​Among the many questions that shape human thought, few are more significant and yet as frequently neglected as the question of existence. For the common man, reality is simply encountered as a collection of objects situated within time and space, but seldom does its deeper, more fundamental nature become a subject of his reflection. Beneath this everyday experience, however, lies a profound metaphysical truth—namely, that existence is neither self-evident nor something to be taken for granted, but rather a mystery that demands its own rational explanation...

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What is often overlooked is the fact that most entities do not inherently possess being. Instead, in almost all cases, an entity's being is derived from a secondary source. A man, for example, cannot bring himself into being, nor can he exist autonomously. On the contrary, he comes into existence through birth and is, in due course, sustained by his organs and various environmental factors. Should one of his organs fail or if a dramatic change occurred in his environment, he would cease to be. Hence, man is contingent by nature, meaning he is neither self-sufficient nor is his existence a metaphysical necessity. Indeed, such is the case not only for man but for every entity in the universe, be it as small as an atom or as large as a planet—each is, in some respect, contingent rather than independent.

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Nevertheless, some will argue that reality is comprised solely of physical, contingent entities existing as an indefinite causal chain. However, this idea is fundamentally flawed as it provides no ultimate foundation for being, rendering the actualization of existence impossible. A series of mirrors, for instance, may reflect light from one to the next, but without an original source of illumination, no reflections would occur at all. This holds true irrespective of whether the series extends indefinitely or not, for a mirror cannot generate light on its own accord.

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Similarly, neither a finite nor an infinite set of contingent entities could account for the existence of said set since being, by definition, is not something contingent entities possess in and of themselves. Thus, to account for the brute fact of existence, there must be a being that cannot not exist, which is to say, a necessary being—an entity whose very essence or defining characteristic is that of existence itself. Uncreated and eternal, it is this being which serves as the hidden source from which all things originate and upon which they all depend.​​​

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What is more, reason would suggest that there can exist only one necessary being, as the existence of multiple such beings would require each to possess distinct attributes—a shared essence and a differentiating characteristic. This composition would render each contingent, as their existence would depend on their constituent parts. Additionally, if the necessary being were physical, it would be subject to time, space, and the laws of nature, thereby becoming contingent and dependent. Hence, the necessary being must be singular, indivisible, and wholly unconditioned.

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This characterization of the necessary being is altogether consonant with the portrayal of God and, more particularly, the notion of tawhid elucidated in the Islamic tradition. For instance, in Surah al-Ikhlas of the Holy Quran, God commands the Prophet ﷺ to “Say, 'He is God, the One; God, the Eternal. He begets not, nor was He begotten, and there is none comparable to Him.'” Thus, in a certain sense, Islam ought to be understood not solely as a revealed religion but, more particularly, as the primordial truth, for every created entity, by way of its inherent dependence, testifies to its submission to God.