The Debate That Sparked the Question
A few weeks ago, I watched a debate between Javed Akhtar and an Islamic scholar, Mufti Shamail Nadvi, on the question: Does God exist? Javed Akhtar argued that God does not exist, grounding his position in human sufferingp articularly the violence and deaths in Palestine and elsewhere. His central question was simple and unsettling: if God exists, why does He allow such suffering?
Mufti Shamail, on the other hand, argued that God must exist otherwise, who created the universe?
While watching the debate, I felt that the exchange was not truly between equals. Mufti Shamail is a trained Islamic scholar, an academic whose profession is to study, teach, and defend the idea of God. Javed Akhtar, though a towering public intellectual and artist, is a poet and thinker not someone professionally trained to win theological arguments. In that sense, the debate felt uneven from the start.
Interestingly, Mufti Shamail appeared dominant in the beginning, but weaker in the later half. Perhaps this was inevitable, because in such debates the burden of proof lies with the believer, not the non-believer. Though the room frequently erupted in applause for Mufti Shamail’s arguments, it seemed to me that much of that response came from people who already shared his faith. Later, I saw several videos where Mufti Shamail and his supporters declared victory.
Personally, I am a firm believer in God and I will explain why—but I found Javed Akhtar’s position intellectually honest. Mufti Shamail did not convince me of God’s existence, largely because the language and conceptual framework he used felt alien to Javed Akhtar’s worldview. Still, this blog is not about who won or lost that debate. It is about what God means to me.
Belief Is Not Inherited, It Evolves
I believe that faith is not something we simply inherit; it is something that evolves. Often, we confuse belief with early conditioning those childhood days when we bowed before idols or prayed simply because our parents asked us to. That is not belief; that is obedience.
For me, belief has been a journey and I suspect this is true for many, especially those who grow up with idol worship.
Consider a small child running ahead of their parents in a crowded place. The child keeps looking back, running confidently as long as the parents are visible. But the moment the parents disappear from sight, the child begins to cry. At that moment, the child has no concept of God. What the child has is trust—trust in parents as protectors. When that trust vanishes, the world suddenly feels unsafe and full of strangers.
A few years later, you see the same child moving confidently through crowds, no longer clinging to a parent’s hand. At this stage, the child begins to understand the limitations of parents and starts believing in themselves—their ability to solve problems, to navigate the world. Parental support still exists, but it is no longer central.
When Self-Belief Is No Longer Enough
The next transformation comes much later, when the individual is truly on their own fighting for a job, recognition, success, and dignity. Slowly, a realization sets in: we are not the sole drivers of our destiny. Multiple factors shape success and failure. Talent does not always lead to opportunity. Less capable people sometimes rise higher, while the deserving remain unseen.
We also realize that life is no longer linear or predictable. Education followed clear rules study, pass exams, move forward. The real world does not. It is often harsh, sometimes rewarding, and frequently unfair. It can be brutal even to good people.
At this stage, something shifts inside us. We begin to need a power larger than ourselves—much like we once needed our parents. Someone we can trust, seek strength from, and even complain to when things do not go as plannedw hich they often do not.
From this point onward, many of us find God.
Why God Matters to Me
As life’s uncertainties increase, trust in God grows not as a scientific conclusion, but as a source of strength. I believe that any deeply logical person, especially one well-versed in science, might conclude that God does not exist. But then I ask myself: what is the purpose of reaching that conclusion?
If belief in God helps us survive our darkest moments, carry hope through unbearable loss, gather courage after repeated failures, and still enjoy success with humility then does the debate really matter?
For me, God is not a problem-solver in the transactional sense. He may not fix everything. But He gives me the courage to live, the hope to continue, and a sense of meaning when life feels overwhelming. That, to me, is indispensable.
A Personal Choice, Not a Public Verdict
If you are strong enough to rely entirely on yourself, if you do not need what some might call an “imaginary support,” then by all means, walk that path. I cannot. And I know I am not alone.
For many of us, the question of whether God exists or does not exist is flawed. God is not a scientific hypothesis to be proven or disproven in a debate hall. Faith is deeply personal—a choice shaped by experience, vulnerability, and the need for meaning.
For me, God exists because I need Him. Not to explain the universe, but to live in it. And that, I believe, is reason enough.