What is the purpose of life?

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DISCLAIMER: The content of this article could challenge the beliefs of the reader, trigger strong emotions, irritate him or her. There is no intention to insult or disrespect anyone’s beliefs, but solely and unapologetically the quest for objective truth using the innate and universal gifts of logic (reasoning) and common sense. The reader might want to avoid reading this article. In any case, he or she should proceed with caution.

Introduction

Existential questions

Imagine one night you go to sleep in your bed and all of a sudden you wake up on a moving train. There are lots of things going on: some people are eating and they call you to enjoy the food with them; others are singing and dancing, and they call you too… You feel pulled to go eat, sing, dance…, but you realize you are confused. You pause for a second and specific thoughts come to your mind. How did you get on the train? The last thing you remember is that you went to sleep in your bed. For what reason were you put on the train? Where is the train going? You start questioning the people on the train to get answers.

This is the analogy of our life. We found ourselves alive on this earth (represented by the moving train). We are called by different things in life such as education, work, family… (these are represented by people on the train inviting to eat, sing, dance). We know we are going to die one day (represented by the fact that the train is going somewhere, and it’ll stop at some point).

There comes a time in a human being’s life when he or she asks similar questions that are asked on the train: “Where do I come from? Why am I here (what is the purpose of life)? And where am I going after my death (is there any life after death)?”

People tend to look for the answers to those existential questions in religion and philosophies.

Religion

According to Cambridge Dictionary, religion is “the belief in and worship of a god or gods, or any such system of belief and worship”. More simply, we can define religion as a way of life guided by our beliefs. This helps explain why there are thousands of religions in the world, and in a sense, everyone has a religion (whether organized or personal), as everyone lives according to certain beliefs they hold.

Since there are thousands of religions and ways of life in the world, a big question we should ask ourselves is: “Are all religions and philosophies of life true?” To answer this question, we need to establish first if objective truth exists or not. Objective truth means that that which is true is always true even if we stopped believing it; it is independent of people, their beliefs, the working of their minds[1]. A claim is objectively true if it is true even when considering it outside the viewpoint of a sentient being [2].

If we assume that objective truth and by extension objective morality don’t exist and all we have is subjective truth and subjective morality, then for someone, it might be true that a man can give birth to a baby. Most people would object to this and say that it’s observed that only women give birth. However, in a worldview where objective truth doesn’t exist, the person would be (subjectively) right and no one would be able to refute their claim. For some other person, raping and abusing people might be morally right. Again, most people would say that this is wrong. However in a worldview where objective morality doesn’t exist, the person who thinks raping and abusing people is right would be (subjectively) right and no one would be able to refute them. Without objective truth there is no good or bad, there is no right or wrong, there is essentially no truth at all.

The previous thought experiments show that human beings have an innate understanding of objective truth and they have intellectual faculties that allow them to reason and make sense of things. That’s why most people would agree that only women give birth; that raping, abusing people, stealing and killing unjustly… is wrong. Therefore, human experience indicates that objective truth and objective morality exist. For example, “a human being will inevitably die one day” is an objective truth. Nobody would ever deny that all human beings are mortal. Furthermore, the existence of objective truth necessitates that it comes from outside of the human experience, from an “objective” source.

Therefore, it is essential to examine religion — and life itself — through the lens of objective truth. Due to the fact that objective truth exists, and because different religions and philosophies often contradict one another, they cannot all be true. Either all religions are false, or only one religion is objectively true and offers the right answers to life’s big questions. If you do not care about truth and specifically objective truth, then this investigation is not for you, and you may as well stop reading this article. However, if you value objective truth — as any intellectually sane person should — then please continue reading.

A follow up question would be: “How do we know what we are following is objectively true? How do we find the right religion to follow and that gives us the true answers to our existential questions?” This is about identifying the tools we use to reach objective truth. To find the true religion, we cannot rely solely on our emotions and feelings because they are subjective and can blind our judgement. Subjective experiences are different from person to person. The experiences of somebody are not necessarily those of another person. So, what could be a subjective truth for someone might not necessarily be the truth for someone else. Also, our individual subjective experiences can be illusions generated by our minds. Maybe someone is hallucinating and they believe what they see is real while it is only a trick from their mind.

In science (which assumes the existence of objective, independent truth), determining the validity of a theory is accomplished through making predictions and then devising tests to see if those predictions come true. If they do, then the theory gains support; but if they don’t, then the theory now has evidence against it. The tests will either succeed or fail regardless of what the researchers believe [1].

Similarly, to find the true religion, we must critically examine the teachings of different faiths and their sources, seeking objective evidence and using our reasoning to evaluate their claims.

Descartes said: “Common sense is the most widely shared thing in the world (…), what is called common sense or reason is naturally equal in all men (…)” Human beings are equipped with intellect and reasoning. We can look for signs in the world around us, think critically, and use common sense.

Furthermore, as intelligent beings, we do things for a purpose. If we were created by a higher power, then it stands to reason that we were created for a purpose. The creator would be the only one who knows what that purpose is and would be best equipped to guide us. The true religion, therefore, would be the one that comes from our creator, providing us with the answers to our existential questions and a moral framework to live by.

In contrast, man-made ideologies lack this divine guidance. They are often contradictory, and over time, they fail to provide a stable or meaningful way of life. The true religion would offer clarity, direction, and a sense of purpose, grounding us like a tree with deep roots, keeping us steadfast on the right path.

Thus, to “know what we are following is objectively true, find the right religion to follow and that gives us the true answers to our existential questions” we need to establish whether or not we have a creator, and if so, whether the way of life we follow comes from that creator. It is important to approach this search with sincerity and humility, looking at our current beliefs and their sources with a critical eye, and that of others with an open mind.

Not seeking the truth about God and religion would be the biggest mistake one could make. The critical question each of us must ask is: “Have we objectively established the existence of a creator, and if so, are we following the true way of life that this creator intended for us?”

Muslims believe based on solid, rational and undeniable evidence, that Islam is the only true religion that provides the true answers to the important existential questions we mentioned earlier. This article aims to go on a quest to find objectively the true purpose of our existence using logic and common sense, to explain what Islam really is and why it is the only true religion in the world.

1- God’s existence

Imagine we’re strolling through a desert, and we stumble upon distinct human-made steps that aren’t ours. If I claimed these steps spontaneously formed moments ago (nothing caused them), your common sense would likely reject that notion. Instead, you’d logically follow the trail, survey the surroundings, and seek to identify the person who preceded us. Common sense dictates that the steps in the desert sand signify a human presence at some point; they didn’t materialize by chance or create themselves. Doesn’t that make sense?

If I showed you a beautiful and complex painting, and told you that it just appeared by chance, you would say that it doesn’t make any sense. Clearly, someone with painting skills painted it.

The mobile phone, composed of materials like plastic (derived from oil), glass, and silicone (derived from sand), along with various precious metals, essentially represents a combination of oil and sand. Now consider a scenario in the Arabian desert, rich in oil and sand. Imagine stumbling upon a mobile phone there, seemingly crafted through billions of years of random natural events — wind, sunlight, rain, lightning, and the gradual formation of oil. If we were to assert that the phone spontaneously assembled itself through these chance occurrences, it would defy common sense. Intuitively, we understand that a device such as the mobile phone with intricate functions, like making calls, is a result of intentional engineering, manufacturing, marketing, purchase, and, in this case, an accidental drop in the desert by someone who was carrying it. The notion that such a sophisticated device could emerge randomly lacks credibility. In essence, the mobile phone didn’t manifest itself haphazardly in the desert; it is a product of deliberate design and human intervention. Doesn’t that resonate with reason?

If the thinking and rational mind can’t accept the theory of random events by which the steps would make themselves or, the painting would appear, the phone would make itself, why would it accept a similar explanation for the existence of our universe and the life within it?

When we reflect upon the world and ourselves, we realize that human beings, the stars, the planets, the trees, the animals, etc., began to exist at some point in time and they didn’t come into existence neither by chance (because chance cannot produce order and coherence that we notice in the universe) nor from nothing (because something can never come from nothing as nothingness doesn’t have the necessary qualities to produce something), and they didn’t create themselves (because self-creation means that something did not exist and did exist at the same time which is absurd and impossible). The magnitude of the universe implies that there was immense power involved in its creation.

“Or were they[the idolaters] created by nothing, or were they the creators [of themselves]? Or did they create the heavens and the earth? Rather, they are not certain.” Quran 52:35–36

So, the universe must have been created by a powerful creator external to and different from it.

We know that a mobile phone is not the product of chance, someone manufactured it. Something designed entails a designer that must have intelligence. The universe is more complex than the mobile phone and we notice that the universe is fine-tuned[3]. If the constants like the gravity, the speeds of rotation of the earth around its axis and around the sun, the distance between the sun and the earth… were different, there wouldn’t be life on earth. Physicist and philosopher Stephen C. Meyer in his book “The return of the God hypothesis” shows, based on scientific discoveries, that the evidence in the natural world points towards an intelligent creator [4]. So, it appears that the creator of the universe possesses intelligence and knowledge which implies that that creator has conscious, and his actions are willed and purposeful.

Based on this, we can logically conclude that the universe was created by a creator external to and different from the universe itself that possesses power, knowledge, will. Muslims believe every child is born with the natural predisposition to believe in a supreme being that created everything else [5]. The studies of anthropologist Dr. Justin Barrett proved it as well [6]. Naturally, innately, and intuitively, every human being can know that everything must have been intentionally/purposefully created and intelligently designed by a creator (commonly called god) that has a will, knowledge, power. It means that Atheism and by extension agnosticism are therefore irrational and unnatural positions to hold. Atheism that claims to use reason to disprove the existence of a creator, assumes rationality comes from non-rationality (which is absurd and irrational, voiding the atheistic use of reason in disproving the existence of a creator) as most atheist base their atheism on philosophical naturalism that cannot explain reason using physical processes (which are random and blind); and there is no rational reason to reject the existence of a creator, the very existence of a creator is self-evident, natural, true by default and intuitive for all human beings [7].

2- Oneness of God

Since our universe was created by a creator (god) that has power, knowledge, will…, we can then ask: “Is that creator created by something else ? In other words, do we have multiple gods or is there only one god?”

To answer this, let’s have a thought experiment. You began to exist at a certain time. What is the cause of your existence? Let’s assume that your parents are the cause of your existence (even though in reality they didn’t give life to you because if you die they can’t bring you back to life, the truth is that they only gave birth to you). If we applied the same logic to your parents, we would say that they began to exist (way before you), so their parents are the cause of their existence. And the same thing could be said about the parents of your parents, and so on till we reach the creation of the universe, and we could continue asking what caused the universe, and what caused the cause of the universe, and so on. This creates a chain of causes which can either stop at some point, or go on indefinitely. If the chain goes on forever, it would be an infinite regression. The consequence for that is you would never exist because we would never reach a starting point that would eventually lead to your existence. Since reality is that you exist, the infinite regression is an impossibility. This implies that the being that created the universe is uncaused (because if it were caused, we would go back to the impossible infinite regression).

This means that the uncaused being is uncreated and eternal (it didn’t begin to exist, it always existed), self-sufficient (meaning that it doesn’t depend on anything or anyone), all-powerful (it is Greater and more powerful than anything due to the magnitude of our universe), all-knowing (due to the intelligent design of creation; it is not limited by time and space, it knows everything), transcendental (it is neither like the creation nor part of the creation because otherwise it would have the qualities of creation like being created and dependent which would be illogical), indivisible (there is nothing co-equal to or partner with it), absolute (perfect without any deficiency), one and unique (there is nothing comparable to him).

That being has maximally perfect attributes and is the only Creator and true God of the universe (if there were 2 or more gods, it would contradict the fact that the Creator of the universe has maximally perfect attributes as there can logically exist only one being with maximally perfect attributes, it’s impossible to have 2 distinct self-sufficient, all-powerful, all-knowing beings).

It makes more sense for a boat to have 1 captain, a country to have 1 president… otherwise there would be chaos. Similarly, if there were 2 or more gods, the universe would be in chaos as each god would want to establish his authority.

“Had there been within them [i.e., the heavens and earth] gods besides God, they both would have been ruined. So exalted is Allah, Lord of the Throne, above what they describe.” Quran 21:22

We conclude that there exists only One True God Almighty, creator of the universe. Islam holds at its core the pure monotheistic foundational belief (Tawheed) that there is only One True God Almighty Who conveyed to humanity the same message of His absolute oneness.

Oneness of God in lordship

God is the sole Creator, Owner, Controller of all existence. He is the only One who brought all that exists into existence, and He is the One who sustains everything that exists. Denying this or believing that these descriptions can be shared by anything that is created is called “shirk” in Islam, i.e., associating partners with God. Shirk is the gravest of sins, the unforgivable sin that brings the biggest punishment, Hellfire (if someone dies in the state of shirk without sincere repentance before death comes to them, God states that He will not forgive them that sin and He will punish them with the biggest punishment, while He forgives any sin other than that, of whoever He wills, He is Forgiving and Merciful, Quran 4:18).

Oneness of God in His perfect names and attributes

Nothing or nobody except God alone possesses His perfect attributes. God alone is All-Powerful, All-Knowing, All-Wise, Self-Sufficient, The Most Loving… God’s names and attributes are maximally perfect with no deficiency. Those qualities are not comparable to the qualities of the creation. Therefore, comparing or likening the names and attributes of God to creation (humanization) or attributing qualities of God to creation (deification) is also “shirk”.

Oneness of God in divinity (worship)

Everyone agrees that a parent deserves a certain respect from their child by virtue of who they are; a president or a king deserves a certain respect from their people by virtue of who they are. People give praise to a great football player while that player didn’t ask them to do so. They praise the footballer by virtue of who the footballer is, or because of his skills and accomplishments. The parents, the king, the footballer don’t have perfect attributes, they are deficient beings and don’t always necessarily bring a real benefit to people. We understand that God Almighty exists, He has maximally perfect attributes, He is the Creator of everything, everything exists because of God. Due to who He is, God deserves the most extensive form of praise. He is the Only True God worthy of all praise and worship by virtue of who He is. Also, God gave us life, He provides for us, He sustains us. He gives us at every moment what we don’t own or deserve, like the breath we take and the next, and the next… We cannot enumerate the blessings of God; we cannot enumerate the heartbeats God gives us. If we were to try to enumerate the heartbeats given to us, we would fall asleep at some point and not be able to continue the count, we could not remember and count the heartbeats from when we were in our mother’s womb and during our childhood… So, God Almighty alone deserves our worship and complete gratitude.

Human beings long for love, they love good things, they want love for themselves. Maybe the humanly highest love is the love of the mother. However, the love of the mother is not maximally perfect, the mother loves because she needs to love, her love is contingent. One of the names of God is Al-Wadud (the Most Loving). God Almighty’s Love is maximally perfect, it’s the highest, purest form of love and it is transcendent. God Almighty is the Source of love. God is Independent, so He doesn’t need to love, He doesn’t gain anything by loving, yet He loves. God gives love to His creation. It is God who gave the human beings their ability to love, to want love, to experience love. Therefore, human beings can only find true love with God Almighty and they can only be truly fulfilled except by the love of God. If human beings love, then they must love God, and loving God is worshiping God.

When we go to the doctor when we are sick and the doctor gives us prescriptions, we follow the guidance of the doctor and we don’t question him because we know rationally that the doctor is qualified to help us feel better. We obey the doctor by virtue of who he is, his background, his credentials, and because we need him. On a plane we obey the pilot and follow his instructions because he is the authority on the plane, and more importantly his instructions will benefit us, he knows more about the plane than we do. All of our life we obey the authorities. God Almighty is the All-Knowing, He knows everything, He is the One who knows us better than anyone, He created us. God Almighty is the All-Wise, He is the One who knows what’s best for us and He wants goodness for us. God Almighty is the Ultimate Authority. So, He is worthy of being obeyed. Obedience to God is the most rational thing to do. Not obeying God is irrational and silly. Obedience to God is worshiping God.

It’s important to note that created things were created with the innate and natural inclination to worship God. Human beings are naturally drawn to worship God Almighty. When human beings don’t direct submission and worship to God, and since they are innately called to worship anyway, they direct worship (submission, extensive love, obedience) to something else (ego, desires, celebrities, money, fame, power, idols…) instead of submitting, loving, obeying God Almighty more than anything else, which is unnatural and destructive.

All praise and thanks are due to God Almighty only. All acts of worship must be directed to God Almighty alone [7],[8]. God doesn’t need our worship. God is always Independent, Self-Sufficient, Almighty. Whether we worship God or not, it will not add to, nor decrease His Majesty. We are the ones who will benefit from worshiping God. Anyone who directs any act of worship towards other than God, and expects reward from other than God has committed “shirk”. We’ve mentioned that “shirk” is the gravest of sins which brings the biggest of punishments. When someone stays away from “shirk” and instead he recognizes God Almighty and worships Him alone, he has done the most noble of good deeds which deserves the best of rewards, Paradise [Quran 64:9].

God Almighty has beautifully summarized His Oneness in the Qur’an (that we will talk about soon):

“Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ “He is Allah [God Almighty] — One ˹and Indivisible˺; Allah — the Sustainer ˹needed by all˺. He has never had offspring, nor was He born. And there is none comparable to Him.”” Quran 112

God is called in Hebrew Eloh/Elohim; in Aramaic (the language that Jesus spoke) God is called Aalah/Aalahaa; in Arabic, God is called Allah which means “the Only One True God Almighty worthy of worship”.

3- Revelation

After establishing that God Almighty exists and has maximally perfect attributes, we can logically say that God didn’t leave us to ourselves. Rather, He must have communicated with us (which denotes religion).

Let’s consider the following points:

● We understand that our existence must have a purpose like everything that God created (as intelligent human beings when we do something there is a reason why we do it, and so, it makes no sense that we would be created by God, The All-Knowing, The Source of all intelligence, The Supreme Intelligence, without a purpose). Only God could tell us what our purpose is because He is the One Who created us.

“Have they not reflected upon their own being? Allah only created the heavens and the earth and everything in between for a purpose and an appointed term. Yet most people are truly in denial of the meeting with their Lord!” Quran 30:8

“Did you then think that We [God Almighty] had created you [human beings] without purpose, and that you would never be returned to Us?” Quran 23:115

● It’s a fact that we need direction in life. There are laws in a country, a code on the road… Without direction, life would be chaotic. However, human laws are not perfect because humans are not perfect, which means that humans don’t have objective morality and the laws they set for themselves are not necessarily the right ones. Only God Almighty who is All-Knowing, All-Wise, the Creator of everything can give mankind an objective direction to follow in life that is always right.

From the previous points, we find that we are not just physical bodies. We have a spiritual side that needs to know God, to connect with Him, to know how to worship Him, to know our purpose in life, to know the right direction in life, to know what’s objectively right and wrong, to know what happens when we die… If God doesn’t tell us about all this, we can’t know as we are limited creatures with limited knowledge. God gave us foods and drinks for our physical needs and it would make no sense if he didn’t provide us with nourishment for our spiritual needs. We need revelation from God.

If you buy a device you’ve never used before, you won’t be able to use it correctly. You need the manufacturer to give you information about the device. It is precisely why when a manufacturer makes a device, he provides an instructions manual. Since God created us, it makes sense that He would provide us with an instructions manual (a divine book) for our spiritual needs, to live our lives correctly.

We need to explore history and see if there are divine books claimed to have been sent by God. It makes sense that we don’t consider books that are not linked to God Almighty. For example, we do not need to consider the books containing the teachings of Buddha or Karl Marx… because there is no evidence stating that they claimed any inspiration from God or an external power.

This exploration shows us that God Almighty (our Creator) sent for our guidance divine scriptures (such as the Scrolls of Abraham, the Torah, the Zaboor, the Gospel, etc.) that are like a manual containing information about the purpose of our existence and how to fulfill it, instructions, commands, prohibitions, in order to live our lives correctly.

God created us for a purpose and He sent prophets and divine scriptures to tell us about that purpose. So, to find out about the purpose of life we can look into the revelations from God. However, we are faced with a problem. We don’t have the original Thora or the original Gospel, etc. In fact, those scriptures of God were sent only to specific people for a specific time. We don’t have the previous scriptures anymore except for one, the Quran (www.quran.com) which is the last and final revelation sent by God, to all mankind as guidance, His verbatim Word.

Anybody can claim any book on earth is from God. However, we cannot blindly (without any proof) base our ultimate guidance on any book that is claimed to be from God. We must be able to objectively establish that the book from which we draw our ultimate guidance truly comes from God, the Wise, the All-Knowing. For a book to be proven to come from God, it must have outstanding and unique features that make sense to everyone:

● It should first be preserved, because if it’s not preserved it means we don’t have the authentic information and it would even be worthless to go further in investigating a corrupt and altered book

● It should identify itself as coming from God (it must state its author is God). It would make no sense to follow for our ultimate guidance a book produced by another human being because that other human being has flaws; they are limited, not all-wise, not all-knowing and they themselves are trying to figure out things about life as ourselves

● It should have a concept of God that makes sense

● It should have a timeless miraculous aspect in line with God’s Perfect Nature (it should have inerrancy __meaning internal and external consistency, free from errors and contradictions__ as it’s from The All-Knowing God that doesn’t make mistakes and it would make no sense to rely upon something that is flawed; it must provide signs, prophecies; it should be unique and inimitable, meaning that only God could have produced it, etc.)

Let’s put the Quran to the test.

Preservation of the Quran

The Quran is preserved since its revelation as God promised (Quran 15:9). The Quran is memorized by heart by millions of people with sound and unbroken chains of transmission going back to the prophet [9], [10]. There are also 1st century (AH) manuscripts that prove a textual preservation like the Birmingham manuscript [11], [12]. Even non-Muslims scholars like Angelika Neuwirth recognize that it is a fixed text since the time of the prophet.

“It is certainly We [God Almighty] Who have revealed the Reminder, and it is certainly We Who will preserve it.” Quran 15:9

“The most probable theory seems to be that at the death of the proclaimer, the revelations received by this time had been fixed in writing, in the form of copies that had been established with his approval by some of his companions, although these forms were not submitted by the Prophet himself to a final redaction in the form of a codex.” Angelika Neuwirth [13]

Not only the Quran, but Islamic sources are authentically preserved through an unmatched and robust science of authentication [14], [15], [16].

Authorship of the Quran

The author of the Quran states in it that He is God Almighty.

“The revelation of the Book [i.e., the Qur’an] is from Allah, the Exalted in Might, the Wise.” Quran 39:1

“It is not ˹possible˺ for this Quran to have been produced by anyone other than Allah. In fact, it is a confirmation of what came before, and an explanation of the Scripture. It is, without a doubt, from the Lord of all worlds.” Quran 10:37

“[This is] the revelation of the Book about which there is no doubt from the Lord of the worlds.” Quran 32:2

Concept of God in the Quran

The Quran has the pure and consistent concept of God which is pure monotheism i.e. Tawheed.

“Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ “He is Allah [God Almighty] — One ˹and Indivisible˺; Allah — the Sustainer ˹needed by all˺. He has never had offspring, nor was He born. And there is none comparable to Him.”” Quran 112

“Allah — there is no deity except Him, the Ever-Living, the Self-Sustaining. Neither drowsiness overtakes Him nor sleep. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. Who is it that can intercede with Him except by His permission? He knows what is [presently] before them and what will be after them, and they encompass not a thing of His knowledge except for what He wills. His Kursī extends over the heavens and the earth, and their preservation tires Him not. And He is the Most High, the Most Great.” Quran 2:255

Inerrancy of the Quran

The Quran has no error or contradiction as God is All-Knowing, Perfect and doesn’t make mistakes. For more than 1400 years, no one has been able to find in the Quran a clear error or contradiction.

“Then do they not reflect upon the Quran? If it had been from [any] other than Allah, they would have found within it much contradiction.” Quran 4:82

The Quran doesn’t make mistakes, it corrects mistakes people make and gives true, correct, and accurate information. For example, the Quran corrects errors in the Bible and sheds light on new information [17], [18]. The Bible says that there were Pharaohs at the time of prophet Joseph in Egypt [Genesis 41:25] which is a historical error corrected by the Quran that states that only kings existed at the time of prophet Joseph in Egypt [Quran 12:54]. The Bible says that the Israelites that run away from Egypt with Moses were hundreds of thousands [Exodus 12:37], this is an error corrected by the Quran [Quran 26:53–54]. The Bible says that from the birth of Moses to the exodus which is a timeframe of at least 80 years [Exodus 7:7], two pharaohs ruled Egypt [Exodus 2:15,23], this is a historical mistake corrected by the Quran as there were only a single Pharaoh (Ramses II) in that time period [Quran 28:14, 46:15, 28:27]. The Quran informs humanity that the Pharaoh of Moses claimed to be god [Quran 79:23–24] which is corroborated by modern research while the Bible is silent about that. The Quran informs humanity that the Pharoah of Moses would be drowned and his body preserved as a sign for future generations [Quran 10:92] which modern research has confirmed while the Bible is silent about that. The Quran informs that ancient Egyptians used to crucify people [Quran 12:41, 26:49] which is confirmed by modern research while the Bible is silent about that. The Quran states that Haman was the architect of the Pharoah of Moses [Quran 40:36–37] which is confirmed by modern research while the Bible is silent about that. The Quran states that the people of Abraham worshiped an astro-triad of celestial bodies (sun, moon, Venus) [Quran 6:76–78] which is confirmed by modern research while the Bible is silent about that... These accurate information and corrections revealed in the Quran were unknown for thousands of years, which indicates that no human being could have revealed that in the Quran. This information could not have been given except by one that is all-knowing.

Inimitability and uniqueness of the Quran

The Quran is inimitable as God alone is able to produce such a book. God challenges people that if the Quran were not from Him, they would be able to produce something of the caliber of the Quran, or 10 chapters, or even 1 chapter, the shortest chapter of the Quran having only 10 words and 3 verses [19]. The Quran is inimitable in its eloquence, structure, impact, uniqueness, etc. For more than 1400 years, none has been able to take the challenge of producing something that could match the caliber of the Quran, even AI cannot [20].

Say, “If mankind and the jinn gathered in order to produce the like of this Qur’ān, they could not produce the like of it, even if they were to each other assistants.” Quran 17:88

“Or do they say, “He invented it”? Say, “Then bring ten sūrahs like it that have been invented and call upon [for assistance] whomever you can besides Allāh, if you should be truthful.”” Quran 11:13

“And if you are in doubt about what We have sent down [i.e., the Qur’ān] upon Our Servant [i.e., Prophet Muhammad ﷺ], then produce a surah the like thereof and call upon your witnesses [i.e., supporters] other than Allah, if you should be truthful. But if you do not — and you will never be able to — then fear the Fire, whose fuel is people and stones, prepared for the disbelievers.” Quran 2:23–24

Knowledge of the world in the Quran

The Quran contains information no one could have known when it was revealed except God Almighty the All-Knowing like the expansion of the universe (Quran 51:47), embryology (Quran 22:5, 23:12–16), weight of clouds (Quran 13:12)… and which we have only recently discovered due to the advancement in science and technology. Non-Muslims scientists declared that only God could have logically revealed those information in the Quran.

“As far as it is known from the history of embryology, little was known about the staging and classification of human embryos until the 20th century. For this reason, the descriptions of the human embryo in the Quran cannot be based on scientific knowledge in the 7th century. The only reasonable conclusion is that these descriptions were revealed to Muhammad ﷺ from God. He could not have known such details because he was an illiterate man with absolutely no scientific training… Muhammad ﷺ could not have known these facts about human development in the seventh century because most of them were not discovered until the twentieth century. These facts could only have been revealed to Muhammad ﷺ by the one known who knows all about us [i.e. God Almighty]”. Professor Keith L. Moore [21]

“In view of the level of knowledge in Muhammad’s day, it is inconceivable that many of the statements in the Qur’an which are connected with science could have been the work of a man. It is moreover, perfectly legitimate, not only to regard the Qur’an as the expression of a Revelation, but also to award it a very special place, on account of the guarantee of authenticity it provides and the presence in it of scientific statements which, when studied today, appear as a challenge to explanation in human terms.” Dr Maurice Bucaille [22]

Prophecies of the Quran

The Quran has accurate and true prophecies. For example, the Quran predicted the defeat of the Persians by the Romans in between 3 to 10 years at a time when no one could have ever imagined the Romans doing it, as they were very weak and almost extinguished by the Persians [Quran 30:2–5]. History shows the prediction of the Quran was spot on. In the book « History of the Byzantine State » [23], we learn that in 622, nine years after the Romans’ defeat, the two forces (Romans and Persians) met on Armenian soil, and the result was the decisive victory of the Romans over the Persians, for the first time after the Romans’ defeat in 613 in the lowest land as specially mentioned in the Quran.

Another prophecy is in the Quran chapter 111 where it’s said that Abu Lahab who was a big persecutor of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and the believers, would not become a Muslim and would go to hellfire him and his wife. There were enemies of Islam who became Muslims afterwards like Khalid Ibn Walid, Abu Sufian, etc. But it was revealed that Abu Lahab would never convert to Islam. After the revelation of this information, Abu Lahab lived about 10 years and had the chance to disprove and destroy Islam by simply declaring publicly that he is a Muslim now (even if that was a hypocritical statement), but he never did that, which proves that the Author of the Quran has knowledge of the future and that can only be God Almighty, the All-Knowing.

Linguistic miracle of the Quran

The Quran has amazing structures (such as the ring composition, concentric patterns, symmetries, parallels)[24]-[29], and if we take into consideration the way the verses were revealed (orally, non-chronologically, piece by piece over 23 years, multiple pieces of different chapters being revealed at the same time) to a man who was illiterate (never knew how to read or write), it’s humanly impossible to produce such a literature. The Quran is the reference for the Arabic language. It has an unmatched linguistic eloquence and perfection. The Quran is a linguistic miracle.

“It is not ˹possible˺ for this Quran to have been produced by anyone other than Allah [God Almighty]. In fact, it is a confirmation of what came before, and an explanation of the Scripture. It is, without a doubt, from the Lord of all worlds.” Quran 10:37

“The fact that the Qur’an is a literary masterpiece is beyond debate. The fact that it is a unique and matchless perfection of language, style, eloquence, and power, which the 7th century peoples of the Arabian peninsula had never encountered before, and have not encountered since, is also a matter beyond dispute” Bassam Saeh [24]

The analysis of the Quran we’ve made shows that the Quran satisfies the objective criteria necessary for a book to be considered from divine origin as discussed previously.

The Quran is the ultimate guidance from God. God tells us in the Qur’an about the purpose of our existence; He tells us about spirituality; He teaches us objective morality. God informs us in the Quran about Himself (who He is and who He’s not, what He likes and dislikes, etc.), how to worship Him, and He teaches us lessons from stories of previous people. God tells us in the Quran about the past, the present and the future.

The Quran, like all other previous scriptures, serves as a manual to our daily lives. A manual is a collection of instructions that tells a user how to use a particular device. The Quran represents God’s Last Testament to all humanity, unlike previous scriptures that were sent to specific nations only.

4- Prophethood

When you buy a new device, you may also need someone to explain to you the instructions manual it comes with and how to properly apply it, just like a student needs an appropriate teacher in order to understand a mathematics book at school. That’s why it makes sense that God sends His revelation with an instructor (a prophet or messenger of God) to explain to us the divine book, show us how to apply it, be our role models.

God sent His divine revelations to each nation and tribe with selected human beings called prophets and messengers (Abraham, Moses, David, Jesus, etc., peace be upon them all). There were prophets and messengers sent to people in Africa, in Europe, in America, in Asia… The prophets and messengers were given miracles to prove their truthfulness and they are our role models to follow. They conveyed to us, explained to us and taught us how to apply in our lives the revelations of God. All the prophets have come with the universal message that God is One and Unique, and there is nothing worthy of worship except Him.

Muslims believe in all the prophets and revelations sent by God to nations and tribes of the Earth.

“Say, ˹O believers, ˺ “We believe in Allah [God Almighty] and what has been revealed to us; and what was revealed to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and his descendants; and what was given to Moses, Jesus, and other prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them. And to Allah [God Almighty] we all submit (in Islam).”” Qur’an 2:136

In the 7th century Arabia (after prophet Jesus), unlike the previous prophets who were only sent to their people, God sent Muhammad ﷺ (who is a descendant of prophet Abraham through prophet Ishmael) as His final prophet and messenger to convey the Quran (the Last Testament of God) to all humanity and teach them how to apply its teachings.

“And We have not sent you, [O Muhammad], except as a mercy to the worlds. Say, “It is only revealed to me that your god is but one God; so, will you be Muslims [in submission to Him]?”” Quran 21:107–108

“Muhammad is not the father of [any] one of your men, but [he is] the Messenger of Allah and seal [i.e., last] of the prophets. And ever is Allah, of all things, Knowing.’’ Quran 33:40

When Muhammad ﷺ claimed to be the last prophet of God sent to the whole humanity, either he was lying, or he was crazy, or he was deceived, or he was telling the truth.

Let’s examine the life of Muhammad ﷺ by studying his life [30].

Muhammad ﷺ was not a liar [31]

He was known as the trustworthy and truthful one even by his enemies. When he was offered wealth, women, etc., to stop his mission, he refused even though he and Muslims were being tortured, killed, and persecuted by the disbelievers. A liar is motivated by gains and would have accepted something. Even after the conquest of Makkah and all the Arabian Peninsula was becoming Muslim, Muhammadﷺ as a ruler continued to live a simple ascetic life staying away from riches.

An interesting thing to note is that, if Muhammad ﷺ was a liar, he would have taken advantage of an incident that occurred one day to confirm he is a prophet of God. But he didn’t do that.

Narrated Al-Mughira bin Shu`ba: “The sun eclipsed in the lifetime of Allah’s Messenger ﷺ on the day when (his son) Ibrahim died. So, the people said that the sun had eclipsed because of the death of Ibrahim. Allah’s Messenger ﷺ said, “The sun and the moon do not eclipse because of the death or life (i.e., birth) of someone. When you see the eclipse pray and invoke Allah.” Sahih al-Bukhari 1043

Muhammad ﷺ was not crazy [32]

He accomplished things a crazy person could have never been able to do (he was a husband, a father, a head of state, a warrior, a prophet; he brought a complete system of life encompassing all aspects; he brought a magnificent and miraculous book __the Quran__ while he never knew how to read nor write; he united long quarreling tribes into one nation; etc.) Muhammad ﷺ is number one on Michael Hart’s list of the most influential historical figures [33]; Sir George Bernard Shaw, Mahatma Gandhi, Tomas Carlyle, Alphonse de Lamartine spoke highly of him… [34] Mouhammad ﷺ had no sign of a mentally troubled person.

Muhammad ﷺ was not deceived by the devil [35]

The devil’s mission is to keep mankind away from God. Yet we find that the teachings brought by Muhammad ﷺ enjoin upon mankind to worship the One True God alone (the God of Abraham, Moses, Jesus…) without associating with Him any partner, to submit and obey God. It’s illogical and counter intuitive to think that the devil would call people to God. In the Quran the Muslim is even commanded to seek refuge in God from the devil at different occasions such as when reading the Quran.

“So, when you recite the Quran, [first] seek refuge in Allah from Satan, the expelled [from His mercy].” Quran 16:98

“And say, “My Lord! I seek refuge in You from the temptations of the devils.”” Quran 23:97

Muhammad ﷺ was given miracles

Muhammad was given miracles like splitting the moon [36], healing the sick… Only God Almighty could have permitted those things to happen. Miracles confirm to people the truthfulness of the prophets. The miracles given to prophets before Muhammad ﷺand some miracles given to Muhammad ﷺ are time bound. Today, we can’t witness the partying of the see given to Moses by God, or the resurrecting of the dead given to Jesus by God, or the splitting of the moon given to Muhammad ﷺ by God. Since Muhammad ﷺ is the last prophet to all mankind and no prophet would come after him, he was given in addition to other miracles the greatest miracle, the miracle of miracles i.e. the Quran, the verbatim Speech of God Almighty (Sahih Bukahri 4981). The Quran is a timeless miracle, it is preserved forever and everyone everywhere can witness it, experience it and put it to the test. The Quran proves the truthfulness of Muhammad ﷺ as well that of the previous prophets because it acknowledges them and confirms their message.

Muhammad ﷺ made true prophecies

Muhammad ﷺ made true and accurate prophecies [37] like when he prophesied that the Bedouin Arabs that were nomads and poor in the desert would one day compete in building tall buildings. The highest building in the world today is in Qatar, a Bedouin Arab Land and other Arab countries are raising tall buildings… No one knows about the future except God Almighty.

Muhammad ﷺ was foretold to the Jews and Christians

Jews and Christians can still find Muhammad ﷺ foretold in the Bible (i.e. what’s left from the original revelations of God sent to them). God promised Abraham (Genesis 17:20) and Hagar (Genesis 21:18) to make Ishmael a great nation (upholding pure monotheism) as also said about Abraham himself (Genesis 12:1–3), and Muhammad ﷺ is the descendant of Abraham through Ishmael that reestablished on earth pure monotheism [38].

God announced to Moses that He will send a prophet like him from the brethren of the Israelites (Deuteronomy 18:18) coming from mount Paran in Arabia (Deuteronomy 32:2) where Abraham left his wife Hagar and his son Ishamel (Genesis 21:21), and Muhammad ﷺ is the only prophet who is from the Ishmaelites (brethren of Israelites) that fits the prophecy perfectly covering more details given in Isaiah 42 like the new song referring to the Quran which is recited in a melodic way (Isaiah 42:10), the exact location where that prophet would come from i.e. Arabia indicated by the place where Kedar (one of the sons of Ishmael) inhabits (Isaiah 42:11) and the people of Sela (which is a mountain in Arabia). At the time of Jesus, Jews were still waiting for that announced prophet (among 3 awaited people) and asked John if he was either the Christ, Elijah or the Prophet (John 1:19–21, 24–25) to which John replied by the negative. Then before Jesus left the earth, he reminded people that the prophet promised to Moses would come after him (John 14:25, 30–31, 15:26, 16:5–14), he would be the helper, the spirit of Truth, the guide into all truth. The holy spirit doesn’t fit the description given by Jesus, only Muhammad ﷺ does.

We conclude that Muhammad ﷺ is the last messenger of God sent as a mercy to all humanity. If we accept the Quran as the revelation from God, we automatically accept that Muhammad ﷺ is the prophet of God.

5- The purpose of life

People praise a footballer who is a simple human being because of his skills and accomplishments. God who is the Almighty, Creator of everything that exists, is infinitely more worthy of praise.

Everyone agrees that they should respect, honor, be dutiful to their parents who gave them birth, loved them, took care of them, raised them. If that is true for a parent, isn’t God Almighty who created our parents and us infinitely more worthy of respect, honor and sense of duty ?

If I ask you hypothetically to give me your 2 eyes and I’d give you in exchange 1 billion USD, you’d refuse, right? It means that your eyes are priceless. You not only have eyes, but also a mouth, a nose, hands, legs, organs…, that you won’t exchange for any amount of money. God Almighty is the One who gave that to you for free and therefore He is infinitely worthy of your gratitude.

God Almighty deserves our worship by the simple virtue of His existence and who He is. Also, God Almighty is our Creator who gave us life, our Provider and Sustainer, we can never count all the blessings (that we neither own nor deserve) at each moment that God gives us; He alone deserves our worship and our complete gratitude. If human beings love, they must love God, God is the Source of love, and loving God is worshiping God. It is irrational not to obey God because He knows everything and instructs us to do what’s best for us. God is worthy of being obeyed and obeying God is worshiping God. Naturally, human beings have the innate inclination to submit to God and worship Him, and this is exactly the purpose of our life. In the Quran, God says:

“I did not create jinn and humans except to worship Me.” Quran 51:56

So, our purpose in life is to recognize and submit to God Almighty, our Creator, and worship Him alone (as He wants, not as we want) without associating any partner with Him, to obey His commands, to stay away from what He prohibited, also to follow the prophet of our time and place (Muhammad ﷺ is the prophet everyone should follow nowadays as he is the last prophet of God sent to all mankind). Worshiping God involves our relationship with Him and how He wants us to be with the rest of creation (other humans, the animals, the environment…) Everything good we do for the sake of God is an act of worship.

We were put on earth to differentiate those who worship and obey God from those who reject God. God created death and life as a test that will be filled not only with good times, ease, joy, wealth, good health, to see who will be grateful to God, but also difficult times with hardships, sadness, poverty, sickness, to see who will be grateful and patient.

“Blessed is He [God Almighty] in whose hand is dominion, and He is over all things competent, [He] who created death and life to test you [as to] which of you is best in deed — and He is the Exalted in Might, the Forgiving” Quran 67:1–2

“Do people think once they say, “We believe,” that they will be left without being put to the test?, We certainly tested those before them. And ˹in this way˺ Allah will clearly distinguish between those who are truthful and those who are liars.” Quran 29:2–3

“We will certainly test you with a touch of fear and famine and loss of property, life, and crops. Give good news to those who patiently endure” Quran 2:155

God informs us in the Quran that everyone is responsible and accountable for their actions. Nobody bears nor dies for others’ sins.

“(…) That no bearer of burdens will bear the burden of another” Quran 53:38

God created us with free will, the ability to make a choice to obey Him or to sin, so He doesn’t expect us to be perfect or never to commit sins. However, when we commit a sin, to be forgiven, we simply need to regret the sin, ask God for forgiveness, stop the sin, try to fix things if we hurt others. God is Just, Forgiving, Merciful.

After we all die at the end of times, God will resurrect and judge us in all justice on the Judgment Day. Those who would pass the test (they believed in God, obeyed God, and did good) will be rewarded with Paradise for eternity, and those who would fail the test (they rejected God and disobeyed Him) will be punished in Hellfire for eternity.

« Surely those who believe and do good will have Gardens under which rivers flow. That is the greatest triumph. » Quran 85:11

“(…) And whoever believes in Allah and does righteousness — He will remove from him his misdeeds and admit him to gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein they will abide forever. That is the great attainment. But the ones who disbelieved and denied Our miraculous signs — those are the companions of the Fire, abiding eternally therein; and wretched is the destination.” Quran 64:9–10

Some of the worst people enjoy some of the most luxurious lives. Meanwhile, some of the best people suffer terribly in this life. Without the Day of Judgement and without the afterlife where the righteous are rewarded and the wrongdoers are punished, there wouldn’t be any justice, there would be no meaning to life, no point of creating people with conscience and free will and sending prophets and revelation to remind them of their accountability, no point of doing good and abstaining from evil as an evil doer such as a rapist, a terrorist, an abuser that didn’t face justice in this world would never face any justice at all. Some of the names and attributes of God Almighty are Al-Hakam (The Judge), Al-Adl (the Inherently and Absolutely Just), Al Muqsit (The Equitable), and so the Day of Judgement and the afterlife take on their full meaning.

God created the angels that never disobey Him. Human beings have the choice to either obey or disobey God. God is not forcing us to believe or disbelieve, He gave us a choice that we are to make out of free will with the help of the messengers and revelations He sent to us. This means that some people will obey and others disobey. God could have put some people to Paradise and others to Hellfire without them going through the test of life because He knows who deserves Paradise and who deserves Hellfire, but in that case, the people who are in Hellfire might complain. Them going through the test of life is for them to have no excuses on the Day of Judgment. The person who ends up in Paradise chose to go there, and the one who goes to Hellfire refused the guidance and chose to go to hellfire. God guides those He wishes to guide and misguides those He wishes to misguide; He is All-Knowing, All-Wise, He has perfect knowledge of who deserves guidance and who doesn’t. When someone is sincerely seeking God and guidance, and is humble to the truth, God opens the doors of guidance for them [Quran 5:16, 10:9, 13:27, 29:69, 39:18]; and when someone is insincere, with sickness or arrogance, hypocrisy, disbelief in their heart, God increases misguidance for them [Quran 2:10, 2:258, 2:264, 3:86, 5:108, 6:25, 8:23, 13:11, 17:46, 18:57, 27:14, 39:3, 40:28].

“Whoever chooses to be guided, it is only for their own good. And whoever chooses to stray, it is only to their own loss. No soul burdened with sin will bear the burden of another. And We would never punish ˹a people˺ until We have sent a messenger ˹to warn them˺.” Quran 17:15

If someone didn’t receive the clear and authentic message of submission to God, God will not make them accountable for that which they were not aware of, they will have a different test on the Day of Judgement.

Children that died as babies or before the age of reason and puberty will not be put to hell, they will go to Paradise because they died upon the sound unaltered innate nature of submission to God Almighty (al-fitrah).

The mercy of God

Human beings are mainly motivated by either punishment or reward. God makes us fear the biggest punishment (Hellfire) so that we can stay away from it, and He makes us long for the greatest reward (Paradise) so we strive to attain it. Thus we live a balanced good life between fear and hope.

God is the Most Just. On the Day of judgement, every soul shall reap the rewards of what they have earned, no one innocent will bear the sins of others, everyone is responsible and accountable for their actions [Quran 53:38]. The one whose good deeds outweigh their bad deeds will find their way to Paradise, and the one whose bad deeds outweigh their good deeds will find their way to Hellfire.

God is Loving, Merciful. He wants us to go to Paradise. He makes it easier for us to go to Paradise. If one plans to do a good action but is not able to do it, it is counted as if they did one (1) good action. A single (1) good action that we do is recorded as at least ten (10) not one (1). God multiplies as He wills the reward for one single good action that we do.

Narrated Ibn `Abbas: The Prophet (ﷺ) narrating about his Lord said, “Allah ordered (the appointed angels over you) that the good and the bad deeds be written, and He then showed (the way) how (to write). If somebody intends to do a good deed and he does not do it, then Allah will write for him a full good deed (in his account with Him); and if he intends to do a good deed and actually did it, then Allah will write for him (in his account) with Him (its reward equal) from ten to seven hundred times to many more times: and if somebody intended to do a bad deed and he does not do it, then Allah will write a full good deed (in his account) with Him, and if he intended to do it (a bad deed) and actually did it, then Allah will write one bad deed (in his account) .” Sahih al-Bukhari 6491

“Whoever comes [on the Day of Judgement] with a good deed will have ten times the like thereof [to his credit], and whoever comes with an evil deed will not be recompensed except the like thereof; and they will not be wronged.” Quran 6:160

“The example of those who spend their wealth in the way of Allah is like a seed [of grain] which grows seven spikes; in each spike is a hundred grains. And Allah multiplies [His reward] for whom He wills. And Allah is all-Encompassing and Knowing.” Quran 2:261

“Indeed, Allah does not do injustice, [even] as much as an atom’s weight; while if there is a good deed, He multiplies it and gives from Himself a great reward.” Quran 4:40

Abu Huraira reported Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) as saying: If anyone gives as Sadaqa(charity) the equivalent of a date from that (earning) earned honestly, for Allah accepts that which is lawful, the Lord would accept it with His Right Hand, and even if it is a date, it would foster in the Hand of the Lord, as one of you fosters his colt, till it becomes bigger than a mountain.” Sahih Muslim 1014

God doesn’t multiply evil deeds. If one plans to do an evil action but refrains from doing it in the end, God records for them one (1) good action. God counts a single (1) evil deed we do as one (1), He even forgives it when one repents sincerely, and even more He replaces it with a good action. God wants to forgive us.

Narrated Ibn `Abbas: The Prophet (ﷺ) narrating about his Lord said, “Allah ordered (the appointed angels over you) that the good and the bad deeds be written, and He then showed (the way) how (to write). If somebody intends to do a good deed and he does not do it, then Allah will write for him a full good deed (in his account with Him); and if he intends to do a good deed and actually did it, then Allah will write for him (in his account) with Him (its reward equal) from ten to seven hundred times to many more times: and if somebody intended to do a bad deed and he does not do it, then Allah will write a full good deed (in his account) with Him, and if he intended to do it (a bad deed) and actually did it, then Allah will write one bad deed (in his account).” Sahih al-Bukhari 6491

“Whoever comes [on the Day of Judgement] with a good deed will have ten times the like thereof [to his credit], and whoever comes with an evil deed will not be recompensed except the like thereof; and they will not be wronged.” Quran 6:160

“Except for those who repent, believe and do righteous work. For them Allah will replace their evil deeds with good. And ever is Allah Forgiving and Merciful.” Quran 25:70

“Say, ˹O Prophet, that Allah says, ˺ “O My servants who have exceeded the limits against their souls! Do not lose hope in Allah’s mercy, for Allah certainly forgives all sins. He is indeed the All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” Quran 39:53

“Your Lord has proclaimed, “Call upon Me, I will respond to you. Surely those who are too proud to worship Me will enter Hell, fully humbled.”” Quran 40:60

Even though God makes it easier for us to avoid hellfire, some of us will end up there in all justice as the result of their excessive stubbornness, denial, wickedness and rebellion against God. If one created hell on earth during their lifetime either for themselves or for others, they should expect to earn hell in the afterlife.

Ultimately, our faith and good deeds are not what will make us go to Paradise. In this life we can never be grateful enough to God, or pay Him for the blessings He gives us in this life. Then, how can we be able to pay for the blessings of Paradise that are even greater? We simply can’t. No number of good deeds we will ever do in this worldly life will be enough to justly pay for the blessings we’ll have in Paradise. As the prophet Muhammad ﷺ said, we enter Paradise only through the Mercy of God. And we earn the Mercy of God through faith and good deeds (believing in God, worshiping Him alone, obeying His commands and abstaining from His prohibitions).

A’isha, the wife of Allah’s Apostle (ﷺ), reported that Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) used to say: “Observe moderation (in doing deeds), and if you fail to observe it perfectly, try to do as much as you can do (to live up to this ideal of moderation) and be happy for none would be able to get into Paradise because of his deeds alone. They (the Companions of the Holy Prophet) said: Allah’s Messenger, not even you? Thereupon he said: Not even I, but that Allah wraps me in His Mercy, and bear this in mind that the deed loved most by Allah is one which is done constantly even though it is small.” Sahih Muslim 2818

With our free will we consciously choose our fate, either we receive the Mercy of God, or we let go of it.

6- Islam

There is only one True God, so there must be only one true religion sent by God (it would make no sense if God sent thousands of contradicting religions to deceive people). If you had a chance to ask Noah, Abraham, Enoch, Jesus, Moses… what their religion is, they wouldn’t tell you it’s Christianity or Judaism or Buddhism or Hinduism… Rather they would all tell you that their religion is to submit to God Almighty and worship God Almighty alone (the purpose of our existence). This means that all the prophets of God followed and preached the same religion.

Mouhammad ﷺ didn’t come with a new religion. On the contrary, God sent him to bring people back to the only original religion that God chose for mankind from the beginning, the religion followed by Abraham and all the prophets since Adam. That religion is “the submission to God Almighty and worshiping Him alone”. One word for that in Arabic is “Islam”.

The word “Islam” (إسلام) comes from the word “aslama” (أسلم) meaning “to submit”. Technically, Islam means “total submission to the will of God Almighty in worship and obedience”.

Also, Islam is an Arabic word sharing the same root as the word “salaam” (سلام) which means “peace”. So, Islam can simply be defined as “peace acquired through total submission to the will of God Almighty”, just like Jesus (peace be upon him) said, “not to do my own will, but the will of Him who sent me.” [John 6:38], which makes Jesus a Muslim.

The one who teaches is a teacher, the one who writes is a writer… the one who totally submits to the will of God Almighty through worship and obedience is called a Muslim. God is the One who named the believers Muslims regardless of their time and place (Quran 22:78). All the prophets (Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, Muhammad…, peace be upon them all) were Muslims by definition and brought the same core message of belief in, and submission to the One True God, and they called their people to Islam. Islam is the purpose of life. It is not a new religion founded in the 7th century. Islam has existed since the first man.

Christians need to understand that Jesus never came with a religion called Christianity, Jesus never preached Christianity nor told anyone to call themselves Christian. Rather Jesus was a Muslim and called the children of Israel to Islam. When one accepts Islam as a religion and way of life, it doesn’t mean that the person has rejected Jesus. Rather it means they have accepted to follow the true religion of Jesus, and Islam will teach them the truth about Jesus, his true message and mission.

Islamic articles of faith

The Islamic faith comprises 6 components:

1) the belief in One True God Almighty Allah who alone deserves worship

2) the belief in the Angels ofAllah

3) the belief in The books or Revelations od God Almighty sent for our guidance

4) the belief in all prophets and messengers of God Almigthy sent to guide their people

5) the belief in the Judgement Day on which we will be resurrected to be accountable for our actions, and either be rewarded or punished for eternity

6) the belief in the divine predestination meaning that our fate has been written already because God Almighty knows the past, present, future… He knows the choices we made and will make.

The five pillars of Islam

Islam has 5 pillars:

1) The testimony of faith: there is only one true Godworthy of worship, Allah, and Muhammad is His last messenger to all humanity. That’s what you say to become Muslim.

2) Salah: 5 daily obligatory prayers to God

3) Zakah: the obligatory charity paid each year to the needy and beneficiaries when one’s wealth goes beyond a threshold

4) Fasting during the month of Ramadan every year to gain God consciousness, to connect with God and His Speech, the Quran…

5) Hajj: pilgrimage to Mecca (responding to the call of prophet Abraham) at least once in one’s life if one has the financial and physical means

7- Why choose Islam?

Whether we like it or not, all of us follow a way of life. God Almighty being the One who created us, the All-Wise, the All-Knowing, the Most Loving…, He knows us better than we know ourselves; He knows what’s good for us and what’s bad for us; He wants goodness for us. So, God Almighty alone is the One to objectively tell us the purpose of our existence (which is to worship Him alone) and design the proper and best way of life for us. That is why He designed Islam for us and made it complete when the final prophet (Muhammad ﷺ) came. It makes more sense to follow a perfect way of life from the All-Knowing God Who cares for us, rather than a man-made way of life that is flawed by default (such as liberalism, capitalism…) Islam is easily and logically proven to be the only true religion coming from God, the only one that He accepts.

“Whoever seeks a way other than Islam, it will never be accepted from them, and in the Hereafter, they will be among the losers.” Quran 3:85

There is no system of life, no political or economic system in the world better than Islam on any level. Islam is the best and only holistic way of life that covers all aspects of life (education, marriage, raising children, ruling a state, hygiene, living together…, you name it) on an individual level as well as a community level; that provides solutions to all the problems of human life (alcoholism, racism, poverty, etc.); that brings about a direct and deep relationship with our Creator, a clear view of life, a purpose in life, a detailed map to guide us. Islam is the only monotheistic religion on the face of the earth, and it enables us to live in a positive manner, having a balanced life, having harmony between the mind and the heart, becoming the best versions of ourselves, having inner peace…, and most importantly being saved from hellfire and attaining the ultimate abode of Paradise where we will see God.

If it’s true that human beings are mortal, why not accept it? In fact, not accepting the truth or believing in falsehood is apt to spoil people’s plans and may even cost them their lives. Islam is the truth. So, one should accept it.

This is why every human being should accept Islam for their own good and success.

8- Shahada

On accepting Islam

Based on everything explained here about God, Islam, the purpose of life…, if one accepts and believes that there is only One True God Almighty worthy of worship, and that Muhammad is the last prophet and messenger of God sent to all mankind with the Quran, they should become a Muslim, one who submits his/her will to the will of God Almighty and is on the true path of God (Islam), as were Jesus, Muhammad, Abraham, Moses…, and all the prophets.

You don’t need to be perfect or sinless before accepting Islam. In fact the human being is imperfect and is bound to sin. A Muslim will sin. However one should try to do their best and repent when they fall short. Islam will help the person stay on the right path and be the best version of themselves.

Becoming a Muslim (one who submits to the will of God Almighty and worships God alone according to the will of God) is a simple process. Having been convinced intellectually and believed with our heart, to become a Muslim we simply say the following statement called the Shahada (meaning testimony of faith) with our lips and tongue while we are sincere about it, having no doubt about it, meaning it, loving it, acting upon it, accepting what it implies.

In Arabic:

Ash-hadu An Laa Ilaaha Illaa Allah, Wa Ash-hadu Anna Muhammadan Rasoolu Allah.

The translation in English:

“I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship in truth except God Almighty alone, and I bear witness that Muhammad is the servant and final messenger of God.”

Once one becomes a Muslim, all their previous sins are forgiven and converted into good deeds. Dying as a Muslim guarantees that we end up in Paradise.

On rejecting Islam

Everyone is free to accept or reject Islam as God says there is no compulsion in religion (Quran 2:256). However, the person alone will bear the consequences of their choices. Islam means “submission, worship, obedience to God Almighty alone”. God sent His final prophet (Muhammad ﷺ) with the final revelation (the Quran) for all humanity. Islam is the only religion God designed for us (all the prophets were Muslims), it is the only path to God and eternal bliss in Paradise. After the message of Islam has been clearly transmitted, if one rejects it, God warns them of a terrible punishment in Hellfire.

God says in the Quran:

“Whoever seeks a way other than Islam, it will never be accepted from them, and in the Hereafter, they will be among the losers.” Quran 3:85

“(…) And whoever believes in Allāh and does righteousness — He will remove from him his misdeeds and admit him to gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein they will abide forever [Paradise]. That is the great attainment. But the ones who disbelieved and denied Our miraculous signs — those are the companions of the Fire, abiding eternally therein; and wretched is the destination [Hellfire].” Quran 64:9–10

Specifically concerning the Jews and Christians, it is narrated on the authority of Abu Huraira that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) observed:

“By Him in Whose hand is the life of Muhammad, he who amongst the community of Jews or Christians hears about me, but does not affirm his belief in that with which[i.e. the Quran] I have been sent and dies in this state (of disbelief), he shall be but one of the denizens of Hell-Fire.” Sahih Muslim 153

Conclusion

In this article we have answered with logic (reasoning) and common sense, three (3) fondamental existential questions a human being asks at some point in their life.

“Where do we come from?” God Almighty, the only One and Unique True God, sole Creator, Maintainer, Sustainer, Controller of everything, created us.

“Why are we here? What is the purpose of our existence?” God Almighty created us with reason and free will to be Muslims, to submit to Him and worship Him alone which is the Arabic word for Islam. He created death and life to test us in the worldly life, to differentiate those who will submit to Him and do good from those who will reject Him. He sent us guidance (the Qur’an and Prophet Muhammad ﷺ) so that we could pass the test. He does not expect perfection from us because He created us with the ability to commit sins, He teaches us that when we commit sins or disobey Him, He will forgive us if we sincerely repent to Him, He is the Forgiving, the Merciful, the Prompt to accept the repentance of His servants.

“Where are we going after we die?” When our souls depart from our bodies in this life, we join another realm waiting for the Judgement Day. On that Day, God almighty will resurrect all of us and hold us accountable for all our actions in the worldly life. He will reward the believers who did good with eternal bliss in Paradise, and He will punish the disbelievers and wrongdoers with eternal punishment in Hellfire.

This article is derived from the book The purpose of life: Islam explained with logic and common sense.

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What is Da’wah?

It is the collective obligation of the Muslim community to share, based upon correct knowledge and good manners, the message of Islam with Muslims and non-Muslims, and to invite them to the way of God (Islam), to know the truth, accept it and follow it for their own good. This is called Da’wah.

Da’wah involves teaching, communicating, engaging in dialogues, discussions and debates, writing books and articles, giving lectures, and more, all with wisdom, gentleness, and beautiful preaching, so that people may understand the oneness of God, the worship of God, who prophet Muhammad ﷺ is, and what Islam is, as expressed in the Quran and the Sunnah (the way of prophet Muhammad ﷺ), and that they may respond positively to the invitation to accept Islam. It is also about embodying the good conduct and practices of Islam, being a role model and a good example in the community, and being a witness of God Almighty among the people, which will inspire others to return to Islam. “When people see a Muslim, they should see a good person, a person of truth, of sincerity and of virtue. A Muslim’s life should be an open invitation through which people see the beauty of Islam and find it an interesting code of ethics and teachings to follow.”

Even if Da’wah is a collective obligation bestowed on the Muslims by God Almighty [Quran 2:143, 3:104, 3:110, 16:125, 41:33], and the prophet Muhammad ﷺ [Riyad as-Salihin 1380, Sahih Al-Bukhari 3461, Sahih Al Bukhari 3009, Sahih Muslim 2674], common sense dictates that if you care for people, no matter who they are, you would call them to what you believe is good for them, you would want for them the goodness that you want for yourself, and you would do your best to protect them from danger, whether they are aware of it or not, just as you would quickly pull a child’s hand away from a hot stove to prevent them from getting burned, whether the child likes it or not, or jump into a pool to rescue someone who is drowning, whether the person likes it or not, driven by an innate human sense of compassion and urgency. Thus, Muslims also do Da’wah because they care for others, they want goodness and Paradise for all; they don’t want Hellfire neither for themselves nor for others. Muslims do Da’wah because they believe that if everyone followed God’s teachings as detailed in Islam, it would benefit all mankind, we would have God-conscious and healthy societies.

With all the degeneracy and ills in the world today, and with the ongoing propaganda against Islam and Muslims aimed at pushing people away from the truth and the solutions to the world’s problems, it has become more important than ever for Muslims to devote their efforts to Da`wah with wisdom, mercy, compassion, patience, good preaching and sound arguments. It is not about forcing others to accept Islam, the duty is in clearly conveying the message of Islam and inviting people to accept it [Quran 2:256, 3:20, 5:92, 5:99, 16:82, 24:54, 29:18, 64:12]. No one can guide except God Almighty Who guides those who sincerely and humbly seek His guidance.

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