God Is One

Question 1

Sura 42

Answer 1

He made for you mates from among yourselves, and pairs of animals, by means of which He multiplies you. There is nothing like Him

Question 2

Sura 112

Answer 2

Say, “He is God, the One.

And there is nothing comparable to Him.”

Question 3

The kalam

Answer 3

Al Ghazali and Al Kindi

Everything that begins to exist has a cause
The universe began to exist
The universe has a cause

Question 4

Principle one

Answer 4

The impossibility of an actual infinite

Hilberts Hotel- contradiction to be full but always have a spare room

Past cannot be infinite

Question 5

Principle two

Answer 5

Actual infinite cannot be created by successful addition

Adding one finite pile of sand to another finite sand does not equal infinite sand

Same with time

Question 6

Principle three

Answer 6

Actual infinity cannot be traversed

Journey to infinite place in space - never get there, part of journey always still remains

We have arrived at the present so the past cannot be infinite

Question 7

Crit of kalam

B Russell

Answer 7

If everything has a cause, god must have a cause

Cc- sura 112 - “there is nothing comparable to him”

Question 8

Crit of kalam

Hume

Answer 8

We have no empirical basis for proposing infinite causes

Although world not infinite, suggests god is?

Question 9

Teleological argument

Answer 9

All complex things have a designer

The universe is complex

Universe has a designer

“You do not see any discordance in his creation” sura 67

Question 10

Al Ghazali

Answer 10

Must be a designer due to the regularity and coherency in the world expressed by revelation

Question 12

Fahkr al Din al Razi

Answer 12

Regularity of organised beings is evidence of creator

Human beings are given a power that guides them to gods purpose naturally according to Quran

Therefore this reason leads us to Allah

Question 13

Sura 22

Answer 13

If there were in them gods other than God, they would have gone to ruin

Question 14

Mutazilites

Answer 14

Anthropomorphic verses metaphorical

Gods attributes part of his essence

Speech cannot be temporal

Quran therefore separate and created

Question 15

Asharites

Answer 15

Only gods speech, vision and hearing are part of his essence

The descriptions of these are literal, others metaphorical

Quran not gods speech, therefore created

Question 16

Hanbalis

Answer 16

Attributes realities in themselves

Therefore anthropomorphic verses literal

The Quran is uncreated as gods word

Question 17

Crit of teleological

Al Farabi

Answer 17

God is not a designer or craftsman

He is a force, in all things