The belief that there was nothing
and nothing happened to nothing
and then nothing magically exploded for no reason, creating everything
and then a bunch of everything magically rearranged itself
for no reason whatsoever into self-replicating bits
which then turned into dinosaurs.
Makes perfect sense…
Merchant A did not inherit a penny from his father; he lost him at the tender age of five and was nurtured in an orphanage. He was extremely talented and soon he became rich. Now he has millions and millions of dollars in overseas accounts and a heap of gold and silver. He used to export silk and other precious garments to other countries via sea. One day he learnt that one of his cargo ships loaded with goods worth 10 million dollars sank in the Atlantic Ocean. He was perturbed, felt anxiety, thought of 10 million dollars that were drowned, of demanding debtors, of taunts that his competitor merchants will shower on him and of the loss that his reputation will suffer. Deeply in pain he lied down – never to wake up. Doctors said he suffered from an acute heart attack.
Merchant B too did not inherit a penny from his father; he lost him at the tender age of five and was nurtured in an orphanage. He was extremely talented and soon he became rich. Now he has millions and millions of dollars in overseas accounts and a heap of gold and silver. He used to export silk and other precious garments to other countries via sea. One day he learnt that one of his cargo ships loaded with goods worth 10 million dollars sank in the Atlantic Ocean. Naturally he felt sad but he smiled and said, “All is writ – we are God’s and unto Him we shall return.” He said to himself, “I was penniless and He gave me millions and millions of dollars; then what if He has taken back 10 millions from them. I will work harder and hope that He will shower His bounties on me like He did before. May God grace me with patience.” The merchant soon recovered his losses, paid back the debts and was eventually a happy man.
Same situation, same background, same fate – but two different destinies! Why? What’s the difference between Merchant A and Merchant B? The difference is that Merchant A was materialist, causal or what we could call an atheist. Merchant B was a believer. This is not just an anecdote; several realities stand witnesses to it…
These two characters are enough to differentiate between the mindset of a believer and that of an atheist but we will try to analyse this phenomenon in a greater detail.
Atheism grew as a movement in late 19th and early 20th century. It has various forms and was never identical; materialism, communism, rationalism, objectivism, positivism and scientism, etc. to name a few. These varying rather contradicting forms of atheism have only one converging point and that is absence of God from the worldly affairs. The nature of this absence is also disputed. Some deny the very existence of God, some assign Him the status of a watch maker, and some plainly assert that God-is-dead.
There seems to be a widespread assumption throughout much of the intellectual community that belief in God is based on all kinds of irrational, immature needs and wishes, but atheism or scepticism is derived from a rational, no-nonsense appraisal of the way things really are. Or else what is so catchy and magnetic about atheism as a philosophy that intellectuals especially belonging to younger generation are so glad in accepting it (let me say) as a way of life. Some psychologists have criticised this phenomenon. One of them is Paul C. Vitz who, to contradict this popular assumption, presents his own case study. He points out, “…I became an atheist in college in the 1950s and remained so throughout graduate school and my first years as a young experimental psychologist on the faculty at New York University…. it is now clear to me that my reasons for becoming and for remaining an atheist-sceptic from about age 18 to 38 were superficial, irrational, and largely without intellectual or moral integrity. Furthermore, I am convinced that my motives were, and still are, commonplace today among intellectuals, especially social scientists.
“The major factors involved in my becoming an atheist – although I wasn’t really aware of them at the time – were as follows.
“General socialisation: An important influence on me in my youth was a significant social unease. I was somewhat embarrassed to be from the Midwest, for it seemed terribly dull, narrow, and provincial. There was certainly nothing romantic or impressive about being from Cincinnati, Ohio and from a vague mixed German-English-Swiss background. Terribly middle class. Further, besides escape from a dull, and according to me unworthy, socially embarrassing past, I wanted to take part in, in fact to be comfortable in, the new, exciting, even glamorous, secular world into which I was moving. I am sure that similar motives have strongly influenced the lives of countless upwardly mobile young people in the last two centuries. (After that he gave and discussed the example of Voltaire at length and account of some of his friends – writer) This kind of socialization pressure has pushed many away from belief in God and all that this belief is associated with for them.
“Specific socialisation: Another major reason for my wanting to become an atheist was that I desired to be accepted by the powerful and influential scientists in the field of psychology. In particular, I wanted to be accepted by my professors in graduate school. As a graduate student I was thoroughly socialized by the specific “culture” of academic research psychology. My professors at Stanford, however much they might disagree on psychological theory, were, as far as I could tell, united in only two things; their intense personal career ambition and their rejection of religion… In this environment, just as I had learned how to dress like a college student by putting on the right clothes, I also learned to “think” like a proper psychologist by putting on the right, that is, atheistic ideas and attitudes.
“Personal convenience: Finally, in this list of superficial, but nevertheless, strong irrational pressures to become an atheist, I must list simple personal convenience. The fact is that it is quite inconvenient to be a serious believer in today’s powerful secular and neo-pagan world. I would have had to give up many pleasures and a good deal of time.
“Without going into details it is not hard to imagine the sexual pleasures that would have to be rejected if I became a serious believer. And then I also knew it would cost me time and some money.”
Atheism can be classified into several categories as per its intensity. Saberi Roy for example has given one not-so-rigid classification as follows,
1. Atheism is a need for independence, a need to break away from organised moral systems and brings out the revolutionary streak in us – the ‘revolutionary’ atheist.
2. Atheism is a need to replace the role of the father or God or any authority with rational individualistic or self-oriented explanations – the ‘frustrated’ atheist.
3. Atheism is a social or intellectual need arising from certain social beliefs or beliefs in certain principles such as in science – the ‘intellectual’ atheist.
Atheists claim there are two main reasons for their denial of the existence of God and/or disbelief in God: the conviction that there is positive evidence or argument that God does not exist (Strong atheism), and their claim that theists bear the burden of proof to show that God exists, that they have failed to do so, and that belief is therefore unwarranted (weak atheism). There are three ways that atheism manifests itself:
Militant atheism: which continues to suppress and oppress religious believers today especially in Communist countries.
Theoretical atheism: atheism of the mind – i.e. believing that God does not exist.
Practical atheism: atheism of the life – that is, living as though God does not exist.
(Source: www.conservapaedia.com)
But as atheism is unnatural and is just forced upon once conscience; at the earliest available opportunity the conscience repel this alien notion of denial of God that is thrust upon it from outside. I have thousands but for the sake of brevity shall quote only a few examples to show how sworn atheists too felt-like-believing not once or twice but so often.
ü In 1885, the Duke of Argyll recounted a conversation he had had with Charles Darwin the year before Darwin’s death: In the course of that conversation I (Duke of Argyll) said to Mr. Darwin, with reference to some of his own remarkable works on the Fertilization of Orchids, and upon The Earthworms, and various other observations he made of the wonderful contrivances for certain purposes in nature – I said it was impossible to look at these without seeing that they were the effect and the expression of Mind. I shall never forget Mr. Darwin’s answer. He looked at me very hard and said, “Well, that often comes over me with overwhelming force; but at other times,” and he shook his head vaguely, adding, “it seems to go away.” (ibid)
ü Mortimer Adler was a well-known American philosopher and intellectual. One of his books is titled How to Think About God: A Guide for the 20th Century Pagan (1980). In this work, Adler presses the argument for the existence of God very strongly and by the latter chapters he is very close to accepting the living God. Yet he pulls back and remains among “the vast company of the religiously uncommitted”. But Adler leaves the impression that this decision is more one of will than of intellect. Adler confirms this impression in his autobiography, Philosopher at Large (1976). There, while investigating his reasons for twice stopping short of a full religious commitment, he writes that the answer “lies in the state of one’s will, not in the state of one’s mind.” Adler goes on to comment that to become seriously religious “would require a radical change in my way of life…” and “the simple truth of the matter is that I did not wish to live up to being a genuinely religious person.” (The Psychology of Atheism: Professor Paul C. Vitz)
ü Sartre, the most famous professed atheist of the 20th century, said he often had the thought that he was the result of a Creator. Sartre is reported saying in the February 1984 edition of Harper’s magazine: “As for me, I don’t see myself as so much dust that has appeared in the world but as a being that was expected, prefigured, called forth. In short, as a being that could, it seems, come only from a creator; and this idea of a creating hand that created me refers me back to God. Naturally this is not a clear, exact idea that I set in motion every time I think of myself. It contradicts many of my other ideas; but it is there, floating vaguely. And when I think of myself I often think rather in this way, for want of being able to think otherwise.”
ü During his last imprisonment Bhagat Singh wrote a pamphlet Why I Am An Atheist in which he says, “I know in the present circumstances my faith in God would have made my life easier, my burden lighter and my disbelief in Him has turned all circumstances too dry and the situation may assume too harsh a shape. A little bit of mysticism can make it poetical. But I do not want the help of any intoxication to meet my fate. I am a realist. I have been trying to overpower the instinct in me by help of reason. I have not always been successful in achieving this end. But man’s duty is to try….” – emphasis added (p. 10)
DEADLY ATHEISM
The prestigious Mayo Clinic researchers reviewed published studies, meta-analyses, systematic reviews and subject reviews to find that religious involvement and spirituality are associated with better physical health, mental health, health-related quality of life, and other health outcomes. It reported the following on December 11, 2001: “The authors report a majority of the nearly 350 studies of physical health and 850 studies of mental health that have used religious and spiritual variables have found that religious involvement and spirituality are associated with better health outcomes.”
In regards to mental health and atheism, in December 2003, the University of Warwick reported: “Dr. Stephen Joseph, from the University of Warwick, said: ‘Religious people seem to have a greater purpose in life, which is why they are happier’.”
There is an unending debate on whether atheism was a causal factor for Friedrich Nietzsche’s insanity or whether it was caused purely by disease.
In 2004, the American Journal of Psychiatry reported: “Religiously unaffiliated subjects had significantly more lifetime suicide attempts and more first-degree relatives who committed suicide than subjects who endorsed a religious affiliation. Unaffiliated subjects were younger, less often married, less often had children, and had less contact with family members. Furthermore, subjects with no religious affiliation perceived fewer reasons for living, particularly fewer moral objections to suicide. In terms of clinical characteristics, religiously unaffiliated subjects had more lifetime impulsivity, aggression, and past substance use disorder. No differences in the level of subjective and objective depression, hopelessness, or stressful life events were found.”
The website Adherents.com reported the following in respect to atheism and suicide: “Pitzer College sociologist Phil Zuckerman compiled country-by-country survey. In examining various indicators of societal health, Zuckerman concludes about suicide: ‘Concerning suicide rates, this is the one indicator of societal health in which religious nations fare much better than secular nations. According to the 2003 World Health Organisation’s report on international male suicides rates (which compared 100 countries), of the top ten nations with the highest male suicide rates, all but one (Sri Lanka) are strongly irreligious nations with high levels of atheism. It is interesting to note, however, that of the top remaining nine nations leading the world in male suicide rates, all are former Soviet/Communist nations, such as Belarus, Ukraine, and Latvia. Of the bottom ten nations with the lowest male suicide rates, all are highly religious nations with statistically insignificant levels of organic atheism’.”
Barna Group studied the charity giving pattern of Americans and came up with the following conclusions: “The typical no-faith American donated just $200 in 2006, which is more than seven times less than the amount contributed by the prototypical active-faith adult ($1500).” Concerning the issue of atheism and uncharitableness, the evidence indicates that per capita charitable giving by atheists and agnostics in America is significantly less than by theists.
(Source: conservapaedia.com)
The discussion would be felt wanting if in contrast with the impact and psychology of atheism; impacts of iman on soul and society are not discussed threadbare. So here is a brief discussion in which I will try not only to present the qualities of a life filled with iman but also succinctly contrast it with atheistic ideals. In his book Al-Iman wal Hayat Yusuf ul Qardhawi has distinctly summarised the vision and outlook of a believer in comparison with atheists, materialists and non-believers. A few of the most relevant features of iman that Islam propounds are discussed as follows:
Unambiguous conviction: Islam is manifest. There is no ambiguity or contradiction. There is one God – omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient who created the universe, who sent prophets for the guidance of mankind, who will judge mankind on the day of judgement. Nothing complicated like ‘one in three and three in one’ of trinity or endless cycles of birth and rebirth or thousands of gods to worship including as petty as stones, trees and animals. Nothing in Islam is inconsistent with logic and reason.
This clear reasoning gives a believer a clear and manifest outlook and quite the reverse of it a materialist (or an atheist for that matter) is confused and perplexed. Sometimes they would deny any intelligent design, sometimes noticing that evolutionary theory is very lame on scientific standards they would concede a god but only as a watchmaker that has nothing to do with the watch after making it. If confronted with the argument that how silly is it to expect to create something of this magnificence as this universe without a purpose; they will take recourse in still another position never to admit their principle folly. There is no consistency in their thought pattern and so there is inconsistency and unpredictability in their behaviour and actions.
Calvin Coolidge has rightly observed, “It is hard to see how a great man can be an atheist. Without the sustaining influence of faith in a divine power we could have little faith in ourselves. We need to feel that behind us is intelligence and love. Doubters do not achieve; sceptics do not contribute; cynics do not create. Faith is the great motive power, and no man realizes his full possibilities unless he has the deep conviction that life is eternally important, and that his work, well done, is a part of an unending plan.”
Natural belief: History of mankind can be produced as evidence that man has always responded to his inner feelings to submit before someone that is more powerful entity governing his life. At the hour of difficulty it is natural for human beings to stare the sky pleadingly as if help can only come from there.
Chaplain F. W. Lawson, who was a soldier and also got wounded twice in a war, said later, “I doubt if there is such a thing as an atheist. At least there isn’t in a frontline trench”.
The Holy Messenger (may Allah bless and greet him) has said that every child is born on nature (Islam) it is their parents (and society) that make him a Jew, Christian or Zoroastrian.
Strength and purity: This belief is strong, innate deep rooted and based on robust foundations. 1400 years there is not any slightest alteration in the basic tenets and the teachings of Islam. This itself is a proof of its pureness; in fact it is so pure that any muddling-up of tainted ideals are easily identified and done away with. There have been attempts of this kind made by mutazilites who tried to interpret the Qur’ān on the basis of Greek philosophy, by munkirin-e-Hadith who refused to acknowledge Hadith as the basis of legislation, by false prophets etc. nothing successfully contaminated Islam.
Argumentative and logical: No other ideology encourages dialogue and debate as much as Islam does. This is the proof of its confidence in its truth and logical strength. It does not call for any blind faith in its truest sense of the term but invites to ponder upon the system, order and organised pattern of the universe and ask, “would you believe this all is coincidence?” it give arguments in favour of monotheism, prophethood, life after death. It reveals the lacunas and loopholes in other systems of life and then staring in their eyes ask, “Bring your proof if you are speaking the truth” (The Qur’ān – 2:111).
Joseph Addison has rightly asserted, “To be an atheist requires an indefinitely greater measure of faith than to receive all the great truths which atheism would deny.” It is needless to add that this confidence of Faith always ooze from the genuinely faithful.
Middle path: Moderation is the distinction of Islam. And that’s why it is so practical. For example, Christianity and Buddhism encourage giving up of worldly pleasures, on the other hand a materialist considers man no more than an evolved and ‘civilized’ beast who must adhere to each and every lust of him. Islam instead says that man is neither an angel nor a beast. He must live in this world and engage in worldly life but within certain prescribed limits. Thus a believer too avoids extremes and is always a sensible and moderate man. For example, if a calamity does strike him, he can grieve but never think of suicide; if he gains power and authority, he will rule with dignity but will never try to be a dictator.
IMAN AND OUTLOOK OF LIFE
With the presence of iman a man’s outlook towards mankind becomes entirely different from that of a materialist. As said earlier according to the materialist interpretation of life man is nothing more than an amalgam of iron, carbon, oxygen, water, magnesium, calcium and few other elements like that. He is an animal though a social one. He has desires and continuously struggles to fulfil them. There is a continuous struggle for existence going on. However much one can enjoy life; death is there as an unavoidable full-stop that will deprive him of all the pleasures. This thought pattern makes a person a beast or even worse; who ridicules every iota of the noble feelings like self abnegation, because life is there to enjoy. And to enjoy he can go to any extent; he can drain the last drop of blood from the petty peasantry and indigent to fill his treasures or can relish the sight of lions and tigers tearing apart human beings for a time pass and amusement… History has seen such cold-bloodedness.
On the other hand a believer considers human beings Ashraful Makhluqaat and vicegerents of God on earth. Everything on earth is there that he may utilise it. He has to manage the earth and is expected not to disrupt it as Allah does not love disruption. Death will be an end of this life but it will not be The End. One day every human being has to answer for the deeds he had done on the earth in the allotted time for the examination that is called Life.
This philosophy encourages altruism, contains the endless and fruitless pursuit of mundane desires, cuts the cut-throat competition, and encourages cooperation. It develops in man a sense of accountability and responsibility. It can be argued here that law can also make one accountable. No doubt law punishes the guilty; but does that reward the virtuous? – Never; so it has only negative value. Instead the concept of hell and paradise has both negative and positive values.
Secondly, whose law shall be implemented? If it is man-made law, it is biased and tilted towards the interests of one or the other community of the society. Thirdly, there are loopholes in the law; to punish the criminal the law is indigent of proof which may not be available at all occasions. On the other hand the sense of accountability that props up as a result of belief in afterlife makes a person refrain from sins even when there is no police or witnesses, because according to him God is there to watch over him and he needs no proof to convict him on the day of judgement.
Satisfaction: Satisfaction and contentment is the key to happiness. And it can be concluded matter-of-factly that a materialist or an atheist no doubt can earn in crores and spend in crores, but remains discontented in his heart and dies as one. A starving believer is more contented than such atheists who dine in five-star hotels and sleep on most expensive of mattresses but always live in a constant fear of losing what they possess and always feel some void in their life especially when they are alone.
Hope: There is a saying, “On hope there stands the world.” It is true. But, do I want to say that atheists don’t hope? Certainly not! They do hope but a momin’s hope knows no bounds. To illustrate this point let me give an example. If a doctor says to a person that his cancer is incurable and he has only six months respite. If the patient is an atheist, he will either voraciously jump to luxuries to forget his end by enjoying every second of his life that he has been left with. Or, alternatively, in deep sorrow and anguish on the foretold fact that he is going to die, his grief and not disease will kill him even before the allotted time.
A believer on the other hand will still not lose hope because it is his belief that life and death is in the hands of Allah; if He wishes, no one can cure him and if He doesn’t wish, no prophecy could come true. Then he will not drown himself in the quagmire either of luxuries or of the chagrin but will try to earn as much good deeds as he could because he would be certain that he would face his Lord if not in six months then after it.
Stoicism: Again this is not to say that non-believers do not stand firm during crisis. But self-abnegation and stoicism without any slightest of self interest is only the property of a believer. An atheist terrorist can blow himself up on the assurance that his starving family will be paid enough sums of rupees; he can kiss the gallows if he is enjoying popular support and is a hero among the masses. But a momin can thrash all luxuries away as Musab Bin Umair (may Allah be pleased with him) and can die a martyr’s death – he got nothing in his life, he did all this for the life hereafter. Islamic history is replete with such examples of sacrifices and stoics.
Habit: Aristotle once said, “We are what we repeatedly do.” In this he was emphasising the role of habit or addiction in a person’s life. It’s so difficult to give up a habit or addiction. ‘Man is slave of his habits’ is more manifest and unequivocal a quote. It is an oft-cited example that America, considering the hazardous impacts of liquor on the life of its citizens, banned liquor in 1919. The whole government machinery was dedicated to make this ban a success. Radios, newspapers, magazines, books, pamphlets, theatre, cinema – all were exploited to ‘educate’ the masses regarding the ill effects of liquor. Extreme step of filling jails with drunkards was also taken – but to no avail! People were already educated; their insistence on consuming the ‘poison’ was deliberate. The Government succumbed to the ignorance and persistent ignorance of the educated, modern, sincere, democratic public and in 1933 the orders were repealed. Compare this attitude with the attitude of ‘ignorant’ people of the ‘dark’ ages; when companions of the Prophet (may Allah bless and greet him) learnt that wine has been prohibited they flushed wine on the streets, broke wine bottles and containers, inserted fingers in their throat to omit the wine out that they had just devoured. The difference between these two attitudes is not that of age but of character and belief and will power.
The Barna Group found regarding atheism and morality that those who hold to the worldviews of atheism or agnosticism in America were more likely, than theists in America, to look upon the following behaviours as morally acceptable: illegal drug use; excessive drinking; sexual relationships outside of marriage; abortion; cohabitating with someone of opposite sex outside of marriage; obscene language; gambling; pornography and obscene sexual behaviour; and engaging in homosexuality/bisexuality etc.
Well wishing: Abū Darda, a companion of the Prophet, was planting walnut. He was very old and in the last stages of his life. One person stared at him in utter astonishment and asked, “Why O’ old man, are you planting this tree when you certainly know that its fruit will come up in so and so many years?” Abū Darda replied, “What’s my loss if I only get virtues and someone else eats the fruit of this tree.” I say no materialist could dare do any such thing.
This is a brief analysis and comparison of atheistic ideals vs. belief. But is the world blind enough not to see the ‘sun in the noon’ (or faults in atheism are more ocular)? The world is not so and atheism as a philosophy is continuously on decline. There are only partial and uncommitted atheists who are more obdurate than convinced in the truth of atheism. Some become atheist during college days only to repent later. Then it is clear that Plato was right in asserting that, “Atheism is a disease of the soul before it becomes an error of understanding.”
Nobel Prize winner Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn was asked to account for the great tragedies that occurred under the brutal Communist regime he and fellow citizens suffered under. Solzhenitsyn stated the following in relation to atheism: “Over a half century ago, while I was still a child, I recall hearing a number of old people offer the following explanation for the great disasters that had befallen Russia: Men have forgotten God; that’s why all this has happened. Since then I have spent well-nigh 50 years working on the history of our revolution; in the process I have read hundreds of books, collected hundreds of personal testimonies, and have already contributed eight volumes of my own toward the effort of clearing away the rubble left by that upheaval. But if I were asked today to formulate as concisely as possible the main cause of the ruinous revolution that swallowed up some 60 million of our people, I could not put it more accurately than to repeat: Men have forgotten God; that’s why all this has happened.”
Solzhenitsyn is not alone in realising this truth; there are many more like him. In this scenario when the world is in search of an alternative and even scientism has lost its appeal, it’s the responsibility of Muslims to present before the world the ultimate solution to all their problems i.e. Islam. Or else it is feared that the ignorance of atheism is replaced and perpetuated by another ‘revolutionary’, ‘frustrated’ or ‘intellectual’ ignorance.