Illustration of a long, winding stairway leading to the clouds. Could represent a career, success, a journey, or going to heaven.
May 2011
Written and collected by Zia H Shah MD, Chief Editor of the Muslim Times
Every agnostic or atheist has to deny accountability and hereafter by definition.
If our universe is an accident and that is your world view then Hawking is right. But, if you are amazed at the beauty and organization of our universe as Albert Einstein was, then Hawking is plain wrong for you. In this article, I present, some of the verses of the Holy Quran, arguing the case for hereafter and additional are added in the comment section. In the following verse, Allah cites gravity and planetary motion as a pointer, towards His creativity and eventual hereafter:
Allah is He Who raised up the heavens without any pillars that you can see. Then He settled Himself on the Throne. And He pressed the sun and the moon into service: each pursues its course until an appointed term. He regulates it all. He clearly explains the Signs, that you may have a firm belief in the meeting with your Lord. (Al Quran 13:2)
The Quran offers only one line of reasoning for the second creation, namely the first creation. Allah argues that one who has created this complex and awe inspiring universe and all the life forms on our planet earth, should be able to recreate human life and of course the individual humans.
The Holy Quran discusses reincarnation in greater detail in the following verses in the chapter Yasin, adding the domain of biology to that of astronomy as the argument is built further, from the first creation:
Does not man see that We have created him from a mere sperm-drop? He disputes openly, producing arguments against Us, forgetting his own creation. He says, ‘Who can give life back to bones after they have decayed?’ Say, ‘He who created them in the first place will give them life again: He has full knowledge of every act of creation. It is He who produces fire for you out of the green tree, lo and behold, and from this you kindle fire. Has not He Who created the heavens and the earth the power to create the like of them?’ Yes, and He is indeed the Supreme Creator, the All-Knowing. Indeed, His command, when He intends a thing, is only that He says to it, ‘Be!,’ and it is. So Holy is He, in Whose hand is the kingdom of all things. And to Him will you all be brought back.’ (Al Quran 36:77-83) — Surah Yasin verses 77-83.
Several additional verses with similar emphasis are quoted in the comment section and these sum up my case for hereafter and human accountability.
Below I link a few articles to argue that our universe is not an accident and demands a Transcendent Creator.
After that I link a video debate about life after death. Enjoy!
Additional Reading and reviewing
The anesthesia of familiarity: There should be a Creator for this universe
Albert Einstein’s search for God
Photosynthesis: deserving of our awe or ridicule?
To read about the interview of Stephen Hawking:
A challenge for Dawkins: Where did carbon come from?
Two atheists debating two Rabbis about life after death
The debate is titled: Is There An Afterlife? Debate w/ Christopher Hitchens:
There are several good insights in this debate, but the most unfortunate one is that not only the atheists but also the Rabbis claim that religion is man-made. This, God forbid, changes all the Jewish prophets into a fraud, even though in the debate they do not force this natural outcome of such claims. They try to put their claims with a positive spin that religion after all is a human pursuit like science, but, they fail to note that whereas science historically, at its best, has been a pursuit of truth, but, if religion is man-made then even at its best it becomes a pursuit in make belief and at its worst a blatant fraud!
In this day and age we not only have to defend Islam but essentially end up defending the original Judaism and Christianity as well. The Holy Quran paints Patriarch Abraham in very bright colors in several different chapters. Here is one example:
Abraham was indeed a paragon of virtue, obedient to Allah, ever inclined to Him, and he was not of those who set up equals to God; Grateful for His favours; He chose him and guided him to a straight path. And We bestowed on him good in this world, and in the Hereafter he will surely be among the righteous. And now We have revealed to thee, saying, ‘Follow the way of Abraham who was ever inclined to God and was not of those who set up equals to Him.’ (Al Quran 16:120-123)
Stephen Hawking: ‘There is no heaven; it’s a fairy story!’http://t.co/imLbU3zaFA pic.twitter.com/IbwcwrUPuW
— The Muslim Times (@The_MuslimTimes) July 21, 2015
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We have saved above debate video in the Muslim Times as well:
Categories: Highlight, Uncategorized
There are additional verses of the Holy Quran on this theme:
Do they not see that Allah, Who created the heavens and the earth, has the power to create the like of them? (Al Quran 17:100)
He brings forth the living from the dead, and He brings forth the dead from the living; and He gives life to the earth after its death. And in like manner shall you be brought forth. (Al Quran 30:20)
Among His Signs is this that you see the earth lying withered, but when We send down water on it, it stirs and swells with verdure. Surely He Who quickens the earth can quicken the dead also. Indeed, He has power over all things. (Al Quran 41:40)
They say, ‘What! when we are dead and have become mere dust and bones, shall we indeed be raised up again? This is what we have been promised before, we and our fathers. This is nothing but fables of the ancients.’ Say, ‘To whom belongs the earth and whosoever is therein, if you know?’‘To Allah’, they will say. Say, ‘Will you not then be admonished?’ Say, ‘Who is the Lord of the seven heavens, and the Lord of the Great Throne?’ They will say, ‘They are Allah’s.’ Say, ‘Will you not then take Him as your Protector?’(Al Quran 23:83-88)
The question of suffering, which is often debated among the atheists and theists, cannot be adequately answered, without invoking the concept of life after death:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FRtKANMXCQ&w=560&h=315%5D
Utter nonsense article. You present no evidence for your allah apart from the words in the Koran. Your argument is enitrely circular but starts from a premise that there is a supernatural being who created the swirling maelstroms of galaxies but also had a dislike of shellfish and pork.
There is no circular argument here.
If we think that there is a Transcendent cosmic power, after our decades of study of physics, biology and cosmology, then if the same power tells us through revelation that He can recreate the whole thing again, I would find this argument very logical and worthy of my submission.
For anyone who after the study of the universe finds that our universe is a random error and came to being by itself, the natural conclusion with such a premise is that there is no hereafter. Pure and simple.
Are you in the first camp or the second?
The believers in Abrahamic faiths are in the first camp and believe in a Transcendent God, who is the Creator of our universe.
“If we think that there is a Transcendent cosmic power, after our decades of study of physics, biology and cosmology, ”
What study of these disciplines provides empirical evidence of a transcendant cosmic power?
hello
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COJ0ED1mV7s&w=560&h=315%5D
A challenge for Dawkins: Where did carbon come from?
Here is a good documentary examining the question of accountability and belief in God. Especially watch the segment about a professor of New Zealand doing research with children, around minute 36: The Story of God with Morgan Freeman S01E05, see the effect of belief in an invisible Princess Alice, around minute 28 mark of the National Geographic video below:
[wpvideo FuABQgRE]
I agree with Zia H shah
salamu alikum i am from france sptehan Hwking was a sik man we can at quran surah al imran aya numer 6