Answer to Armin Nawabi’s 1st Argument P-1: "Science explains life; God isn’t needed."
1.1 Argument Part: "Science Has Explained Many Natural Phenomena Once Attributed to Gods"
Refutation:
While it is true that science has successfully described many natural processes once misunderstood or mythologized, this does not negate the existence of God. Science is a method of observing, describing, and predicting how phenomena occur within the framework of natural laws. However, it remains silent on the deeper philosophical and metaphysical questions such as:
- Why do these natural laws exist in the first place?
- Why are they so finely tuned and consistent?
- Why is the universe intelligible at all?
Science, by its very methodology, cannot explain the origin of the laws of nature themselves, nor the reason for the existence of something rather than nothing. It is concerned with the mechanism, not the ultimate cause or purpose. For example, understanding how gravity works does not explain why there is gravity at all, or why the gravitational constant has the precise value it does.
The Quran fully acknowledges the reality of natural laws, but it attributes their order, balance, and harmony to a deliberate Creator — not to chance or randomness. It constantly invites human beings to reflect not just on the physical phenomena but on the intelligence and purpose behind them:
“Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alternation of the night and the day, are signs for people of understanding.”
(Surah Aal Imran 3:190)
This verse urges thoughtful people to ponder beyond appearances — to see that the constancy of day and night, the precision of cosmic systems, and the sustainability of life on earth are not random outcomes but signs pointing to an intelligent, purposeful origin.
Moreover, in another place, the Quran challenges the listener to contemplate whether such creation could come from nothing, or whether it must have an Originator:
“Or were they created by nothing? Or were they the creators [of themselves]? Or did they create the heavens and the earth? Rather, they are not certain.”
(Surah At-Tur 52:35-36)
Science cannot answer such existential questions. Even leading physicists admit that while science can model the early universe, it cannot explain why there is something instead of nothing, or why the universe is comprehensible in the language of mathematics — something that laureate Eugene Wigner called “the unreasonable effectiveness of mathematics in the natural sciences.” (This famous phrase comes from a 1960 paper by physicist Eugene Wigner, and it's one of the most fascinating observations in science and philosophy.) What is it? I will explian later.
1.2 Argument Part: "Supernatural Explanations Are Becoming Increasingly Inadequate"
Refutation:
It is true that science has replaced many incorrect supernatural claims—like the idea that gods throw lightning or cause volcanoes—with accurate physical explanations. However, this does not make the concept of God inadequate; it only shows that some people historically misunderstood how God’s creation operates.
Science explains mechanisms within the universe; theism addresses why there is a universe governed by such mechanisms at all. Explaining how lightning forms (charge separation, electrical discharge) does not explain why electromagnetism exists, why it follows precise mathematical laws, or why the universe allows such order in the first place.
The Quran never opposes discovering natural causes but consistently points beyond them to their Originator:
“He created everything and determined it with precise determination.”
(Surah Al-Furqan 25:2)
From the Qur’anic perspective, learning the physical process of rain, wind, or earthquakes does not replace God—it uncovers the very laws He established. Understanding these mechanisms deepens appreciation for the Mind behind it all.
Moreover, the “God of the gaps” accusation misrepresents the Islamic concept of God. God is not invoked only when we lack knowledge; He is the necessary cause behind both what we understand and what we have yet to discover. Scientific progress may close gaps in empirical knowledge but cannot answer the question of ultimate causation.
Even if science someday mapped every mechanism in nature, it would still face metaphysical questions:
- Why do these laws exist at all?
- Why do they have such elegant mathematical form?
- Why is there something rather than nothing?
The Quran challenges us to consider these questions directly:
“Were they created by nothing, or were they themselves the creators? Or did they create the heavens and the earth? Rather, they are not certain.”
(Surah At-Tur 52:35–36)
In essence, scientific explanations illuminate how the universe operates; supernatural explanations, in the Qur’anic sense, address why the universe exists. The two are not rivals—they operate on different levels. One maps the scenery, the other explains why the scenery exists at all.