Existence of God and Universal Acceptance

The argument of universal acceptance is based on the principle that a belief or an idea that has been accepted all over the world and throughout the ages, has to be based on the truth. The Holy Quran says

'Now as to the foam, it goes away as rubbish, but as to that which benefits men, it stays in the earth.' (al-Ra‘d 13:18)

This is also what is meant by the scientific principle of 'the survival of the fittest…', which means that in the struggle for existence only such things survive which are useful and deserve to live, while the weaker and useless objects gradually disappear. This is also what we observe. But it does not mean that nothing false or useless exists in the world. It only implies that the existence of such things is neither universal nor lasting. We find that all peoples of the world, whether great or small, weak or powerful, civilised or savage, equally believe in a Supreme Being, Who is the Creator and Lord of the world. Nor is this belief limited to the present age, for we find it prevalent throughout history. People only differ about the attributes of God: for instance, some believe in one God while others believe in a number of gods, but their focal point remains the same: that the world does not exist by itself, rather it is a wonderful manifestation of Divine Power. Jews, Christians, Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists whether American Indians, Hottentots and Zulus of South Africa, Aborigines of Australia, Eskimos of Iceland or Taos of China, all believe in the existence of a Creator of the universe. The universal agreement of all the nations throughout the ages on the existence of God, despite all their differences, is a most powerful and convincing argument, which no sane person can possibly deny. I do not say that these nations have truly recognised God, or have observed His attributes.

What I contend is that, in spite of their countless differences, all the people of the world have always believed in God. This is an argument in favour of His existence.

It is true that false beliefs too at times become prevalent in the world and their influence can be widespread, but no such false belief has ever held sway in the whole world nor has it been accepted by every nation in every age. If such were the case, one would find it hard to distinguish the truth from falsehood. The fact that belief in God has been universally affirmed, and has been remarkably present in every age, proves that belief in the existence of a Higher Being is not a false idea. It is true that throughout history there have been people who were not convinced of the existence of God, but such people have never lived as a nation. No nation has ever proclaimed atheism as its state religion. In point of fact atheism has never been established as a permanent way of life. It only kept a temporary hold over the minds and hearts of some individuals. When viewed in the context of world history, atheists are like a bunch of rebels in an organised and established society, who raise the flag of rebellion from time to time, but are never able to put up resistance against the government for long. They have never had permanent or stable control over a sizeable part of the land. In view of such rebels, can we possibly entertain any doubts as to who is the legitimate ruler of the country?