Can You Prove God Exists?

QIn the name of God the Most Gracious, Most High, I seek refuge with Allah from Satan the accursed. Please prove to me that God exists.


ANSWER

Thank you very much for contacting About Islam with your question.

One important point we need to understand in the first place is that the existence of God cannot be proven in the same way you prove the existence of a physical object.

This is simply because God is not a physical object.

Any physical object is subject to your five senses. In simple terms, you can see, hear, smell, touch, or taste a physical object. This is not possible in the case of God, as He Almighty is a Transcendental Being (existing on a level beyond our sensual perception).

Suppport AboutIslam.net


There are people who argue that the only form of knowledge available to humans is experiential knowledge or experimental knowledge, gained primarily by the use of outer senses.

This led to the belief that human beings are constituted in such a way that the knowledge of reality is always unavailable to them; and so, it resulted in a renewal of attention to the everyday world of appearances.

The knowledge of here and now became the only object of human knowledge and concern. Thus from this point of view, the project of seeking knowledge of reality behind appearances must be abandoned, because it is beyond the scope of human understanding.

Another Way of Thinking


How to Achieve Tranquility of the Heart


Now think: can’t there be a way of “being” (existing), that is not susceptible of being perceived by the limited capabilities of humans through their defective senses?

I hope that the implications of the two expressions I used above (‘limited capabilities’ and ‘defective senses’) are evident to any thinking person. The claim that something does not exist, because you haven’t seen or heard it, etc. is untenable.

When we consider the limitations of our sensual perception and of our reasoning powers, it is not necessary that we understand everything. We can speak meaningfully about everything simply on the basis of our perception.

So, to speak of “proof” with regard to a Transcendental Being becomes irrelevant.

What we can do is to point out facts which lead to a constant and inescapable awareness of the presence of God.

Are Humans Machines?


It is clear that logically we cannot rule out the possibility of more things existing than can be perceived by our senses or can be arrived at by our reasoning. As for the human, there are two dimensions to his or her existence: one of matter and the other of spirit.

Reduced merely to the level of material existence, humans become a machine, or a mere animal at best. But think of a machine that rebels against being a machine; or of an animal that refuses to be an animal.

That is what the human is! What is it that makes him or her rebellious, angry, disappointed, frightened or hopeful? What is his or her dimension that gives him or her imagination, artistic genius, creative urge? Why does he or she have nightmares and sweet dreams?

It is not matter that does it; evidently it is his or her spirit that makes him or her so different from animals.

So, to base our knowledge of the world and our philosophy of life simply on the material side of our existence to the complete exclusion of the spiritual dimension, is undoubtedly faulty. 

The Spiritual Dimension


God the Most Appreciative - With Him Nothing is Ever Wasted


The strength of Islam as a philosophy and as a way of life is that it does not separate the human being’s material life from spiritual life, and that it seeks a balance between the two dimensions of human existence.

We should understand that the human spirit is a reality incommensurable with material realities, and that it owes its existence only to God.

Thus, dear brother, if we ponder over the phenomena of the world around us and over the complexities of our own existence, we are bound to conclude that God is the Reality behind all appearances. The Holy Quran says:

{Behold! in the creation of the heavens and the earth; in the alternation of the night and the day; in the sailing of the ships through the ocean for the profit of mankind; in the rain which God Sends down from the skies, and the life which He gives therewith to an earth that is dead; in the beasts of all kinds that He scatters through the earth; in the change of the winds, and the clouds which they Trail like their slaves between the sky and the earth;- [Here] indeed are signs for a people that are wise.} (Quran 2:164)

That is to say the external signs we see in the universe should necessarily lead a wise person to the Ultimate Reality behind it all. And that is how we arrive at the realization that Allah Almighty is the Moving Power behind all life and all existence.

The simple answer to your question is that God is physically in heavens but His knowledge encompasses everything.

According to Islamic sources which is based on the Quran and authentic tradition of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him):

“Allah the Almighty has told us that He is in the heavens:

{Have ye taken security from Him Who is in the heaven that He will not cause the earth to swallow you when lo! it is convulsed? Or have ye taken security from Him Who is in the heaven that He will not let loose on you a hurricane? But ye shall know the manner of My warning.} (Al-Mulk, 67:16-17)

Additionally, the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) told us that a slave girl was a believer when she told him that Allah the Almighty was in heaven. It is narrated that Mu`aawiyah ibn al-Hakam al-Sulami beat a slave girl belonging to him for being careless in minding his sheep.

Then he regretted it, and came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) to express his regret and ask for his permission to set her free. The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) sent someone to call the girl and asked her:

“Where is Allah?” She said: “In heaven.” He asked, “Who am I?” She said: “You are the Messenger of Allah.” He said: “Set her free, for she is a believer.” (Muslim)

The phrase “Allah is in heaven” does not mean that He is contained by its physical dimensions—Glorified and Exalted be He far above that.”

However, your question implies that if God is somewhere then why can’t we see Him? The answer to this question is in the Quran. When Moses (peace be upon him) requested to see God in person the reply was:

{And when Moses came to Our appointment and his Lord spoke to him, he said: “Oh my Lord! reveal yourself to me that I may look upon you!” He replied: “Never can you see Me (in this world). However, behold this mount; if it remains firm in its place, only then you will be able to see Me.” And as soon as his Lord unveiled His glory to the mount, He crushed it into fine dust, and Moses fell down in a swoon. And when he recovered, he said: “Glory be to You! To You I turn in repentance, and I am the foremost among those who believe} (Al-Aaraf, 7:143)

The above verse is simply telling us that we do NOT have the physical capacity in this world to see God in person. If God reveals Himself to us, we would die. However, the dwellers of Paradise will be able to see Him since God will give them the physical ability to do so as mentioned in the following verse:

{…and are oblivious of the Hereafter. Some faces on that Day will be fresh and resplendent, and will be looking towards their Lord;} (Al-Qiyama, 75:21-23)