✦ Laws of Nature and the Divine Explanation of Creation ✦
In one of his interviews, Stephen Hawking stated:
“I have never claimed that God does not exist. Whenever the human mind asks, ‘Why are we here in this universe?’ the explanation given to that is what people call God. In my view, this explanation is based on physical laws, not on a personal being. My God is an impersonal God.”
— Stephen Hawking
✔ According to Hawking, the laws through which the universe originated, evolved, and expanded are what people refer to as “God.”
✔ Some hold the belief that God is not a being, but rather a motive force, a chain of cause and effect, or even the laws of nature themselves.
Key Question: Can the laws of nature create a system?
✔ To evaluate Hawking’s claim, it’s essential to explore:
➤ Can physical laws independently generate systems?
➤ Can inanimate entities produce life through the laws of nature?
In her book Total Truth, Nancy Pearcey explains:
“Laws of nature do not create information. They merely describe regular, repeatable patterns.”
✔ For example:
– If you drop a pencil, it falls.
– If you burn paper, it turns to ash.
✔ But natural laws cannot produce complex information, such as the genetic code (DNA), because their function is descriptive, not creative.
Nancy further clarifies:
➤ A message like “ABC ABC ABC” is repetitive and conveys little information.
➤ In contrast, a sentence like “In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue” conveys non-repetitive and meaningful information.
✔ The genetic code is similarly composed of a complex and non-repetitive sequence, which laws of nature alone cannot generate.
Information scientist Henry Quastler asserts:
“Information cannot originate in a system without conscious effort.”
Physicist Hubert Yockey, in his book Information Theory, Evolution, and the Origin of Life, writes:
“It is mathematically impossible for the laws of nature to generate something as complex as DNA, because they lack the necessary informational content.”
✔ Scientists like Hawking often object to the concept of God when He is portrayed as a magical figure.
✔ However, Islamic teachings describe God's creation as gradual, organized, and governed by divine laws.
The Qur’an describes the creation process in phases or "days" (periods):
“Say, do you indeed disbelieve in Him who created the earth in two days… then He turned to the sky when it was smoke… then He completed seven heavens in two days…”
(Surah Fussilat: 9–12)
✔ This indicates a stage-by-stage creative process, not an instantaneous act.
➊ Creative Phases of the Universe (Kun → Fayakoon):
– The divine command “Kun” (Be) is not a magical utterance, but the initiation of a process through which the universe progresses towards its purpose.
➋ God’s System in the Material and Spiritual Realms:
– Angels are assigned specific duties:
– Jibreel brings revelation,
– Mikail manages natural forces,
– Azrael oversees death.
✔ This indicates a structured divine administration of the universe.
✔ The laws of nature, by themselves, cannot create systems or living beings, as they lack the necessary informational component.
✔ The creation of complex entities like the genetic code (DNA) requires conscious intelligence.
✔ The Islamic concept of God presents Him as a systematic and gradual Creator, whose method of creation explains the complexity and order of the universe far more coherently than materialistic assumptions.
❖ Hawking’s View on God
In one of his interviews, Stephen Hawking stated:
“I have never claimed that God does not exist. Whenever the human mind asks, ‘Why are we here in this universe?’ the explanation given to that is what people call God. In my view, this explanation is based on physical laws, not on a personal being. My God is an impersonal God.”
— Stephen Hawking
✔ According to Hawking, the laws through which the universe originated, evolved, and expanded are what people refer to as “God.”
✔ Some hold the belief that God is not a being, but rather a motive force, a chain of cause and effect, or even the laws of nature themselves.
❖ Questioning the Role of Natural Laws in Creation
Key Question: Can the laws of nature create a system?
✔ To evaluate Hawking’s claim, it’s essential to explore:
➤ Can physical laws independently generate systems?
➤ Can inanimate entities produce life through the laws of nature?
❖ Nancy Pearcey’s Critique
In her book Total Truth, Nancy Pearcey explains:
“Laws of nature do not create information. They merely describe regular, repeatable patterns.”
✔ For example:
– If you drop a pencil, it falls.
– If you burn paper, it turns to ash.
✔ But natural laws cannot produce complex information, such as the genetic code (DNA), because their function is descriptive, not creative.
Information Requires Conscious Input
Nancy further clarifies:
➤ A message like “ABC ABC ABC” is repetitive and conveys little information.
➤ In contrast, a sentence like “In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue” conveys non-repetitive and meaningful information.
✔ The genetic code is similarly composed of a complex and non-repetitive sequence, which laws of nature alone cannot generate.
❖ The Need for Consciousness in Creation
Information scientist Henry Quastler asserts:
“Information cannot originate in a system without conscious effort.”
Physicist Hubert Yockey, in his book Information Theory, Evolution, and the Origin of Life, writes:
“It is mathematically impossible for the laws of nature to generate something as complex as DNA, because they lack the necessary informational content.”
❖ The Islamic Perspective on Divine Creation
◈ Gradual and Systematic Process of Creation
✔ Scientists like Hawking often object to the concept of God when He is portrayed as a magical figure.
✔ However, Islamic teachings describe God's creation as gradual, organized, and governed by divine laws.
❖ The Quranic Model of Gradual Creation
The Qur’an describes the creation process in phases or "days" (periods):
“Say, do you indeed disbelieve in Him who created the earth in two days… then He turned to the sky when it was smoke… then He completed seven heavens in two days…”
(Surah Fussilat: 9–12)
✔ This indicates a stage-by-stage creative process, not an instantaneous act.
❖ The Principle of Gradual Divine Action
➊ Creative Phases of the Universe (Kun → Fayakoon):
– The divine command “Kun” (Be) is not a magical utterance, but the initiation of a process through which the universe progresses towards its purpose.
➋ God’s System in the Material and Spiritual Realms:
– Angels are assigned specific duties:
– Jibreel brings revelation,
– Mikail manages natural forces,
– Azrael oversees death.
✔ This indicates a structured divine administration of the universe.
❖ Summary
✔ The laws of nature, by themselves, cannot create systems or living beings, as they lack the necessary informational component.
✔ The creation of complex entities like the genetic code (DNA) requires conscious intelligence.
✔ The Islamic concept of God presents Him as a systematic and gradual Creator, whose method of creation explains the complexity and order of the universe far more coherently than materialistic assumptions.
