Short answer
Islam is true because each step of its case holds, and the steps join up. Something exists, and nothing we see explains its own existence. So there must be a being that depends on nothing, and that being is one, as Islam teaches. A Creator who gave people minds and a sense of right would guide them. The Qur'an claims to be that guidance, and it can be tested. Its text was kept, its challenge to produce a chapter like it was never met, and its prophecy about the Romans came true. The man who brought it was called the trustworthy before he claimed anything, and the mission cost him dearly. The best explanation of all this is the one he gave: God (﷾) sent him. Each step has its own page, with the objections answered.
Something exists, and nothing we see explains its own existence.
So what must exist?
A being that depends on nothing.
What is that being like?
One, without parts and without equal.
Would that Creator guide us?
A wise Creator who gave us minds would not leave us without purpose.
Which message passes the tests?
The Qur'an: its text was kept, its challenge was never met, and its prophecy about the Romans came true.
Was the man who brought it honest?
He was called the trustworthy before he claimed anything, and the mission cost him dearly.
The explanation that fits all of it is his own: God (﷾) sent him.
Full explanation
Step one: something exists that depends on nothing
Everything we meet depends on something else for its existence. And a chain of things that depend on others, however long, does not explain itself. Ibn Sina, and later Leibniz, argued that such a chain needs a being that exists by its own nature and depends on nothing. The Qur'an asks the same question: were they created of nothing, or were they themselves the creators? The page on why there is something rather than nothing sets out the argument step by step.
Divides all that exists into what is only possible in itself (mumkin al-wujud), which needs a cause, and what is necessary in itself (wajib al-wujud), which needs none. Argues that a chain of possible things, however long, needs a necessary being outside it, and that this being is one and has no parts.
Argues that the sufficient reason for the whole series of contingent things must lie outside that series, in a necessary substance, which Leibniz calls God.
“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.”
Step two: that being is one, and needs nothing
A being that depends on nothing cannot be made of parts, or it would depend on them. It cannot share its nature with an equal, or something would distinguish and limit them. So it is one, without parts, and without equal. That is the God (﷾) of one of the Qur'an's shortest chapters: Allah (﷾), the One, the Eternal, who neither begets nor is begotten, and to whom nothing is equal. Some beliefs give God (﷾) a body, a family or partners. Islam's description is the one reason arrives at.
Divides all that exists into what is only possible in itself (mumkin al-wujud), which needs a cause, and what is necessary in itself (wajib al-wujud), which needs none. Argues that a chain of possible things, however long, needs a necessary being outside it, and that this being is one and has no parts.
“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.”
Step three: a Creator who gave us minds would guide us
We have minds that ask why we are here, and a sense that some things are right and others wrong. A wise Creator who made us this way would not leave the question of our purpose without an answer. The Qur'an puts it as a question: does man think he will be left without purpose? Did you think We created you in jest? So it is reasonable to expect a message from God (﷾), and to look for it.
“Does man think that he will be left uncontrolled, (without purpose)?”
“"Did ye then think that We had created you in jest, and that ye would not be brought back to Us (for account)?"”
Step four: a message must pass tests from outside
A book that says it comes from God (﷾) proves nothing by saying so. So the Qur'an offers tests that work from outside its own claim. It challenges anyone in doubt to produce one chapter like it. It invites readers to search it for contradictions, saying that a book from other than God (﷾) would contain many. These are open tests: a reader does not need to believe first in order to apply them. The claim stands or falls by them.
“And if ye are in doubt as to what We have revealed from time to time to Our servant, then produce a Sura like thereunto; and call your witnesses or helpers (If there are any) besides Allah, if your (doubts) are true.”
“Do they not consider the Qur'an (with care)? Had it been from other Than Allah, they would surely have found therein Much discrepancy.”
Step five: the Qur'an passes them
Its text was kept. Two leaves of the Birmingham manuscript are dated by radiocarbon to between 568 and 645 CE. They carry the text of their surahs as the Qur'an has them today. Its challenge was put first to the Quraysh, whose finest art was poetry. They chose a boycott and war, instead of producing a chapter like it. It foretold that the defeated Romans would win within a few years. And in 622, Heraclius turned the war. The Prophet (ﷺ) said that every prophet was given signs, and what he was given was revelation. The book itself is the sign that lasts.
Two parchment leaves carrying parts of Surahs 18 to 20 in early Hijazi script. In 2015 the Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit dated the parchment to between 568 and 645 CE, with 95.4 per cent probability, a span that covers the Prophet's (ﷺ) lifetime (c. 570-632). Apart from small points of spelling, the text on the leaves is the text of those surahs as the Qur'an has them today.
Reports how the Quraysh persecuted the Prophet's (ﷺ) followers in Mecca, including how Umayya ibn Khalaf laid Bilal on his back in the midday heat with a great rock on his chest; and how the Quraysh wrote an agreement to boycott the clans of Hashim and al-Muttalib, which lasted two or three years.
“The Roman Empire has been defeated- In a land close by; but they, (even) after (this) defeat of theirs, will soon be victorious- Within a few years. With Allah is the Decision, in the past and in the Future: on that Day shall the Believers rejoice-”
A history of the Roman (Byzantine) emperor Heraclius. It records the Persian conquests of Roman lands, including Jerusalem in 614, and Heraclius' counter-campaigns from 622, which ended with his victory near Nineveh in 627 and the Persian surrender of the conquered lands.
Abu Hurayra reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said every prophet was given signs that led people to believe, but what he himself had been given was the revelation Allah sent to him, and so he hoped to have the most followers on the Day of Resurrection.
Kept as it was givenTwo leaves of the Birmingham manuscript, dated 568 to 645 CE, carry parts of Surahs 18 to 20. Apart from small points of spelling, their text is the Qur'an's text today.
Its challengeMake one surah like it (2:23). The Quraysh, masters of poetry, chose a boycott and war instead.
Its prophecyThe defeated Romans would win within a few years (30:2-4). In 622 Heraclius turned the war.
Step six: the man who brought it
Before he claimed anything, the people of Makkah called Muhammad (ﷺ) al-Amin, the trustworthy, and left their valuables with him. He could not read or write. His message brought him a boycott, persecution, exile and war. He died with his armour pawned for barley. The Qur'an he recited corrects him in public, for frowning at a blind man. No forger writes his own telling-off into his book. When the sun was eclipsed on the day his son died, people said it was for his son. He told them the sun and moon are not eclipsed for anyone's death. So he turned down an honour they were ready to give him.
Reports that before his mission Muhammad (ﷺ) was known among Quraysh as al-Amin, the trustworthy. When the clans quarrelled over who should set the Black Stone back in place during the rebuilding of the Ka'ba, they agreed to accept the judgement of the first man to enter, and it was he. People of Makkah left their valuables in his keeping, and at the Hijra he had Ali stay behind to return them to their owners.
“And thou wast not (able) to recite a Book before this (Book came), nor art thou (able) to transcribe it with thy right hand: In that case, indeed, would the talkers of vanities have doubted.”
Reports how the Quraysh persecuted the Prophet's (ﷺ) followers in Mecca, including how Umayya ibn Khalaf laid Bilal on his back in the midday heat with a great rock on his chest; and how the Quraysh wrote an agreement to boycott the clans of Hashim and al-Muttalib, which lasted two or three years.
Aisha reports that when the Prophet (ﷺ) died, his armour was held by a Jewish man as security for thirty measures of barley.
“(The Prophet) frowned and turned away, Because there came to him the blind man (interrupting). But what could tell thee but that perchance he might grow (in spiritual understanding)?- Or that he might receive admonition, and the teaching might profit him? As to one who regards Himself as self-sufficient, To him dost thou attend; Though it is no blame to thee if he grow not (in spiritual understanding). But as to him who came to thee striving earnestly, And with fear (in his heart), Of him wast thou unmindful.”
Al-Mughira ibn Shu'ba reports that the sun eclipsed on the day the Prophet's (ﷺ) son Ibrahim died, and people said it had eclipsed because of Ibrahim's death. The Prophet said that the sun and the moon do not eclipse for the death or the birth of anyone, and told them to pray and call on Allah when they see an eclipse.
Step seven: which explanation fits
There are three explanations of his claim. He lied, he was sincerely mistaken, or he told the truth. A liar does not suffer years of persecution for a claim that brings him no wealth, nor dies poor after ruling Arabia. The historian W. Montgomery Watt, a Christian, judged that his readiness to suffer for his beliefs argues for his integrity. A sincere but mistaken man does not write corrections of himself into his scripture, turn down an honour the crowd was ready to give him, or produce a book that its first hearers could not match. The explanation that fits all the evidence is the one he gave: God (﷾) sent him.
A biography by a Christian historian of Islam at the University of Edinburgh. Watt argues that Muhammad's (ﷺ) readiness to suffer persecution for his beliefs, the high moral character of the men who believed in him, and the greatness of what he achieved all argue for his fundamental integrity.
Aisha reports that when the Prophet (ﷺ) died, his armour was held by a Jewish man as security for thirty measures of barley.
“(The Prophet) frowned and turned away, Because there came to him the blind man (interrupting). But what could tell thee but that perchance he might grow (in spiritual understanding)?- Or that he might receive admonition, and the teaching might profit him? As to one who regards Himself as self-sufficient, To him dost thou attend; Though it is no blame to thee if he grow not (in spiritual understanding). But as to him who came to thee striving earnestly, And with fear (in his heart), Of him wast thou unmindful.”
Al-Mughira ibn Shu'ba reports that the sun eclipsed on the day the Prophet's (ﷺ) son Ibrahim died, and people said it had eclipsed because of Ibrahim's death. The Prophet said that the sun and the moon do not eclipse for the death or the birth of anyone, and told them to pray and call on Allah when they see an eclipse.
“Say: "If the whole of mankind and Jinns were to gather together to produce the like of this Qur'an, they could not produce the like thereof, even if they backed up each other with help and support.”
| Explanation | Suffered for it and died poor | His own book corrects him | Its challenge was never met |
|---|---|---|---|
| He lied | |||
| He was sincere but mistaken | |||
| God (﷾) sent him |
- Fits
- Does not fit
Islam's answer: reflect, and follow the evidence
The Qur'an does not ask for blind belief. It calls the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the turn of night and day, signs for people of understanding. They think about them, and then turn to their Lord. Its case is the one set out above: a Creator who depends on nothing, a message that can be tested, and a messenger whose life bears it out.
“Behold! in the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alternation of night and day,- there are indeed Signs for men of understanding,- Men who celebrate the praises of Allah, standing, sitting, and lying down on their sides, and contemplate the (wonders of) creation in the heavens and the earth, (With the thought): "Our Lord! not for naught Hast Thou created (all) this! Glory to Thee! Give us salvation from the penalty of the Fire.”
“Do they not consider the Qur'an (with care)? Had it been from other Than Allah, they would surely have found therein Much discrepancy.”
The replies answered
Qur'an 4:82 — Surat al-Nisa (The Women), verse 82
“Do they not consider the Qur'an (with care)? Had it been from other Than Allah, they would surely have found therein Much discrepancy.”
Cited for
Using the Qur'an to prove the Qur'an is circular. Of course the book says it comes from God.
The response
It would be circular if the argument were "the Qur'an says so, so it is true". It is not. The Qur'an names tests anyone can run without first believing: produce a chapter like it, search it for contradictions, compare its text with the oldest manuscripts, check its prophecy against history. The verses only state the tests; the evidence decides them.
Where it lands — The Qur'an's tests work from outside, so applying them is not circular.
Ibn Sina, Pointers and Reminders (11th c.)
Divides all that exists into what is only possible in itself (mumkin al-wujud), which needs a cause, and what is necessary in itself (wajib al-wujud), which needs none. Argues that a chain of possible things, however long, needs a necessary being outside it, and that this being is one and has no parts.
Cited for
Even if there is a Creator, that does not show He is the God of Islam rather than of another faith.
The response
Reason gives the Creator's nature as well as His existence: one, without parts, depending on nothing, with no equal. That rules out gods with families, bodies or partners. Then the question is which message brings that God (﷾) and passes the tests, which is the work of steps four to seven.
Where it lands — The Creator reason finds is the one Islam describes, and the message about Him must still be tested.
Perspectives
Every religion claims to be true
Many sceptics say that every religion offers its followers reasons and signs, and its followers find them convincing. So, they say, the reasons for Islam are no better than the reasons for any other faith.
Followers of every religion find their own signs convincing, so finding Islam's convincing shows nothing.
Rebuttal
That people disagree shows the claims must be compared, not that all are equal. Islam's tests are public: a preserved text, an open challenge, a record any historian can read.
Muhammad (ﷺ) was sincere but mistaken
Some historians accept that the Prophet (ﷺ) was sincere, and that he truly believed he received revelation. But they hold that the revelation came from his own mind.
The Prophet (ﷺ) sincerely believed in his mission, but sincerity does not show that God spoke to him.
Rebuttal
True, sincerity is not proof. But a man who fools himself does not tell himself off in his own scripture. He does not turn down an honour the crowd offered him. And he does not produce a book that its first hearers could not match.
The Islamic perspective
Islam is true because its case holds at every step. There is a Creator who depends on nothing, one and without equal. There is a message that can be tested, and it passes. And there is a messenger whose life fits only one explanation: God (﷾) sent him.
Whatever depends on something needs, in the end, a being that depends on nothing, and that being is one.
The Qur'an challenges anyone in doubt to produce a chapter like it, and invites a search for contradictions.
Leaves of a Qur'an manuscript dated to 568-645 CE carry the text of their surahs as it is today.
The Qur'an foretold that the defeated Romans would be victorious within a few years, and they were.
Muhammad (ﷺ) was known as trustworthy before his mission and suffered for it rather than gaining from it.
God (﷾) sent Muhammad (ﷺ) with the Qur'an as guidance for all people.