Many people wonder, what was before God?—a question that arises from our limited perception of time and creation. In Islam, the answer lies in understanding the Creator’s unique nature and the difference between the created and the Creator. God (Allah) is beyond human limitations; He is not bound by time, space, or the physical laws He Himself created.
The Quran repeatedly emphasizes His eternal and self-sufficient existence, making clear that nothing existed before Him because He has always been. This discussion sheds light on how Islamic theology explains God’s timelessness, self-existence, and absolute independence from His creation.
We will start by putting a fundamental, strengthening base for our common sense and reason. This would help us reach a conclusion away from logical fallacies and prejudice.
What Was Before God: Fundamental Principles to Answer
In dealing with delicate and super-sensitive questions related to God and the origin of life, we should primarily take into consideration some facts.
I would assume that you already agree the universe should have a creator, and a Creator should -by common sense and reason- have a set of unique features and attributes that we will discuss in the following paragraphs.
These will help us figure out a true understanding and answer our principle question smoothly and easily.
1- God Is Unique And Different From His Creation
Creation means bringing something from nothing into existence. Thus, if we say -for example- God created the sun, this means that the sun was never present before God created it.
The same applies to all creation, that if we say God created man, this means man never existed before that, and thus Allah himself cannot be man nor have the attributes of a limited, needy, created man.
This drives us to conclude that Allah is different from all His creations and superior to them as He created them in the first place. That is the first thing you should always remember, God is unique, superior, and different!
“There is nothing like Him, for He ˹alone˺ is the All-Hearing, All-Seeing.”
2- God Created Everything Including Time And Space
God created everything; including time and space. Therefore, He cannot be confined by either time or space. He is not limited by time nor restricted by a place as He himself created them as well.
The same applies to energy, matter, time, space, physics laws.. Etc. He created these all, He shouldn’t be confined or restricted by any.
“Allah is the Creator of all things, and He is the Guardian and Disposer of all affairs. To Him belong the keys of the heavens and the earth..”
3- God Is Not Created
A creation is called like that because it needs a creator to create it. God is unique and superior, He doesn’t fall under the category of a creation that is restricted by time and needs a beginning. The Creator of everything has no beginning and needn’t be created.
Furthermore, assuming God has a creator will drive us to an endless chain of creators that doesn’t agree with common sense and reason.
“He is the First and the Last, the Most High and Most Near, and He has ˹perfect˺ knowledge of all things.”
In the following sections, we will present 3 of the questions asked relevant to the topic, and we will reach a conclusion based on our previous discussions.
Did God come from nothing?
This is a question of Logical fallacy; as God didn’t ‘come’ from anywhere. Again, we should think of it away from our limited created world.
God is The creator, He is not a creation confined to our worldly laws. He is the start of everything, He shouldn’t have a start. He is needless, He doesn’t need to be created. He is unconfined by time and eternal.
Thus, He doesn’t have a cause that brought Him into existence, unlike His creation.
“Say: He is Allah, the One and Only. Allah, the Eternal, Absolute; He has never had offspring, nor was He born.”
What Existed Before God?
‘Before’ indicates time, and time is a creation of God. He is not confined by time; He is eternal and nothing is before Him.
The modified question could be: “What existed before God created the creation?” Allah is the creator of everything, thus, before He created the creation He was the only One.
Where is God originally from? – Where did God live before heaven?
Before the creation of Heaven and Earth, it was nothing except God. God is the creator of space, He is unconfined by space. He is also needless, He doesn’t need a place.
Conclusion
To conclude, the question “What was before God?” is resolved through three essential Islamic principles that affirm His absolute uniqueness.
- First, God is unlike His creation—He has no resemblance to anything (Quran 42:11).
- Second, He is the Creator of time and space; thus, He is not confined within them.
- Third, He is uncreated and eternal—“the First and the Last” (Quran 57:3).
Therefore, nothing existed before Almighty God, for time itself began by His command. Asking “where” or “when” concerning God reflects a misunderstanding of His divine nature.
He is beyond place, origin, and causation, as
“He has never had offspring, nor was He born”
In Islam, believers are encouraged to reflect on creation, yet to stop where the unseen begins, acknowledging that ultimate knowledge rests with Allah alone.
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