Rational Answers to Common Atheist Questions By Noor Qureshi

Rational Answers to Common Atheist Questions
By Noor Qureshi

In a world dominated by scientific reasoning and logic, many atheists raise thoughtful questions about the existence of God:

·         If everything needs a cause, who caused God?

·         If the universe began with the Big Bang, what was there before it?

·         If God exists, where is He, and why can’t we see Him?

·         If God is not made of matter, how can He exist?

·         If God is beyond time and space, how can He interact with our world?

·         Why believe in something we cannot test scientifically?

·         Isn’t religion just emotional comfort?

·         If suffering exists, how can God be good?

·         Doesn’t evolution explain life without needing a Creator?

·         If God created the universe, what was He doing before that?

·         Why does God need worship?

·         If God knows everything, do we still have free will?

These questions are not minor — they reflect a sincere quest for understanding. But they also rely entirely on the limitations of the human mind, which itself is a creation. Can a limited mind grasp the One who is unlimited?

The Limits of Human Understanding

Consider this:
A child cannot grasp algebra.
A villager may not understand artificial intelligence.
Even among adults, some solve complex physics problems while others cannot read them.

If we accept these variations in human intelligence, why struggle to accept that the Creator of the universe possesses knowledge and power far beyond human comprehension?

Atheists often argue: You compare God to a carpenter making a table — but that carpenter uses tools, time, and materials. So how can God create the universe without tools or time?

The answer is simple: Allah is not like a carpenter. He is outside time, space, and matter. He does not require tools. He does not depend on anything.

"When He wills a thing, He only says to it: 'Be', and it is." (Qur’an 36:82)

While humans shape existing materials, Allah creates from nothing — خلق من العدم. He created time, space, matter, and energy itself. Thus, He is not bound by them.

Science, the Big Bang, and the Qur’an

Scientists say the universe began with a "singularity" — a point of infinite energy and density. But what exactly was that energy? No one can truly define it.

Interestingly, the Qur’an already hinted at this:

"Have those who disbelieved not considered that the heavens and the earth were a joined entity (ratq), and We separated them (fatq)..."
(Surah Al-Anbiya 21:30)

Whether the singularity involved energy, light, or something beyond human understanding, it was created — and only Allah is uncreated.

Why Can’t We See or Measure God?

Many ask: Where is God? If He exists, why can’t we see Him?

But this is like asking: What does light taste like? — it's the wrong type of question.

Our brains are programmed to perceive time, space, and matter, but God is not bound by these.

“You have not been given of knowledge except a little.” (Surah Al-Isra 17:85)

We cannot use our finite tools to fully understand the infinite Creator.

Even in science:

·         You can’t see gravity — but you observe its effect.

·         You can’t touch love — but you feel it.

·         You can’t test logic or morality in a lab — yet they guide civilizations.

So, not seeing God with physical eyes is not a valid proof of His nonexistence.

There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the All-Hearing, All-Seeing.” (Surah Ash-Shura 42:11)

 

God and the Origin of Everything

Let’s break this down philosophically and scientifically.

1. Everything that begins needs a cause

God did not begin to exist. He is eternal, without a beginning or end — and hence needs no cause.

2. Time and space began with the universe

Before the Big Bang:

·         No time.

·         No space.

·         No matter.

So, the cause of the universe must be:

·         Timeless

·         Spaceless

·         Immaterial

·         Powerful

·         Intelligent

That sounds like… God.

3. The universe can’t create itself

If it didn’t exist, it couldn’t cause itself. Something beyond must have caused it — and that something must be uncaused.

Design, Not Coincidence

The universe has precise laws and fine-tuned constants:

·         Gravity, light speed, atomic structure — all perfectly balanced for life.

·         Even slight changes would make the universe lifeless.

This level of precision strongly suggests a Designer. As the Qur’an asks:

“Were they created by nothing, or were they themselves the creators?”(Surah At-Tur 52:35)

Coincidence can't explain the order and structure we observe.

 

The Spiritual Dimension

Ultimately, understanding the Creator is not just intellectual — it's spiritual.

"Indeed, it is not the eyes that are blind, but the hearts within the chests that are blind." (Surah Al-Hajj 22:46)

Some people will hear the arguments but still resist belief — not because of lack of evidence, but because of arrogance, pain, or pride.

If there were no God, why is there something rather than nothing? The most rational answer is that there is a necessary, eternal, powerful, and intelligent Being behind all of creation.

“Allah is the Creator of everything.”(Surah Az-Zumar 39:62)

The human brain — though powerful — is still limited. It was created, functions within time, and is bound by senses. Expecting it to fully comprehend the infinite, timeless, and all-powerful Creator is like asking a calculator to appreciate poetry.

Faith in God is not blind — it is built on reason, revelation, and reflection. Islam does not reject science; it completes it. It answers not only how we exist, but why. Ultimately, belief in God is not just about logic — it's also about humility.