Answer
Short Answer: When we speak of God, we’re speaking of that beyond which nothing greater can be conceived of. That is the one true God and once we are thinking of that God, we do not need any reason for His existence or any cause of His existence. That is a necessary existent and a necessary existent does not need a reason for His existence or a cause.
Asalamu Alaikum,
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Dr. Shabir Ally from Let the Quran Speak addresses this question in the video below.
Transcript:
Aisha Khaja: So, Dr. Shabir, the question that we have is: “How can we understand the idea of God having no beginning.
And this viewer goes on to say, “The things around me always have a beginning and an end, so I can’t understand the idea of God not having a beginning.”
Dr. Shabir Ally: The idea of God not having a beginning comes from the idea of a necessary being, and that’s in contrast with a contingent being.
The questioner is right. Everything around us seems to need some explanation for why does it exist.
Well, that means we’re thinking that the things around us are contingent beings.
And that’s correct because there does not seem to be any reason for thinking that these things have to necessarily exist.
Dr. Keith Ward, in his book, God, Chance and Necessity, says that there are basically three explanations for why the universe exists.
Either it exists by God creating it, as believers generally say.
Or that it exists by chance, just happens to be there.
Or that it exists by necessity.
That means that there is something inherent in the universe that makes sure that it must exist and it cannot cease to exist.
And therefore, we shouldn’t even think why does it exist because it just has to exist.
Well, the questioner is again right. The universe is not like that. It’s not something that has to exist.
Like there’s nothing that we can conceive of internal to the universe that will make sure that this universe has to exist.
So it’s a contingent thing. It may exist or may not exist, and the fact that it exists makes us want to know, “Okay well, who created it? Or how did it get here? What’s the cause of its existence?”
Because this is a contingent thing.
But now if we go back to thinking that this contingent thing must have had a reason for its existence or a cause of its existence, let’s say that God created this.
Well now, we’re thinking God created it. Well somebody may be thinking… now you’re thinking that God exists. And what is the cause of His existence?
Yeah, but if you’re thinking this, then you starting to think that God is a contingent being like the universe is.
But now let’s play along and say, “okay, suppose that God you’re thinking about is a contingent being.”
Well, by definition that’s not the believer’s God.
The God of Muslim, Christian, Jewish belief is a necessary being not a contingent one.
That is a being Who, for us, is that beyond which nothing greater can be conceived of.
Now, let’s say we conceive of, or we think about, a contingent God who may or may not exist and therefore has to have a reason and a cause for His existence.
Well, that’s one idea of a God, right?
Let’s take another idea of a God: A God who exists in and of Himself of His own necessity, Who requires no explanation for His existence, Who does not have a Creator, Who does not have a prior cause; He who is the cause of every other thing that exists or can exist.
Now that second conception of God is a greater one, right?
Aisha Khaja: Yes.
Dr. Shabir Ally: So, by definition what we’re looking for when we think of God is that beyond which nothing greater can be conceived of.
Because if you can think of someone greater than that one, then the one you are thinking of that is greater that is more deserving of being called God.
So, when we speak of God, we’re speaking of that beyond which nothing greater can be conceived of.
That is the one true God and once we are thinking of that God, we do not need any reason for His existence or any cause of His existence.
That is a necessary existent and a necessary existent does not need a reason for His existence or a cause.
When we’re thinking of a contingent thing, like the universe, yeah this requires an explanation. Why does it exist?
Because it may or may not, it needs a reason why it exists.
God must exist and therefore doesn’t need an external reason for why He exists. He exists of His own necessity.
Aisha Khaja: And it’s just a matter of understanding that perspective and really believing it?
Dr. Shabir Ally: Precisely.
I hope this helps answer your question. Please keep in touch.
Walaikum Asalam.
(From AboutIslam’s archives)
Read more…
https://aboutislam.net/reading-islam/finding-peace/trusting-allah/thinking-well-god/