❞ كتاب A Conversation with an Atheist ❝ ⏤ محمد الغزالى السقا

did not need to have a creator. Then, why do you accept the argument that
the universe existed on its own and at the same time find it strange when
the people of faith say that Allah, the One Who created the universe, has
no beginning?! It is one and the same question... why do you
believe yourself when you say it while belying others when they believe
stick thereto?! Moreover, if you think a creator who has no creator of himself
is a myth, then, a universe without a creator is a myth too according to your
own logic!
He said:
We live in this world and feel its existence and thus cannot deny it!
I said:
 Who asked you to deny the existence of this world? When we take
a taxi or boat or an airplane on a certain route, we do not question the
existence of the car for example, rather, we might ask: does it run by itself
or there is a skillful driver behind the wheel?! Hence, coming back to your
question I may say: your question is self-refuted. You and I admit an actual
existence, no one can deny this. You claim that it has no beginning in
relation to the matter, while I do believe that it has no beginning in relation
to the creator. So, if you want to ridicule an existence with no beginning,
you should ridicule yourself before ridiculing the people of faith!

He said:
Do you mean that the two parties have the same presupposition?
I said:
I am going to elaborate on this only to reveal and expose the void
allegations on which atheism depends. As for the presuppositions, they are
not the same as far as the two parties (i.e. the believers and the disbelievers)
are concerned. Consider this; you and I are looking at an erect palace; I –
with the eye of an expert – believe that an architect has built it, while you
believe that some wood, steel, stones, and paint have gathered by them
-
selves and on their own and in a certain fashion and built that palace for
human beings to dwell therein.
The difference between our views is similar to
that if we find a satellite that orbits in the outer
space; then, you would say: it was launched by
itself and without any supervision or direction from
anyone. While I would say: it had to be launched
by  an  administrative  supervising  mind...!  The
presuppositions are not the same. To me, it is the
inescapable truth, while it is to you the doubtless
untruth. Amazingly, the disbelievers of our age are skilled at giving us (i.e.
the believers) certain titles and casting every shortcoming on us and at the
same time they describe themselves as smart, advanced and even genius.
We live on paved earth, under a built heaven and we do have brains with

which we can examine and decide; with these brains we can research,
conclude, discuss and believe. With these brains we can also reject blind
imitation as well as void arguments. If people mock at the radicals who are
enslaved by the past and make fun of their mental narrow-mindedness,
they should also mock at those who deaden reason in the name of reason
and tread on scientific logic in the name of science. Unfortunately, those
are the majority of atheists!
Verily, we –
Muslims
 – build our faith in Allah as based on mental
wakefulness and we read the signs of higher existence through the
human thought’s travel throughout the whole
universe.
In a single page of
the Qur’an
 I found reference
to  the  function  of  reason  in  three  consecutive  
ascending forms. This surah is Az-Zumar (Surah
No. 39 of the Qur’an). The first form that one can
notice is praising knowledge and dispraising
ignorance...
“Say  (unto  them,  O  Muhammad):  Are  those  who  know  equal  with  
those
who  know  not?  But  only  men  of  understanding  will  pay  
heed.” (Az-Zumar 39:9)

Then comes the second form to show that a true Muslim is not enslaved
by a single fixed idea or habit; rather, he is a human being who weighs
everything and chooses what is more authentic and righteous...
“Therefore,  give  good  tidings  (O  Muhammad)  to  my  bondmen.  Who  
hear  advice  and  follow  the  best  thereof.  Such  are  those  whom  Allah  
guideth, and such are men of understanding.” (Az-Zumar 39:17-18)
Then the “men of understanding” are mentioned for the third time in the
same context as they are those who look into
Allah’s  creation  and  who  study  the  story  of
life in all fields and aspects in order to turn their
minds  afterwards  from  the  creatures  to  the
creator...
“Hast  thou  not  seen  how  Allah  hath  sent  
down water from the sky and hath caused it
to penetrate the earth as water springs, and
afterward thereby produceth crops of divers
hues; and afterward they wither and thou seest them turn yellow; then
He maketh them chaff. Lo! Herein verily is a reminder for men of
understanding.” (Az-Zumar 39:21)

It is apparent from the above three forms in that page of the Qur’an that faith
is unconnected with blind imitation, shortsighted look and/or idle thinking.
Instead, it appreciates the Creator’s innovation in plants, flowers, fruits and
various colors and forms of creation that eventually turn into clothes and
food for man and animals, then, they become ruins and then they reemerge
again in the form of colorful plants and tasteful foods!
Who did create all these?
My atheist friend – as if he was intoxicated – said:
 It is earth that created
all these.
I said:
 Is it earth that ordered the clouds to move in
the sky, the sun to shine, the tree leaves to store car
-
bon and produce oxygen, and the seeds or grains
to be abundant in fat, sugar, fragrance and starch?!
He said:
I mean nature in both the earth and heav
en!
I said:
Both the earth and heaven and what is
between them cooperated in producing each grain
of the rice dish you may have for lunch or dinner. What is the exact role of
each one of them in this process of creation? Furthermore, who is
responsible for giving apples their sweet taste and pepper their hot
taste? Is it the dust of the earth or the water coming down from heaven?!

He said:
I do not know and there is no avail behind this kind of knowledge.
I said:
 Do not you realize that this needs an administrative and controlling
mind and a categorizing will?! Where do you think is the mind that created
and the will that diversified all these?! Can they be found in piles of
fertilizers or beams of rays?!
He  said:
The  universe  was  found  and  developed  according  to  evolution  
and we know neither the origin nor the details thereof.
I said:
Let me explain what you are saying. You claim that in former times
there  were  a  group  of  blind  elements  who
travel through the vacant space then after a
long  time  and  through  concurrence  there
appeared  a  unique  chance  that  would  not
come again for good and only then a living cell
was found in its primitive form then it started to
multiply and grow until it reached what we see
now!
This is the ignorance you call science and you find
no shame in defying the whole world therewith. There were sophisticated
calculations and you just say that they were solved spontaneously; minute
and tiny magnificent creatures were found and you claim that they were
given life by chance and that chance will never come back again! All this is
nothing but a way to evade trusting and putting faith in Allah the
Almighty!

 Book author :
In an attempt to make use of Muslim scholarship in the field of Da`wah, the EDa`wah Committee _EDC_ presents in this ebook a conversation that took place between the prominent Muslim scholar Sheikh Muhammad alGhazali and an atheist.