Duk godiya ta tabbata ga Allah, Ubangijin talikai. Tsira da amincin Allah su tabbata ga mafi girma daga cikin Annabawa da Manzanni, Annabinmu Muhammadu ﷺ, da iyalansa, da dukkan sahabbansa. Ɗaya daga cikin mafi kyawun lokuta a rayuwata shi ne lokacin da na miƙa daftarin farko na littafina a matsayin kyauta ga iyayena ƙaunatattu. Da wannan sabon littafi, na sami farin ciki da jin daɗi a cikin maganganunsu da lura da su. A gaskiya, ƙoƙarina ƙoƙarinsu ne, domin yaro ba komai ba ne face tsawaitar iyayensa. Na faɗi haka ne don in nuna falalar Allah a kaina. Yawancin abin da na rubuta a fannin ilimi ba zai faru ba da ba don goyon bayansu, da ƙarfafa su, da kulawarsu ba. Ina roƙon Allah ya girmama ni da yardarsu, kuma ya ƙara musu tsawon rai a cikin ayyukan alheri. Shigar da su cikin kowane littafin da na rubuta al'ada ce tawa. Sai dai akwai banbanci guda. Maudu'insa da take sun jawo ƙin amincewa daga iyayena. Ƙin amincewar ya zo cike da mamaki da wani irin fushi. Mamakinsu ya samo asali ne daga wutar imani da ke ci a cikinsu, da kuma suka ga wata hanya mai haɗari ta karkacewar akida. Kamar suna cewa, "Me ya jefa ɗanmu a cikin wannan ruɗani?" Littafin shi ne The Atheist Militia. Wannan al'amari ya tuna min da wani labari. Wani babban malami a fannin ilimin tauhidi na kalām yana tafiya a kan hanya, bayansa ɗaruruwan ɗalibai. Wata tsohuwa ta tambaya, "Wane ne wannan?" Aka ce mata, "Ba ki sani ba? Wannan ne mutumin da ya gabatar da hujjoji dubu don tabbatar da wanzuwar Allah!" Sai ta ce, "Ɗana, da ba a jarabce shi da shakka dubu ba, da bai buƙaci hujjoji dubu ba!" Lokacin da aka isar wa malamin maganganunta, ya ce, "Ya Allah, ina roƙon imani da Kai irin na tsofaffin mata."1

All praise is for Allah, Lord of the Worlds. May benediction and peace be upon the most honoured of the Prophets and Messengers, our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and all his Companions. One of the loveliest moments in my life was when I presented the first draft of my book as a gift to my beloved parents. With this new book, I found happiness and pleasure in their words and observations. In reality, my efforts are their efforts, as a child is but an extension of its parents. I say this to point out Allah’s favour upon me. Much of my intellectual output would not have happened were it not for their support, encouragement, and supervision. I ask Allah to honour me with their pleasure, and that He increases their age in good deeds. Involving them with every book I have written has been a habit of mine. There was an exception though. Its topic and title evoked a pushback from my parents. It was a pushback that was coloured with surprise and an indignation of sorts. Their surprise was spurred by the fire of faith that burned in them, and the denunciation of a dangerous pattern of theological deviance. It was as if they were saying, ‘What is it that landed our son in this maze?’ That book was The Atheist Militia. This situation reminded me of a story. A leading scholar of dialectic theology (kalām) was walking along a path, followed by dozens of students. An elderly woman asked, ‘Who is this?’ It was put to her, ‘Do you really not know? This is the man who has put forth a thousand proofs for the existence of Allah!’ She said, ‘My son, if he was not afflicted by a thousand doubts, he would not have been in need for a thousand proofs!’ When her words were related back to the scholar, he said, ‘O Allah, I ask for faith in You like that of elderly women.’1

Saboda dalilan da aka ambata a baya, tun daga farko ina farin cikin bayyana wa mai karatu cewa ina da tabbacin cewa sanin Allah, da amincewa da tauhidinSa, da sanin bukatarmu gare Shi, dabi'u ne na asali kuma na halitta a cikin dan adam. Wannan hali ne mafi dacewa da yanayin mutum, wanda ke kai ga natsuwar zuciya da gamsuwa. Ba tare da shi ba, rayuwa za ta kasance ba ta da ma'ana, kuma tambayoyi da dama game da wanzuwar dan adam za su kasance ba tare da amsa ba. Ma'ana, ba za su sami amsa kwata-kwata ba. Da alama tsananin wannan sani da tasirinsa a kan rai sun fi yadda na fara zato. Shekaru da dama da suka wuce, na ci karo da wata magana ta Ibn Taymiyyah wadda a lokacin nake ganin ta ba ta da tsammani, inda ya tattauna wanzuwar wannan dabi'a ta asali a cikin rai wajen sanin Mahalicci, tare da mahangar da ake gani da kai da kuma ta hankali. Ya ce: "Ainihin sanin Allah na halitta ne kuma tilas ne. Ya fi tabbata a cikin rayuka fiye da ka'idojin lissafi kamar "daya rabin biyu ne", ko kuma ka'idojin ilimin halitta kamar "jiki ba zai iya kasancewa a wurare biyu a lokaci guda ba". Wannan saboda irin wadannan ilimai sune maganganun da dabi'un mutane mafi yawa za su iya yin watsi da su. Amma sanin Allah, ba zai yiwu wata dabi'a ta halitta ta iya watsi da shi ba."2

For the aforementioned reasons, right from the outset I am enthused to reveal to the reader that I fervently believe that recognising Allah , acknowledging His oneness, and recognising our need for Him are deeply innate and natural human dispositions. It is this state that is most aligned with the nature of man, leading to inner peace and contentment. Without it, life would be without meaning, and many existential questions on humanity would remain unanswered. In fact, they would have no answer at all. It seems that the firmness of this recognition and the influence it had on the soul is more sweeping than I first thought. Many years ago, I came across what I considered back then to be a surprising statement by Ibn Taymiyyah, where he discussed the existence of this natural predisposition of the soul in recognising the Divine, in conjunction with self-evident and rational positions. He states, ‘The core knowledge of the Divine is both natural and necessary. It is more firmly established in the souls than the fundamentals of mathematics such as “One is half of two”, or the fundamentals of natural knowledge such as “A body cannot simultaneously exist in two places”. This is because such items of knowledge are expressions that the innate predispositions of most people can disregard. As for the knowledge of the Divine, it is unimaginable that any natural predisposition is able to disregard it.’2

Lokacin da na fara ganin wannan sashe, na tambayi kaina: Shin tabbatuwar imani ga Mahalicci ta fi waɗannan misalai ƙarfi? Ba zan iya ganin haka ba! Ko da yake na yarda cewa sanin Allah abu ne da aka halitta da shi a cikinmu, me ya sa ban ji cewa yana da ƙarfi kamar waɗancan misalai bayyanannu ba? Wasu daga cikin sarƙaƙiyar wannan batu sun bayyana mini shekaru da dama bayan haka. Wannan ya faru ne bayan cikakkiyar bugawar littafin Ibn Taymiyyah mai girman gaske, Bayān Talbīs al-Jahmiyyah, inda na ci karo da wani kyakkyawan sashe da ya tattauna imani da ɗaukakar Allah a kan halittarSa, wanda ake fahimta ta dabi'a: "Wannan ilimi yana manne da rayukansu. Ba zai iya rabuwa da shi ba, kamar yadda ilimin dabi'a na abubuwa masu ganuwa da al'amura na halitta ba zai rabu ba, kamar 'Ɗaya shi ne ɓangare ɗaya cikin uku na uku', da kuma 'Jiki ba zai iya kasancewa a wurare biyu a lokaci ɗaya ba'. Wannan saboda wancan ilimin ba shi ne abin da mutane ke bukata ba; a zahiri, ma yana iya ba zai taɓa shiga zuciyar mutum ba. Amma game da ilimin ɗaukakar Allah, zan ce – baya ga cewa mutane suna bukatarsa – mutane suna bukatar abin da yake haifarwa da ma'anarsa, wato roƙo, neman taimako, ƙaskantar da kai, da tawali'u ga Mahalicci – Mai Sama Wanda ake kira."3

When I first saw this passage, I asked myself, ‘Is the entrenchment of belief in the Divine stronger than these examples? I just cannot see it this way! Though I acknowledge that recognising Allah is innate to us, why is it that I do not feel that it is as strong as those self-evident examples?’ Some complexities of this issue were resolved for me a few years later. This was after the full publication of Ibn Taymiyyah’s encyclopaedic book Bayān Talbīs al-Jahmiyyah, in which I came across an excellent passage where he discussed the belief of the innately understood highness of Allah  over His creation: ‘This knowledge clings onto their souls. It cannot be separated from it any more than the instinctive knowledge of tangibles and natural matters, such as “One is a third of three”, and “A body cannot simultaneously exist in two places”. This is because the latter is knowledge that they simply do not need; in fact, it may never even occur to a person. As for the knowledge of the highness of Allah, I would say that – in addition to people needing it – people are also in need of what it necessitates and means, which is supplication, asking, self-effacement, and humility unto the Divine – the One Above Who is being invoked.’3

Haɗin kai tsakanin ilimi da aiki wajen sanin Mai Girma da Ɗaukaka shi ne ɗaya daga cikin manyan alamomin ƙarfin wannan fahimta, idan aka kwatanta da sauran bayanai marasa aiki waɗanda mutum kan iya mantawa da su yayin da yake ci gaba da rayuwar yau da kullum. Ibn Taymiyyah ya jaddada wannan a shafi na gaba da cewa: ‘Amma sanin Mai Girma da Ɗaukaka, yana da girma da daraja sosai, domin wajibi ne ga ’ya’yan Adam, ta fuskar ilimi da niyya, su juya zuwa gare Shi. An halicce su da wannan shiri. Kasancewar wannan ilimi da niyya na ɗabi’a ta asali ya fi tsayawa a zuciya fiye da kasancewar sauran bayanai.’4

The knowledge-action duet vis-à-vis recognising the Divine is one aspect that represents the strength of this understanding, compared to those other non actionable pieces of information that man may not always recollect as he grinds on with daily life. This is underscored by Ibn Taymiyyah on the next page: ‘As for knowing the Divine, it is far greater and more honourable, as it is necessary for the children of Adam in terms of both knowledge and intent to turn to Him. They were predisposed for this. The innate existence of this instinctive knowledge and intent is far more entrenched than the existence of other information.’4

Dalla fitina da ya ce a 'yan shafuka kaɗan bayan haka, a bayyane yake, "Allah, Maɗaukaki, Ya halicci bayinSa a kan abubuwa biyu: zukatansu su tabbatar da Shi ta fuskar ilimi, kuma su so Shi, su kasance masu ƙasƙantar da kai a gabanSa ta fuskar aiki, ibada, da neman taimako. Don haka an halicce su da shirin sanin Shi da aiki saboda Shi." Duk da haka, har yanzu na yi mamaki game da zurfin da sanin Mahalicci yake a cikin rai. Hakan ya ci gaba har na ci karo da wannan nassi daga amsar Ibn Taymiyyah: "Ana sani cewa ƙarfin sha'awar ilimin da ake jayayya a kansa ba kamar sha'awar ilimin da ba a sabawa ba. Sha'awar ilimin ra'ayoyi kamar lissafin calculus ko ilimin halitta – kamar "Ɗaya rabin biyu ne", "Jiki ba zai iya kasancewa a wurare biyu a lokaci guda ba", da sauransu – ba ta da zurfi a cikin zukata, kuma babu wata adawa mai ƙarfi a kanta." Haka lamarin yake. Shakku iri-iri da ake tayarwa game da Allah – wanda zai iya sa mutum ya juya daga ko ya raunana ɗabi'arsa ta asali – sun fi yawa fiye da ƙin yarda da sauran ilimomi. Saboda haka mutum zai iya jin cewa ilimomi sun fi bayyana kansu fiye da Allah. Amma idan rayukan mutane suna tsarkakakku, kuma aka cire waɗancan abubuwan da ke raba hankali daga cikin lissafi, tabbas sanin Allah zai fi ƙarfi da zurfi fiye da ilimomi.

In more explicit terms, he went on to say just a few pages later, ‘Allah, Glory to Him, predisposed His servants to two things: that their hearts affirm Him in terms of knowledge, and that they love Him and are humble in front of Him in terms of practice, worship, and seeking assistance. They are thus predisposed to having knowledge of Him and acting for His sake.5 However, I was still puzzled as to what extent recognition of the Divine was entrenched in the soul. This was until I came across the following passage from Ibn Taymiyyah’s response: ‘It is known that the strength of attraction to disputed knowledge is unlike that attraction to unopposed knowledge. The attraction to knowledge of concepts like calculus or nature – such as “One is half of two”, “A body cannot simultaneously be in two places”, and so on – is not as entrenched in the hearts, nor is there any strong opposition to it.’6 And this is how it is. The various doubts that are raised against Allah – which can potentially cause man to turn away from or weaken his innate predisposition – are far more than objections against other sciences. One therefore might feel that the sciences are more self-evident than Allah. However, if people’s souls were pure and those external distractions were taken out of the equation, it would have most certainly been the case that knowing Allah would be far stronger and entrenched than the sciences.

Daga mahangar nazarin jeri da tsarin fahimta, sanin Mahalicci ya kamata ya zama mafi bayyana daga dukkan ra'ayoyin hankali. Ba tare da yarda da Shi ba, babu wata hanya da za a tabbatar da wani ilimi na asali, ko a yanke hukunci a kan halittarsa, ko a nuna cewa yana bisa da kuma fiye da yanayin duniya, abu, da mutum. Hanyar tabbatar da kowace gaskiya bayyananniya ita ce fara yin imani da Allah ﷻ. Ba tare da hakan ba, ba zai yiwu a gina tunani na falsafa mai daidaito wanda ke tabbatar da ra'ayoyi na halitta da na asali ba. Bisa wannan, mutum zai iya fahimtar abin da Ibn al-Qayyim ya ruwaito daga malaminsa, Allah ya yi masa rahama da su duka. Ya ce: "Yaya za ka nemi hujja ga wanda Shi kansa hujja ne ga komai?" Shi (watau Ibn Taymiyyah) ya kasance yana yawan ambaton wannan waƙa:

From the viewpoint of the sequence analysis and cognitive construct, recognition of the Divine must be the most self-evident of all rational concepts. Without acknowledging Him, there would be no scope left to affirm any innate knowledge, to pass judgement on its instinctiveness, or to suggest that it is above and beyond the nature of the universe, matter, and man. The gateway to affirming any self-evident truth is to first believe in Allah . Without this, it is impossible to construct a coherent philosophical outlook that affirms instinctive and innate concepts. Based on this, one can understand what Ibn al-Qayyim reported from his teacher, may Allah have mercy on both of them. He said, ‘“How can you demand proof for someone who Himself is proof for everything?” He (i.e., Ibn Taymiyyah) used to frequently mention this couplet:

Lallai, idan muka nemi hujja a kan kasancewar Allah, kamar muna kunna kyandir ne a cikin rana mai haske tuni. Irin wannan yanayi zai jawo dariya, ko ba haka ba? Sai dai, me ya kamata mu yi idan an tilasta mana shiga halin da za mu yi bayani a kan wannan? Mai karatu zai iya tambaya, ‘Don me ake gaggawar tattaunawa a kan wannan batu a nan, a gabatarwar littafin? Don me ba a jinkirta tattaunawar zuwa wurin da za a iya tattaunawa da ita yadda ya kamata, inda za a iya gabatar da cikakkun bayanai, bayani, da hujjoji yadda ya kamata?’ Dalilin haka shi ne a jaddada cewa duk wani bincike a kan kasancewar Allah da kuma gabatar da mafi muhimmancin hujjojinsa, ba za a iya kallonsa a matsayin batun da mai karatu zai iya ma ɗauka cewa yana da cece-kuce ba, ko kuma ya zaci cewa yana bukatar doguwar tattaunawa don tabbatar da gaskiyarsa. Musamman idan aka yi la’akari da cewa akwai suka da ake yi masa. Mutane da yawa suna yaudarar kansu da zaton cewa gabatar da wani batu don a muhawarce shi, da kuma sanya shi a bisa suka, yana raunana tabbacinsa, kuma wannan tsari yana mayar da batun wurin muhawara ta halal. Ka yi la’akari da halin mutane da yawa game da abubuwan da ke cikin hankali, na ilhami da bayyanannu. Ka duba abin da ya same su a lokacin da aka fallasa su ga makarantun falsafar hankali, yadda ainihin gaskiyar da ke bayyane ta girgiza – kawai saboda wannan batun ya zama abin ja-in-ja kamar kowane batu. Bayan da na shiga cikin muhawarori da yawa na falsafa, ina so in raba matsayar da na cimma. Ba abu ne mai wuya a gina maganganu na karkatacciyar hanya da ke jefa shakka a kan gaskiyar bayyananniya da ta ilhami ba. Idan mutum bai riƙe bayyanannen yanayin batun da ake suka a kansa ba, babu shakka zai fada cikin irin shakkar da za ta iya rushe tushen da tsarin ilimi mai daidaito da hankali ya dogara a kansa.

Indeed, when we ask for proof of Allah, it is as if we are lighting candles during an already bright day. Such a scene would provoke laughter, would it not? However, what are we supposed to do when we have been forced into a situation to clarify this? A reader may ask, ‘Why the haste in discussing this issue here, in the introduction of the book? Why not defer the discussion to where it can be more appropriately discussed and where the details, explanation, and proofs can be properly presented?’ The motivation for this is to underscore the notion that any research on the existence of Allah  and offering up its most important evidence cannot be treated as an issue which a reader may even subconsciously deem to be contentious, or presume that it requires some lengthy discourse to prove its veracity. This is especially given that there are objections raised to it. Many people are duped into believing that offering up an issue for debate and subjecting it to critique weakens its conclusiveness, and that this process renders the issue into a point of legitimate debate. Consider the state of many people vis-à-vis instinctive and self-evident matters of rationality. Look at what became of them when they were exposed to schools of cognitive philosophy, and how the very core and self-evident truths were shaken – all just because this issue became one of to-and-fro, like any other. After barging shoulders and engrossing myself with many of those philosophical debates, I want to share the conclusion I have deduced. It is not difficult to construct deviant assertions that cast doubt on self-evident and instinctive truths. If a person does not hold on to the self-evident nature of the issue being objected to, he will invariably fall into the type of scepticism that can undermine the foundation upon which a coherent and rational knowledge structure rests.

na hankali, in ba haka ba da har yanzu kana ci gaba da yin imani da shi. To, watakila, akwai wani alkali mafi girma fiye da hankali, wanda idan ya bayyana, zai tabbatar da cewa hankali karya ne, kamar yadda hankali ya ruɗe mu. Kuma idan irin wannan alkali na uku bai bayyana ba tukuna, ba ya nufin cewa ba ya wanzuwa.” ‘Ban iya ba da amsa ga wannan hujja ba na ɗan lokaci; wani tunani da aka samo daga al'amuran barci ya ƙara min shakku. “Ba ka ganin”, na yi tunani, “cewa yayin da kake barci kana ɗaukar mafarkanka a matsayin gaskiya ba tare da shakka ba? Idan ka farka, sai ka gane su don abin da suke: hasashe marasa tushe. Wa zai tabbatar maka, to, amincin ra'ayoyin da kake samu, idan ka farka, daga hankula da kuma daga hankali? Dangane da yanayinka na yanzu, suna iya zama gaskiya; amma kuma yana yiwuwa ka shiga wani yanayi na wanzuwa wanda zai kasance da alaƙa da yanayinka na yanzu kamar yadda wannan ke da alaƙa da yanayinka lokacin barci. A cikin wannan sabuwar duniya za ka gane cewa sakamakon hankali kawai hasashe ne.” ‘Wannan yanayi mai yiwuwa shi ne abin da Sufaye ke kira “wajen rai” (ḥāl), wato, a cewarsu, yanayin da mutum, da ya nutsu cikin kansa da dakatar da fahimtar hankula, yake samun wahayi wanda ya fi ƙarfin hankali. Watakila Mutuwa ma wannan yanayi ne, bisa ga wancan kalmar sarkin annabawa ﷺ: “Mutane suna barci; idan sun mutu, sai su farka.” Rayuwarmu ta yanzu idan aka kwatanta da lahira watakila mafarki ce kawai, kuma mutum, da zarar ya mutu, zai ga abubuwa sabanin waɗanda yake gani yanzu; sannan zai fahimci ma'anar wannan ayar Alƙur'ani: {A yau mun cire labule daga idanunka, kuma ganinka yana da kaifi}. ‘Irin waɗannan tunani sun yi barazanar girgiza hankalina, kuma na nemi hanyar tsira daga gare su. Amma ta yaya? Domin warware wannan matsala, ana buƙatar hujja. Hujja kuwa dole ta dogara ne kan zato na farko, kuma daidai waɗannan ne nake shakka a kansu. Ya ɗauki kusan watanni biyu wannan mummunan yanayi, a lokacin da na kasance – ba shakka, ba a bayyane ko da sana'a ba, amma a zuciya da cikin lamari – mai shakka ƙwarai da gaske. Daga ƙarshe Allah ya yarda ya warkar da ni daga wannan cutar ta hankali; hankalina ya dawo da hankalinsa da daidaitonsa: ginshiƙan farko na hankali sun dawo tare da ni da dukan ƙarfinsu da tsayuwarsu. Na samu 'yanci na ba ga jerin hujjoji da dalilai ba, sai ga hasken da Allah ya sa ya shiga cikin zuciyata – hasken da yake haskaka bakin kowane ilimi. Yin zaton cewa yakini za a iya gina shi ne kawai bisa hujjoji na yau da kullum shi ne takaita rahamar Allah marar iyaka. Wani mutum ya tambayi Manzon Allah ﷺ bayanin wannan ayar a cikin Littafin Allah: "Allah yana buɗe wa Musulunci zuciyar wanda ya zaɓa ya shiryar da shi." Sai ya ce: "Wannan magana ce game da hasken da Allah yake zuba a cikin zuciya." Aka ce masa: "Yaya mutum zai gane wannan haske?" Sai ya ce: "Ta hanyar ƙaurace wa wannan duniya ta ruɗu, da kuma wata ɓoyayyiyar karkata zuwa ga duniyar har abada," Manzon Allah ﷺ ya amsa. A wani lokacin kuma, ya ce: "Allah ya halicci halittunsa cikin duhu, sannan ya zubo musu haskensa." Ta taimakon wannan haske ne ya kamata a ci gaba da neman gaskiya. Kamar yadda ta rahamarsa wannan haske yake sauka lokaci-lokaci a kan mutane, dole mu kasance a koyaushe muna lura da shi. Wannan kuma yana tabbatar da wata magana ta Manzon ﷺ: "Allah yana aiko muku, a wasu lokuta, numfashin alherinsa; ku shirya domin su." Manufara a cikin wannan bayani ita ce in sa wasu su fahimci yadda ya kamata mu nemi gaskiya da himma, domin tana kai ga sakamakon da ba mu taɓa yin tunani a kai ba. Ba lallai ba ne a nemi ginshiƙan farko, domin koyaushe suna cikin zukatanmu; idan mun shiga irin wannan bincike, sai mu ga suna ci gaba da guje mana. Amma waɗanda suke tura binciken su fiye da iyakokin al'ada ba sa cikin zargin sakaci wajen neman abin da yake a iyakar hannunsu. 10 Mutum zai iya samun darussa da hikimomi masu yawa a ƙarshen wannan nassi.

Wannan ita ce babbar manufar littafin. Ina fatan zai cimma burinsa ba tare da shiga irin muhawarar ƙaryatawa da ba ta da alaƙa da yadda rashin imani da Allah (ilhadi) ke bayyana a yau ba. Manufar ba ita ce gabatar da ko tattauna tsofaffin hujjojin ilimin tauhidi da falsafa da aka yi amfani da su wajen tabbatar da wanzuwar Allah ba, kamar hujjar sabon jikkuna (hujjar hudūth al-ajsām), hujjar haɗin abubuwa (hujjar tarkīb), hujjar tsari na musamman (hujjar al-ʿināya al-khāṣṣa), ko muhawarorin da ke kewaye da waɗannan hujjojin. Maimakon haka, manufar ita ce tattaunawa da ta dace da muhawarar da ake yi a yau. Su ne irin tattaunawar da na kasance ina yi da wasu matasan yau waɗanda rinjayar muhawarar masu ilimantar da rashin imani (ilhadi) ta shafa. Haka kuma, littafin nazari ne a kan yawancin shakku da tambayoyin da masu ilhadi na zamani ke gabatarwa. Bai kamata in ɓoye wa masu karatu ba cewa, da kaina, ina da matuƙar sha'awar kare ilimin kalam na Sunna, da abin da aka rubuta a littattafan Sunna da muhawarorin malaman Sunna kan wannan maudu'i, musamman rubuce-rubucen Shaikh al-Islam Ibn Taimiyya. Duk da haka, zan yi ƙoƙarin danne tsananin ra'ayina na goyon bayan Sunna, domin in gabatar da abu da ra'ayoyi da nake fatan za su kasance a bayyane, masu sauƙin fahimta, sabbin dabaru, kuma masu amfani ga al'umma baki ɗaya. Na kawo ƙarshen gabatarwar nan ta hanyar miƙa godiya ga matata mai ƙaunata da 'ya'yana mata masu ƙaunata – Munā, Fāṭimah, Shaykah, da Balsam – saboda babban sadaukarwarsu da haƙurinsu, wanda ya ba ni damar kammala wannan bincike. Allah ya ba su mafi kyawun lada a madadina. Ina godiya ga Dakta Ibrāhīm al-Rammāḥ bisa duba daftarin kafin bugawa, da kuma ra'ayoyinsa masu kyau – Allah ya rubuta masa lada da sakamako. Ina roƙon Allah ya ba mu dukkanmu ikon aikata alheri, kuma ya sa gaskiya ta fito daga zukatanmu da harsunanmu. Shi ne mafi kyawun wanda ake roƙo.

So this is the central idea of the book. I hope it will achieve its aims without delving into the type of polemic that is detached from how atheism actually manifests itself today. The purpose is not to present or discuss the old theological or philosophical arguments used to establish Allah’s existence, such as the argument from the temporality of bodies, argument from composition, argument from special design, or the discussions surrounding these. Rather, the aim is to have a discussion that is aligned to the discourse occurring today. They are the types of discussions I have been having with some of today’s youth who have been impacted by atheist discourse. It is also the study of many of the doubts and objections raised by contemporary atheists. I should not hide from the readership that, personally speaking, I am highly enthusiastic about defending Sunni dialectic theology, and by what is recorded in the Sunni books and debates by Sunni scholars on this subject, especially the writings of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah . However, I will try to curb my strong views in favour of Sunnism to offer material and ideas that I hope will be clear, easy to understand, refreshing, and beneficial to wider society. I end this introduction by paying homage to my beloved wife and my beloved daughters – Munā, Fāṭimah, Shaykah, and Balsam – for their great sacrifices and patience that have allowed me to complete this research. May Allah grant them the best of rewards on my behalf. I thank Dr. Ibrāhīm al-Rammāḥ for reviewing the pre-publication draft, and for his excellent feedback – may Allah decree reward and recompense for him. I ask Allah to grant us all the ability for good, and that He allow the truth to emanate from our hearts and tongues. He  is the best requestee.