Metaphysics
The mystery of creation has always been an immense wonder to mankind. Since the dawn of civilization, man has looked to nature and asked, "Why?" "How?" and "Who?" Various doctrines and beliefs have been born in search of answers to these cosmic questions. Some have argued that there is a supreme creator of this universe, who gave existence to everything according to a specific plan, while others have claimed that nature itself is self-sufficient, automatically arranging everything. In the midst of this deep philosophical debate that has been going on for millennia, let us today explore a possible solution; let us search for a primordial being who is the mainspring of this entire universe and the creator of all existence.
We can begin our search with a basic observation: every object in the universe is dependent on something or the other. This web of dependence is so subtle and extensive that it can be easily understood with our own existence. As humans, we are directly and indirectly dependent on other living things for our survival – this dependency is evident at every stage of the food chain. Men and women depend on each other to sustain biological existence. Birth, growth, reproduction – everything is part of this interdependence. And the entire human race as a whole is dependent on this planet or earth. From the earth, we get shelter, food, water, and the air we need to breathe.
This dependency is not limited to the life cycle alone, but extends to the cosmic scale. Our planet is completely dependent on the sun, from which we get heat and light, and without which the existence of life on earth is impossible. Again, the sun itself depends on basic elements like hydrogen and helium, which serve as fuel for its nuclear fusion reactions. These hydrogen and helium atoms depend on their own constituent particles – such as electrons, protons, and neutrons. Even these tiny electrons, protons, and neutrons maintain their existence through interaction and balance with each other. The charge, mass, and interaction of each particle are essential to their collective existence. This chain confronts us with an inevitable question: since everything depends on something, what did the very first event in the universe depend on?
"Since everything depends on something, what did the very first event in the universe depend on?"
It is illogical that the first event in the universe happened by itself, that it came into existence without any cause. Physics, philosophy and common sense - everything is based on the principle of causality. Behind every action or event, there is a cause that causes that action. If an event had happened without any cause, then there would have been extreme chaos in the universe, nothing would have followed a specific rule. Therefore, it is indisputable that some primordial being must have played a role behind the vast effectiveness and orderliness of this entire universe. This being may be the first driving force of the universe.
But here another deep question may arise: Why did the being who caused this universe to come into being do so? Or what does he himself depend on? These questions lead us to a very important concept in philosophy - causality. Behind every causal relationship in this universe, there is a previous cause. Let us understand this concept with a simple example. Let us say that Amit wrote a poem for which he had to take permission from Manik. Manik took permission from Mita to give permission to Amit. In this way, Mita took permission from Ravi, Ravi from Dutt, and Dutt from Nazrul. In this example, it is seen that every action requires a precondition or approval.
Here is a very important philosophical point to note: if permission from another is required before every action is performed, or if any causal relationship requires another cause, then this sequence will go back infinitely, which is known as 'Infinite Regress'. Infinite regress is a situation where every cause has a previous cause and this chain continues infinitely, without a beginning. From a philosophical point of view, this infinite regress is not possible. Why is it not possible? Because, if this chain of causes had no beginning, then no action or event could ever actually occur. For example, if each page of a book required permission to read the previous page, and if this chain of permissions were infinite, then you would never be able to start reading the first page, because the process of permission would never end.
That is, to start this causal chain, the existence of a cause is essential, which has no cause behind it, which is not dependent on anything itself. This is the 'Uncaused Cause'. This uncaused cause is itself self-sufficient, independent and does not need anyone's permission to perform any of its functions. He is the primordial being who initiated all the causal chains of the universe, but is not himself driven by any previous cause. If there were no such uncaused cause, then nothing would exist in this universe, no event would occur, because no chain could begin.
Types of Existence
The famous medieval philosopher Ibn Sina discussed existence and the types of existence in a part of his three timeless books “Ash-Shifa”, “An-Najāt” and “Al-Isharat wa al-Tanbihat”. According to him, existence is basically of two types:
- 1. Necessary Existence (Wajib al-Wujud): It is an existence that does not depend on anything for its existence and it is never possible for it not to exist. This means that it is impossible for this existence not to exist, that is, its existence is obligatory.
Characteristics: Eternal, Perfect, Immutable. - 2. Contingent Existence (Mumkin al-Wujud): This is an existence that depends on something else for its existence. This means that it may or may not exist, it is conditioned by some other cause.
Now, the question that was asked earlier: is the necessary existence a single entity or is there a second or third entity? Suppose there is a second or third entity of the necessary existence. Then they must be different from the first entity and there must be changes between them. If there were no differences, all the entities would be one. And since there is a difference, it means they are dependent on something else to define that difference.
Therefore, it is impossible for there to be more than one necessary existence. That necessary existence or the causeless cause is Allah, who is the Almighty. His existence is eternal and He is not dependent on anything. He is original and infinite; everything in the universe, from the smallest particle to the vast galaxy, is governed by his will.
This philosophical inquiry leads us to the conclusion that the existence of this orderly universe requires the presence of an absolute, uncaused Being. This Being is the starting point of all causal chains and the root source of all existence.