Truth?

Absolute Truth is that which comes from the independent being alone. Humans that create
their own understanding of the Truth, can only arrive at partial Truths or Falsehoods. Human
influence on revelation detracts from the Truth. Prophets can be carriers of the Absolute Truth
if we can determine that they are in contact with the Independent Being.

Question 7

How can we tell if a religion holds the Absolute Truth?

There cannot be two right religions, because there is only One independent being and as such,
there can be only one Truth. So which is right?

Criteria for determining what the Absolute Truth is:

1) the independent being has to be, at the very least, described by the religion as what we
concluded in Question 1:
a. One (monotheism),
 b. self-subsisting, independent
c. All-powerful
d. All-knowing
e. Unimaginable and unquantifiable.
2) The leader(s)/originator(s) of the religion must claim to have been
Messengers/Prophets of this independent being, and must have good proof of being
appointed as the Messengers by the independent being. Prophets are necessary
because the independent being is not able to manifest itself to humans due to
infinite/unimaginable nature of the independent being. This nature is not within the
realm of possibility for the human mind to handle or perceive.
a. They must CLAIM to be Prophets of the Independent being because only these
individuals can provide the Absolute Truth since they are in contact with the
independent being. Religion originators that never claimed to have been
Prophets are using their own limited human understanding to arrive at the
Absolute Truth and are thus unreliable.
b. They must be PROVEN to be Prophets of the independent being because anyone
can claim to be a Prophet. If it can be determined that the Prophet of the
religion is false then the religion itself is false.
3) The scripture of the religion has to be from the independent being or the proven
Messenger of the independent being alone and cannot be affected by human
interpretation or corruption as this takes away from the Truth due to human limitations.
a. In order to be from God the revelation must first have to be proven to be
preserved in its original form as it was revealed to its’ respective prophets. If
they are not preserved as they were revealed originally then that means human
influence has led to deviations and can therefore not be considered Absolute
Truth (as defined in Question 6) from the independent being
b. Since the independent being is all-knowledge and perfect: The revelation should
be supernatural in terms of composition/linguistics/structure, free of
contradictions and errors, and be consistent with the natural world.

8) There are so many religions, so which religion holds the Absolute Truth?

Process of elimination based on the three criteria mentioned in question 7. Note that
elimination of religions in determining the Absolute Truth does not mean that these religions
do not hold some beneficial teachings, but that only the independent being is able to tell us
what is truly wrong and right.
Based on the first criteria many religions can be eliminated from the list of possible religions
holding the Absolute Truth. All of these religions have forms of polytheism, henotheism, and
worship of limited beings. Of these religions are:

- Hinduism
o Worship of idols and limited beings (such as cows). (Idols are rocks and
stones which do not meet the requirements of criteria 1).
- Christianity
o Although they acknowledge and worship God, they also worship Jesus who
does not meet criteria 1. Christianity may claim to be a monotheistic religion
but this paper is based on rational reasoning, and the Trinitarian
monotheistic concept on the independent being is not something that can be
derived through logical deduction because it is contradictory (i.e. an infinite
being is equated to a limited being) and must rather be derived through
inferences from scripture. Criteria 1 must be fulfilled first before criteria 3
(i.e. scripture) can be assessed.
- Zoroastrianism
o Although this religion is based on Monotheism, they also are known to
ascribe divinity to fire which does not meet criteria 1
- Chinese folk religion
o Involves worship of spirits, ancestors, and idols, which does not meet criteria
1.
- Traditional African and Indigenous religions
o Followers of traditional African/Indigenous religions pray to various spirits as
well as to their ancestors. These secondary spirits serve as intermediaries
between humans and the primary God. Henotheistic beliefs do not meet
criteria 1.
- Norse, Greek, Roman, Egyptian Mythology
o Involves polytheistic and henotheistic beliefs.
- Ancient Mesopotamian religion
o Multiple gods plus idol worship
- Bahai
o Advocate for monotheism but also ascribes divinity to their religion leader,
Baha’ ullah.

Elimination of religion based on second criteria (part a): Claim of Prophethood

- Sikhism
 o The originator of the religion, Guru Nanak did not claim to be a Prophet of
the independent being. Although he preached monotheism, his ideas were
from his own understanding of the Truth or borrowed from other religions
such as Islam and Hinduism. A non-prophet human can never know the
Absolute Truth as this can only come from the independent being.
- Buddhism
o The originator of the religion, Buddha did not claim, from what we know, to
be a Prophet of the independent being. Therefore, Buddha’s ideas were from
his own self and cannot be Absolute Truth
- Confucianism
o The originator of the religion, Confucius did not claim, from what we know,
to be a Prophet of the independent being. Therefore, Confucius’s ideas were
from his own self and cannot be Absolute Truth
- Christianity
o Paul is said to have authored many books of the New Testament, but is
neither a Prophet nor does he claim to be a Prophet in his writings (Myers, &
Freed, 1966). Additionally, The Church Fathers, none of which were
prophets, formulated the Christian core doctrines such as that of the Trinity
and Salvation. These doctrines, particularly those pertaining to Jesus’s
divinity, were theorized and debated by different Christian figures (none of
whom were prophets) and were standardized during the Council of Nicaea
300 years after Jesus’s death. The Absolute Truth cannot be found in
doctrines that were under debate and formulated by non-prophet humans.

Elimination of religion based on the Third criteria

- Christianity
o Lack of preservation and reliability of the Bible
 Some books have unknown authorship and, as such, the reliability of
some authors are not known (example is book of Hebrews). There are
no manuscripts that are autographed by the authors of the 4 gospels.
As such, the identity of the authors of the gospels, Matthew, Mark,
Luke, and John, are not known and there is a difference of opinion
among Christian scholars about who these gospel writers were.
 OIdest manuscripts are in Greek, but Jesus most likely spoke Aramaic
or Hebrew (translation leads to loss of meaning of original)
 Oldest manuscripts are from the second century to fourth century
(Codex Vaticanus, Codex Sinaticus, and the Papyrus Fragments),
couple hundred years after Jesus.
  Christian sects do not agree upon one set bible. Catholic bible has 73
books, Protestant Bible has 66 books.
 The authors of the New Testament, such as Paul, were not Prophets
but make claims to the Truth which consequentially have no merits.
(goes against criteria 2) Additionally, Paul never met Jesus (A
prophet) and had arguments with Jesus’s actual disciples such as
James.
 Lack of certainty in the preservation of the New Testament renders
Christianity subject to doubt for its claims about the Truth
- Hinduism
o Not possible to determine preservation of Hindu sacred texts
o Known to have been passed down through oral methods instead of written
methods over millennia.
o Earliest manuscripts of written scriptures are dated millennia apart from
when they were thought to originate. This means we will never know if
there have been additions, subtractions to the originals or they have
remained preserved.
o Hindu’s claim that their scriptures don’t have authors. Impossible to
determine divine origin or even substantiate such claims. Could easily be the
result of the human mind. Significant lack of information prevents making a
case for the preservation of the Hindu Scriptures.
- Sikhism
o Guru Granth Sahib created by various Gurus
o Gurus aren’t considered Prophets, but are enlightened souls
o also contains the traditions and teachings of Indian sants (saints), such as
Ravidas, Ramananda, Bhagat Bhikan and Namdev among others, and two
Muslim Sufi saints Kabir and: Sheikh Farid.
o Due to the GGS being authored by multiple people that were not prophets, it
cannot be from the independent being.
- Judaism
o Oldest manuscripts of the Torah and Tanak are the Dead Sea Scrolls dating to
400-300 BCE. These are millennia after Moses’s supposed existence (13th
century BC). Therefore, unable to determine if the current Old testament is
the same as the originals; human influence is possible. Hard to determine
with certainty no human influence.

Note: Not all the world religions have been mentioned here. Only the main religions have
been considered. It is up to the reader to look into the religions not mentioned.
Among the main world religions that has not been eliminated by the above criteria is Islam

Therefore, our task of determining which religion holds the Absolute Truth has become easier.

Question 8 (Final Question)

Does Islam hold the Absolute Truth from the independent being?

Let us see if Islam fulfills the three criteria mentioned above.

Criteria 1 – God’s description matching that of the description in Question 1

Quran is claimed to be the Final Revelation sent to humanity. Here are verses fulfilling criteria 1

o Surah Ikhlas
 Say, "He is Allah, [who is] One,
Allah, the Eternal Refuge.
He neither begets nor is born,
Nor is there to Him any equivalent."
o Surah Ash-Shuraa verse 11
 There is nothing like Him: He is the All Hearing, the All Seeing.
o Surah An’am
 No human vision can encompass Him, whereas He encompasses all
human vision: for He alone is unfathomable, all-aware.

Criteria 2 a) religion’s originator claims to be Prophet sent by God

The Prophet Muhammad is the prophet of Islam, and is claimed to be the Final Prophet sent to
all of humanity.

o Quran 33:40
 Muhammad is not the father of any man among you, but he is the
messenger of Allah (God) and the Seal of the Prophets; and Allah is
ever Aware of all things.

Criteria 2 b) the religion originator can be proven to be a Propeht

First let us set up a criteria for what constitutes a Prophet:

i) Historical Evidence for their existence

ii) Evidence for his claims and miracles
iii) Spoke the Truth that was established in Criteria 1: One God, Monotheism
iv) Consistency in his teachings (about God, afterlife, and similar issues of belief)
 v) Similarity to the teachings of earlier prophets.
vi) Integrity: he must be a man of high moral character and trustworthy among his
community
vii) Prophesized about the future, which also comes true
viii) Faced persecution and still remained true to his message. His followers also faced
persecution and remained on his religion.
ix) Did not do it for any personal gains
x) Successful against all odds.
xi) The religion leads to increase in Good and decrease in Bad in society (as long as
the people are following the religion as it should be followed).

i) Historical Evidence of Existence; The Prophet Muhammad has considerable proof of

existence both historical and scriptural as he dates closer to current times than
prophets/originators of other mainstream religions. This evidence can be found in Muslim
sources such as the Quran, the Hadith, early Islamic history and non-Muslim sources such as
“The Fragment on the Arab Conquest” and also the aftermath of the spread of Islam.
Additionally, The Prophet Muhammad’s grave can be found in Medina, Saudi Arabia.

ii) Miracles; As all Muslims claim, the Quran is the evidence for Islam’s divine origin. Muslims
claim that the Quran we have today is a living miracle of the Arabic language, the final
revelation sent by God to humanity. Reasons for the Quran being from a divine origin will be
furthered discussed in criteria 3, of which is its preservation, supernatural linguistics,
inimitability, predictions, and absence of contradictions.

Aside from this there are authentic narrations in the book of hadith (sayings, teachings, and
actions of the Prophet Muhammad) of Prophet Muhammad performing various miracles. The
reliability and authenticity of these narrations is based on a rigorous methodology that involves
analysis of the sanad (chain of narrators that go back to the narrator that had originally
witnessed the said hadith, and verification of their trustworthiness) and matn (content of said
hadith is consistent with other hadith). Here are some examples of authentic hadith that relate
a few miracles of the Prophet Muhammad:

 splitting and rejoining of the moon in one night

o Narrated Anas bin Malik: The people of Mecca asked Allah's Messenger (‫ )ﷺ‬to show
them a miracle. So he showed them the moon split in two halves between which they
saw the Hira mountain. (Bukhari Book 63, Hadith 94)
o The Hour has come near, and the moon has split [in two]. And if they see a miracle,
they turn away and say, "Passing magic." (Chapter 54, Verse 1-2 of the Quran)
  Water spring forth from fingers
o Narrated by Jabir Ibn Abdullah: I was with the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬and the time for the `Asr
prayer became due. We had no water with us except a little which was put in a vessel
and was brought to the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬. He put his hand into it and spread out his
fingers and then said, "Come along! Hurry up! All those who want to perform ablution.
The blessing is from Allah.'' I saw the water gushing out from his fingers. So the people
performed the ablution and drank, and I tried to drink more of that water (beyond my
thirst and capacity), for I knew that it was a blessing. The sub-narrator said: I asked
Jabir, "How many persons were you then?" He replied, "We were one-thousand four
hundred men." (Bukhari, Book 74, hadith 65)
 Supernatural Abundance of Food
o Narrated by Jabir: '(O Messenger of Allah!) My father has died owing debts, and he has
not left anything but what his date-palms produce. What his date-palms produce will
not pay off his debts for years. Come with me, O Messenger of Allah, so that the
creditors will not be harsh with me.' The Messenger of Allah went to each heap, saying
Salams and supplicating for it, then sitting on it. He called the creditors and paid them
off, and what was left [of the dates] was as much as what they had taken." (Bukhari
Book 30, Hadith 27)
o (Bukhari, Book 64, Hadith 145) – Due to length here is a summary of this hadith: During
the Battle of the Trench, there was a shortage of food. One companion of the Prophet
had a small amount of food at his house. This food was taken by the Prophet
Muhammad and distributed to the army and everyone ate their fill.
 A lot of other miracles are mentioned in the books of Hadith. To learn more about these
miracles consider reading The Book of Evidences: The Miracles of the Prophet by Ibn Kathir.

iii) Message in line with Criteria 1; As mentioned before, Islam involves the worship of One
God as can be read in the Quran in Surah Iklas (Chapter 112). It also shuns polytheism, and idol
worship. Also God is described as Eternal, One, Unlike anything else. This fulfills criteria 1.

iv) Consistency of his Message; Consistently taught the six core beliefs of Islam: Belief in One
God, the Angels, the Holy Books, the Prophets, the Life after death, and Predestination. The
consistency of his message is proven through the Quran and Hadith. The message of the Quran
is also in line with the Hadith.

v) Same message as previous prophets; Prophet Muhammad preached the same message as
previous prophets that are acknowledged by Judaism and Christianity like Jesus, and Moses

 Jesus’s message in the New Testament:

o Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The
LORD our God is the one and only LORD . (Mark 12:29)
 The First Commandment given to Moses
 o I am the LORD thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the
house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before Me. (Exodus 20:2)

Prophet Muhammad also preached the same message as Zoroaster, the prophet in the
Zoroastrian religion.

 He, to whom no form, shape, or colour is attributed, stands alone, Omni Unique, the
Nature of Infinite of Infinite Perfection. It is not given to mortals of finite mind to define
Him, the most just, the most benevolent, the most merciful. He is One, who dwells in
boundless space, clothed in the most resplendent and illumined glory of inscrutable
Nature (The Teachings of Zoroaster, pg 21).

vi) Moral Character; The Prophet Muhammad was known among his community as the Truthful
One. Even the staunch enemies of Islam acknowledged his Truthful and moral character:

 Narrated by Anas: When the Verse:-- 'And warn your tribe of near kindred.' (26.214) was
revealed, Allah's Messenger (‫ﷺ‬ ) went out, and when he had ascended As-Safa mountain,
he shouted, "O My People!" The people said, "Who is that?" "Then they gathered
around him, whereupon he said, "If I say that an army is advancing on you from behind
the mountains, will you believe me?” They said, "We have never heard you telling a
lie." Then he said, "I am a plain warner to you of a coming severe punishment."
(Bukhari, Book 65, Hadith 4971).
 Whenever Ali (the cousin of the Prophet Muhammad) described the noble features of
the Prophet Muhammad he used to say: He was the last of all prophets. He was the
most generous and the most truthful. He was the most kind-hearted and came from a
most noble family. (It means his character, family back-ground and everything else was
of the best). Any person who saw him suddenly would become awe-inspired. The
Prophet of God had such a great personality and dignity, that the person who saw him
for the first time, because of his awe-inspiring personality, would be overcome with a
feeling of profound respect. (Shama'il Muhammadiyah, Book 1, hadith 6).

vii) Prophecies that come True; The Prophet Muhammad prophesised about many things of
the future. Among them, he had prophesized about the conquest of Sham (the region of Syria-
Palestine), The conquest of Persia, the conquest of Yemen, and the conquest of Egypt. Not long
after Prophet Muhammad’s death all of these lands were indeed conquered by the Muslims. It
is also important to note that Syria was ruled by the Byzantine Empire and Persia was ruled by
the Sassanid Empire. These two empires were huge in comparison to the Muslims during the
time the prophecy was made. Therefore a prophecy like this would otherwise be considered a
delusion. And yet it came true.
  J bir b. ‘Abdill h (rA reports that while digging the trench outside Madinah to repel an
approaching army, a massive boulder obstructed them that no ax would break. With
time running out, and with people’s fears and hunger eating away at them, the Prophet
‫ ﷺ‬walked over and picked up the ax. He said, “Bismillah (In God’s name ,” and
hammered the boulder, reducing a chunk of it to rubble. He said, “All hu Akbar (God is
Great)! I have been given the eys to h m I can see its red palaces at this very
moment.” Then he shattered another chunk and said, “All hu Akbar (God is Great ! I
have been given the keys to Persia I can see Madain’s white palace.” Then he
shattered the last chunk and said, “All hu Akbar (God is Great ! I have been given the
keys to Yemen. By Allah, I can see the Gates of Sana‘a at this very moment from here
(Sunan Nasa’i Book 25, hadith 92
 Abu Dharr reported Allah's Messenger (‫ ﷺ‬as saying: “You would soon conquer Egypt
and that is a land which is known (as the land of al-qirat). So when you conquer it, treat
its inhabitants well…” (Sahih Muslim Book 44, Hadith 323

The Prophet Muhammad also prophesised about the coming of the Day of Judgement and its
signs. Here is one of those prophecies:

 “The Hour will not be established untill …the Shepards compete with one another in
constructing tall buildings…” [Sunan an-Nasa'i Book 47, Hadith 7]
o This prophecy has come true in our current times as this is referring to the Arabs
competing in building tall buildings. The tallest building in the world is
constructed by the Arabs, namely the Burj Khalifa.

There are many other prophecies made by the Prophet Muhammad. Refer to The Prophecies of
Muhammad by Moustafa Zayed for more prophecies.

viii) Persecution yet unwavering beliefs; The Early converts to Islam were persecuted by the
pre-dominantly pagan community. Some were tortured and yet remained on the religion of
Islam.

 It was narrated that 'Abdullah bin Mas'ud said: "The first people to declare their Islam
publicly were seven: The Messenger of Allah, Abu Bakr, 'Ammar and his mother
Sumayyah, Suhaib, Bilal and Miqdad. With regard to the Messenger of Allah, Allah
protected him through his paternal uncle Abu Talib. With regard to Abu Bakr, Allah
protected him through his people. As for the rest, the idolators seized them and made
them wear coats of chain-mail and exposed them to the intense heat of the sun. There
was none of them who did not do what they wanted them to do, except for Bilal. He did
 not care what happened to him for the sake of Allah, and his people did not care what
happened to him. Then they gave him to the children who dragged him around in the
streets of Makkah while he was saying, 'Ahad, Ahad (One, One).'" (Sunan Ibn Majah,
Book 1, Hadith 155)

ix) Not for Personal Gains; The Prophet Muhammad did not spread the religion of Islam for his
own personal gains. During the early phase of Islam he had faced much abuse for preaching
Islam from his community. He did not live a luxurious or rich life even after the rise of Islam in
Arabia. He spent countless days in hunger and lived in very humbling circumstances.

 Abu Talhah says: "We complained to the Prophet of God about the severe pangs of
hunger, and showed him the stones fastened on our stomachs. A stone was fastened on
the stomach of every one of us due to severe hunger. The Prophet of God showed us
two stones fastened onto his stomach". The Prophet of God experienced more hunger
than we did, and he had spent a longer period than us since he had last eaten. (Shama'il
Muhammadiyah, Book 52, Hadith 371)
 Ibn Abbas narrates: … [Umar narrates to me that] he had entered upon Allah's
Messenger (‫ )ﷺ‬and saw him lying on a bed made of stalks of date palm leaves and
there was no bedding between it and him. The stalks left marks on his side and he was
leaning on a leather pillow stuffed with date-palm fires… I looked around his house, and
by Allah, I could not see anything of importance in his house except three hides, so I
said, 'O Allah's Messenger (‫ !)ﷺ‬Invoke Allah to make your followers rich, for the
Persians and the Romans have been made prosperous and they have been given (the
pleasures of the world), although they do not worship Allah.' Thereupon the Prophet
(‫ )ﷺ‬sat up as he was reclining. and said, 'Are you of such an opinion, O the son of Al-
Khattab? These are the people who have received the rewards for their good deeds in
this world, [whereas our reward lies in the hereafter]’. (Bukhari, Book 67, Hadith 125)

x) Success against all odds; Prophet Muhammad’s followers were very small in number in the
first years of his Prophethood. Nonetheless, through perseverance, the Muslims were able to
grow substantially. Throughout this time, the Muslims engaged in multiple wars with the
Pagans of Mecca. Among the first of these wars was the Battle of Badr. The Pagans
outnumbered the Muslims 1000 to 313 men and yet the Muslims decisively won the battle. By
the end of Prophet Muhammad’s mission, all the tribes of Arabia were united under the
religion of Islam. Decades after Prophet Muhammad’s death, Islam managed to spread to North
Africa, Syria, Persia, and India. This level of growth and spread of an ideology/religion is
unprecedented in human history.
xi) Increase in Good and decrease in Bad; Islam had brought about positive change to the
people of Arabia. Here is a list of a few:

 Abolishment of Female Infanticide

 Elevating the status of Women in society
 Promoting the well-treatment of slaves
 Abolishing Tribalism, uniting Arabia
 Elevating status of the orphans and downtrodden
 Promotion of charity
 Promotion of good character
 Promotion of ethical business practices
 Minority rights and just laws
 The Islamic Golden Age

Criteria 3 –

a. Are the Scriptures preserved as they were revealed without human corruption or
influence?

In order to prove that the scripture is the Word of God, the Quran must first be proven to have
been preserved in their original form since its inception; otherwise it is suspect to human
influence which prevents us from making a case on its divine origin.

Quran’s Preservation:

 Unlike other Scriptures God explicitly states in the Quran that He will preserve the
Quran:
 "Surely, We have revealed the 'Zhikr' (Quran), and surely, We will preserve it"
(chapter 15:9)
 Oldest manuscripts of Quran can be found in the Birmingham manuscript and
Sanaa Manuscript. These two manuscripts date to around the lifetime of
Muhammad or a two or three decades after. They are also consistent with
current Quranic text.
 All sects of Islam use and agree upon the same Arabic Quran, unlike
Christianity.
 Quran is preserved in its original language of Arabic
 Method of Preservation: Memorization and Early Compilation
o The preservation is attested to by its easy to memorize nature. Many
people had memorized it during the time of Prophet Muhammad. Up
until today, many Muslims around the world memorize the Quran front
 to back. These people are called Hafiz. Children as young as 7 have
memorized the entirety of the Quran. A phenomenon not known to other
religions.
o During the Prophet Muhammad’s time Quran chapters and verses were
written on bones, stones, and date palm fronds. There were also many
memorizers of the Quran at the time.
o Shortly after the Prophet’s death, the appointed Caliph Abu Bakr decided
to compile the Quran into one book. The appointed Scribe of the
Prophet, Zaid ibn Thabit along with other Scribes were tasked with
compilation. They gathered the pieces of the Quran that were written
down and also the Quran memorizers. Through this process they were
able to compile the Quran into one book.
o The process and history of the compilation of the Quran is detailed in
(Sahih Bukhari Book 93, Hadith 53) , and (Jami at-Tirmidhi, Book 47,
Hadith 3387)
o The fact that we know exactly how the Quran was compiled, and who
the compilers were shows that the Quran was indeed preserved since its
inception. In contrast, authors/scribes are not known for some books in
the Bible. As such, we can now make a case on its divine origin.

b. Can they proven to be from God?

Since Quran can be proven to have been preserved since the time of its inception/revelation we
can now try to make a case of whether it is from God or not.

Muslims give many reasons to believe the Quran is the final revelation and miracle from God,
most of which are best appreciated when the reader has knowledge of the Arabic language.
Nonetheless here are some arguments Muslim make for the divine origins of the Quran:

1) Inimitability Challenge
 “And if you are in doubt about what We have revealed (the Quran) to Our
worshiper (Muhammad ), then produce a chapter like it, and call your
witnesses (supporters and helpers) besides God if you are truthful... (Quran,
2:23)
 The Quran has challenged humans to produce a chapter like it. This challenge
is something unique to the Quran unlike any other religious Scripture.
 Over the 1400 years since its inception, no one has been able to create a
chapter that rivals even one of the chapters of the Quran.
2) Miraculous use of the Arabic Language (must understand Arabic to appreciate)
  This is the most significant argument for the Quran’s divine origin. The way
the Quran has utilized the Arabic language is unprecedented. During the
Prophet Muhammad’s time, people would convert by merely just listening to
the Quran being recited. The best Arabian poets would be left speechless
 Ring composition and Symmetrical Structure
 Use of Rhetoric
 Word choice
 Rhythmic Beauty of Recitation
3) No contradictions or errors
 Then do they not reflect upon the Qur'an? If it had been from [any] other
than Allah , they would have found within it much contradiction. (Quran
4:82)
 The Quran makes the claim that it has no contradictions. The Pagans of
Arabia that were the first to witness the Quran did not even try to contend
this claim. Even though they considered themselves the masters of the
Arabic language, they were not able to find a contradiction. If they were to
find even one contradiction they could have proved the Quran wrong and
thus shown that it wasn’t from God.
 The Pagans could have defeated Islam through this method, and yet they
chose to persecute and abuse the followers of Islam.
4) Prophecies
 “The Romans have been defeated. In the nearer land, and they, after their
defeat, will be victorious. Within three to nine years. The decision of the
matter, before and after (these events) is only with Allah. And that day the
believers will rejoice” (Quran 30:1-4)
 Here a prophecy is made about the outcomes of the wars that were going on
between the Byzantine and Sassanid empires. The Byzantine were defeated
decisively by the Sassanid’s and the Quran verses above mention this. But
then it goes on to make the prophecy that the Byzantine will defeat the
Sassanid Empire. If a person were to hear this prediction when it was first
revealed they would find it an impossibility. And yet we find in the in external
sources of history that these events did follow [as was predicted].
5) Consistent with modern scientific findings that would otherwise have not been
known 1400 years ago
 Embryology : “Then We made the sperm-drop into a clinging clot, and We
made the clot into a lump [of flesh], and We made [from] the lump, bones,
and We covered the bones with flesh; then We developed him into another
creation. So blessed is Allah , the best of creators.” (Quran 23:14)
 6) Ease of Memorization
 Muslims around the world are known to memorize the Quran from front to
back. The youngest hafiz of the Quran was a 3 year old boy named Abdul
Rahman Farah and his name is in the Guinness Book of World Records for
this very reason.
7) Its’ Miraculous Revelation and Compilation
 The Quran was revealed over a period of 23 years in bits and pieces.
 The Quran did not go through and editorial process but was simply compiled

FINAL CONCLUSION

Although, other religions may have partial Truths, the aim of this paper was to
determine the Absolute Truth. From our discourse and questioning, it can be rationally
concluded that Islam is the only possible religion on Earth that holds the Absolute Truth in the
Form of the Holy Quran. The Quran seems to be the only Holy Book revealed by a Prophet to be
existing in its original revealed state. It is also extraordinary in many ways that lends credence
towards its divine origin. Therefore, if a human would like to fulfill the rights of his/her Creator,
he/she should accept this religion whole heartedly.
Other Important Questions
1) How come there are so many religions?

If we are to take Islam as the main lens through how we view history there is a certain
narrative that we will come to learn to explain the question at hand; Adam, the first created
person on Earth, was given the Absolute Truth by God, which is Monotheism. Overtime humans
started to ascribe divinity to distinguished leaders, angels, prophets, jinns (spirits), and animals.
This created new religions that strayed from the Absolute Truth. Due to this, God would send
prophets to people to guide them back to the Absolute Truth of Monotheism. As human history
continued, more branches were created and more religions were formed. The Final Messenger
was the Prophet Muhammad as is stated in the Quran. He had established Islam, the True
Monotheistic religion on Earth up until the Day of Judgment. A representation of this can be
seen in Figure 1.

Are there any merits to the theory above? There are hints and remnants of a
monotheistic God, as described in Question 1, in various religions. For example, Hinduism
mentions Brahman. Zoroastrianism mentions Azura Mazda. Confucianism/Chinese religion
mentions Tian (supreme God of Heaven). Judaism and Christianity mentions Yahweh. These are
all Names used by various religions for the Supreme being, and the Final Cause. It is possible
that these names were first taught by the prophets that were sent to their respective people. It
is also possible that various influential leaders and figures of certain religions could have been
prophets of God; For example Buddah, Confucius, Krishna/Vishnu, and Zoroaster. Later on
these figures, such as Krishna became deified and their teachings corrupted. We cannot truly
know if this was the case because many of the scriptures that go back to these religions are not
truly preserved and have human influence within.

There is also the Flood myths in various ancient religions such as the Mesopotamian
religion, Greek religion, and Hinudism. These Flood myths correlate to story of Noah seen in the
Quran and Bible; For example the story of King Manu (Hinduism), Deucalion (Greek), and
Utnapishtim (Mesopotamian). Noah was among the earliest of human beings and so the events
that took place in his time (i.e. the flood) was so significant that it was known by these religions
that came after him. Due to this, we see Flood myths in these religions. However, we do not see
the exact story of Noah but rather parallels. The Mesopotamian flood myth in particular is very
similar to the Quranic and biblical account. It is possible that these details were changed
overtime to the myths we see today but in reality these myths were originally just Noah’s story.

There is also the idea of heaven and hell that is present in some form or another in
many world religions. The idea of Satan or the devil is also present in many religions.
 From this we see that it is possible that the religions of the past did embody the Truth at
some point in time but they were changed, corrupted, or influenced by humans leading to
deviations from the Truth. This is why, based on the Islamic perspective, Prophets had to be
sent continuously to restore the Truth among Humanity. Nonetheless, the ideas mentioned
above are all speculations and we cannot say for certain. The only thing that is certain is the
Word of God which has been unchanged. And the only scripture (From a proven prophet) that
can make such a claim is the Quran. Therefore the lens through which we assess the Truth of
reality is the Quran.

Beginning of
The Last Day Greek Mesopotamian
Christianity Buddhism Religion Humanity on Earth
Mythology

THE TRUE MONOTHEISM (Restored by Prophets)

Islam

Judaism Zoroastrianism Hinduism Ancient

Religions

Figure 1: The branching off of many religions, over the years, from the True Monotheistic
Religion due to human corruption. This Monotheistic religion would be restored by Prophets
sent by God, culminating in the final prophet Muhammad and the religion of Islam.

2) But Islam came after so many other religions, so it’s a new ideology that was not
present in the past. Therefore how can we believe in Islam if it’s something new?

The answer to this question lies in semantics of the word Islam. Islam is an Arabic word that
means Submission [to God]. Therefore, anyone predating Islam that submitted their selves
to God, they would be on the religion of Islam and would be a Muslim (one who Submits)
based on the definition of these words. In other words, Islam always existed. Adam was
someone who Submitted himself to God, therefore he was a Muslim. Noah was someone
who Submitted himself to God, therefore he was a Muslim. Moses was someone who
Submitted himself to God, therefore he was a Muslim. Abraham was someone who
Submitted himself to God, therefore he was a Muslim. And so on. This same logic cannot be
applied to Christianity, or Judaism and many other religions because they imply following a
certain leader. Christians are people who follow Christ. Judaism means the religion of Judah.
Therefore, we cannot say Adam was a Christian or a Jew because Jesus Christ and Moses
were not born while Adam was alive. However we can say that Adam was one who
submitted himself to God, and therefore was Muslim (one who submits himself to God).

As such Islam has always existed and is the best way to describe/name the religion of Truth.

3) Was the belief in God a Man-made idea?

Belief in the One True God cannot be a Man-made idea, but certain religions, or
religious traditions can be man-made. Why cannot the belief in the One True God be man-
made? A PhD philosopher named Asadullah Ali Andalusi had come up with an argument
that explains why. To put simply, it is impossible for humans to conceive of God unless God
actually existed. His argumentation goes as such:

Premise 1 (P1) – If meaning can only be derived from the natural world, then all
conceptions of reality are derived from the natural world

P2 – If all conceptions of reality are derived from the natural world, then they must be a
coherence of meaningful experiences (i.e. experiences from the natural world)

P3 – People believe that there is a meaningful transcendent reality (i.e God) that shares no
properties with the natural world.

P4 – If P1-2 are true, then P3 is a caption of reality derived from the natural world, which
content is a coherence of meaningful experiences

P5 – However, no number of meaningful experiences can direct one to consider the

possibility of something meaningful beyond said experiences. [i.e it is impossible to
conceive of something outside the natural world]

Argument: Therefore, P3 is not a conception of reality derived from the natural world [i.e.
God cannot be a Man-made concept].

From Asadullah’s argument it can be understood that if God is not able to be conceived
from experiences of the natural world, there exists a world beyond the natural world from
which we derive the concept of God. This “world beyond the natural world” is a world that
is not apparent to us, and in Islam is known as the Gayhb (or Unseen). From an Islamic
perspective, Humans have a connection to the Unseen by the Soul, the Fitrah (Innate
human disposition), and that which has been made apparent by Prophets or Revelation. If it
were not for these three things, we would never have known God existed nor could ever
 have been conceived of God as He cannot be conceived from experiences in the natural
world.

As such, it is impossible for Humans to have conceived of God unless God actually existed.

4) What does Allah mean?

Allah is Arabic for The One God. It is not exclusively used by Muslims. Christians that live
in the Arabic speaking countries also use Allah to refer to God.

References

Myers, J. M., & Freed, E. D. (1966). Is Paul Also Among the Prophets? Union Seminary
Magazine, 20(1), 40–53. https://doi.org/10.1177/002096436602000104