Reason, Argumentation, and Belief

Can the existence of God be proven through the intellect alone and not the heart, i.e. formal logic? Some scholars claim it is possible, and that appears to be the position commonly repeated in a lot of the classical texts on the subject. Others (such as Shaykh Nuh Keller?*) say that it is not the job of the mutakallimun to prove the existence of God, only to ensure that people are aware of its rational possibility. It is claimed that Islam itself cannot be proven, or everyone would be a Muslim. It was reported to me that individuals from the first group (such as Sidi Abu Qanit al-Hasani, author of The Guiding Helper) reply that the position of the second group may well be derived from the structure and nature of their pre-Islamic learning in Western universities, and that they are not fully aware of the answers of the advanced mutakallimun on some of the newer arguments against the existence of God that have become commonplace in the West. They stand by the statements of the classical mutakallimun that the attributes of God can be rationally proven. I also have a further, more specific, question. What, if anything, is the formal reply of the mutakallimun of our age to David Hume's criticism of the cosmological argument from the First Cause, particularly when concerned with the infinite regress of causes? Finally, can you tell me the names of scholars in the current age who are especially noted for their knowledge of kalam, particularly when it comes to being fully aware of trends in the West? 

In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful and Compassionate

The existence of God can, indeed, be proven through the intellect alone, but this proof requires sound reasoning and careful deduction from premises. In other words, Allah Most High has erected definitive signs that point to His existence and to the veracity of His prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace), but He did not make these signs obvious and self-evident.

What this means is that people who are sincerely seeking the truth will find that their reason unquestionably indicates the existence of God and the veracity of the Prophet Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace). People who have already decided not to believe, however, will be able to construct an endless number of logical maneuvers that enable them to argue and object to such arguments, not because the arguments are insufficient, but because such people have already made up their minds not to believe. They are arguing with the goal of reaching a foregone conclusion, not with the goal of following the truth.

This was the state of the unbelievers of Mecca: the Prophet Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace) brought them clear signs, but they did not want to leave the way of their ancestors even after it had become clear to them that the truth lay in following the way of the Prophet Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace).

Arguing with such people is fruitless and it draws us into a never-ending cycle of objection, reply-to-objection, objection-to-reply, reply-to-objection-to-reply, etc. The Quran teaches us that the way to deal with such people is to present one's arguments in a manner that convinces them, but not to get sucked into the subsequent fruitless debate. This is evident in Quran 2:118, for example, and also in many other verses that cannot be lost on anyone who reads the Quran.

Scholars such as Shaykh Nuh Keller do not object to the definitiveness of rational arguments [1], but rather to the usefulness of getting drawn into hairsplitting debates with people who have already made up their mind not to believe in God.

The way to bring people to Islam is not to construct intricate philosophical arguments, but to present the teachings of Islam in a sensible, rational manner, while at the same time appealing to the spiritual and emotional faculties within human beings. The problem with most disbelievers to who launch philosophical attacks against believers is simply that they don't want to believe. The philosophical arguments are merely a facade to make it seem like they are being sincere.

It is important for Muslims to engage in the intellectual debates of the age and make the light of Islam shine bright and clear. The way to do this, however, is not to push one's way into the philosophical amphitheaters of our age and flex one's intellectual muscle. Successful da`wa has always been carried out by someone who is first and foremost a living example of the message that he is carrying. Sharp intellect and eloquent speech are secondary. [2]

And Allah knows best.

Hamza.

[1] You can read about Shaykh Nuh's position in his comprehensive article Kalam and Islam, where he clearly supports the authoritativeness of rational arguments. He says, for example,