Why do so many people in the West doubt God today?

One important reason lies in history. When church teaching and the study of nature came into conflict, the impression arose that one had to choose between faith and reason. As faith faded, moral commitment faded with it, and prosperity turned people's attention entirely to this world.

Doubt in the West did not arise overnight. It has a long history, and part of that history has to do with religion itself.

For a long time the Bible was read very literally in Europe, including on questions about nature. When scientists like Galileo presented findings that contradicted this reading, they were persecuted. Instead of asking how scripture and nature fit together, people set them against each other. This left many with the impression that anyone who thinks and investigates must say goodbye to faith.

Islam sees this differently. God's word and God's work come from the same source and cannot contradict each other. The Holy Qur’an again and again invites us to observe nature and reflect on it. Where there seems to be a contradiction, the error lies in human understanding, not with God.

Later a second factor was added. Many scholars remained Christians in name, although inwardly they no longer believed in God. As faith faded, the moral commitment it had provided faded too. A civilisation that was increasingly focused only on material things continued to be called Christian.

Growing prosperity strengthened this development. Whoever owns much and constantly strives for more easily loses sight of what lies behind things. The verses above describe exactly this attitude. Doubt about God is therefore less a result of thinking than a consequence of faith and thinking having been kept apart for too long.