Praise be to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah.
Sound rational evidence does not contradict the evidence of Islamic revelation; rather, it supports and points to it. The Qur’an and Sunnah contain many proofs of the existence of Allah تعالى, His Lordship, the perfection of His knowledge and truthfulness, and His transcendence above having a child or parent. Nevertheless, a non-specialist should not occupy himself with the doubts of atheists and attempts to refute them. Rather, he should learn his religion, contemplate the Qur’an, keep company with people of knowledge and righteousness, and leave specialized debates to those qualified for them.
One of the greatest rational proofs for the existence of the Creator is that these immense and perfectly ordered creations cannot have brought themselves into existence, nor could they have come into existence without a creator.
Allah تعالى says:
﴿Were they created from nothing, or are they themselves the creators?﴾ [Al-Tur: 35].
There are three possibilities: either created things created themselves, came into existence without a creator, or were created by an All-Knowing, All-Powerful Creator. The first two possibilities are obviously false. It is inconceivable that something could bring itself into existence from nonexistence, or that something perfectly constructed could exist without a maker.
Whoever reflects upon the heavens and the earth and the precision, perfection, and wisdom found within them will recognize great signs of the existence of their Creator and of His perfect power, knowledge, wisdom, and oneness.
Once it is established that Allah تعالى is the Creator, Sustainer, Wise, and All-Knowing, it necessarily follows that He سبحانه knows His creation completely, and nothing of their outward or inward states is hidden from Him.
Allah تعالى says:
﴿Does He who created not know, while He is the Most Subtle, the All-Aware?﴾ [Al-Mulk: 14].
Al-Sa‘di رحمه الله explained the meaning of the verse: How could the One who created the creation, perfected them, and made them well not know them?
This is also a clear rational proof. When a person makes something and perfects it, he knows the details of what he made better than anyone else. How much more so the Creator سبحانه, who created all creation from nothing and brought them into existence without any previous model?
Allah تعالى also informed His Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم about matters of the unseen and about things that the polytheists concealed within their hearts, and what He informed him of proved to be true.
Among this is what al-Bukhari and Muslim narrated from Abdullah رضي الله عنه concerning a gathering of people from Quraysh and Thaqif who spoke privately about Allah تعالى hearing their conversation. Allah تعالى then revealed:
﴿You did not conceal yourselves so that your hearing, your sight, and your skins would not testify against you﴾ [Fussilat: 22].
Allah تعالى is the Creator, Owner, and Wise Lord. He is independent of all His creation, so there is no need or benefit that would cause Him to lie. He سبحانه is the most truthful of speakers.
Allah تعالى says:
﴿And who is more truthful in speech than Allah?﴾ [Al-Nisa’: 87].
And He سبحانه says:
﴿And who is more truthful in word than Allah?﴾ [Al-Nisa’: 122].
Allah تعالى also challenged people through the Qur’an and stated that if the Qur’an had been from someone other than Allah, they would have found much contradiction in it:
﴿Do they not contemplate the Qur’an? Had it been from other than Allah, they would have found within it much contradiction﴾ [Al-Nisa’: 82].
The Qur’an is consistent in its meanings and rulings; its parts confirm one another, and its opponents have not been able to produce anything that disproves its truthfulness or establishes contradiction within it.
From a rational perspective as well, lying is a deficiency, while Allah تعالى is transcendent above every deficiency. He سبحانه is perfect in His Names, Attributes, and Actions.
One of the proofs that it is impossible for Allah to have a child is that He سبحانه has no spouse, whereas a child comes from a father and mother who are joined in a manner appropriate to reproduction.
Allah تعالى says:
﴿Originator of the heavens and the earth. How could He have a child when He has no consort? He created everything, and He is Knowing of all things﴾ [Al-An‘am: 101].
Allah تعالى is the Creator of everything. Nothing of His creation resembles Him, and He has no need for a wife or a child.
Having a child is also associated with needs arising from weakness, assistance, or the continuation of lineage. Allah تعالى is free of need from all the worlds, perfect in His independence and power. Therefore, He has no need for a child or for anyone else.
As for the fact that He سبحانه was not born, this is because something born has an existence preceded by nonexistence. Whoever was preceded by nonexistence cannot be God, because he would be dependent upon someone who brought him into existence.
If it were claimed that Allah had a parent, that would require the parent to have existed before Him and therefore to be more deserving of divinity than Him. Then one would ask about the parent of that parent, and so on, leading to an impossible infinite regress.
For this reason, Allah تعالى says in Surat Al-Ikhlas:
﴿Say: He is Allah, One. Allah, the Eternal Refuge. He neither begets nor is born. And there is none comparable to Him.﴾ [Al-Ikhlas: 1–4].
Allah تعالى is the First, before whom there was nothing. He is the Creator of everything and has no need for a parent or a child.
It is not wise for a Muslim to occupy himself with every doubt he hears or to enter into philosophical and theological debates for which he does not possess the necessary tools.
Debating and responding to doubts are matters that should be undertaken by qualified scholars and specialists who understand the foundations of the various arguments, their underlying assumptions, and how to discuss and refute them.
As for the ordinary Muslim, he should strive to recite and contemplate the Qur’an, learn correct Islamic creed, and keep company with righteous people who help him remain steadfast upon the religion.
Such righteous companionship is among the greatest means by which Allah grants His servant firmness and protects him from evil.
There are many proofs for the existence of Allah تعالى and the perfection of His knowledge, power, and wisdom, including rational proofs supported by the Noble Qur’an.
Allah تعالى is the Creator, and the One who created creation and perfected its design is not unaware of anything concerning it. He سبحانه is the most truthful of speakers, transcendent above lying and every deficiency, and He neither begets nor is born, because He is the Self-Sufficient Creator who has no need for a parent or child.
A non-specialist Muslim should not make the doubts of atheists his main preoccupation. Rather, he should preserve his faith through beneficial knowledge, contemplation of the Qur’an, and companionship with righteous people, and refer specialized doubts to qualified scholars.
And Allah knows best.