Who Made This?

My daughter often reminds me that sometimes adults think too much for their own good.

“Prove that God exists.” This challenge is laid before those who believe in Allah. Many have, but no hard and fast proof exists. If it did exist, belief in, and acceptance of, Allah (swt) would not be rewarded and considered morally good. This is why belief is no longer accepted once the major signs of the Day of Judgment begin – when physical proof of the existence of Allah is made clear. And if there was “proof” then only very clearly irrational people would not believe in Allah. But the fact is that many otherwise intelligent and rational folks resist belief.

Instead, Allah (swt) points to signs in His creation as evidence of His existence. These signs, if combined with a clean and open heart, will naturally lead to belief. But sometimes we place too much emphasis on scientific reason. Natural science, though it works wonders in the natural world, does nothing for metaphysics. Yet, many of us insist upon the same type of scientific evidence when dealing with issues of the unseen!

One day in the park, my daughter was walking along the edge of a tanbark-filled playground. Once in a while, a piece of tanbark would be lying on the edge and my (then) 18 month old daughter would immediately sweep it out of the way. But then she came to not a random piece of tanbark but, a neatly placed pile of tanbark. She turned to me and asked, “Who did this?”

She could immediately recognize that something ordered and patterned must have been made by someone – though I never told her. And what is this pile of tanbark compared to the miracles in the creation of Allah (swt)?! Yet some continue to resist the notion that order in our universe are signs of the existence of Allah.

I’m not a supporter of the Intelligent Design ideology, but there is something to be said for the general notion when a toddler can connect order with creation and a creator.  She has not yet learned the process of scientific reasoning. And I don’t think she’s being irrational or naïve; I think she is still so young that her heart and spirit are unsullied by the over-analysis adults so often succumb to. Perhaps children represent an unsullied balance of intellect, emotion, and spirit – all vital components of a human being. Thank Allah for kids!

Bhawana Kamil

Bhawana Kamil lives in Santa Clara, CA with her husband and daughter. She is pursuing a Masters degree in Philosophy and is the head of her local MAS Outreach Department – but only on the side. Her real job is watching (and hopefully helping) her little girl grow up!