Short answer
The Jain questions about a Creator picture a maker like us, and the Qur'an describes One who is not like that. Jain teachers ask why a perfect being would create, where the material came from, and why a compassionate maker would allow suffering. Each question assumes a maker with needs, a motive and a stock of material. God (﷾) depends on nothing and needs nothing from what He makes. He brings things into being by His command, "Be". Jainism denies a Creator, and the Svetambara canon rejects the creation accounts it lists. The Qur'an gives a different account of the Maker. Islam invites you to weigh what it says of Him.
Full explanation
Where the Jain case comes from
Jainism denies a Creator. It teaches that the world has no beginning, and that a soul freed from rebirth is divine. The two great traditions, the Svetambaras (white-clad) and the Digambaras (sky-clad), both hold this, so this page names the tradition each time. The Sutrakritanga is a Svetambara text. It lists views that the world was made by the gods, by Brahman (here the creator god Brahma) or by the Isvara (a ruling Lord). Others say it was made by Svayambhu (the Self-existent) or came from a world-egg. It says that those who maintain on arguments of their own that the world has been created do not know the truth. That verse rejects the accounts; it does not give the arguments. The arguments come from teachers such as Jinasena, a Digambara of the ninth century, in his Mahapurana.
“We hear also of another error of some (philosophers): some say that the world has been created (or is governed) by the gods, others, by Brahman. Some say that it has been created by the Îsvara, others that it was produced from chaos, &c., this world with living beings and lifeless things, with its variety of pleasure and pain.”
“Those who on arguments of their own maintain that the world has been created, do not know the truth. Nor will (the world) ever perish.”
In his Mahapurana (chapter 4), the Digambara teacher Jinasena argues against a Creator. If the Creator is perfect, why would he wish to create? If he made the world for sport, that is childish. If he needed raw material, where did it come from, and if he made it first, from what? If he made the world out of compassion, why are beings made to suffer? And how could a being without a body act on matter at all?
Jinasena's questions
Jinasena asks why a perfect being would wish to create at all. If he made the world for sport, it was childish. If he needed raw material, where did it come from, and if he made it first, from what? If he acted out of compassion, why do beings suffer? And how could a being without a body act on matter? These are serious questions, and they deserve answers rather than dismissal.
In his Mahapurana (chapter 4), the Digambara teacher Jinasena argues against a Creator. If the Creator is perfect, why would he wish to create? If he made the world for sport, that is childish. If he needed raw material, where did it come from, and if he made it first, from what? If he made the world out of compassion, why are beings made to suffer? And how could a being without a body act on matter at all?
What the questions assume
Each question treats the Creator as a craftsman on a larger scale. A potter has needs, a motive, clay and hands. If God (﷾) were like that, the questions would be strong. The Qur'an says He is not. Nothing is like Him, He is the First, and He is the Eternal who begets not and is not begotten. So the questions are aimed at a maker the Qur'an does not describe.
“(He is) the Creator of the heavens and the earth: He has made for you pairs from among yourselves, and pairs among cattle: by this means does He multiply you: there is nothing whatever like unto Him, and He is the One that hears and sees (all things).”
“He is the First and the Last, the Evident and the Immanent: and He has full knowledge of all things.”
“Say: He is Allah, the One and Only; Allah, the Eternal, Absolute; He begetteth not, nor is He begotten; And there is none like unto Him.”
Why create, if He needs nothing?
Having a purpose is not the same as having a need. A person who gives a gift out of fullness acts from generosity, not from lack. The Qur'an says that it is we who need God (﷾), and that God (﷾) is free of all wants. It says He created jinn and men to serve Him, yet that He requires no sustenance from them. Whoever strives does so for his own soul. It also says the world was not made in sport.
“O ye men! It is ye that have need of Allah: but Allah is the One Free of all wants, worthy of all praise.”
“I have only created Jinns and men, that they may serve Me.”
“No Sustenance do I require of them, nor do I require that they should feed Me. For Allah is He Who gives (all) Sustenance,- Lord of Power,- Steadfast (for ever).”
“And if any strive (with might and main), they do so for their own souls: for Allah is free of all needs from all creation.”
“Not for (idle) sport did We create the heavens and the earth and all that is between!”
Where did the material come from?
The question pictures a worker who needs a stock of material, and then needs a maker for that stock. But any stock of material, down to the smallest atom, changes from one state to another, so it depends on something else. What everything depends on cannot itself need a stock. The Qur'an says the same: Allah (﷾) is the Creator of all things. To Him is due the primal origin of the heavens and the earth, and when He decrees a matter He says "Be", and it is. So whatever there is, He made it.
“Allah is the Creator of all things, and He is the Guardian and Disposer of all affairs.”
“To Him is due the primal origin of the heavens and the earth: How can He have a son when He hath no consort? He created all things, and He hath full knowledge of all things.”
“To Him is due the primal origin of the heavens and the earth: When He decreeth a matter, He saith to it: "Be," and it is.”
Why is there suffering?
A good Maker, Jinasena argues, would not make beings who suffer. The Qur'an answers that God (﷾) created death and life to try which of us is best in deed. It says He tests us by evil and by good. Every soul returns to Him, so the account is not closed at death. A world of testing is not the reward. A Jain reader may ask why one person is born with more than another, and why test at all if God (﷾) knows the result. The Qur'an says God (﷾) raised people in ranks to try them in what He gave them. It says He burdens no soul beyond its capacity, and that on the Day not a soul is dealt with unjustly in the least. His knowing the outcome forces no one's choice. The test makes each deed truly ours, so the judgment is seen to be just. The page "Why does God allow suffering?" gives the full answer.
“He Who created Death and Life, that He may try which of you is best in deed: and He is the Exalted in Might, Oft-Forgiving;-”
“Every soul shall have a taste of death: and We test you by evil and by good by way of trial. to Us must ye return.”
“It is He Who hath made you (His) agents, inheritors of the earth: He hath raised you in ranks, some above others: that He may try you in the gifts He hath given you: for thy Lord is quick in punishment: yet He is indeed Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful.”
“On no soul doth Allah Place a burden greater than it can bear. It gets every good that it earns, and it suffers every ill that it earns. (Pray:) "Our Lord! Condemn us not if we forget or fall into error; our Lord! Lay not on us a burden Like that which Thou didst lay on those before us; Our Lord! Lay not on us a burden greater than we have strength to bear. Blot out our sins, and grant us forgiveness. Have mercy on us. Thou art our Protector; Help us against those who stand against faith."”
“We shall set up scales of justice for the Day of Judgment, so that not a soul will be dealt with unjustly in the least, and if there be (no more than) the weight of a mustard seed, We will bring it (to account): and enough are We to take account.”
A Jain verse about a maker who acts by his own will
The Sarva-Darsana-Samgraha is a fourteenth-century summary of the Jain system by a Hindu (Advaita) author, Madhava. It is not a Jain text. It quotes a hymn called the "Praise of Jina". The summary does not name the hymn's author or tradition. The verse says there is no maker acting by his own free will, or his influence would extend to the making of a mat. It then asks what use the artisans would be, if the Isvara fabricated the three worlds.
“There is here no maker acting by his own free will, else his influence would extend to the making of a mat. What would be the use of yourself or all the artisans, if Íśwara fabricates the three worlds?”
A cause that God (﷾) made is still a cause
The verse pictures a maker who does the artisan's work in the artisan's place. The Qur'an does not say that. It says Allah (﷾) created you and your handwork, and that He sent down rain from the heavens and brought forth fruits with it. The weaver, the loom and the thread are all His creatures. Being the Maker of everything does not make the world's workings useless. It means they all depend on Him.
“"But Allah has created you and your handwork!"”
“Who has made the earth your couch, and the heavens your canopy; and sent down rain from the heavens; and brought forth therewith Fruits for your sustenance; then set not up rivals unto Allah when ye know (the truth).”
“Allah is the Creator of all things, and He is the Guardian and Disposer of all affairs.”
The accounts the canon rejects, and a world with no beginning
The Sutrakritanga rejects creation by the gods, Brahman, the Isvara, Svayambhu or an egg. The Qur'an gives a different account of the Maker. He is One and is not begotten, nothing is like Him, and He is the First and the Last. The canon also says the world will never perish. Even an everlasting world is made of parts that change and depend on one another. The Qur'an asks of people whether they were created of nothing or were themselves the creators. The same question holds for every changing thing. The pages "If everything needs a creator, who created God?" and "Why is there something rather than nothing?" take this up.
“We hear also of another error of some (philosophers): some say that the world has been created (or is governed) by the gods, others, by Brahman. Some say that it has been created by the Îsvara, others that it was produced from chaos, &c., this world with living beings and lifeless things, with its variety of pleasure and pain.”
“Those who on arguments of their own maintain that the world has been created, do not know the truth. Nor will (the world) ever perish.”
“Say: He is Allah, the One and Only; Allah, the Eternal, Absolute; He begetteth not, nor is He begotten; And there is none like unto Him.”
“(He is) the Creator of the heavens and the earth: He has made for you pairs from among yourselves, and pairs among cattle: by this means does He multiply you: there is nothing whatever like unto Him, and He is the One that hears and sees (all things).”
“He is the First and the Last, the Evident and the Immanent: and He has full knowledge of all things.”
“Were they created of nothing, or were they themselves the creators? Or did they create the heavens and the earth? Nay, they have no firm belief.”
Who the Creator is, and how to weigh the claim
Jains already hold three things. No image and no god can save a soul. Each soul answers for its own deeds. Restraint and mercy to living things matter. Islam keeps the accountability and the restraint, and it names the One who sees every deed and who is near. God (﷾) says He answers the caller. He has also told us how to weigh His message: consider the Qur'an with care, and see whether it holds together. It was brought by Muhammad (ﷺ), who was sent to all mankind. Muslims invite every reader, Jains too, to weigh the book and the man who brought it. Islam is a complete way of life, with belief, worship and character together.
“When My servants ask thee concerning Me, I am indeed close (to them): I listen to the prayer of every suppliant when he calleth on Me: Let them also, with a will, Listen to My call, and believe in Me: That they may walk in the right way.”
“Do they not consider the Qur'an (with care)? Had it been from other Than Allah, they would surely have found therein Much discrepancy.”
“Say: "O men! I am sent unto you all, as the Messenger of Allah, to Whom belongeth the dominion of the heavens and the earth: there is no god but He: it is He That giveth both life and death. So believe in Allah and His Messenger, the Unlettered Prophet, who believeth in Allah and His words: follow him that (so) ye may be guided."”
“Say: He is Allah, the One and Only; Allah, the Eternal, Absolute; He begetteth not, nor is He begotten; And there is none like unto Him.”
Seven replies answered
Sarva-Darsana-Samgraha, chapter 3 (The Arhata System) — p. 45
“There is here no maker acting by his own free will, else his influence would extend to the making of a mat. What would be the use of yourself or all the artisans, if Íśwara fabricates the three worlds?”
Cited for
A maker acting by his own will would have to make everything, even a mat. Then craftsmen would be useless.
The response
The Qur'an does not picture God (﷾) working in place of the weaver. It says Allah (﷾) created you and your handwork, and that He sends down rain and brings forth fruits with it. The weaver, the loom and the thread are His creatures, and a cause He made is still a cause. Being the Maker of all things does not make the world's workings useless. It means they depend on Him. The verse itself comes to us in a fourteenth-century Hindu summary of the Jain view, not in a Jain text.
Where it lands — The verse answers a maker who replaces the craftsman. The Qur'an describes the Maker of the craftsman and of his work.
Jinasena, Mahapurana 4 — chapter 4, the passage against a Creator
In his Mahapurana (chapter 4), the Digambara teacher Jinasena argues against a Creator. If the Creator is perfect, why would he wish to create? If he made the world for sport, that is childish. If he needed raw material, where did it come from, and if he made it first, from what? If he made the world out of compassion, why are beings made to suffer? And how could a being without a body act on matter at all?
Cited for
A perfect being needs nothing, so he would have no reason to create. Either he lacked something, or he played.
The response
Having a purpose is not the same as having a need. A gift given out of fullness has a reason, and the giver loses nothing. The Qur'an says it is we who need God (﷾), and that God (﷾) is free of all wants. It says He created jinn and men to serve Him, and in the next verse that He requires no sustenance of them. Whoever strives does so for his own soul. And it says plainly that the world was not made in sport.
Where it lands — Creating from generosity is not creating from lack. The worship is for the worshipper's good, and God (﷾) gains nothing from it.
Jinasena, Mahapurana 4 — chapter 4, the passage against a Creator
In his Mahapurana (chapter 4), the Digambara teacher Jinasena argues against a Creator. If the Creator is perfect, why would he wish to create? If he made the world for sport, that is childish. If he needed raw material, where did it come from, and if he made it first, from what? If he made the world out of compassion, why are beings made to suffer? And how could a being without a body act on matter at all?
Cited for
If the Creator needed raw material, either it was uncreated and he did not make everything, or he made it from something else. Then the same question returns without end.
The response
The regress belongs to a worker who needs a stock of clay. Any stock of material, down to the smallest atom, changes from one state to another, so it depends on something else. What everything depends on cannot itself need a stock. The Qur'an says Allah (﷾) is the Creator of all things, so whatever material there is, He made it. It says that when He decrees a matter He says "Be", and it is. There is no stock that He depends on, and so there is nowhere for the chain of questions to start.
Where it lands — If He is the Creator of all things, no material stands outside His creating.
Qur'an 41:11 — Surat Fussilat (Explained in detail), verse 11
“Moreover He comprehended in His design the sky, and it had been (as) smoke: He said to it and to the earth: "Come ye together, willingly or unwillingly." They said: "We do come (together), in willing obedience."”
Cited for
Your own Qur'an speaks of the sky as smoke before the heavens were formed, so there was material already.
The response
The verse says that He comprehended the sky in His design when it had been (as) smoke. He told it and the earth to come together. It does not say that the smoke had no Maker. The same Book says Allah (﷾) is the Creator of all things (39:62). It also says that to Him is due the primal origin of the heavens and the earth (2:117). Material that was shaped later was still made by Him.
Where it lands — The verse speaks of a stage in the making of the heavens. It does not say anything existed apart from God (﷾).
Qur'an 67:2 — Surat al-Mulk (The Sovereignty), verse 2
“He Who created Death and Life, that He may try which of you is best in deed: and He is the Exalted in Might, Oft-Forgiving;-”
Cited for
If God made the world out of compassion, there would be no suffering. If not, He is not compassionate.
The response
The Qur'an does not say the world is the reward. It says God (﷾) created death and life to try which of us is best in deed. It says He tests us by evil and by good. Every soul returns to Him, so the account is not closed at the grave. As for unequal births, the Qur'an says God (﷾) raised people in ranks to try them in what He gave them. It says He burdens no soul beyond its capacity. It says not a soul will be dealt with unjustly in the least. His knowing the outcome forces no one's choice. The test makes each deed truly ours, so the judgment is seen to be just. The page "Why does God allow suffering?" gives the full answer.
Where it lands — Suffering in a world of testing does not show a cruel Maker, since the account is settled with Him and no soul is overburdened.
Sutrakritanga 1.1.3.9 — book 1, lecture 1, chapter 3, verse 9
“Those who on arguments of their own maintain that the world has been created, do not know the truth. Nor will (the world) ever perish.”
Cited for
The Jina's own canon says that those who argue for creation on arguments of their own do not know the truth. The world was never made and will never perish.
The response
Granted that this is what the canon says. A world that never perishes is still made of parts that change and depend on one another. A chain of such things does not explain why there is a chain. The Qur'an asks of people whether they were created of nothing or were themselves the creators (52:35-36). The same question holds for every changing thing.
Where it lands — The canon states that the world is uncreated. Islam asks what the changing world depends on, and names the One who depends on nothing.
Al-Ghazali, Tahafut al-Falasifa, first discussion
In the first discussion of his Tahafut al-Falasifa (The Incoherence of the Philosophers), al-Ghazali meets the argument that the world must be as eternal as God's will. He replies that an eternal will can demand that the world not exist for a time and that it begin at a particular moment, and that this requires no change in God.
Cited for
If God's will is eternal, the world would be eternal too. If His will began, then God changed.
The response
This is an old question, and Muslim theologians answered it. Al-Ghazali argued in his Tahafut al-Falasifa that an eternal will can choose the moment at which a thing begins. The choice is eternal, and only its object begins. So nothing in Him has to change for the world to begin. The page "Why is there something rather than nothing?" takes up the wider question.
Where it lands — An eternal will can fix when the world begins without any change in the One who wills.
Perspectives
Jinasena (Digambara)
Jinasena, a Digambara teacher of the ninth century, argues that a perfect, compassionate and bodiless Creator is not possible. His questions concern the wish to create, the material, suffering and action without a body.
A perfect being needs nothing, so he has no reason to create. If he created for sport, that would be childish.
Rebuttal
Granted that He needs nothing: the Qur'an says Allah (﷾) is free of all wants and requires no sustenance. A gift from fullness has a purpose without a need, and the Qur'an says creation is not sport.
A Creator needs raw material. If it was already there, he did not make everything. If he made it first, from what?
Rebuttal
Any stock of material, down to the smallest atom, changes from one state to another, so it depends on something else. What everything depends on needs no stock. The Qur'an says the same: when He decrees a matter He says "Be" (2:117).
A compassionate Creator would not make beings who suffer.
Rebuttal
Granted that suffering is real. The Qur'an says God (﷾) made death and life to try which of us is best in deed, and that every soul returns to Him. Pain in a world of testing does not show a cruel Maker.
A Creator without a body could not act on matter.
Rebuttal
A body is itself made and dependent, so the ground of all things cannot need one. The Qur'an says nothing is like Him (42:11).
The Svetambara canon (Sutrakritanga)
The Sutrakritanga, a Svetambara text, lists the accounts that the world was created and calls them an error. It says the world will never perish. The Digambaras do not accept the Svetambara canon, but both traditions deny a Creator.
Some accounts say the world was made by the gods, by Brahman or by the Isvara. Such accounts are an error (Sutrakritanga 1.1.3.5-6).
Rebuttal
Granted that the canon rejects those accounts. The Qur'an gives a different one: a Maker who is One, who is not begotten, and who is like nothing He made.
Those who argue for creation do not know the truth, and the world will never perish (Sutrakritanga 1.1.3.9).
Rebuttal
Granted that this is what the canon says. An everlasting world is still made of parts that change and depend on one another. The Qur'an asks people whether they made themselves (52:35-36). The same question holds for every changing thing.
A Jain hymn, quoted by a Hindu author
The Sarva-Darsana-Samgraha is a fourteenth-century Hindu (Advaita) summary of the Jain view. It quotes a hymn in praise of the Jina. The hymn says a maker acting by his own free will would make everything, even a mat, and leave the artisans no use.
There is no maker acting by his own free will, or his influence would extend to the making of a mat. The artisans would be useless.
Rebuttal
The Qur'an does not picture God (﷾) working in place of the craftsman. It says Allah (﷾) created you and your handwork, and that rain brings forth fruits. A cause He made is still a cause.
The Islamic perspective
The Jain questions are aimed at a maker like a craftsman, with needs, a motive and a stock of material. The Qur'an describes One who depends on nothing and needs nothing from what He makes. He created all things by His command, and He made life a test. He is near, hears and judges. Belief, worship and character belong together as one way of life.
The Jain questions assume a maker with needs, a motive and a stock of material, like a potter.
The Qur'an describes One who is the First, who is not begotten, and who has nothing like Him.
God (﷾) needs nothing from His creation. A purpose is not a need, and whoever strives does so for his own soul.
God (﷾) is the Creator of all things, and creates by His command "Be". So any material was made by Him.
Life is a test, and the account is not closed at death, so suffering does not show a cruel Maker.
A world of parts that change and depend on one another does not explain itself, even if it has no beginning. The Qur'an asks of people whether they were created of nothing or were themselves the creators.
The Qur'an asks to be weighed with care. It was brought by Muhammad (ﷺ), who was sent to all mankind.