Religious people often raise this objection:
If God does not exist, and after death, we will forever cease to exist without reward or punishment, then what is the criterion for success in this world? Are those who possess wealth, power, and women the only successful ones? Regardless of whether they are murderers, thugs, smugglers, drug dealers, or how bad they may be? Even if they amassed wealth through looting and plunder? And are the millions of poor people in this world born only to be humiliated, to suffer the oppression of the powerful, and to be exploited? Are Genghis Khan, Hitler, Stalin, Mao Zedong, and millions of other murderers like them equal to a person who never hurt anyone in the world? Then, in that case, every person should have the right to crush others to get ahead and not care about ethics. Because ethics weaken a person, and powerful people achieve their goals and destinations without caring about ethics. If this is all a game of "survival of the fittest," then why did humans establish laws of ethics? This is a characteristic of religions, because they promise reward and eternal life for adhering to ethical principles. But when a person does not believe in any accountability after death, why should they weaken themselves by adhering to ethical demands and become targets of exploitation by cunning, deceitful, and sharp-witted people? Instead, why shouldn't they themselves use every good and bad method to establish a position in the human world, because if life is lived only once, why live it like cowards, suffocated and under the imaginary ethical principles created by society, which cunning, sharp-witted people trample underfoot? Should every person remove every obstacle in their path to get ahead, because human excellence and success are only what they achieve in this world?
Our Response:
"Nature" has no concept of reward or punishment.
And there is no "intelligent design" in Nature, and Nature does not operate with a "purpose."
Due to Nature, billions of stars like our Earth are formed and destroyed daily.
Due to Nature, earthquakes, storms, and hurricanes occur on Earth and swallow entire cities, and Nature receives no reward or punishment for this.
Due to Nature, dinosaurs became extinct on Earth even before the arrival of humans (Adam), and in fact, billions of species became extinct before the arrival of humans. Therefore, there was no purpose in their creation, nor any purpose in their extinction before the arrival of humans.
Due to Nature, thousands of diseases emerge that become epidemics, killing not thousands but millions and billions of people in such torment that no human could inflict such pain on another human even when killing them. So, for the extreme pain and suffering endured by these dying people, who then is the "culprit" and to "whom" will the punishment be given?
And then, if children are born disabled and afflicted with terrifying diseases and are forced to live extremely painful lives, should not Allah be punished for this pain and suffering? Yes, in this scenario, Allah is indeed becoming the culprit for inflicting this agonizing pain and suffering on these children.
Therefore, since Nature is "purposeless," it has no role in the system of punishment or the system of justice.
This system of punishment and justice, etc., has been created solely by "humans" themselves after gaining consciousness.
If someone commits murder in this world, Nature doesn't care whether they are punished or not. But if they are not punished, it is the fault of society, and society will be punished in this world for failing to provide justice in this matter, and such a society will continue to crumble.
As a result of evolution, humans gained intellect, and based on intellect, to live, humans established systems of punishment and justice under an intelligent design for the achievement of a purpose.
And since humans are not "perfect," the system of punishment and justice cannot be 100% perfect, and some criminals may slip through. But despite these few individual cases, our collective purpose as a society is successfully fulfilled under this system of reward and punishment.
The concept of reward and punishment in the afterlife is nothing more than a deception, nor can any moral system be established in society based on it. If that were possible, there would be no tradition of giving legal punishments in religious societies; instead, reward and punishment would be deferred to the afterlife.
And if Islam's claim "Actions are judged by intentions" (Innama al-a'malu bin-niyyat) is correct, then in the suffering of disabled children or a mentally ill person, where is the "intention" of a good deed? They have no choice, and Allah has afflicted them with suffering without choice. So how can there be reward and punishment for them without choice and without intention?
Religions did not create morality
Religions merely absorbed pre-existing moral feelings into their doctrines and tried to reinforce them with the fear of punishment or the hope of reward.
But the origin of morality is in human consciousness, experience, and natural instinct (which is based upon human hormones, and we may also call it humanity). It has nothing to do with religion.
Thus, morality evolved through:
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Human reason
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Human experience
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Biological evolution
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Social necessity
When humans began living in organized communities, they realized that survival depends on:
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Helping one another
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Practicing justice
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Establishing fair rules
This moral system existed before religion and can exist without it.
Relationship between Humanity and Morality
Are humanity and morality the same? Not quite, but they are deeply interconnected.
Morality refers to a system of principles that defines right and wrong. It can stem from reason, philosophy, religion, society, or experience.
Examples:
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Lying is wrong
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Mocking the weak is immoral
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Honesty is a virtue
Morality often appears as rules or codes, whether religious or secular.
While Humanity refers to a feeling of compassion, empathy, kindness, caring for others’ pain (and it lies in our hormones as a natural instinct).
Examples:
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Helping a wounded person, even if they’re your enemy
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Helping an elderly person cross the street
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Hugging an orphan child
These actions come not from rules, but from the heart and emotional instinct (with hormonal influence).
The relationship between the two is this:
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Humanity is the foundation upon which morality comes to life.
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While morality gives structure to humanity.
Example:
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Giving food to a hungry person = Humanity
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Creating a fair distribution system = Morality
Sometimes, they are separate:
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A judge punishing a criminal = Moral, but perhaps lacking emotional humanity
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Forgiving an enemy due to their tears = Humanity, but possibly against justice (immoral)
A complete human is someone who possesses both empathy (humanity) and principles (morality).
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If one has morality but no compassion, they become harsh and cold.
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But if one has compassion but no principles, they may enable injustice.
Society collapses under either extreme. The balance of both is essential.
Hassan Radwan