The Holy Quran, like a radiant sun in the sky of knowledge, is not merely a source of spiritual guidance but also a treasury of philosophical and scientific wisdom that elucidates profound concepts such as the existence of God, disbelief, polytheism, and denial with unparalleled precision. This treatise, inspired by invaluable lectures, delves into two fundamental axes in the exegesis of a verse from Surah Al-Baqarah: the concept of return (إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ) and the admonishment of disbelief in the phrase لَمْ تَكْفُرُوا بِاللَّهِ. This work, with a deep and systematic approach, aims to provide a scholarly framework, articulated in a refined and academic language, for researchers and learned audiences applicable in religious, philosophical, and psychological studies.
In this endeavour, relying on the Quranic verses and authoritative religious texts such as Tawhid Mufaddal, fundamental concepts of monotheism are examined, avoiding the conflation of affirmative and evidential matters. The approach herein not only explicates the self-evident existence of God in the Holy Quran but also, by critiquing prevalent philosophical and empirical approaches, paves the way for a novel understanding of Quranic wisdom.
The concept of return, as mentioned in the noble verse إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ ("to Him we shall return"), is one of the fundamental pillars of the epistemological system of the Holy Quran. This concept not only refers to the human return to the Lord at the end of life but, at a deeper level, expresses the intrinsic connection between man and the Origin of existence. Return, like a flowing stream, guides man towards the fountainhead of existence and in this path reminds his divine innate nature.
This concept holds a lofty place in Islamic mysticism and religious psychology, as it compels man to contemplate his origin and destination. Return is not merely a physical or metaphysical comeback but an epistemic journey leading man from the darkness of ignorance to the light of awareness.
The concept of return, like a clear mirror, reflects the unbreakable bond between man and the Lord. In the Quranic verses, this notion is presented not only as an existential reality but as an invitation to contemplate the divine nature within man. The analysis of this concept facilitates deeper research in Islamic mysticism and religious psychology.
Among philosophers and scientists, there has long been a tendency to prove the existence of God through rational and empirical arguments. This approach, common in the works of philosophers such as Ibn Sina, Farabi, and Mulla Sadra, as well as empirical scientists, endeavours to demonstrate God's existence via arguments of order, causality, necessity, and possibility. However, due to inherent limitations, these methods are insufficient from the perspective of Quranic wisdom.
Contrary to this trend, the Holy Quran offers no proofs for God's existence, as it considers God's existence a self-evident and affirmative matter that requires no argument.
One of the prominent features of the Holy Quran is the absence of any evidential proof for the existence of God. This stems from the fact that the positive must be stronger than the positum, whereas no entity surpasses God to serve as His proof. In other words, God Himself is the proof of His essence (دَلَّ عَلَى ذَاتِهِ بِذَاتِهِ).
This viewpoint offers a new framework in Islamic theology and philosophy of religion for understanding monotheism and prevents confusion between affirmative and evidential matters.
The Holy Quran regards God's existence as a matter of conception, not affirmation. The noble verse أَفِي اللَّهِ شَكٌّ (Surah Ibrahim, verse 10: "Is there any doubt about God?") clearly emphasises this self-evidence. This verse not only considers God's existence self-evident but deems any doubt about it meaningless.
This self-evidence is rooted in man's divine innate nature, as stated in the verse فِطْرَتَ اللَّهِ الَّتِي فَطَرَ النَّاسَ عَلَيْهَا (Surah Ar-Rum, verse 30: "The innate nature of God upon which He created mankind"). Innate nature, like a light within man's heart, renders God's existence independent of argument.
Philosophical and empirical arguments to prove God's existence are incomplete and ineffective from the perspective of Quranic wisdom. Arguments such as order, causality, necessity, and possibility, although significant in human philosophy, cannot fully elucidate the divine reality. These proofs, metaphorically, resemble faint torches compared to the boundless sun of divine truth.
This critique not only points to the limitations of human methods but also highlights the superiority of Quranic wisdom in explaining monotheism. The Holy Quran emphasises innate intuition and affirmative reasons rather than evidential arguments.
The proofs offered in philosophy and science for God's existence are of the indicative (أني) type, not causal (لمي). Indicative proofs, like a green leaf indicating the wisdom of creation, only point to signs of God's existence, whereas causal proofs, which must lead to God's essence, are inaccessible to mankind. The Holy Quran, by stressing God's testimony to His own essence, negates the necessity of causal proofs.
The Holy Quran, emphasising the self-evident and affirmative nature of God's existence, is not in need of evidential proofs. The critique of philosophical and empirical proofs reveals the limitations of human methodologies compared to Quranic wisdom. This section, by clarifying the distinction between indicative and causal proofs, provides a framework for deeper understanding of mon
