Qurʾānic First Cause
In Islamic theology, the concept of a “First Cause” is central to understanding God (Allah) as the ultimate origin of all existence. The Quran emphasizes God’s role as the sole Creator and Sustainer of the universe, and this foundational belief underpins the arguments for God’s existence in Islamic thought, especially the Kalam Cosmological Argument.
Key aspects of the Qur’anic understanding of the First Cause
- Creation ex Nihilo: The Quran emphasizes that God created the universe from nothing (ex nihilo), as highlighted in verses like Quran 2:117 and 35:1. This implies that God’s creative act was unique and all-encompassing, requiring no pre-existing materials or intermediaries.
- God as “the First”: Quran 57:3 describes God as “the First and the Last, and the Manifest and the Hidden,” signifying His eternal existence without beginning or end. This directly supports the idea that God is the uncaused first cause, existing before anything else and from whom everything else originated.
- Transcendence of God: The Quran stresses God’s transcendence, meaning He is beyond the created universe and not subject to its limitations. This aligns with the philosophical notion that the First Cause must be outside the chain of physical causation.
- Causality and Divine Power: Islamic theology acknowledges a fundamental distinction between the absolute principle (God as the First Cause) and the created world, which is necessarily caused. God’s creation is viewed as a continuous process, and as emphasized in the Ash’arite school of thought, God is the immediate cause of all events and changes in the universe.
The Kalam cosmological argument and the First Cause
The Kalam Cosmological Argument, developed by Islamic theologians like al-Ghazali, presents a logical argument for the existence of a First Cause based on the premise that whatever begins to exist has a cause, and the universe began to exist. The conclusion is that the universe must have a cause, which is identified as God. This argument highlights the logical necessity of an uncaused Cause to explain the origin of the universe.
Conclusion
The Qur’an’s portrayal of God as the Creator and Originator, coupled with the Kalam Cosmological Argument, provides a strong foundation for the concept of the First Cause in Islamic thought. This theological and philosophical framework emphasizes God’s eternal, uncaused existence and His absolute role as the source of all reality.
The Kalam Cosmological Argument: A Robust Case for God’s Existence – The Glorious Quran and Science