Are We All Born As Atheists?
In Islam, we are all born as Muslims according to the Quran. The souls of all humans existed in the beginning after the creation of Adam, and we all testified that God is one. Therefore, we believed in God before being born into this world. It is important to note that in Arabic, the word “Islam” or “Muslim” means “submit” or “submission,” as mentioned in Quran 2:130-32. When we testified that God is one before being born in this world, we had submitted to God, and that is Islam.
📖Quran 7:172-174
And [mention] when your Lord took from the children of Adam – from their loins – their descendants and made them testify of themselves, [saying to them], “Am I not your Lord?” They said, “Yes, we have testified.” [This] – lest you should say on the day of Resurrection, “Indeed, we were of this unaware Or [lest] you say, “It was only that our fathers associated [others in worship] with Allah before, and we were but descendants after them. Then would You destroy us for what the falsifiers have done?” And thus do We [explain in] detail the verses, and perhaps they will return.
📖Sahih Muslim 2659 a
Abu Huraira reported Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) as saying: The mother of every person gives him birth according to his true nature. It is subsequently his parents who make him a Jew or a Christian or a Magian. Had his parents been Muslim he would have also remained a Muslim.
- In this hadith from Sahih Muslim, the phrase “true nature” refers to a person’s innate disposition or fitrah. It suggests that when a person is born, they have a natural inclination toward the belief in God or monotheism Quran 7:172-174. Therefore if a child were left to grow up without any external influences, they would instinctively recognize and worship the one true God. However, the hadith also emphasizes the role of parental upbringing and societal influences, suggesting that a person’s religious identity is often shaped by their upbringing and environment.
📖Quran 30:30-31
So direct your face toward the religion, inclining to truth. [Adhere to] the fitrah of Allah upon which He has created [all] people. No change should there be in the creation of God. That is the correct religion, but most of the people do not know – [Adhere to it], turning in repentance to Him, and fear Him and establish prayer and do not be of those who associate others with God
How to determine that we all born as Muslims
Example 1: When a child is born in this world, they are born as a Muslim, which means to surrender or submit to God – that is Islam. We have already included a reference in this article that suggests all souls have already submitted or surrendered to God before being born in this world. The problem arises when their families convert them to different religions and teach them different stories. These families tell them that their god is Ram, Krishna, Shiva, Jesus, etc. However, we all know that when we are born, we don’t know anything about Jesus, Ram, Krishna, and so on. But imagine growing up in a family where nobody tells you anything about any religion or stories related to Jesus, Ram, Krishna, Buddha, etc. When you see the universe, you will surely ask yourself: Who created it? And you will believe in that Creator who is unseen – and you have never seen him. However, there are many people who don’t want to accept this today due to their free will and the fact that they grew up in a family that taught them different stories. So, they don’t want to accept the truth due to bias or hatred. As a result, most people even consider themselves atheists.
📖Quran 98:1-4
Those who disbelieved among the People of the Scripture and the polytheists were not to be parted [from misbelief] until there came to them clear evidence – A Messenger from God, reciting purified scriptures, Within which are correct writings. Nor did those who were given the Scripture become divided until after there had come to them clear evidence.
📖Quran 16:36
And We certainly sent into every nation a messenger, [saying], “Worship Allah and avoid Taghut.” And among them were those whom Allah guided, and among them were those upon whom error was [deservedly] decreed. So proceed through the earth and observe how was the end of the deniers.
- In this verse, God says He sent messengers to every nation. It is important to note that many messengers’ names were not mentioned in the Quran. The passage in this verse refers to those upon whom error was deservedly decreed. It’s about the disbelievers to whom Allah sent messengers, but they Continuously rejected the prophets & messengers and created corruption in the land. There are many other verses in the Quran that mention their disbelief, and God also punished them.
📖Quran 42:13-14
He God has ordained for you of religion what He enjoined upon Noah and that which We have revealed to you, [O Muhammad], and what We enjoined upon Abraham and Moses and Jesus – to establish the religion and not be divided therein. Difficult for those who associate others with Allah is that to which you invite them. Allah chooses for Himself whom He wills and guides to Himself whoever turns back [to Him]. And they did not become divided until after knowledge had come to them – out of jealous animosity between themselves. And if not for a word that preceded from your Lord [postponing the penalty] until a specified time, it would have been concluded between them. And indeed, those who were granted inheritance of the Scripture after them are, concerning it, in disquieting doubt.
Example 2:
Imagine you’re an atheist or agnostic, and you’re on a ship or in a place where your life is in danger. During that time, you would undoubtedly call upon the unseen God for help because He’s with you through His knowledge Quran 57:4 & You have already testified and believed in Him before you were born in this world.
📖Quran 10:22-23
It is He who enables you to travel on land and sea until, when you are in ships and they sail with them by a good wind and they rejoice therein, there comes a storm wind and the waves come upon them from everywhere and they assume that they are surrounded, supplicating Allah (God) , sincere to Him in religion, “If You should save us from this, we will surely be among the thankful. But when He saves them, at once they commit injustice upon the earth without right. O mankind, your injustice is only against yourselves, [being merely] the enjoyment of worldly life. Then to Us is your return, and We will inform you of what you used to do.
📖Quran 29:65-66
Sahih International
And when they board a ship, they supplicate God , sincere to Him in religion. But when He delivers them to the land, at once they associate others with Him – So that they will deny what We have granted them, and they will enjoy themselves. But they are going to know.
Why Does God Allow Other Religions to Exist?
God allows the existence of other religions because it’s part of the free will He gave us. Humans themselves divided and created different religions and gods. For example, Christianity, as we know, Jesus never said anything about Christianity, nor did he tell his followers to call themselves Christians. Similarly, Prophet Abraham, Moses, and David never said that Judaism is a religion. The name “Judaism” comes from the kingdom of Judah; it’s not a religion, but a community. Other people called the tribe of Judah “Jewish” (Yudha), and that name eventually became “Judaism.” God never said that your religion is Judaism, nor did He say your religion is Christianity. The name “Christianity” came after Jesus; the pagans called the followers of Jesus “Christian.” All prophets came with Islamic revelation, which is submission to the one true God, known as Islam.
📖Quran 16:93
And if Allah had willed, He could have made you [of] one religion, but He causes to stray whom He wills and guides whom He wills. And you will surely be questioned about what you used to do.
- In this verse, the concept of free will is mentioned. Allah could have made all humans follow one religion, but instead, He granted humanity the free will to choose for themselves. In Quran 28:56, it’s mentioned that Allah guides those who seek guidance, and the passage also mentions that He causes to stray those whom He wills. This refers to those who deny even after the clear evidence; He leaves them on their misguided path. 👇
📖Qur’an 28:50
But if they do not respond to you – then know that they only follow their [own] desires. And who is more astray than one who follows his desire without guidance from Allah ? Indeed, Allah does not guide the wrongdoing people.
📖Quran 23:52
And indeed this, your religion, is one religion, and I am your Lord, so fear Me.
Why Do We Need to Believe in Scripture?
We need to follow the original Scriptures. For example, to understand science, you must learn about it. Similarly, if you want to learn HTML, JavaScript coding, and other subjects, you need to study them. In the same way, God has given us Scripture and told us why He created us and the universe. Scripture guide us on what is good or bad for us, much like learning to cook involves understanding the ingredients and spices required. Without Scriptures, how would you comprehend the reasons behind God’s creation?
📖Quran 2:185
The Qur’an, a guidance for the people and clear proofs of guidance and criterion.
📖Quran 6:116
And if you obey most of those upon the earth, they will mislead you from the way of Allah . They follow not except assumption, and they are not but falsifying.
What if Someone Doesn’t Know About the Scriptures?
In Islam, according to the Quran, Allah states that He does not punish anyone until He sends messengers to them. The future generations come to know about these messengers through revelations. According to the Quran, God has sent messengers to every nation from the beginning. Therefore, if someone is not aware of any scriptures, God will not punish them.
📖Quran 17:15
And never would We punish until We sent a messenger.
Did Islam Exist from the Beginning?
We have already included many reference in this article that Islam means submission to the will of God, which means obeying Him. We have also included that if anyone truly hasn’t received any revelation, God will not punish them. Islam existed from the beginning; it was with God, and He gave the name to mankind when He sent Adam and Eve to the Earth. So, from that time, Islam existed, and God sent many messengers from the beginning. Those who followed the original message were all Muslims.
📖Quran 56-10-14
And the forerunners, the forerunners – Those are the ones brought near [to Allah ] In the Gardens of Pleasure, A [large] company of the former peoples, And a few of the later peoples –
How Do We Know Which Scriptures Are Real?
It’s important to note that God sent many messengers with revelations to every nation from the beginning. Today, what we have as scriptures, such as the Torah, the Gospel, and other religious texts, was written down centuries later. There are thousands of contradictions in these scriptures due to changes made by people over time, leading to the creation of different religions and gods. If you read the Bible today, you’ll find many verses mentioning that Jesus was sent by God, but modern Christians believe in the Trinity, which isn’t explicitly in the Bible. We’ve also written many articles on our website; you can read them to decide for yourself which scripture is authentic. It’s also mentioned in the Quran that previous scriptures, like the Torah and Gospel, have been distorted. However, the coming of Prophet Muhammad is still present in the current Bible, as we believe some parts of it might be true. God also tells us that these scriptures have been altered.
Can Jews and Christians enter heaven?
Absolutely! According to Quran 5:69, those who embrace the core monotheistic message, regardless of whether they identify as Christians, Jews, or Sabians, can be welcomed into heaven. It is important to note that Qur’an 5:69 refers to the former people who followed the original Torah and Gospel. Therefore, the significance lies in their genuine faith, not just labels. By aligning with the original teachings, they cast aside fear and sorrow. The designations ‘Christian’ and ‘Jewish’ don’t exclusively denote divinely accepted faiths; they’re more like identifiers. For instance, even if someone identifies as a Christian but upholds belief in Allah and all the prophets mentioned in the Quran (Quran 2:62), they’re eligible for heaven. It’s because their unwavering belief in one God leads them to submit and follow His guidance, embodying the essence of Islam. The labels ‘Christian’ or ‘Jewish’ are secondary in this context.
