FAQ in dawah: Atheism

What is Big Bang?

• Most scientists believe universe has a starting point referred to as 'Big Bang' theory
• Definition of Big Bang: "Energy and matter compressed into a small single point that expanded very quickly" (i.e. it contained everything for the creation of universe)
• According to NASA, Big Bang happened 12 - 14 billion years ago. Solar system is around 4.5 billion years old and humans existed for only few million years
• Definition of a cause: "Something that brings about an effect or a result"
• Scientists don't know what caused Big Bang

"I believe in Big Bang"

• Where did the energy and matter come from?
• What caused it into a singularity in the first place?
• How did it expand the exact way it did to allow universe and life to exist?
• Energy and matter are not conscious entity that moves by itself. Nor do they have will. They have effect and effect require a cause. So what caused it to exist and expand?
• Even scientists don't have answers to these questions

"Religion man-made. Science can explain everything" (Science vs Religion)

• Science based on materialism
• Science alone cannot prove nor disprove the existence of god
• Whatever was pre-Big Bang is outside realm of science. We cannot understand what was going on then
• You cannot have infinte chain of dependent things - else problem of infinite regression and we wouldn't exist today
• Whatever created universe needs to be outside of the chain (i.e. independent)
• This Creator/First Cause/Thing/God needs certain attributes such as knowledge, power, and will

"I can't see god!"

• Don't need to see something to believe it (e.g. your brain, gravity, doctor's advice, etc.)
• You can see cause of a thing
• Other forms of proofs such as testimony, intuition
• Universe is one proof that God exist - can a human create this universe?

"Universe doesn't require an agent (such as god)"

• Yes it does
• Universe is the beginning of everything as we know it - so it needs something with a choice to bring it into existence
• This thing cannot be "a natural cause" as natural is limited to universe and there was no universe at that time

Scientific methodology invented by a Muslim

• Definition of scientific methodology is the process of objectively establishing facts through experimentation, repeatability and falsification
• Al-Hasan Ibn Al-Haytham (Latinized to Alhazen), Muslim mathematician, astronomer, and physicist born in Iraq in 10th century, came up with this method. He did it 600 years before English philosopher Francis Bacon and Italian physicist Galileo and other European Renaissance scientist
• Al-Haytham also known as 'Father of Modern Optics' for his revolutionary book 'Book of Optics' which inspired Roger Bacon, Galileo, Johannes Kepler, Isaac Newton, and others

"Don't know - yet" (God of the gaps)

• Atheist accuse believers of putting god in to fill a gap that science cannot explain yet. The 'God of the gaps'
• But science explains how things work. God explains why things exist - so it's a category mistake by atheist
• Science by its nature is third person. It's imited to the physical world through experimentation, repeatability and falsification
• Science can't define non-physical things like consciousness (hence the 'hard problem of consciousness')
• Can't use science to explain pre-Big Bang as there was no time and space. Our laws are not applicable then
• Logically, whatever created the universe is not limited to time and space and is greater than any human conception
• 'Science of the gaps' is assuming or putting trust that science can explain the unknown in the future
• 'Scientism' is the excessive belief in the power of science
• 'Abiogenesis' is the process how life came into existence from inorganic substance to living organisms. Science doesn't give you answer to that question
• Naturalists like to use physical processes (i.e. materialism) only to explain the universe. But you cannot prove science itself without using other abstract things like mathematics, philosophy, etc.
• According to atheists, with scientific progression religion will decline. But that's not the what's happening in the world. Science is progressing today. So why are the number of theist (e.g. Muslims, Christians, etc.) increasing?
• Allah says people '[only] know the worldly affairs of this life, but are [totally] oblivious to the Hereafter' (Ar-Rum 30:7)

Fine tuning

• Who put the systems in place in the first place? Who caused the universe to have all these brilliant systems?
• Humans want to act like God due to ego and arrogance. Thus they refuse to accept there are things that they'll never know
• What was there before cells, protein, amino acids, chemical reaction, etc.?
• Understanding the mechanisms of something isn't sufficient evidence to reject the idea that someone created it. Looking at the consistency and perfection of the mechanisms in the universe indicates a designer

"If god exist, why is there so much suffering in this world?" (Problem of evil)

• Test from God: Are you humble when good thing happen? Are you patient when bad thing happen?
• Not all suffering bad (e.g. surgeon amputating a body part to save someone's life)
• Some tests are not for you directly but the people around you (to see how they respond)
• Many sufferings around the world are man-made (e.g. war, killing, debt, racism, rape, etc.)
• Every person will be held responsible for their actions - and intention behind those actions - in the Day of Judgement
• Allah says "No one will reap except what they sow. No soul burdened with sin will bear the burden of another. Then to your Lord is your return, and He will inform you of your differences" (Al-An'am 6:164)

"Just live a good life!" (Subjective vs Objective morality)

• Who determines what is 'good' and 'bad'?
• One person's good can be another person's bad (i.e. subjective morality)
• A person's own definition of good also changes with age and experience
• True objective morality can only come from God, who created everything and knows everything
• God's knowledge is not restricted to time and experience like human
• Atheist don't have a basis for objective morality as they can't answer where we come from nor predict the future consequence of their action
• Fitrah, the natural disposition, can only guide a little
• For complete code of life you need God's guidance

"Why is your religion better than others?"

• We didn't say that
• There's only one God so you cannot compare
• But the question is do we have the right understanding of that God and the purpose he created us?
• The only way we can know about God is what He tells us about Himself

"If god has written everything already, then we have no control. Why blame people?" (Fate vs free will)

• God's knowledge does not prevent someone making a choice of their own
• For example, a teacher may know which of their student will pass or fail an exam. But the teacher themselves don't answer the questions, the student make their own decision
• But God knows everything - what you'll do, not do, and the outcome of all permutations
• Only following God's guidance can a person be truly successful in this world and next