A Talk with an Atheist

Bismillaah ar-Rahmaan ar-Raheem

Salaam Allaah alayka, dear brothers and sisters,

A few weeks ago, I encountered an atheist, who is a University student firmly grounded in his belief and very proud of that such that he looks down upon people like us, and who claims to follow the Darwinian school of thought (at least the one promoted by R. Dawkins of Oxford) which bases its entire system on "evolutionary emergent intelligence" instead of "intrinsic intelligence" and "randomness of natural selection" instead of "purposeful design". Since a lot of "intellectual" people these days tend to verge on atheism or materialism (in one form or another), I thought I would share the gist of our debate here with you all in the hope to shed some light on the Truth and grow the confidence and certainty (yaqeen) in your hearts by Allaah's permission. May Allaah Ta'ala help us all in knowing and loving Him better. Amin.

***

Q: "As far as I know, no one of the theologians has been able to answer the following problematic question: 'Can "God"
create a stone which He Himself will not be able to lift up?' If yes, then He will cease to be the Most Powerful! If no, then He is not all-Powerful at all in the first place, at least not completely. In either case, there's no way that "God" can be all-Powerful. Hence, "God" either doesn't exist or can't be that which you guys ("theists") describe Him to be!"

A: "The answer to your question has been given through Surah al-Ikhlaas in the Holy Qur'an:

Bismillaah ar-Rahmaan ar-Raheem.

In the Name of Allaah, the Infinitely Loving, the Infinitely Merciful.

Qul Huwa Allaahu Ahad.

Say: He is Allaah, the Singular, the Unique.

Allaahus Samad.

Allaah is the Intrinsic Source of Being (Existence).

Lam yalid wa lam yulad.

He is not caused by that which is extrinsic to Him, nor does He produce that which is external to Him.

Wa lam yaqul la Hu kufuan Ahad.

And nothing whatsoever is like unto Him.

"In this Surah, Allaah Ta'ala speaks of Himself without attributes whatsoever other than that which is the Reality that He Ta'ala is. He Ta'ala is al-Haqq; the Unique, Absolute, Intrinsic Truth; enthroned above Duality (Multiplicity) and hence above Opposition, Relativity, and Interdependence. He Ta'ala is as-Samad, the Singular, Intrinsic Source of all interdependent, hidden, and manifest realities while He Ta'ala Himself is absolutely independent of conceivable attributes. Now, you may reflect that That-Which-Exists inherently cannot result from a set of causes and conditions whatsoever, and so causality can NEVER operate with regard to this Reality-Being. Hence your question does not apply to Allaah Ta'ala in the first place; it is a mere mental construct whose emergence is only possible in any closed system (like the mind) which at the same time cannot be divorced from that which is observed by it---the Universe of phenomena. So you see, your question is devoid of intrinsic substance in the first place and you expecting an answer in this case is pretty much like trying to paste a sticker on a tidal wave. As such, your question only applies to divisible, interdependent phenomena (and hence, your so-called "God", that is only purely relative, and the stone). On the other hand, the Absolute Reality-Being, Allaah Ta'ala, is not made up of parts, and so isn't divisible. In Tasawwuf which is also called al-'Ilm al-Haqiqat, the Islamic science of Allaah's Essence (the Essence of Reality-Being), we have the so-called seven states of manifestation, from the most sublime to the most coarse. At best your question still applies to the fifth state, called al-'Alm al-Mitsal (the Realm of thought-forms or imageries), where relative existential weights (called "forms") exist in interdependence, but no further than that. In the most exalted state of Allaah Ta'ala, called Ahadiyya, He Ta'ala has no need of objects ("partners"; anything exterior to Himself whether conceptually or consequentially); He simply is He (Huwa Huwa) and neither perceptions nor words can reveal the Reality of Ahadiyya, for this state is free from any "entanglement of states" whatsoever. We, genuine Muslims, don't take this for granted nor base all this on presupposition, rather we purify ourselves from phenomenal entanglement and interdependence (we seek to "divorce ourselves from ourselves") in order to be granted the Reality of the Presence (Hudhur) which we call Qurb (Nearness). This is the state of the Holy Prophet of Islaam (peace be upon him and his exalted family) called Ihsaan (Direct Witnessing) and this state is reproducible (provided that one goes through a very intense journeying called Sulook) and hence is "scientific".

"So, the answer to your question, if you like, can be anything your mind (ego) wishes, as it applies only to realities dependent on your senses and concepts. It is pretty much like the case of any real number which is divided by zero, the answer can be anything, and yet this "anything" has no absolute substance, it is purely "empty" ("weightless") and "relative" with respect to Allaah Ta'ala. He Ta'ala does not suffer from any consequence which the question entails at all. In other words, He Ta'ala is not touched upon by such questions at all. Subhaan Allaah. It is in Him Ta'ala alone that the disparity between incoherent thoughts (perceptions) and Reality vanishes."

***

Dear brothers and sisters whom I love for Allaah's sake, let us now pray, according the Holy Prophet's injunction that we pray against useless knowledge such as that contained in the above question from the Atheist. May He Ta'ala protect us with Ma'rifat and Yaqeen.

Bismillaah ar-Rahmaan ar-Raheem

Allaahumma inni as'aluka
bi Sirri az-Zaat wa bi Zaat as-Sirr
Huwa Anta wa Anta Huwa
ihtajabtu bi Nurillaah
wa bi-Nuri 'Arsyillaah
wa bi-Kulli Ismillaah
bi mi'ati alfi
"La haula wa la quwwata illa billaah"
khatamtu 'ala nafsi wa 'ala ahli
wa 'ala kulli syai'in a'thanihi Rabbi
bi khatamillaahi al-mani'a al-lazi
khatama bihi aqthar as-samawat wa al-ardh
wa Hasbunallaahu wa Ni'mal Wakil
Ni'mal Maula wa Ni'man Nashir
wa la haula wa la quwwata illa billaahi al'-Aliyyi al-'Azhim
wa shalallaahu 'ala Sayyidina wa Mawlana wa Murshidina wa Habibina Muhammadin
wa 'ala alihi wa shahbihi wa sallama ajma'in.

Amin.

O Allaah, I beseech You, and You alone
by the Secret of Your Essence (Being, Reality) and by the Secret Essence
protect me with Your Pure, Exalted Light
with the Light of Your Throne
and with all Your Names, whether revealed or hidden
from the malice and slander of those possessed by evil intentions
from Your enemies, the enemies of the Truth.

I beseech You, O Allaah, with 100,000 remembrances
"There is no Power (Capacity) nor Strength except by Allaah"
I hereby shield myself and my relatives (friends)
and all that You have bestowed upon me
with Your Impenetrable Shield
with which You shield the multi-layered heavens and the Earth
and Sufficient are You, O Allaah, as our Helper even as You are our Best Protector
for You alone, O Allaah, are the Matchless Protector and Helper
"There is no Power nor Strength except by Allaah"
Allaah's Peace and Blessings be upon our Master, our Patron, our Teacher, our Sweetheart Muhammad, his exalted family and companions.

Amin.


Yaa Azizu, yaa Allaah
Yaa Karimu, yaa Allaah
Yaa Jabbaru, yaa Allaah
Yaa Sattaru, yaa Allaah
Yaa Ghaffaru, yaa Allaah

Allaahu, Allaahu, Allaahu Haqq!


Ishq wa Salaam,

Dani (Indranu)