The Evolution of Nihilism and Its Opposition to Religious Faith (part 18)
The Philosophy of Life from the Perspective of Islam and Nihilism
The meaning of life is one of the most important philosophical issues in the modern era. The main questions in this regard include:
Does life have a purpose or not?
Is life valuable or not, and do people—independent of their specific conditions and personal interests have a reason to live?
The views of most Western philosophers regarding the meaning of life, especially after separating from religious perspectives, have been more or less influenced by the growing trend of nihilism in the modern age, or they have taken this very perspective as the starting point of their philosophical inquiries.
In the history of human thought, the issue of the purpose and meaning of life has been examined from two broad extremes: on one end, there is belief in an absolute principle of existence and a predetermined destiny; on the other, there is the denial of any meaning or purpose in life, asserting that human life is entirely empty and meaningless.
Nihilism regards life as absolutely nothing and meaningless, rejecting any positive idea about life.
In its attempt to dominate over all ideologies, nihilism seeks to provide answers based on its own intellectual framework; Islamic thought is not an exception to this challenge.
Islamic thought is confronted with the dominance of nihilism, which targets its system of meaning and values just as it does other systems of thought.
Technology and the limitless expansion of awareness have paved the way for the spread of nihilism, while Islamic thought, in contrast, has pursued a path of restoring meaning and reestablishing values.
Islam and nihilism represent two opposing worldviews. Islam emphasizes the purposeful nature of existence, the meaning of life, and absolute divine values, whereas nihilism denies meaning, truth, and intrinsic values.
From the Islamic perspective, nihilism is considered a spiritual illness resulting from distance from God and from a rational, meaningful life; it can be treated through faith and righteous action, although some Muslim societies today face the challenges of modern nihilism.
Fundamental Relationship and Contradiction
Meaning of existence: Islam views the universe as purposeful and created with intent, whereas nihilism considers it futile and meaningless.
Moral values: Nihilism denies any moral foundation, while Islam grounds morality in revelation and human nature (fitrah).
In Islamic thought, any perspective that leads to indifference, stagnation, and the collapse of values is regarded as a form of inferior life.
Nihilism, as a result of superficial thinking and the neglect of humanity’s innate potentials, stands in opposition to what is called the “rational life” (hayat ma‘qul), whose aim is to understand the relationship between human beings and the universe.
Contemporary Challenges
Some studies point to the influence of nihilism as a modern value system within Muslim societies, targeting traditional systems of meaning and leading to religious alienation or spiritual disillusionment.
Islamic Solution
To confront nihilism, Islam emphasizes strengthening faith, reliance on piety (taqwa), religious epistemology, and righteous action, so that human beings may escape the dead-end of meaninglessness.
The Noble Qur’an is the book of life and a complete guide for human perfection and happiness. Therefore, it is both appropriate and necessary to examine and answer the fundamental questions of life from the perspective of the Qur’an.
One of the most important questions that has always concerned humanity is the philosophy of creation a deep and fundamental question. Humans have always wanted to know why they were created and what the purpose of life is.
When we turn to the Noble Qur’an, we find several categories of verses that answer this question. In general, they can be divided into three main categories, which will be discussed in detail in the next section, God willing.
