A Self-evident Phenomenon

THE greatest proof of the existence of God is the existence of man himself. It is just as far-fetched to believe in a being like man as it is to believe in a being of the nature of God. If we believe in man, then there is nothing to stop us from believing in God.

The Quran tells us that God breathed His spirit into man (15: 29). This means that the attributes of God are manifested, in mortal form, in man. Existence, life, knowledge, power, determination and freewill are all attributes that are found in complete form in God. Essentially, these are all divine qualities. God has not given man a share in His attributes, but He has created man in His own image; that is, He has made man’s being a reflection of God's power. Man cannot, in any way, be said to be a part of God, but he is certainly living proof of God’s existence. The very same qualities that make God what He is, also constitute man. In God these qualities are invisible and infinite; in man they are visible and finite. In order to find God, then, man has only to examine his own being.

Man has a separate existence of his own. He is able to see, hear and speak; he thinks and makes plans; he acts on his own initiative; he converts basic matter into the various forms of advanced machinery; he operates spaceships by remote control. He is a conscious being, fully aware of his own existence. All these attributes, which man possesses in limited form, are present in unlimited and perfect form in God.

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The difference between man and God is that man is a part of creation, whereas God is the Creator. Man owes his existence to God, but God owes His existence to no other. Man is finite, God is infinite. Man’s power is an illusion, whereas God’s is a reality

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The difference between man and God is that man is a part of creation, whereas God is the Creator. Man owes his existence to God, but God owes His existence to no other. Man is finite, God is infinite. Man’s power is an illusion, whereas God’s is a reality. Man is mortal, God is immortal. Everything man possesses has been given to him, but that which is God’s is His very own; none has bestowed it on Him.

To accept man’s existence is to accept the existence of one totally unlike God, and yet uncannily like Him; it is to accept the existence of a mini-God, so to speak. What is there then to stop us from believing in a great God? To believe in God is to confirm one’s own existence. If one believes in oneself, there is no reason why one should not believe in God. For man, to accept his own existence is to accept the existence of God, even if he claims to be an unbeliever.

To deny the existence of God is to deny one’s own existence. How strange, then, that there are many who claim to disbelieve in God, but no one who would go so far as to disbelieve in his own self.