When did atheism begin?
As a matter of fact, prior to the 18th century, atheism in its contemporary, terminological sense did not exist—for, apart from what is attributed to Diagoras of Melos, belief in the Creator was pervasive throughout the history of nations.1 In other words, aside from a few scattered claims, there is no evidence of anyone—whether in the East or the West—who denied the existence of the Creator before the eighteenth century. Will Durant, the renowned historian, affirms in The Story of Civilization that the conventional claim of the universality of religion—that is, the idea that religion is a phenomenon found in all human societies—remains valid.2 Analogously, ash-Shahrastānī affirmed: “I am not acquainted with anyone who denies the existence of the Almighty, All-Wise, and All-Knowing Creator.”3 Hence, atheism is a relatively recent and parasitic phenomenon in the history of the human race. As Dr. ʿAbd Allāh ash-Shahrī observed: “Atheism has appeared only as a shark fin in the midst of the stormy ocean of religion.”4
Notes and References
- 1
Diagoras of Melos—also known as “Diagoras the Atheist”—was a Greek poet and sophist of the 5th century B.C. He is often regarded as the earliest known figure to openly espouse atheistic views.
- 2
Will Durant, The Story of Civilization, (New York, U.S.: Simon & Schuster, 1935), vol. 1, p. 99.
- 3
Tāj ad-Dīn ash-Shahrastānī, Nihāyat al-Iqdām fī ʿIlm al-Kalām, (Bayrūt, Lebanon: Dār al-Kutub al-ʿIlmiyyah, 2004), p.3.
- 4
ʿAbd Allāh ash-Shahrī, Thalāth Rasāʿil fī al-Ilḥād wa-l-ʿIlm wa-l-Īmān, (Bayrūt, Lebanon: Markaz Namāʿ li-l-Buḥūth wa ad-Dirāsāt, 2014).