During a virtual sitting of the students of Jamia Ahmadiyya Ghana with Hazrat Amirul Momineen, Khalifatul Masih Vaa, which was held on 5 December 2020, a student asked Huzooraa what the strongest proof [for the existence of God] was to make those people who did not believe in God Almighty understand.
Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa replied:
“The fact is that those who do not believe in God Almighty do not wish to even listen [to such proofs]. The strongest proofs for the existence of God Almighty are your personal experiences with Him.
“Tell them, ‘You say that God does not exist. I say there is a God as I asked of Him and He gave me what I prayed for.’ You have had your prayers answered, right? Has Allah ever accepted a prayer of yours? Have you ever prayed for something and had that prayer accepted? (The student answered in the affirmative.) So, say to those people who do not believe in God, ‘You say that God Almighty does not exist. I sought something from Allah the Exalted and He granted it to me. I have a personal experience of Allah the Exalted. How can I say that there is no God? If you also make an effort, you can find Allah as well.’
“However, those people who do not believe in God can be very stubborn. There is also an atheist here as well whose name is Richard Dawkins. He does not believe in God Almighty and has also written a book against [the existence of] God. I sent him the Five-Volume Commentary [of the Holy Quran] as well as other books such as The Philosophy of the Teachings of Islam. I told him to read these books and then speak to us and he would realise who God truly is and what the true concept of God is. He replied saying that he did not want to read any of it [as if to say] ‘You just read my book. I won’t read any of your books.’
“Hence, these people are stubborn and by no means do stubborn people wish to believe. Indeed, you should maintain a personal relationship with those who possess a pious nature. Then, you should gradually bring them towards God Almighty due to your personal contact. Sometimes this nearness also has an effect and it becomes the means for others to reform themselves. So, personal experience is the most effective thing.
“At times, there are people here who come to meet me. There are some members from the press who also come to meet me – and, in fact, some have expressed that they did not believe in God but if they did ever believe in God, it would be due to the Khalifa who had taught them the truth about God Almighty.
“Moreover, it is necessary to pray in order to soften their hearts. We should pray that Allah the Exalted may soften their hearts. For this reason, our own personal examples are very important. Present your personal example before them and tell them about your personal experiences. When it comes to the acceptance of prayer, look at your own relationship with Allah. When you tell them about your own relationship with Allah, they will be more impressed with that first-hand experience.
“There are countless other proofs other than that. There is the book, Our God, there are Ten Proofs for the Existence of God and Hasti Bari Ta‘ala by Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra. All these books are now available in Urdu and in English. So, read them and give others these books to read. Likewise, if there is someone who is well-educated and literate, you should first give him The Philosophy of the Teachings of Islam, then Ten Proofs for the Existence of God, which are small books. Then, in Revelation, Rationality, Knowledge and Truth, the book of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IVrh, there is a chapter about the existence of God Almighty which proves very convincing for some people. You should also give them Our God to read, which has been translated into English.
“Now, if they do not believe even after reading all this, then our only duty is to convey the message to them. We cannot guarantee anyone that they will be guided. Allah the Exalted has taken it upon Himself to grant guidance. The responsibility He has given us is merely to propagate the message and to bring people to the path of Allah the Exalted.”
