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| Does Belief in God Survive Modern Science, Ethics, and Psychology? |
Does Belief in God Survive Modern Science, Ethics, and Psychology?
Written by; Rizwan Ibn Ali Abdullah
Author’s Note
This article is a continuation of my earlier work examining the rational basis of belief in God. While the first article focused on foundational philosophical questions—such as existence, reason, morality, and meaning—this follow-up engages with challenges that arise specifically from modern science, evolutionary biology, ethics, psychology, neuroscience, and contemporary skepticism.
The aim here is not to oppose scientific inquiry or dismiss moral concerns, but to address them thoughtfully and honestly. I have tried to examine these questions using reason (aql), philosophical reflection, and Islamic thought, while acknowledging the limits of human understanding and the legitimacy of sincere disagreement.
This article is written for readers who are not satisfied with slogans—whether religious or skeptical—and who believe that serious questions deserve serious engagement.
Biology, Evolution, and the Question of God
Modern discussions about God increasingly move away from cosmology and philosophy and focus instead on biology and evolution. Many people today feel that once evolution by natural selection is accepted, belief in God becomes unnecessary or even irrational. This section addresses that assumption carefully—without denying science and without turning God into a “gap-filler.”
1. If evolution explains life, is God still necessary?
One of the most common modern claims is this:
“Evolution explains how life developed. So why invoke God at all?”
At first glance, this sounds reasonable. Evolution explains how simple life forms diversify into complex organisms through natural selection, mutation, and environmental pressures. Islam has no problem acknowledging processes in nature. The Qur’an never denies causes; it repeatedly draws attention to them.
The real question, however, is not whether evolution occurs, but what kind of explanation evolution actually provides.
Evolution explains how biological change happens once life exists. It does not explain:
Why life exists in the first place
Why the universe is governed by intelligible laws
Why matter has the capacity to organize into living systems
To use a simple analogy:
Knowing how a program runs does not explain
why the computer exists, who designed the operating system,
or why logic governs its behavior.
Islam does not present God as an alternative to natural mechanisms. God is presented as the ground that makes mechanisms possible at all.
The Qur’an repeatedly emphasizes this distinction:
“Allah is the Creator of all things.” (Qur’an 39:62)
This does not mean God manually assembles each organism like a machine. It means that the entire system—laws, matter, life, and their capacity to develop—depends on a deeper reality.
Evolution, therefore, does not remove God. It simply describes one layer of how God’s creation unfolds.
2. What about ‘poor design’ and biological imperfections?
Another common objection is the so-called “poor design argument.” Critics point to things like:
They argue:
“If God is all-wise, why would nature look so inefficient?”
This objection assumes something subtle but important:
that
biological systems must be optimized for perfection, rather than for function within constraints.
Nature is not a showroom of idealized designs; it is a dynamic system shaped by history, environment, and survival pressures. Evolution works with what already exists. It modifies, adapts, and repurposes. Efficiency in biology often means “good enough to survive,” not “perfect by abstract standards.”
From an Islamic perspective, this is not a problem at all.
Islam never claims that the world is meant to be perfect. It claims the world is intentional, purposeful, and fit for moral life.
The Qur’an describes this world as:
“A place of trial.” (Qur’an 67:2)
A world designed for testing, growth, and responsibility does not require flawless biological engineering. It requires stability, adaptability, and continuity—all of which evolution provides.
Imperfection does not imply lack of wisdom. In many cases, it is precisely imperfection that makes learning, resilience, and dependence possible.
3. Evolution, Adam, and human origins
A more sensitive question arises when evolution intersects with scripture:
“If modern genetics suggests humanity did not descend from a single pair, how can Islam speak of Adam?”
This question is often framed as “science vs religion,” but the reality is more nuanced.
First, Islam affirms:
Adam is a real historical figure
Humanity possesses a unique moral and spiritual status
What Islam does not require is a simplistic reading of how biological populations functioned before moral responsibility was established.
Classical Muslim scholars distinguished between:
-
Divine responsibility (taklīf)
The Qur’an emphasizes not DNA sequences, but the moment when God says:
“I breathed into him of My spirit.” (Qur’an 15:29)
This moment marks moral consciousness, not merely biological existence.
From this perspective, it is entirely coherent to say:
Biological humanity developed over time
-
Adam represents the point at which humanity became morally accountable beings, capable of responsibility, law, and ethical failure
This approach preserves both:
Scientific humility
Scriptural integrity
And avoids forcing either into places they were never meant to occupy.
4. Animal suffering before humans: a serious question
Perhaps the most emotionally challenging issue in evolution is this:
“Why did animals suffer for millions of years before humans even existed?”
This suffering cannot be explained by human free will. So why allow it?
Islam does not deny this reality, nor does it trivialize it. Instead, it asks us to reconsider what kind of moral status animals have and what kind of world this is.
In Islam:
Animals are not morally accountable beings
-
Their suffering is not injustice in the moral sense applied to humans
-
They are part of an ecosystem governed by balance and necessity
Predation, death, and struggle are not moral evils in nature—they are biological realities that make life possible at all.
More importantly, Islam teaches that:
God’s justice is not limited to humans
-
No suffering is meaningless, even if its purpose is hidden from us
The Qur’an reminds us:
“Allah is not unjust to His creation.” (Qur’an 3:182)
Human discomfort with animal suffering often arises from projecting human moral categories onto non-moral agents. Compassion is good—but assuming that all suffering must have a human-style moral explanation is a mistake.
This world is not designed to eliminate pain; it is designed to produce life capable of moral choice.
Scripture, Ethics, and Moral Progress
One of the most persistent modern objections to religion is not about God’s existence, but about morality. Many people say:
“Even if God exists, religion seems morally outdated.”
This concern deserves careful attention—not defensive reactions or slogans. If faith claims moral authority, it must withstand moral scrutiny.
5. If morality is objective, why does human moral understanding change over time?
A common argument goes like this:
“If morality comes from God, why do human moral views change? Slavery was once accepted; today it’s condemned. Doesn’t that prove morality is cultural, not divine?”
At first glance, this seems persuasive. But it rests on a hidden
assumption:
that
moral principles and moral applications are the same thing.
Islam makes a crucial distinction between:
-
Moral foundations (justice, dignity, mercy)
-
Historical applications of those principles
The foundations remain stable; the applications evolve as societies change.
For example, the principle that human dignity matters did not suddenly appear in the modern age. What changed were:
Social structures
Economic systems
Political realities
Islam does not claim that every historical practice represents the ideal moral endpoint. It claims that revelation guides societies progressively toward justice, within real human constraints.
This is why the Qur’an often speaks in terms of moral direction, not utopian immediacy.
6. How should Qur’anic rulings on slavery, warfare, or gender be understood today?
This is one of the most emotionally charged topics, and it must be handled with honesty.
The Qur’an did not introduce slavery—it entered a world where slavery was universal and unquestioned. What it did was radically transform the moral framework around it.
Islam:
Prohibited enslaving free people
Made freeing slaves a major act of worship
-
Integrated emancipation into moral, legal, and spiritual life
Treated slaves as moral equals before God
Rather than abolishing slavery overnight—which would have caused social collapse—Islam dismantled its foundations gradually, while embedding the idea that human beings are not property.
The same applies to warfare and gender roles. The Qur’an speaks to:
Real societies
Real power imbalances
Real vulnerabilities
Its aim is not to freeze history, but to orient humanity toward justice, responsibility, and accountability.
Judging ancient texts solely by modern social standards—without considering historical context—is not moral clarity; it is historical anachronism.
7. If non-religious people live ethical lives, what does that say about fitrah?
Many people point out—correctly—that atheists and non-religious individuals can be deeply moral, compassionate, and principled. Islam fully acknowledges this reality.
This does not undermine Islamic morality; it actually supports one of its central ideas: fiṭrah.
Fiṭrah refers to an innate moral awareness embedded in human nature. Islam does not claim that morality requires conscious belief in God at all times. It claims that:
-
God is the source of morality
-
Humans can recognize moral truth even if they deny the source
Just as someone can use logic without studying philosophy, a person can live morally without articulating theological foundations.
The Qur’an speaks to this innate awareness:
“And inspired the soul with its sense of right and wrong.” (Qur’an 91:8)
Moral atheists do not disprove God. They demonstrate that moral truth is discovered, not invented.
8. Is God necessary for meaning if atheists live fulfilled lives?
Another sincere question arises:
“If many atheists live happy, meaningful lives, why insist that God is necessary for meaning?”
Islam does not deny subjective meaning. People find fulfillment in relationships, creativity, service, and achievement. These experiences are real and valuable.
The question Islam raises is different:
-
Are these meanings ultimate or temporary?
Do they survive loss, injustice, and death?
Subjective meaning depends on circumstances. Objective meaning depends on truth.
If reality ends in oblivion, then meaning—no matter how deeply felt—ends with it. Islam argues that God grounds meaning beyond emotion, memory, or survival.
The Qur’an poses this question directly:
“Did you think that We created you aimlessly?” (Qur’an 23:115)
God does not negate human meaning; He anchors it so that sacrifice, justice, and moral struggle are not wasted.
Revelation, History, and Empirical Scrutiny
After discussing morality and evolution, many skeptics turn to a sharper question:
“Even if God exists, why trust this revelation?”
This is not an unreasonable question. Any claim of divine revelation must face historical, scientific, and evidential scrutiny. Islam does not shy away from this challenge—but it approaches it differently than modern myth-making or pseudo-scientific apologetics.
9. Why doesn’t the Qur’an clearly predict modern scientific discoveries?
A common objection runs like this:
“If the Qur’an is from God, why doesn’t it clearly predict modern science—without vague verses or retrofitted interpretations?”
This objection assumes that the purpose of revelation is scientific prediction. But the Qur’an never presents itself as a science textbook. Its primary aims are:
Moral guidance
Spiritual orientation
Intellectual reflection
Accountability
When the Qur’an speaks about nature, it does so to awaken reflection, not to deliver technical data.
The Qur’an repeatedly calls attention to natural phenomena with phrases like:
“Indeed, in that are signs for people who reflect.” (Qur’an 30:21)
Signs are meant to point beyond themselves, not replace scientific inquiry.
Insisting that revelation must function like a physics manual misunderstands both science and scripture. Science progresses through testing and revision. Revelation addresses the meaning and intelligibility behind what science uncovers.
10. Why does the Qur’an reflect 7th-century language and imagery?
Another common concern is:
“Why does the Qur’an speak in the language, metaphors, and worldview of its time?”
The answer is surprisingly simple: communication requires context.
Any meaningful message must be intelligible to its first audience. Speaking in unfamiliar technical concepts would not demonstrate divinity—it would prevent understanding.
The Qur’an itself addresses this:
“We sent every messenger in the language of his people, so that he might make things clear to them.” (Qur’an 14:4)
Timeless guidance does not require timeless vocabulary. It requires translatable principles—justice, responsibility, accountability—that remain relevant even as knowledge advances.
Expecting a revelation to bypass human language and historical context is not a mark of sophistication; it is a misunderstanding of how communication works.
11. What about the lack of archaeological evidence for certain Qur’anic events?
Skeptics often ask:
“Where is the archaeological evidence for destroyed nations or ancient floods mentioned in the Qur’an?”
This question assumes that absence of evidence equals evidence of absence. In reality:
Archaeology is incomplete
Preservation is selective
Many ancient civilizations left minimal traces
More importantly, the Qur’an does not present itself as a chronological historical archive. It references past events for moral reflection, not empirical cataloging.
The Qur’an emphasizes this purpose clearly:
“In their stories is a lesson for those of understanding.” (Qur’an 12:111)
Islamic belief does not rest on archaeology alone. It rests on:
Rational coherence
Historical transmission
Internal consistency
Moral depth
Archaeology may support, challenge, or remain silent—but silence is not refutation.
12. How is God just if many never encounter Islam clearly?
Perhaps one of the most morally serious questions is this:
“How can God be just if many people never receive a clear or fair presentation of Islam?”
Islam answers this directly and repeatedly: accountability is proportional to access and understanding.
The Qur’an states:
“We do not punish until We have sent a messenger.” (Qur’an 17:15)
Islam does not teach collective guilt or blind condemnation. It teaches:
Individual moral responsibility
Justice based on knowledge and capacity
Divine judgment informed by circumstances
People are not judged for rejecting what they never understood. This principle preserves both divine justice and human dignity.
Psychology, Neuroscience, and Religious Experience
As science advances, many questions about religion shift from philosophy to the human mind. Skeptics increasingly argue that belief in God can be explained entirely through psychology, brain chemistry, or social conditioning. This section takes those claims seriously—without assuming that explanation equals dismissal.
13. If religious experiences can be produced by the brain, why attribute them to God?
One of the most common modern arguments is:
“If spiritual experiences can be triggered by brain stimulation, psychedelics, or neurological conditions, doesn’t that mean they’re just brain-generated illusions?”
At first glance, this seems decisive. But it rests on a confusion between mechanism and meaning.
Every human experience—love, logic, memory, moral outrage—has a neurological correlate. We do not conclude that love is unreal because it activates certain brain regions. The brain is not a proof against reality; it is the interface through which we experience reality.
Islam does not claim that religious experience bypasses the brain. It claims that the brain is the means, not the source. Explaining how an experience is processed does not explain whether what is experienced is real.
The Qur’an consistently appeals to human perception and consciousness, not to deny biology, but to situate it within a larger reality:
“And in yourselves—do you not reflect?” (Qur’an 51:21)
Neuroscience can map experiences. It cannot adjudicate their ultimate meaning.
14. If intercessory prayer shows no measurable effect, what does that imply?
Some studies claim that intercessory prayer produces no statistically significant medical outcomes beyond placebo. This leads some to conclude:
“Prayer doesn’t work. Therefore, God doesn’t intervene.”
This conclusion assumes that prayer is a mechanical tool designed to produce predictable outcomes under controlled conditions. Islam does not define prayer this way.
In Islam:
Prayer is not a vending machine
God is not an experimental variable
Divine wisdom is not bound by human protocols
The Qur’an describes prayer as:
A form of dependence
A moral and spiritual orientation
A relationship, not a transaction
“Call upon Me; I will respond to you.” (Qur’an 40:60)
Response does not always mean immediate measurable outcomes. It may involve patience, redirection, inner strength, or delayed justice. Scientific studies can measure physiological effects—but they cannot capture purpose, wisdom, or moral meaning.
15. Where is the soul if neuroscience explains the mind?
Another frequent objection is:
“If personality, memory, and behavior correlate with brain activity, where is the soul?”
This question assumes the soul is meant to be a physical object. Islam never makes that claim.
The ruḥ (soul) in Islam is not a competing biological organ. It is the principle of life, moral agency, and consciousness, operating through the body rather than replacing it.
The Qur’an explicitly limits human access to the soul’s nature:
“They ask you about the soul. Say: the soul is from the command of my Lord.” (Qur’an 17:85)
Neuroscience explains conditions of consciousness, not consciousness itself. Correlation does not equal identity. Damage to a radio affects sound—but the signal is not the radio.
Islamic thought has long distinguished between:
Physical processes
Mental faculties
Moral responsibility
Modern neuroscience deepens our understanding of the brain; it does not dissolve the metaphysical questions it cannot address.
16. Why do conversions often involve emotion rather than philosophy?
Critics often point out that religious conversions frequently occur during:
Emotional crises
Trauma
Social influence
They argue this undermines the rational credibility of belief.
But this misunderstands how humans actually make life-shaping decisions.
Humans are not pure logic machines. Moral awakenings—repentance, forgiveness, courage—often occur during moments of vulnerability. That does not make them irrational; it makes them human.
Islam does not deny emotion. It disciplines it. Conversion in Islam is not complete without:
Understanding
Intention
Commitment
Many people begin belief emotionally and later deepen it intellectually. Others approach intellectually and later internalize it emotionally. Both paths reflect human complexity.
The Qur’an addresses the heart not as an enemy of reason, but as its partner:
“They have hearts with which they do not understand.” (Qur’an 7:179)
Understanding, in the Qur’anic sense, involves more than syllogisms—it involves moral recognition.
Miracles, Evidence, and Modern Skepticism
For many modern skeptics, the question is no longer whether belief in God is conceptually possible, but whether it is evidentially responsible. They ask:
“If God exists, where is the proof—here and now?”
Miracles are often presented as the strongest possible evidence. Yet paradoxically, they are also among the most contested.
17. Why are there no verifiable modern miracles under scientific observation?
A frequent objection is:
“If God intervenes, why don’t we see clear, repeatable miracles today—such as instantaneous limb regeneration—under controlled conditions?”
This question assumes that miracles are meant to function as scientific demonstrations. Islam does not frame miracles this way.
In Islamic theology:
-
Miracles are signs, not experiments
They are purposeful, not repeatable at will
They serve moral and prophetic validation, not mass coercion
If miracles were constant, predictable, and universally observable, belief would no longer be a moral choice—it would be compulsion.
The Qur’an addresses this expectation directly:
“Even if We opened for them a gate from the heaven and they kept ascending through it, they would still say: ‘Our eyes have been dazzled; rather, we are a people affected by magic.’” (Qur’an 15:14–15)
History shows that extraordinary events do not eliminate disbelief; they simply shift skepticism to new explanations.
18. How should miracle claims be evaluated rationally today?
Islam does not ask people to accept miracle claims blindly. Classical Muslim scholars applied rigorous criteria to extraordinary claims, including:
Reliability of transmission
Character and credibility of witnesses
Absence of motive for deception
Coherence with known reality
The Qur’an itself appeals to reasoned trust, not gullibility.
More importantly, Islam does not rest belief on isolated miracle stories. Its central miracle—the Qur’an—is:
Public, not private
Continuous, not one-time
Accessible to scrutiny, not hidden
Miracles, therefore, are not the foundation of belief; they are confirmations within a larger rational framework.
19. Why not prefer deism or pantheism over monotheism?
Some skeptics say:
“Why believe in a personal God at all? Why not deism or pantheism, which avoid divine intervention and the problem of evil?”
These alternatives may seem simpler, but they come with serious philosophical costs.
-
Deism offers a creator who never acts again, leaving morality, justice, and meaning unsupported.
-
Pantheism dissolves God into nature, eliminating moral accountability altogether.
Islamic monotheism avoids both extremes. It affirms:
A God who sustains reality continuously
Moral accountability grounded in a personal source
Justice that transcends history and power
A God who creates but does not care cannot ground justice.
A God who is
everything cannot judge anything.
The Qur’an presents God as:
“Closer to you than your jugular vein.” (Qur’an 50:16)
This nearness is not physical—it is moral and existential.
20. Why does God not reveal Himself in an undeniable way to end doubt?
This question returns us to the heart of faith:
“Why not remove all ambiguity?”
Because ambiguity is not a flaw—it is a condition of moral freedom.
If God were undeniable in the way gravity is undeniable:
Disbelief would be impossible
Moral choice would lose meaning
Faith would become mere acknowledgment
Islam teaches that God provides sufficient clarity, not coercive certainty.
“There is no compulsion in religion.” (Qur’an 2:256)
Faith is not meant to bypass reason, but neither is it meant to eliminate responsibility.
✊Final Reflection
The questions addressed in this article do not arise from ignorance or hostility. They arise from a world shaped by science, psychology, and ethical concern. Islam does not dismiss these developments; it situates them within a deeper understanding of reality.
Faith, in Islam, is not the absence of reason—it is reason taken seriously, and then humbly completed.
“We will show them Our signs in the horizons and within themselves until it becomes clear to them that it is the truth.” (Qur’an 41:53)
رَبِّ زِدْنِي عِلْمًا
“My Lord, increase me in knowledge.”
(Qur’an 20:114)
اَللّٰهُمَّ أَرِنَا الْحَقَّ حَقًّا وَارْزُقْنَا اتِّبَاعَهُ،
وَأَرِنَا الْبَاطِلَ بَاطِلًا وَارْزُقْنَا اجْتِنَابَهُ،
وَلَا تَجْعَلْهُ مُلْتَبِسًا عَلَيْنَا فَنَضِلَّ
“O Allah, show us the truth as truth and grant us the ability to follow it. Show us falsehood as falsehood and grant us the ability to avoid it. Do not make it unclear to us, lest we go astray.”
اللّٰهُمَّ اجْعَلْنَا مِنَ الَّذِينَ يُقِيمُونَ الصَّلَاةَ كَمَا
أَمَرْتَ،
وَكَمَا صَلَّى نَبِيُّنَا مُحَمَّدٌ ﷺ
وَارْزُقْنَا الْخُشُوعَ وَالْإِخْلَاصَ فِي الْعِبَادَةِ.
🌸 Jazakumullahu Khayran for reading.
🌙 May peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be upon you.
السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللّٰهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ
✍️ Written By:
Rizwan Ibn Ali Abdullah
Student of Islam and Science | Researcher | Thinker | Against
Sectarianism | Reviving Ummah | Qur'an and Sunnah
© 2019– Rizwan Ibn Ali Abdullah. All Rights Reserved.
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