Why Are We Here in This Life?

Why am I here in this world? What is the purpose of my existence? What is the destiny after death? These are innate, teleological questions; questions that ask about the purpose of our existence. These are questions that distinguish us from animals, which are driven only by instincts. This innate component: the feeling of teleology, is both a mercy and a torment... as we will see in this episode...

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah.

The Feeling of Teleology: Mercy and Torment

The feeling of teleology is both a mercy and a torment:

• Mercy in the Faithful Perspective: Because it drives man to seek the answer, and he is drawn to the true religion, which answers these questions with satisfying answers, quenching the thirst, convincing the mind, so that man connects with his Lord, and draws from the pure light of revelation, becoming like a vehicle that was lost in space, then connected to its source and goal, so it moves according to a planned scheme, to anchor safely.

• Torment for the Atheist: However, this innate component, on the other hand, is a torment for the atheist; because it raises questions that have no answer, and if he tries to answer, he will end up feeling nihilism, meaninglessness, and worthlessness.

In this episode, we will see a model of this torment, then we will see the atheists' floundering in escaping this torment, then we will see the dignity of man in faith, and his degradation in atheism.

Models of Atheists' Torment

William Provine: Nihilism and Meaninglessness

William Provine, a professor of the history of biology at Cornell University, is an atheist. To what did his atheism lead him? Let's see...

So, Provine tells you what the others said: "And they say, 'It is only our worldly life; we die and we live, and nothing destroys us except time.'" [Al-Jathiyah 24]. And he acknowledges that this means the absence of any meaning or purpose in life.

Provine had been cured of brain cancer, but he expects the disease to return. To what did his atheism lead him in dealing with this expectation? Let's see...

This is the result! Since there is no purpose or meaning to life, either this life is beautiful, materialistically, brutally, or else, it is better for me to end it myself. Therefore, we say: the question of purpose is a torment for those who deny the existence of Allah.

Let's see models of how atheists deal with the question of purpose and its torment, and how they escape this question...

Richard Dawkins: Ridiculing the Question of Purpose

The atheist Richard Dawkins was asked if science answers the question: "Why are we here in this life?" How did he respond? Let's watch...

So, according to Dawkins, the question "Why are we here?" is a silly question, not worth answering, and the questioner has no right to ask it. Amazing! Even children ask about the purpose of everything they see, but according to atheism: it is foolishness to ask about the purpose of human existence, which is supposed to be the most important thing in this life.

Experimental science tries to know the purpose of the existence of things and natural phenomena around us. According to atheism, explore as you wish and ask as you wish, but, you have no right to ask about the purpose of your own existence, you the explorer.

When we talk about legal judgments, we are often objected to with the saying: "Man has explored Mars, and you are still talking about these things." No, the question is directed to you, you the ignorant! Does it make sense that man explores the moon and Mars, and talks about galaxies that are billions of light-years away from us, then ignores himself who is between his sides, and the purpose of his existence?

But, brothers, this answer, which is ultimate in foolishness, from Dawkins, is actually consistent with the purely materialistic atheistic view. The random accident does nothing for a purpose, and experimental science indeed cannot know the purpose of life. But, instead of admitting that this indicates the inadequacy of the purely materialistic view, they conclude that the question "Why are we here?" is a silly question! Because their materialism does not answer it.

Do not be surprised then that Dawkins says:

The universe as we observe it has exactly the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil and no good, nothing but blind, pitiless indifference.

So, this is a style chosen by some atheists in dealing with the feeling of teleology, ridiculing this innate feeling.

Existential Nihilism: Creating Meaning

While some others say to you: Yes, at the theoretical level, life has no real goal or meaning, but we cannot live according to this theoretical vision, we must strive to create meaning, meaning: let us deceive ourselves that there is a purpose, so that we can live. And you find this meaning in a philosophical branch called existential nihilism.

Man may deceive himself for a period of time, but what then? What did some choose as an alternative to this difficult task? The task of deceiving oneself that life has a purpose, and he does not believe in what is after death.

One of the biggest American film directors, the atheist Woody Allen, answers you. Let's see what he says:

So, he says that the media deceives people and makes them believe that their lives have meaning, even though they are meaningless in reality, and the best way is to distract people and entertain them, so they do not ask themselves about the meaning of life, and do not face the bitter truth that it has no meaning. And you must keep yourself distracted and entertained; because if you sit with yourself for a while, the question "What is my fate after death?" will assault you.

Remember his words as you read the words of Allah: "And be not like those who forgot Allah, so He made them forget themselves." [Al-Hashr 19]. They forgot Allah, so He made them forget the purpose of their creation, and forget to work for what benefits them, and they were concerned with everything, except themselves who are between their sides.

Lawrence Krauss: Enjoying the Accident

Another way to circumvent the feeling of teleology is what the atheist professor Lawrence Krauss followed. Krauss published a book a few months ago titled "The Greatest Story Ever Told, Why Are We Here," and what a paradox between the title and the content! The book is an attempt to facilitate the idea of nihilism for atheists, an attempt to alleviate the pain of the question of the purpose of existence and the fate after death.

Krauss gave a lecture at Conway University with the same content as the book, and after explaining the precision of the laws according to which the universe operates - astonishing precision - he said:

The world in which we exist is very exceptional, but it is an accident.

Then what did Krauss conclude in the end? Let's see...

So, he tells you not to feel disappointed that our lives are meaningless, but enjoy this accident that brought you into the universe.

All these are attempts to circumvent this feeling of teleology; because it is an innate, deep feeling, that dries the heart, so that nothing quenches it except the pure water of revelation. All these are psychological tricks that atheists deceive themselves with, while they are the ones who say about believers in the existence of Allah that they deceive themselves.

Jean-Paul Sartre: The Return to the Creator

The fierce French atheist Jean-Paul Sartre could no longer bear this deception, and after many long years spent fighting the principle of God's existence, his innate nature and his sense of purpose spoke out, saying:

I do not feel that I am a product of chance, a speck of dust in this universe, but rather I see myself as a person with a purpose, prepared for a goal, whose value has been predetermined. In short, a being that can only exist in this life through a Creator, and by the creative hand, I mean God.

Then Sartre abandoned his atheism and acknowledged the existence of God, but unfortunately, not in the religion of Islam.

We return to say that the questions of purpose are pressing, and confronting them is very painful for the atheist, for a human without purpose becomes trivial and valueless, and how difficult it is to feel that you are trivial!

Human Dignity in Faith and Debasement in Atheism

The atheist Stephen Hawking, who, as we mentioned before, said:

The human race is just a chemical accident, existing on a medium-sized planet.

He also said in the same context:

We are completely unimportant, so much so that I cannot believe that this entire universe exists for us.

You also find on atheist websites the exact wording:

Our new understanding of the cosmos tells us that we are more trivial than we ever imagined in the universe, we have no value at all, so why would such a universe - in which we are so unimportant - have been created for us?

In the Islamic view, we are created for a great purpose: the worship of God the Almighty and the establishment of a loving relationship between us and Him, and that His attributes should manifest in us, the attributes of His generosity, His bounty, His mercy, His forgiveness, His guidance, and His goodness. A purpose like this deserves the universe to be devoted to those entrusted with it.

The Almighty said: "And He has subjected to you what is in the heavens and what is on the earth, all from Himself" [Surah Al-Jathiyah:13].

While the atheists tell you: "No, but we are more debased and lower than that," and yet, some people believe that atheism respects the human being.

The condition of the atheists says: Our purpose in life is to convince people that there is no purpose to life.

A human being under atheism is a chemical waste, trivial, not worthy of the existence of the universe for him, his origins are degraded animals, his mind is questionable in its credibility - as we have shown - his life is meaningless, without absolute morals, without purpose, but merely his questioning of purpose and destiny is a trivial question, and whoever says otherwise among the atheists contradicts his atheism and does not agree with himself, and yet, some people believe that atheism respects the mind and the human being.

Praise be to God who honored us with the status of servitude to Him, and did not make us of the debased ones who refrained from this status, so they debased themselves. "And whoever is humbled by God, there is none to honor him" [Surah Al-Hajj:18].

Peace be upon you and the mercy of God.