Ma`rifat Kalami

In its oldest and most common model, the empirical method is a method that arrives at theory on the basis of sensory observations, although various formulations and analyses of this method have been proposed among philosophers of science. This method is only effective in natural matters and is incapable of proving or denying supernatural affairs. Nevertheless, the achievements of the empirical method are highly effective for proving or denying religious doctrines—especially belief-based doctrines—and both proponents and opponents of religiosity utilize these achievements in their favor. This article, using an analytical method, examines the role of the empirical method in the acceptance of the most fundamental religious doctrine, namely the "existence of God," in the works of religious thinkers. Based on the investigation of the arguments for proving the existence of God, it is concluded that religious scholars—whether Muslim or non-Muslim—have, by employing the empirical method, formulated three important arguments—the teleological, the temporal (ḥudūth), and the motion (ḥaraka) arguments—and have thereby proven the existence of God.