Theological, Philosophical, and Scientific Response Inspired by
Allama Dr. Shaykh Hami (Hh)
The modern world stands at a strange crossroads; technological advancement has reached
unprecedented heights, yet spiritual anxiety and existential emptiness have deepened. Atheism, which denies the existence of God or suspends belief in Him,
has gained popularity especially among youth
struggling with doubt, depression, and identity crises.
However, from an Islamic and Sufi perspective inspired by
Allama Dr. Shaykh Hami, atheism is not merely an
intellectual issue; it is a crisis of meaning and a disturbance of the heart. Islam addresses
the mind with reason and the heart with remembrance,
presenting a complete response that integrates
theology, philosophy, science, spirituality and lived experience.
The Quran declares that the awareness of God is rooted in human nature itself. This innate disposition, called
fitrah, inclines the soul toward its Creator even before formal reasoning begins. Allah says:
“So set your face toward the religion, inclining to truth; the fitrah of Allah upon which He has created mankind.” (Quran 30:30). This means belief in God is not artificially imposed from outside; it arises naturally from within the human being. Atheism therefore requires effort to
suppress what already exists in the human heart. Classical scholars such as Shah Waliullah explained that when fitrah becomes covered by arrogance, trauma, or excessive materialism, doubt appears not because the signs of God are weak, but because the inner eye is clouded.
The Quran repeatedly calls humanity to examine both the outer universe and the inner self. Allah says: “We
will show them our signs in the horizons and within themselves until it becomes clear to them that it is the truth.”(Quran 41:53).This two-directional reflection forms the foundation of Sufi epistemology. God is recognized through the world and through the heart. Allama Dr. Shaykh Hami emphasizes this balance in his sermons, teaching that spiritual experience does not abolish
reason; rather, it perfects it. Sufism does not merely answer whether God exists but it guides the
seeker to experience divine presence in consciousness and action. One of the strongest Quranic
arguments against atheism is stated clearly in Surah al-Tur: “Were they created from nothing,
or were they themselves the creators?” (Quran 52:35). This argument demonstrates a
fundamental logical truth, absolute nothingness cannot produce existence. Every contingent being
depends on a cause. The universe began to exist; therefore it requires a transcendent source that is
eternal, necessary, uncaused, and self-existent. Muslim philosophers such as Ibn Sina called this
the argument from Necessary Existence, while contemporary philosophers refer to it as the cosmological argument. The Quran expressed this principle over fourteen centuries ago, long
before modern philosophy or cosmology.
The Quran also appeals to the order, precision, and beauty of creation as evidence of divine
wisdom. Allah says: “You do not see in the creation of the Most Merciful any inconsistency.”
(Quran 67:3). The fine-tuning of the universe, the precise values of physical constants, and the
mathematical harmony of natural laws all suggest intelligent design rather than blind accident. The
Quran invites repeated observation and contemplation, not blind faith. It tells humanity to “look
again” and reflect. This openness to reflection demonstrates that Islam is intellectually confident
rather than threatened by inquiry. The Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلمrecognized that human beings
experience doubts regarding faith and existence. In an authentic hadith in Sahih Muslim, he said
that Satan whispers questions such as “Who created this? Who created that?” until finally he
suggests, “Who created Allah?” The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلمtaught believers to seek refuge in Allah and say, “I
believe in Allah,” cutting the chain of obsessive regress. This hadith reveals deep psychological
understanding: not every question is genuine philosophy; some are pathological cycles that
damage mental peace. Islam treats such doubts with compassion, spiritual practice, and grounding
in certainty. Classical Muslim theologians dealt extensively with atheism and skepticism. AlGhazali criticized the belief that the universe has always existed without beginning, arguing that
temporality requires a Creator who brings time and space into being. Fakhr al-Din al-Razi
elaborated different rational proofs in theology, showing that contingent things cannot explain their
own existence. Ibn Rushd and Ibn Sina addressed causality and necessity, while Shah Waliullah
discussed spiritual unveiling as a higher level of certainty. All these thinkers, differing in style,
agreed on one conclusion: God is real, absolute, necessary, and greater than the universe. Sufi
scholars added another essential dimension: that God is not merely an intellectual conclusion, but
a living reality experienced by the heart. Rumi wrote that debates about God often resemble a
thirsty man arguing about water instead of drinking it. Ibn Arabi spoke of existence itself as a
manifestation of divine names, stating that “Being belongs truly only to God,” while others receive
existence only through Him. For Sufis, atheism collapses not only through syllogism, but
through love, remembrance, humility, and transformation of character. Allama Dr. Shaykh
Hami follows this spiritual heritage by guiding youth from arguments to presence (hudur).
Philosophy in the Western tradition also offers powerful arguments against atheism. Thomas
Aquinas articulated five “ways” to demonstrate God’s existence, focusing on motion, causation,
contingency, degrees of perfection, and purposeful design. Modern philosophers such as Alvin
Plantinga have argued that belief in God can be “properly basic,” meaning rational even without
inferential proof because it arises from fundamental human cognitive faculties. Others show that
atheism, if consistent, leads to moral relativism and nihilism, unable to justify objective goodness
or human dignity.
Science, contrary to popular misconception, does not support atheism. Science is a method of
investigating natural processes, not a worldview that answers why existence itself is here. Big
Bang cosmology indicates a cosmic beginning, aligning with the Quranic insistence that the universe is created, contingent, and dependent. The mathematical nature of reality remains
mysterious from a purely materialist perspective: why should unguided matter obey elegant
laws capable of being grasped by human intellect? Albert Einstein himself spoke of a “sense
of awe at the rational order of the universe,” rejecting crude atheism even though he did not
identify with revealed religion. Another scientific difficulty for atheism is consciousness.
Neuroscience can measure brain activity but cannot explain inner subjective experience the sense
of “I”. This is called the “hard problem of consciousness.” A purely material universe should not
produce self-aware beings that ask about meaning, morality, or beauty. Consciousness points
beyond materialism to a spiritual dimension in human identity. The Quran already declared:
“They ask you concerning the soul. Say: The soul is of the affair of my Lord.” (Quran 17:85).
Human self-awareness is a sign of divine creation, not an accident. Morality also resists atheistic
explanation. If humans are only biological machines produced by blind evolution, then there is no
ultimate right or wrong but only instincts and social conditioning. Yet even atheists appeal to
justice, human dignity, and human rights as universally binding concepts. This universality
indicates an objective moral law that transcends biology. Immanuel Kant argued that belief in God
and the afterlife is necessary to make sense of moral obligation. The Quran grounds morality
directly in divine wisdom and commands, presenting a coherent foundation for ethical life.
Atheism often claims to liberate humanity from fear, but it frequently produces inner emptiness,
anxiety, and meaninglessness. If life is only a temporary chemical event ending in permanent nonexistence, then ultimate purpose vanishes. The Quran describes this existential despair: “They
know only the outward of the worldly life, but they are heedless of the Hereafter.” (Quran
30:7). By contrast, remembrance of God heals the human heart: “Verily, in the remembrance of
Allah do hearts find rest.” (Quran 13:28). Spiritual experience therefore confirms what reason
already suggests that we are created for transcendence.
Allama Dr. Shaykh Hami’s contribution lies in demonstrating that arguments alone are
insufficient. Many modern youths who identify as atheists are not convinced by careful
debate because their problem is not logic but pain: broken families, injustice, war, hypocrisy
of religious figures, or trauma. He emphasizes compassion, counselling, dhikr, and prayer,
service to society, and connection to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلمas pathways that reopen the heart to faith.
His approach integrates the intellectual heritage of Kalam, the philosophical depth of Sufi
metaphysics, and the lived reality of pastoral guidance. Sufi practice plays a central role in
answering atheism. Remembrance of God through dhikr, recitation of Quran, reflection on death,
service to the poor, companionship of righteous scholars, and moral purification develop
experiential certainty (yaqin). Al-Ghazali described three levels of certainty: knowledge of
certainty, eye of certainty, and truth of certainty. The atheist often remains at the level of abstract
argument; the Sufi ascends to direct inner realization. This is not irrationalism but fulfilment of
reason through love and spiritual discipline. Islam also refutes the misconception that science and
religion are enemies. Historically, Muslim civilization nurtured science precisely because of belief
in an intelligent Creator who made a rationally ordered universe. Great scientists like Ibn alHaytham, Al-Biruni, and Ibn Sina were believers who saw their research as reading the “book of nature” authored by God. The Quran repeatedly commands observation of the heavens, the earth,
the alternation of night and day, and biological creation not as distractions from faith, but as
confirmations of it. Atheism frequently collapses under its own weight because it cannot answer
the deepest human questions: Why do we exist? Why is there something rather than nothing? What
grounds human dignity? Why do we love, hope, create, and sacrifice? Why does beauty move us?
Science can describe mechanisms but not ultimate meaning. Sufism answers that existence is an
expression of divine mercy, and the human being is created to know, love, and worship God.
Without God, the human story becomes a tale without author or destination. The Quran
additionally argues from death and resurrection. Human consciousness rebels against total
annihilation. The Quran says: “Does man think we will not assemble his bones? Yes, we are
able even to proportion his fingertips.” (Quran 75:3–4). The precise mention of fingertips has
been interpreted by many scholars as a reference to individuality and identity, as fingerprints are
unique. Resurrection gives meaning to justice: the oppressed and oppressors do not end in the same
condition. Atheism offers no final justice; Islam guarantees it. The Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم
described the sweetness of faith, stating that one who loves God and His Messenger more than
anything else, who hates returning to disbelief as he would hate being thrown into fire, experiences
inner spiritual taste (halawah). Such experiential transformation has been documented in Sufi
biographies across centuries. Converts from atheism frequently report that intellectual arguments
opened the door but spiritual practice filled the home of the heart. Shaykh Hami’s guidance
exemplifies this by linking intellectual clarity with inner purification. In light of all these
dimensions Quranic reasoning, prophetic guidance, classical theology, Sufi spirituality,
philosophy, and scientific reflection atheism appears not as a final intellectual victory but as
a stage of confusion in human history. It fails to account for existence, consciousness,
morality, beauty, love, and meaning. God, by contrast, is not merely a hypothesis but the
ground of all being and value. The Quran summarizes the argument with simplicity and
power: “Is there any doubt about Allah, the Creator of the heavens and the earth?” (Quran
14:10). The Sufi answer to atheism is therefore not only to prove God but to lead the human being
back to God to prayer, compassion, knowledge, gratitude, and moral responsibility. The ultimate
refutation of atheism is not merely a syllogism but a transformed life. When the heart is purified,
the existence of God becomes clearer than the existence of anything else, because everything else
depends on Him. As Allama Dr. Shaykh Hami consistently reminds his audiences, the path to
certainty passes through humility, remembrance, and love for the Prophet Muhammad .صلى الله عليه وسلم
