In a world where materialism often reigns supreme, many individuals hold the belief that life is simply a series of natural processes without any deeper meaning or final accountability. This perspective is not new: the Quran records a similar claim from its own historical setting more than fourteen centuries ago. The Quran addresses this worldview directly, providing a response that remains relevant today. In this article, we will explore how the Quran articulates and challenges this materialist position.
Quranic Verses on Materialism
The Quran captures the essence of a materialist view in Surah Al-Jathiya:
"And they say, 'There is not but our worldly life; we die and live, and nothing destroys us except time.' And they have of that no knowledge; they are only assuming." (Quran 45:24)
This verse quotes people who denied resurrection and reduced life and death to the passage of al-dahr, or time. Classical commentators commonly explain the phrase "we die and live" as referring to the succession of generations: some people die while others are born and live after them. The verse is not necessarily quoting a technical school of modern philosophical materialism; rather, it records a recognizable attitude: no resurrection, no final judgment, and no power beyond impersonal time or nature. This also helps explain the authentic hadith in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim warning against cursing al-dahr: scholars explain that time is not an independent power, but a label people use for events whose ultimate disposal belongs to Allah.
It is important to note that this perspective was not unique to the modern era but was also present in late antiquity. The Quran, therefore, records a contemporary view of its time rather than predicting a future one. This perspective is further echoed in other Quranic verses:
"And they say, 'There is not but our worldly life, and we will not be resurrected.'" (Quran 6:29)
"There is not but our worldly life; we die and live, but we will not be resurrected." (Quran 23:37)
Desires as a God
In the verse preceding Quran 45:24, another dimension of materialism is addressed:
"Have you seen he who has taken as his god his [own] desire, and Allah has sent him astray due to knowledge and has set a seal upon his hearing and his heart and put over his vision a veil? So who will guide him after Allah? Then will you not be reminded?" (Quran 45:23)
This verse highlights the idea of taking one's desires, or hawa, as a governing authority. Classical tafsir explains this as obeying desire as though it were the final judge: following whims over revelation and moral truth. The phrase in the verse about being led astray "upon/with knowledge" is explained by commentators in more than one way, including Allah's knowledge of that person's chosen state, or the person's turning away despite knowledge reaching him. This point is broader than materialism alone: a theist can also become enslaved to desire, and a philosophical materialist may still defend moral commitments. The Quranic critique is that when desire becomes the highest authority, it functions like an idol, whether the person describes himself as religious or secular.
The Quranic Reply to Materialism
The Quran's response to the materialist claim is clear: those who assert that life is only about worldly existence and that nothing but time destroys them are speaking without knowledge: "they are only assuming." The immediate critique is not that a person has noticed ordinary natural causes; the Quran itself repeatedly invites observation of causes in the world. The critique is that the denial of resurrection and final accountability is being stated with unwarranted certainty.
Observation shows that human beings die and that generations pass; it does not, by itself, prove that the Creator cannot resurrect or judge. A materialist may argue from the success of natural explanations, the regularity of the world, or the absence of observable resurrection in ordinary experience. The Quran's answer is that these points do not amount to knowledge of non-existence. They are inferences shaped by prior assumptions about what reality can contain.
For that reason, the Quran shifts attention to signs it presents elsewhere: the origin of creation, the ordering of the heavens and earth, the revival of dead land by rain, human moral awareness, and revelation. Its challenge is epistemic and existential: on what grounds does one move from "I observe decay and natural processes" to "there is no resurrection, no Lord, and no final accountability"?
Assessing the Fairness of the Quranic Critique
A strong materialist response would say: "We should not multiply unseen entities. Science explains more and more by natural causes; conscious life appears closely linked to the brain; and no laboratory can verify the Hereafter." The Quranic critique should be read against that stronger claim, not against a caricature.
The reply is that Islam does not reject empirical investigation or the regularity of causes. It rejects turning a successful method for studying the physical world into a metaphysical verdict that only the physical exists. Methodological naturalism in the laboratory is not the same as metaphysical naturalism as a worldview.
Likewise, secular thinkers have offered accounts of ethics, meaning, and human flourishing, so the argument should not pretend that materialists have no moral language at all. The deeper Quranic question is whether moral obligation, purpose, human dignity, and ultimate justice are adequately grounded if reality is nothing but matter in motion and death is the final end. This is where the verse's phrase "no knowledge" remains powerful: the denial of accountability is not an observed fact, but a conclusion drawn from a contested worldview.
Conclusion
The Quran's engagement with materialism offers a timeless critique of a worldview that remains prevalent today. By addressing the assumptions underlying materialist beliefs and highlighting the role of desires as a guiding force, the Quran presents a nuanced philosophical argument that invites reflection. While the materialist position is certainly one among many in the spectrum of human thought, the Quran's response challenges readers to consider the limitations of this perspective and the potential for a more profound understanding of existence.