Refuting Atheism

Everything that begins to exist must have a cause. This is a fundamental principle in both logic and science.

• The universe is not eternal—it had a beginning.
• Anything that begins to exist must be caused by something outside of itself.
• If the universe had a beginning, it cannot be self-caused; it must have an external cause (a Creator).

This is the Kalam Cosmological Argument:

1. Whatever begins to exist has a cause.
2. The universe began to exist.
3. Therefore, the universe must have a cause (Allah).

Objection: Could the Universe Have Started on Its Own?

• If something could come from nothing, we would expect random things to pop into existence all the time—but they don’t.
• If the universe caused itself, it would have to exist before it existed, which is a logical contradiction.

“Were they created by nothing, or were they themselves the creators?”
— (Qur’an 52:35)

This verse challenges the idea that creation could arise from nothing or create itself. Both are logically impossible.

Even if the universe did come into existence on its own, how do we explain its precision and order?

• The universe operates on fixed laws—gravity, electromagnetism, nuclear forces, etc.
• The fine-tuning of these laws allows life to exist. If any were slightly different, the universe would be uninhabitable.
• This suggests an intelligent designer behind the order.

Example: A Tornado in a Junkyard

• If you see a Boeing 747 assembled perfectly, you know it was designed.
• If a tornado swept through a junkyard, could it randomly assemble a 747?
• The universe is far more complex than a 747. If a plane needs a designer, how much more does the universe?

“Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alternation of the night and the day, are signs for those of understanding.”
— (Qur’an 3:190)

If the universe had no creator, it must have existed forever. But an infinite past is logically impossible.

• Example: The Infinite Domino Problem
  • Imagine an infinite row of dominoes.
  • If the past is infinite, then there was never a first domino to fall.
  • But the present moment (the last domino) is real—so there must have been a first cause.

The universe had a starting point—and something must have caused it. That cause must be beyond time, space, and matter—i.e., Allah.

The cause of the universe must be:

• Uncaused (otherwise, it would need its own cause).
• Timeless (since time began with the universe).
• Powerful (to bring everything into existence).
• Intelligent (to fine-tune the universe).

These are all attributes of Allah in Islamic theology.

”Allah is the Creator of all things, and He is, over all things, Disposer of affairs.”
— (Qur’an 39:62)

Some atheists propose alternatives to God:

Even if fine-tuning were an accident, the universe does not just barely allow life—it is highly structured for complex, intelligent life:

• Carbon-based chemistry: The only element that can form stable, complex molecules necessary for life.
• Water’s unique properties: Expands when frozen, allowing life to survive in oceans.
• Earth’s atmosphere: Filters harmful radiation while allowing needed sunlight.
• Location in the galaxy: Away from destructive cosmic radiation zones.

Analogy: If a spaceship crashed on an alien planet and you found a house with oxygen, food, furniture, and Wi-Fi, you wouldn’t think, “We just adapted to it.” You’d know someone built it for living beings.

Some atheists argue:

“We just evolved to fit the universe; it wasn’t designed for us.”

This fails for three reasons:

• Chance is not a reasonable answer (the probability is too low).
• Necessity (laws of physics forcing fine-tuning) does not work because the laws could have been otherwise.
• Design is the best explanation—just like a house is designed for humans, the universe is designed for life.

”Allah is the Creator of all things, and He is, over all things, Disposer of affairs.” (Qur’an 39:62)

The argument that life simply adapted to the environment through evolution does not address fine-tuning at all. It confuses biological evolution with cosmological fine-tuning. Evolution can explain how species change over time, but it does not explain:

1. Why the universe is perfectly structured for life in the first place.
2. How the precise physical laws and constants allow the formation of stars, planets, and chemistry.
3. Why the initial conditions of the universe were exactly right to allow life to begin.

The atheist says:

“After the environment came into existence, small life forms appeared, and the strongest ones survived through evolution.”

🔴 This ignores the actual question.

• Evolution only works after life already exists.
• Fine-tuning is about why the environment was even habitable in the first place.
• If the universe had slightly different constants, there would be no stars, planets, chemistry, or any place for life to evolve.

Analogy: Evolution is like modifying a car over time. But if there were no laws of physics that allow cars to function, you wouldn’t have a car to modify in the first place.

Qur’an: “We created everything in due measure.” (Qur’an 54:49)

🔴 Evolution assumes a stable environment. But if fundamental physical constants were different by even tiny amounts, life could never get started.

• If gravity were slightly stronger or weaker, galaxies would not form.
• If the strong nuclear force were different, atoms would not hold together.
• If the expansion rate of the universe were different, everything would either collapse into a singularity or disperse too fast for stars to form.

🔴 Life cannot evolve if there is no chemistry, no stable matter, no planets, and no energy sources to sustain it.

Analogy: Saying “we just evolved” is like saying a plant grew without soil, sunlight, water, or air. It makes no sense.

Natural selection only works within biology. But the fine-tuning problem exists before biology even begins.

• Natural selection means bad mutations die out and good mutations spread.
• But the laws of physics are not “mutating”—they were set before life existed.
• The universe did not “test out” different laws until one “survived”—the laws had to be right from the beginning, or the universe would not exist.

🔴 You can only “adapt” to an environment that is already habitable. But why is it habitable? That’s what fine-tuning explains.

Analogy: If a spaceship lands on an alien planet and finds a house with food, oxygen, and electricity, you wouldn’t say,
“Oh, we just adapted to this house being here.”
You would ask, “Who built this house to make it livable?”

Qur’an: “Do they not look at the sky above them—how We have constructed it and adorned it, and it has no flaws?” (Qur’an 50:6)

Atheists assume that, given enough time, things will just work out by chance. But this is mathematically impossible.

• The chances of the universe having the exact conditions for life is 1 in 10⁵⁰⁰ (1 followed by 500 zeros).
• The chances of the correct dark energy constant alone is 1 in 10¹²⁰.
• The chances of gravity being just right is 1 in 10⁶⁰.

🔴 This is beyond astronomical. To put it in perspective:

• The number of atoms in the entire observable universe is 10⁷⁸ to 10⁸².
• The number of possible genetic mutations in human DNA is 10¹⁵⁰.
• The probability of fine-tuning is way beyond these numbers.

Analogy: It’s like flipping a coin 1,000 times and getting heads every time. It is not luck—someone rigged the coin.

Qur’an: “Not for (mere) play did We create the heavens and the earth and everything in between.” (Qur’an 21:16)

🔴 If the universe were random, we should expect random chaos—not precise mathematical laws.

• The laws of physics (gravity, electromagnetism, nuclear forces) follow precise equations.
• Mathematics governs everything from planetary motion to atomic structure.
• These mathematical laws existed before any life formed—so they could not have “evolved” with life.

🔴 Where did this perfect mathematical order come from?

Analogy: If you find a computer running complex software, you wouldn’t say,
“This software evolved by chance.” You would know it was programmed by an intelligent mind.

Qur’an: “Verily, We created everything according to a perfect measure.” (Qur’an 54:49)

The atheist is making four key claims, all of which are based on flawed reasoning:

1. The universe had a long time to get things right, so fine-tuning could have happened by chance.
2. A mansion in the desert is clearly designed because we have observed builders, but this logic doesn’t apply to the universe.
3. Even if the probability is extremely low, it’s still possible.
4. Microevolution means macroevolution is also valid.

🔴 This is true—but incomplete.

• Physics tells us how things interact (gravity, motion, energy, etc.), but it doesn’t explain why they exist at all.
• Laws of physics only work inside the universe—but where did the laws themselves come from?
• If “all possible equations exist as their own universes,” what caused those universes to exist?

✅ Logical Problem With This View:

• Equations are not physical things—they are descriptions of how things behave.
• The fact that math describes the universe does not mean math itself created it.
• A blueprint describes a building, but it doesn’t construct it.

Qur’an: “Were they created from nothing, or are they themselves the creators?” (Qur’an 52:35)

🔴 The real question isn’t “how” the universe works—but why it exists at all.

🔴 This argument is flawed because:

✅ Lack of direct observation does not mean something is false.

• Have you observed your great-great-grandparents being born? No. But you know they existed—because you are the effect.
• You have never seen your own brain, but you trust medical science that you have one.
• You can’t see gravity, but you believe in it because of its effects.

🔴 The Universe Itself is the Evidence

• Just as a building proves an architect, the universe proves a Creator.
• You don’t need to see the watchmaker to know a watch was designed.

✅ “Can’t Observe God Making the Universe” is an Unfair Standard

• They accepts scientific explanations based on indirect evidence (black holes, quantum physics).
• But when it comes to God, they demands direct observation.
• This is an inconsistent standard—a double standard.

Analogy:
If you wake up and see footprints in the sand, do you need to see the person walking to know someone was there? No. The footprints prove a cause.

The universe is the footprint of its Creator.

🔴 This is a ”God of the Gaps” argument—but it misrepresents belief in God.

✅ The Fine-Tuning of the Universe is Not Just “Unexplained”—It is Evidence

• If you find a fully functional laptop in the desert, do you say,
  ❌ “Oh, it just appeared over millions of years”
  ✅ Or do you assume an intelligent designer?
• Science cannot explain why the universe is precisely structured to allow life.

✅ The “Best Explanation” Principle

• Science itself is built on Inference—not direct proof.
• We infer gravity exists because objects fall.
• The best inference for the universe’s design is an intelligent Creator.

🔴 They assumes science and God are opposites. But science is just a tool to understand God’s creation.

Qur’an: “We will show them Our signs in the horizons and within themselves until it becomes clear to them that this is the truth.” (Qur’an 41:53)