Question:
My non-Muslim friends often ask, “Why didn’t God come as a human to explain goodness to people?” How do we address this?
Asked by: Muhammad Ghani, Sitharkottai.
Answer:
Asking why God didn’t become human is fundamentally a flawed question.
Imagine you own a farm of goats or chickens. To guide and manage them, you don’t need to become a goat or a chicken. You can lead them effectively while remaining human. Even if you could transform into a goat or a chicken, you wouldn’t, because such a transformation would mean sacrificing the advantages of being human. You wouldn’t lower yourself to a being of lesser capability. Similarly, the difference between God and humans is exponentially greater than the difference between humans and animals. Asking why God, who is flawless and without weaknesses, should take on the limitations and impurities of human existence is inherently disrespectful to the dignity of God.
A Chief Minister should lead the state while maintaining their position of authority. Asking them to take up a degrading task, like cleaning the sewers, would be inappropriate. If humans themselves reject such degradation, how can one expect God to willingly lower Himself? The idea that God must humiliate Himself in such a way is neither logical nor respectful.
If the belief that “God became a human” were to take hold, it could lead to immense exploitation, as seen in history.
Someone claiming, “I am God” or “I am an incarnation of God” could easily deceive and exploit those who believe in such concepts.
This belief has often been the foundation for fraudulent spiritual leaders, or “fake saints,” to manipulate people. Believing that God would never become human provides a safeguard against exploitation in the name of religion.
Let’s hypothesize that God became human if so.
God would need to act like a human, which includes eating, drinking, and excreting waste.
God would also need to live a human life, engage in family life, and have children.
Those children, being descendants of God, would also be considered divine. Over time, countless “gods” would populate the earth. If God had ever come to earth even once, His descendants would still exist today. However, we see no evidence of any such lineage. This clearly indicates that God never became human.
God has never, and will never, take human form. It is neither befitting nor necessary for Him to do so.
This answer is based on the book “Meaningful Questions, Rational Answers” by P.J.