PUBLISHER’S NOTE
The present book is the English rendering of an Urdu book by Maulana Wahiduddin Khan (d. 2021) titled Khuda ki Daryaft: Scienci Haqa’iq ki Roshni Mein (The Discovery of God in the Light of Scientific Facts), which was published in 2020, not long before Maulana’s demise the following year. Khuda ki Daryaft consists of a collection of essays of varying length written by the Maulana over almost half a century, the first perhaps written sometime in the 1970s. These essays reflect on diverse topics, but a common thread runs throughout the book—that scientific evidence points to the existence of the One Creator, God Almighty.
Numerous books have been written on God, Religion, and Science. Unfortunately, most of them are technical, abstruse, and dense and do not make for easy reading for the general reader. This book is markedly different, however. It is a treasure trove of inspiration and wisdom for anyone interested in exploring issues related to the interface between Science, Religion, and Spirituality. Besides presenting proof of the existence of God from a rational point of view, it seeks to provide answers to perplexing existential questions such as the purpose of human life, the creation of the universe, and what happens after death. Written in an easy-to-understand style, it can be helpful to and inspiring for people from various backgrounds, irrespective of religion and academic inclinations and training.
The book clearly shows that far from negating the existence of God, the Creator and Master of the universe, modern scientific findings provide convincing evidence of God’s existence. Authentic science and authentic versions of divine guidance thus conform rather than confront each other. Put differently, God’s Word (as expressed in Divine Revelation) and God’s Work (as expressed in the universe) are in perfect harmony. The discovery that the universe had a definite beginning clearly points to a pre-existent Cause that brought it into being—and, this book shows, this Cause cannot be anything but the One God, who is eternal.
Likewise, the fine-tuning, intricate design, and perfect balance of the universe, among other features of the universe that scientific discoveries have highlighted, cannot be satisfactorily accounted for other than by attributing them to the One Creator, God Almighty.
Perhaps, under the influence of fallacious ideologies, some people who have a shallow understanding of science and religion think that modern science has convincingly disproved the existence of God. This book effectively shows this belief to be a complete fallacy. Far from being an enemy of the authentic version of Divine Religion, science can be said to be a close ally of it. In light of the findings and arguments highlighted in this book, one can very well say that one cannot be authentically scientific without being authentically religious, and vice versa.
Reflecting on the marvels of creation uncovered by modern science, the present book can be an essential means for spiritual advancement. It can enable us to understand the Creator and devotion to Him. The Creator has created all the things that exist, so they are all signs of the Creator, pointing as they do to the One who brought them into being. The subject matter of modern science is Nature or, in other words, God’s creation. The research findings of modern science provide a vast field of information about God’s creation, pondering how we can increase our understanding of the Creator. Developing our insights about God’s creation by contemplating scientific findings can help deepen our spiritual personality by making us more conscious of the presence of the Creator and more aware of His attributes reflected in His creation.
It can be said that turning one’s back to God is the root of all evil. In our times, the widespread phenomenon of heedlessness of God’s creation plan has led to all sorts of evils. For many people, such heedlessness results from an erroneous belief that modern science has proved God to be an illusion or a myth. However, as this book brilliantly shows, the findings of contemporary science point precisely in the opposite direction, clearly testifying to the One God, Creator, Master, and Sustainer of the universe, as described in the Quran. This being the case, science can significantly help promote God-consciousness rather than undermine it.
As the title of this book suggests, far from necessarily leading to atheism, modern science, through its findings on Nature or creation, can lead us to discover the Creator and to know more about Him. These findings are a means to discover God’s existence and His attributes reflected in the universe He has created. However, scientific discoveries can take us only thus far. They can make us aware that there is a Creator of the universe and that, as the nature of His creation indicates, He possesses attributes such as creativity, power, wisdom, beauty, and so forth, all of which are reflected in His creation. However, science cannot answer such questions as ‘Why did God create man?’ ‘What is the relationship between God and man?’, ‘What is the way for man to live that is pleasing to God?’ and ‘What happens to us when we die?’. The only reliable source of answers to these questions is the Creator Himself. This points to the necessity and significance of Divine Revelation—a revelation from the Creator—as the only authentic means for man to obtain these answers.
From the very advent of humankind on the Earth, God has sent a series of Messengers into the world to inform people about such issues—or, in other words, to tell them about what can be called God’s Creation Plan. God has sent at least one Messenger to every nation. The essential message of all these Messengers was the same. All these Messengers exhorted people to lead a God-oriented life based on awareness of, and the willing self-surrender to, the One God—or, in brief, a life characterized by ethical monotheism. This way of life is the only way to true success in this temporary world and the eternal world that comes after death—the world of the Hereafter.
Following in their footsteps, inviting humanity to turn to God and lead a God-oriented life can be said to have been the major mission of Maulana Wahiduddin Khan. This concern is also profoundly reflected in this book. Reflecting on various aspects of the universe and man’s life, this book clearly shows that the proper understanding of scientific findings is entirely in conformity with the concept of God and the Message sent by Him through all the Prophets, which has been preserved in the form of the Quran, which was revealed to the last Messenger, Prophet Muhammad.
The book underscores how modern scientific knowledge about the universe can deepen our awareness of God and His creation plan.
Publishers
New Delhi
Dated: May 10, 2024
