by A. Abdul Aziz

Human nature is in itself evidence of the existence of God Almighty, for there are certain evils which human nature inherently abhors. For example, entering incestuous relationships with one’s mother, sister or daughter; coming into contact with urine, bodily excrements or other similar types of filth; falsehood and indeed all such other things which even atheists recoil from. Why would this be true if there was no god? If God does not exist, why do men differentiate between their mothers, sisters and other women; why do they perceive lying to be wrong; by what criterion do they assess the above-mentioned things to be abhorrent to them?

If their hearts are not in awe of a higher power, why do they shun such things? For them truth and falsehood, justice and injustice should all hold the same value and they ought to act freely in accordance with their inner desires. What is this divine law that governs the emotions and prevails over the hearts of people in a way that even if an atheist denies it with his words, he cannot release himself from his inherent nature and his eschewal of sinful acts or at least his avoidance in disclosing them, is a form of personal evidence that in his heart he too fears having to answer to a king even if he denies his sovereignty?

In the Holy Qur’an Allah the Exalted says:

Nay! I call to witness the Day of Resurrection. And I do call to

witness the self-accusing soul, that the Day of Judgment is a certainty. (Surah Al-Qiyamah, verse: 2-3)

That is, people are mistaken to think there is neither a god nor a final reckoning, when in fact God has manifested two evidences for this. First, all things must meet with a day of judgement in which their affairs are decided. Good is met with good and evil is met with evil. If there is no deity, why is it that reward and punishment are meted out? And those people who deny the Day of Judgement may well be able to witness that judgement begins in this very life.

For example, adulterers are more prone to contracting syphilis and gonorrhoea than people who are married even though both engage in the same act. The second evidence is the self-accusing soul. That is, a person’s own conscience is able to distinguish sin and identify when something is wrong or evil. Even atheists recognise adultery and falsehood as wrongs and do not hold up arrogance and jealousy as virtues. Why is this? After all, they do not adhere to any religious law. Instead their hearts are repulsed by certain things—and the heart is thus inclined because it recognises it will face a reckoning for certain actions from a higher being, even if it is unable to articulate this sentiment.

In support of this idea, at another place in the Holy Qur’an, God says:

And He revealed to it what is wrong for it and what is right for it. (Surah Ash-Shams, Verse:9)

Thus an inherent sense of right and wrong is a magnificent proof for the existence of God. Without God, there is no reason to categorise certain things as virtuous and others as immoral. [In such a case] people would do whatever they wanted, [without any regard for right and wrong.