Syed Abul A'la Maududi (1903–1979)

The Existence of the Supreme Creator

Friends, imagine someone tells you there's a store in the marketplace with no shopkeeper, no one stocking the shelves, no cashier, and no security guard. Yet the store runs perfectly on its own: goods appear automatically, customers pay and leave without anyone handling transactions, and nothing ever gets stolen. Would you believe it?

Ask your own mind: Could a functioning store exist without someone behind it? Could merchandise arrive, sell, and stay secure all by itself?

Now picture a factory with no owner, no engineer, no workers. Machines assemble themselves, parts fit perfectly into place, production lines run nonstop, and complex products roll out day after day. If someone seriously claimed this, you'd probably stare in disbelief, wondering if their mind was okay.

Only someone completely out of touch with reality would say such a thing.

Look around you right now. That light bulb glowing above you—could anyone convince you its light appears on its own? That chair you're sitting on—would you accept, even from the greatest philosopher, that it built itself? The clothes on your body—could any scholar persuade you they wove themselves without a weaver? The house or apartment you live in—if every university professor in the world insisted these buildings rose on their own, would you believe it?

These are everyday examples. Yet when it comes to the vast factory of the universe—the one running right in front of you—some people hesitate to apply the same logic.

Consider the solar system: the moon, sun, and countless stars move with clock-like precision. Have you ever seen the night arrive early or the day break late? Has the moon ever crashed into Earth? Has the sun ever veered off course? Billions of planets and stars—some vastly larger than Earth or even the sun—spin on exact paths at exact speeds. A tiny deviation for even a second would collapse the entire system into chaos.

On Earth, gravity holds everything in place. If it loosened for a moment, the whole world would fly apart. Air follows its laws, water follows its laws, light, heat, cold—everything obeys fixed rules. Soil, rocks, metals, electricity, steam, plants, animals—none can step outside their assigned roles or change their properties.

Take a single seed you plant in the ground. It can never grow into a tree unless countless forces cooperate perfectly: soil provides nutrients, the sun gives measured warmth, water delivers exactly what's needed, air supplies gases, nights bring dew and coolness, days bring ripening heat. For months or years, these elements work in flawless harmony until the seed becomes a tree bearing fruit.

Every crop that feeds humanity exists only because these forces collaborate without fail. You yourself are alive because the same coordinated system sustains you. If even one element—like air—stopped cooperating, you'd suffocate. If water refused to bond with soil, your fields would dry up, your homes would crumble.

This entire world runs smoothly because every department of this grand kingdom follows the rules and works together. No single part rebels or acts independently.

Is any of this untrue? I doubt anyone would deny it.

So ask yourself honestly: How can such perfect order, such flawless coordination, such unbreakable harmony exist across billions of years—across planets, oceans, atmospheres, living things—without a single intelligent, all-powerful authority behind it?

For billions of years, this universe has operated without a single major disruption. Trees have grown, animals have been born, humans have lived on this planet for countless generations. The day-night cycle has never failed. Winds have never fought with rain. Heat has never refused to work with fire.

Why do all these "departments"—every force, every particle—follow the rules so perfectly? Why no chaos, no rebellion, no breakdown?

Your own heart knows the answer: One supreme God rules this entire creation. His unmatched power holds everything in perfect order.

If even two gods existed, the system could never run with such precision. A small school cannot function with two principals. A department collapses with two directors. A country cannot survive two kings. How could this vast universe—far more complex—run under multiple rulers?

The truth is not only that the universe has a Creator, but that it has one Creator. Not only does it have a Ruler, but it has one Ruler. The flawless order shouts that ultimate authority rests in one hand alone.

The strict laws governing everything—from the orbit of planets to the beating of your heart—testify that one sovereign governs from the highest heaven to the smallest particle. The sun, moon, stars, Earth, air, water, mountains, trees, animals, your very life and death—all are under His absolute command. Nothing can escape His grip. No force can override His will.

In reality, a system this perfectly organized leaves no room for more than one ruler. Shared power means disorder. True governance requires not just strength, but perfect knowledge, complete vision, and flawless wisdom—qualities that belong to God alone. Any lesser being given even partial authority would inevitably cause imbalance.

Even in a simple machine, an unqualified person meddling with it ruins it. How much more so with the infinitely complex machinery of human life and the cosmos?

Reason and observation both conclude: This kingdom belongs to one God alone. No one else holds even a particle of divine authority.

The Real Cause of Human Misery

These are the foundational realities on which the entire universe operates. You are not separate from this world—you are part of it. The same truths that govern the cosmos apply to your life.

Yet today, every thinking person asks: Why has peace vanished from human existence? Why do troubles keep descending on us? Why has our collective life gone so wrong?

Nations clash with nations. Countries exploit one another. People treat each other like wolves. Millions die in wars. Trillions are wasted in destruction. Cities are ruined. The strong devour the weak. The rich rob the poor. Governments oppress. Courts deliver injustice. Wealth breeds arrogance. Power breeds pride. Friendship breeds betrayal. Trust breeds dishonesty. Morality has eroded. Faith in others has collapsed. Religion often wears the mask of irreligion.

Humanity is fractured into countless groups, each viewing harm to the other as virtue.

Why all this chaos?

Look at the rest of creation: water, trees, animals, every force and creature operates in perfect peace. No disorder exists there. So why has humanity alone been deprived of this blessing?

The short, clear answer is this: Humans have built their lives in contradiction to reality—and until we realign with reality, we will never find peace.

Imagine you mistake the door of a speeding train for the door of your home. You open it casually and step out as if into your living room. Your mistake won't turn the train door into a house door, nor the rushing ground into your courtyard. The consequence—falling, injury—will happen regardless of what you believe.

Exactly the same principle applies here. If you decide there is no God, or that you yourself are god, or that someone or something else holds ultimate authority, reality doesn't change. God remains God. His kingdom remains absolute. You remain His subject. But the lifestyle you build on that false premise will bring suffering—whether you admit the mistake or not.

Recall what I explained earlier: God did not become God because anyone acknowledged Him. He needs no one's recognition. Whether you accept it or deny it, He is the Sovereign. He created you and this world. The Earth, sun, moon, stars, every force that sustains your life—all are under His command. Your very existence depends on Him.

You cannot change this reality by ignoring it, denying it, or believing something else. The only difference is in the outcome for you: Accept your true position as His servant, and your life aligns with reality—bringing peace, security, and balance. Reject it, and the result is the same as jumping from a moving train: pain, brokenness, destruction—while reality remains unchanged.

So what is our true position according to reality?

A servant paid and sustained by a master exists to obey, serve, and stay within assigned limits. An employee under a boss exists to follow instructions faithfully. Property belongs to its owner; the owner's will prevails. In a kingdom, subjects live under the king's law.

In God's kingdom, your position is that of a servant ('abd). He created you. He sustains you from His treasures. He is your Lord and Master. This Earth and heavens are His property. His will governs here. You have no right to impose your own will.

If you attempt to run things your way, you will suffer the consequences—just as an unqualified person ruins a complex machine by meddling with it.

No human or group of humans can claim sovereignty here. No parliament, council, or ruler has the right to legislate against God's law or demand obedience in place of His. Any such claim is rebellion.

Why Injustice Exists

This is not just a matter of rights—it's a question of capability. Can any human or human institution justly govern all humanity? Even a simple machine requires qualified operators. Human life and society are infinitely more complex—full of psychological, social, economic, and moral intricacies. Who can run this "machine" perfectly when most people barely understand themselves, let alone others?

When unqualified people make laws and govern, the result is inevitable: imbalance, injustice, suffering.

Wherever human-made systems replace divine guidance—where people rule without reference to God—peace disappears. Oppression, exploitation, and chaos follow.

Look at history: royal dynasties granting themselves privileges above the law; priestly classes declaring themselves pure while deeming others impure; landowners and capitalists treating workers as lesser beings; powerful nations colonizing and exploiting weaker ones. Every human-made hierarchy creates inequality and injustice because humans are biased—toward self, family, class, race, or nation.

True justice requires a Lawgiver who views all humans equally, with no personal interest, no favoritism, no ignorance, no greed. Only God possesses these qualities.

How Can Peace Be Established?

Another crucial point: The only thing that restrains human behavior is accountability to a higher power. Remove that fear—no judgment, no consequences—and people become unrestrained.

This applies to individuals, families, classes, nations. When any group feels unanswerable, oppression follows.

The root of global unrest is this: Humanity has refused to acknowledge a Power above itself. Without belief in a Creator who sees all, holds absolute authority, and will hold every soul accountable, true restraint vanishes.

No human institution—League of Nations, United Nations, or any superpower—can replace this. Human systems always favor the powerful, the connected, the wealthy.

Only faith in God—recognizing His absolute sovereignty, submitting as servants, and living with certainty that every action will be judged—can restrain wrongdoing and build lasting peace.

A Final Objection Answered

You may be wondering: If God's rule is so absolute, why does He allow humans to rebel? Why doesn't He stop them immediately?

Consider this example: A king appoints an officer to govern a district. The king holds all real power—army, resources, communication. The officer's authority is entirely delegated and limited. Yet the king loosens his grip deliberately—to test the officer's character, loyalty, and competence.

If the officer is wise and faithful, he remains loyal, governs justly, and earns promotion. But if he is foolish, disloyal, and ambitious—and the people are ignorant and fearful—he may declare independence, claim ownership, and oppress others. The people, seeing his immediate power (police, courts, treasury), accept his rule.

The king watches patiently. He could crush the rebellion instantly. But He allows time for true natures to reveal themselves fully. Only when rebellion and injustice have run their course does the king act decisively—when no excuse remains, and the lesson is complete.

We are all in that same test. God has given us freedom and loosened the reins to see who will remain faithful servants and who will rebel. The consequences of our choices will come—in this life and the next.

I have chosen the path of loyalty. I stand against anyone who rebels against God.

You are free to choose. One side offers temporary gains from human powers. The other offers eternal consequences from the One who truly holds all authority.

The decision is yours.