Written and collected by Zia H Shah MD

Abstract:
This essay explores the enduring human quest to “find God” – the one God revered by prophets of the Abrahamic traditions (Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Moses, David, Solomon, John the Baptist, Jesus, Muhammad) and acknowledged by great minds from medieval Islamic polymaths (Ibn Sina, Ibn Rushd, Al-Ghazali, Al-Khwarizmi) to influential figures of Western science and psychology (Newton, Galileo, Pasteur, Darwin, Freud, Jung). We examine theological perspectives from scripture and hadith qudsi (sacred prophetic sayings in Islam), philosophical and rational arguments for God’s existence, scientific reflections on God in nature’s design, and psychological interpretations of the God concept. Through an interdisciplinary journey, we find that the search for God is a central theme uniting these diverse voices. While approaches differ – from faith and revelation to reason, empirical observation, and introspection – they collectively illuminate a profound insight: finding God involves both looking outward at the cosmos and inward into the human soul. In Islam, which emphasizes the continuity of all Abrahamic revelation, God is especially understood as both transcendent creator and intimate presence – closer to us than our jugular vein. By drawing on sources spanning holy scriptures, philosophical treatises, scientific writings, and psychological analyses, we present a comprehensive, reflective narrative about humanity’s perennial pursuit of the Divine. The essay concludes with a thematic epilogue that poetically synthesizes these perspectives, suggesting that the journey to find God is ultimately a personal yet universal odyssey of the mind, heart, and spirit.

Introduction

Humanity has long sought to understand and encounter the Ultimate Reality we call “God.” This longing unites ancient prophets and modern scientists, mystics and rationalists. The question posed – “How can we find the God of Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Moses, David, Solomon, John the Baptist, Jesus, and Muhammad, who is also the God of Ibn Sina, Ibn Rushd, Al-Ghazali, Al-Khwarizmi, Newton, Galileo, Pasteur, Darwin, Freud, and Carl Jung?” – invites us to explore a rich tapestry of theological, philosophical, scientific, and psychological insights. On its face, this question recognizes a bold truth affirmed especially in Islam: there is but one God, worshipped and wondered at by people across cultures and eras. The Hebrew patriarchs and prophets of the Bible, Jesus and his disciples, and Muhammad – peace be upon them all – proclaimed the same one Creator. Centuries later, Muslim polymaths like Ibn Sīnā (Avicenna) and Ibn Rushd (Averroes) used philosophy to deepen understanding of that God, while scientists like Isaac Newton and Louis Pasteur saw God’s hand in nature’s design. Even thinkers who questioned or denied traditional religion, such as Charles Darwin or the psychologist Sigmund Freud, engaged deeply with the idea of God (if only to grapple with or redefine it). Meanwhile, others like Carl Jung approached God as an experienced reality in the psyche.

To address how we might “find” this God, we must therefore travel many paths: the path of faith and revealed scripture, the path of philosophical reason, the path of scientific exploration of nature, and the path of inner psychological experience. Each path provides clues and “signs” pointing toward the divine. In the Abrahamic traditions, the quest for God begins with seeking Him wholeheartedly and observing the signs of God in the world and the soul. The Bible promises, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart” gotquestions.org, and Jesus taught, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you” biblehub.com. The Qur’an likewise urges reflection on creation: “We will show them Our signs in the universe and within themselves until it becomes clear to them that this [revelation] is the truth” quran.com. Islam’s hadith qudsi (sacred sayings of God reported by Prophet Muhammad) further dramatize God’s responsiveness to the seeker: “Allah Almighty says: ‘I am as My servant expects of Me… When he comes to Me walking, I come to him running.’” abuaminaelias.com. Thus, all Abrahamic faiths emphasize that God is near to those who earnestly seek Him.

Philosophers in the Islamic tradition developed rational arguments to “find” or prove God as the Necessary Being who sustains all existence. Ibn Sina (Avicenna), for example, asserted that nothing in the universe exists by its own power; everything is contingent and owes its being to God. In one treatise he writes that in the entire cosmos, “there is nothing which forms an exception to the fact that God is the cause of its being and origination and that God has knowledge of it, controls it, and wills its existence; it is all subject to His control, determination, knowledge, and will.” goodreads.com Philosophers like Avicenna “found” God through pure reason, concluding that a single Necessary Existent (wājib al-wujūd) must underlie the reality of contingent things. His conviction was that the order and existence of the world necessitate an originating cause – a cause which itself has no cause – and this is God. Likewise, Ibn Rushd (Averroes) argued that authentic revelation and sound reason cannot truly conflict, since all truth comes from God. He famously stated that “since this revelation…is true and prompts to rational examination… we Muslims know with certainty that examination will never contradict the teachings of the revealed text: because truth cannot contradict truth, but agrees with it and supports it.” islam-science.net For Ibn Rushd, to find God one must use the God-given intellect to interpret scripture and nature in harmony – any apparent contradictions are due to human misunderstanding, not a split between reason and faith. His perspective effectively encourages believers to seek God both in the Qur’an and in the “book” of nature and philosophy, trusting that honest inquiry will lead to the one truth.

Yet reason alone has limits, as Al-Ghazālī – a great theologian and Sufi mystic – poignantly discovered. Ghazālī, after mastering philosophy, ultimately found God through direct spiritual experience. He wrote that the aim of the mystics (Sufis) is “to free the soul from the tyrannical yoke of the passions… in order that in the purified heart there should only remain room for God and for the invocation of His holy name.” en.wikisource.org In other words, one finds God by purifying one’s heart of selfish attachments so that God’s light can be reflected within, like a clean mirror. Ghazālī emphasized experiential knowledge (maʿrifa) of God – a “taste” of divine presence – beyond what books or logical proofs alone can provide. This echoes a teaching attributed to God in Islamic tradition: “I was a hidden treasure and I loved to be known, so I created creation in order that I might be known.” Theologically, Islam holds that God created human beings with an innate disposition (fiṭra) to know and worship Him; thus the journey of finding God is in part a journey of returning to our deepest nature.

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