Who Created God?

When I was young, lying in bed before sleep, I would wonder: Doesn't everything have a creator? So who created God? Then I felt that this question was forbidden and that no one around me would think of it. As I grew older, I realized that many people ask this question. I also learned that the Prophet (peace be upon him) mentioned that many would ask this question and provided guidance on how to deal with it.

The Wrong and the Right Principle

First, what is the origin of this question? It stems from the assumption that the principle is as follows:

Everything has a cause, and every existence has a creator.

However, the correct principle is:

Everything that has a beginning has a cause, and every created thing has a creator.

"Having a beginning" means that it came into existence after not existing. Therefore, everything that has a beginning must have a cause that brought it from non-existence into existence.

The Sequence of Causes and the Rational Stance

• What caused the plant to grow? Rain.
• So, what brought the rain? The clouds.
• And what formed the clouds? The rising vapor.
• And where did this vapor come from? The seas.
• And who created the seas? God.
• And who created God?

God has no creator because He is the first cause, meaning He has no cause. Why? Because if you assumed that He had a creator, you would then ask: And who created the creator of the creator? And so on, endlessly. This leads to an infinite regression of causes, which is logically impossible because it would mean that nothing could be created at all. As we explained in the previous episode, we gave the example of a prisoner who would not be released until a soldier receives an order from his commander, who, in turn, receives it from his superior, and so on, endlessly. If we saw the prisoner being released, we would know that the chain of command stopped at someone who gave the order without receiving one from anyone higher.

An Example of the Impossibility of Infinite Regression

Another example that illustrates the impossibility of an infinite regression of causes: If you enter a house and look through a door to see a chandelier hanging by a chain, but you don't see where the chain begins, you would be certain that it has a beginning in the ceiling. Otherwise, it would fall and not remain hanged. You would not accept the idea that the chain could extend indefinitely.

Correcting the Concept of Causality

Therefore, the question "Who created the creator?" is flawed because it goes against reason. Reason dictates that if the universe is created, there must be a creator who is uncreated. This is a flawed question because, logically, there must be a first cause. When you ask, "Who created the first cause?" it is no longer first but becomes a second cause.

Thus, the law of causality only applies to things that have a beginning. If you enter your room and see that your bed has been moved, you would ask: Who moved the bed? Because the movement is a new event. However, if you enter your room and see that the bed hasn't been moved, you wouldn't ask: Who kept the bed in place? Because its remaining in place is not a new event that requires a cause.

Who Baked the Baker?

And since God Almighty is the first cause, He is not something that has a beginning that would require a cause. Rather, He exists above the material world He created and is not bound by its laws.

If you see a puppet moving by strings and know that there is a person behind the curtain moving it, would it make sense to ask: Who is moving the strings of this person?

If you see a loaf of bread and know that bread must have a baker, would you ask: Who baked the baker? No, of course not. It would be a ridiculous and incorrect question. Why? Because it applies a generalization where it doesn't belong. Similarly, being created is a characteristic of the creatures, and you shouldn't apply it to the creator.
So, the question "Who created God?" is flawed, like asking: What is the length of the fourth side of a triangle? It is as if you are saying: Who created the one who has no creator? Or who came before the one who had nothing before Him?

The Prophetic Guidance on Handling the Question

So, the answer is: The creator has no creator because if He had a creator, He would be created, not a creator. Thus, this question is not embarrassing, and the Shariah was not afraid that people would think of it. The Prophet (peace be upon him) actually informed us that people would ask it and guided us on how to deal with it.

What did he guide us to do? In a hadith narrated by Bukhari and Muslim, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

"The devil comes to one of you saying, ‘Who created this? Who created that?’ even saying, ‘Who created your Lord?’ "When he gets that length the man should seek refuge in God and stop thinking about it."

This means to stop dwelling on this chain of questioning once it reaches that point. Is this suppressing the mind? Not at all; it is the correct rational stance. Why? Because the question "Who created your Lord?" is, as we have shown, a question that goes against basic rational principles. These rational principles are the foundation from which a person derives evidence, not something that needs evidence for itself, leading to an endless chain of proofs and explanations.

So, the one who asks this question should realize: What am I doing? I am contradicting innate and necessary knowledge; therefore, I should stop at this point, or else I am wasting my mind. In another hadith, the Prophet (peace be upon him) instructed those who encounter this question to say:

"Say, 'He is Allah, the One. Allah, the Eternal Refuge. He neither begets nor is born, nor is there to Him any equivalent.'" (Surah Al-Ikhlas)

This means that I believe that God is not like created things; He was not born to have a beginning, and there is none comparable to Him. He is distinct from His creation and is not created like them. Therefore, the question is fundamentally incorrect.

Overcoming Obsessive Thoughts

But what if the question keeps coming to mind even though I know it's incorrect? Alright! If so, it is a whisper. Deal with it just as you would with obsessive thoughts about purity, ablution, or prayer. If you suffer from obsessive thoughts, Satan might cause you to doubt: Did you wash your hand or not? Did you intend to pray or not? Did you pronounce the takbir correctly or not? Even though these are all tangible, certain matters that don't require proof or reasoning, you still doubt them. What is the solution in this case? Do you resort to proof and reasoning? No, you seek refuge in Allah from the whispering Satan and stop thinking about the doubts he raises. Similarly, with the question "Who created God?" you know it is a question that contradicts rational necessities.

Responding to the Atheist

In conclusion, the question "Who created God?" is also posed by atheists as an objection to our belief in God because they cannot accept the idea that God is eternal without a beginning.
Tell the atheist who objects to you with this question: Do you believe that the universe has a beginning? If he says: Yes, then this created universe must have a creator, as basic reason dictates. If he says: No, it is eternal, then tell him: You object to the eternity of God while believing in the eternity of the universe?

So, you don't object to the principle of eternity itself, but you object to the eternity of a Creator who created the universe with knowledge, will, wisdom, and power, the effects of which are evident in everything. Instead, you believe in the eternity of a universe that has no will, no knowledge, and no wisdom. Then leave them wandering in their blind transgression.

Peace be upon you, and subscribe to the channel.