The rational proofs for the oneness of the Lord

Forwards Ibn Sa'di, the name of the book: The rational proofs of the oneness of the Lord and the faces of His perfection. Name of the author: The scholar Abdul Rahman bin Nasser bin Abdullah Al-Sa'di (may Allah have mercy on him). Type of the book: The books of the scholar Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz bin Aqeel, student of the scholar Abdul Rahman Al-Sa'di (may Allah have mercy on them). In the preface of the book: ((This lecture that is in front of me; a shining word from our sheikh, the scholar Abdul Rahman bin Nasser Al-Sa'di, may Allah have mercy on him... And this lecture was a handwritten message preserved among the children of the sheikh, and a copy was sent to me by the grandson of the author, the professor: Musaad bin Abdullah Al-Sa'di – may Allah guide him)). Publishing house: This book has been printed several times by different publishing houses, most notably Dar Al-Jawzi. The verified edition of Dar Al-Jawzi was prepared by Sheikh Basil bin Saud Al-Rashood, and it was read and introduced by the scholar Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz bin Aqeel (may Allah have mercy on him). It was first printed by Dar Al-Jawzi in 1429 AH. Number of pages: The pages of the Dar Al-Jawzi edition are 78 pages. Introduction to the subject of the book: The scholar Abdul Rahman Al-Sa'di, may Allah have mercy on him, wrote in the preface of his book: ((This is a great lecture containing clear alertness to the rational proofs of the oneness of the Lord and the face of His perfection. Know that this issue is the greatest of all issues, the biggest, most obligatory, most beneficial, and clearest. All the revealed books from Allah to His messengers and all the messengers agree upon it. It is the most important thing that the messengers called their nations to, each messenger saying to his people: (O my people, worship Allah, you have no deity other than Him) [Al-A'raf: 59]. And they mention to their nations the names of the Lord, His attributes, His blessings, His bounties, and His kindnesses, through which they recognize their Lord, submit to Him, and worship Him. The glorious Quran from beginning to end clarifies this issue and mentions various proofs, and it interprets the verses, as does the Sunnah. The aim of this lecture is not to mention the textual evidence for it; for the Book and the Sunnah contain countless proofs and evidence, and some of it is sufficient and comprehensive for the purpose. But in this lecture, we want to briefly point to its rational proofs, which all rational humans share in knowing and submitting to, and only the stubborn and arrogant deny them, opposing reason and religion)). The proofs mentioned in the book: The author mentioned many diverse proofs for the oneness of the Lord and His perfection in this book, which are as follows: First: The occurrence of things has three rational categories: either the creations exist by themselves, or the creations created themselves, or the creations have a Creator who created them. Second: Reflection on the creation of humans and the universe. Third: Allah’s general mercy. Fourth: Consideration of the conditions of the distressed. Fifth: Allah’s response to supplications. Sixth: The signs of the prophets. Seventh: The heavenly books and the prophetic Sunnah, and the laws within them. Eighth: The innate fitrah is compelled to acknowledge Allah. Ninth: The reward for the good-doers is immediate, and the punishment for the oppressors is immediate. Tenth: The existence of the Lord is more apparent than everything else. Eleventh: The days of Allah and His events. Twelfth: The perfection of the prophets and the signs they have. Thirteenth: The consensus of the messengers on the monotheism of Allah. Fourteenth: Allah’s and the angels’ testimony, and the testimony of the scholars and the guided. Fifteenth: The good outcomes for the believers and the bad for the disbelievers. Sixteenth: Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon him) informing about the unseen matters. Seventeenth: Allah’s challenge to all humans and jinn to produce something like the Quran. Eighteenth: The great effects resulting from the message of Muhammad (peace be upon him). Nineteenth: The completeness of the Shariah, the truthfulness of its news, and the agreement of its rulings. Twentieth: The truthfulness of the messengers and the necessity of honoring them and valuing their sayings. Twenty-first: What the messengers brought is the true beneficial, and what contradicts it is false. Twenty-second: The innate fitrah in the hearts of the servants, especially the prophets. Twenty-third: The consensus of Muslims and those who knew the state of the Prophet (peace be upon him). Evaluation of the book: This is a concise and gentle book by one of the greatest Muslim scholars of this time. The scholar Al-Sa'di has many books in various fields, and his flowing pen greatly influences the reader. This book is among his beneficial and impactful writings, and the Muslim reader finds comfort in reading it along with the examples the sheikh mentioned. The sheikh’s simple style is good for those not specialized in the critique of atheism. However, as some of the proofs mentioned by the author indicate, they are not directed at the stubborn disbeliever or the skeptic whose doubts are deeply rooted; for example, the consensus of the messengers on monotheism and the testimony of Allah, the angels, and the guided scholars are among the proofs of the oneness of the Lord. And there is no doubt that these are proofs accepted by the monotheistic Muslim. As for the disbeliever or skeptic, they dispute such proofs and are not convinced by them. Therefore, a person should consider this matter, and this book may not be suitable to give as a gift to an atheist or skeptic. Nevertheless, I advise every monotheistic Muslim to read this concise and beautiful book and benefit from it. May Allah have mercy on the scholar Abdul Rahman Al-Sa'di and grant him spacious gardens for all he has contributed to Islam and Muslims.