Asslamu Alykum!
This article explores the issue of Nihilism. To be honest, finding the right way to begin was a challenge - so let start with introduction.

Introduction

Nihilism is the belief that key aspects of life—such as meaning, morality, knowledge, or social order—are invalid or nonexistent. Types include existential nihilism (belief that life has no purpose), moral nihilism (denial of moral truths), epistemological nihilism (belief that we cannot truly know anything), and political nihilism (rejection of all political systems).

The word nihilism comes from the Latin term nihil, meaning “nothing,” and the suffix -ism, indicating an ideology. Its literal meaning is “ideology of nothing.”

Friedrich Nietzsche described nihilism as the process in which “the highest values devaluate themselves.”
Martin Heidegger highlighted its connection to boredom, arguing that the lack of engagement and goals in such a state makes life appear pointless.

Friedrich Nietzsche saw nihilism not just as a problem, but also as an opportunity. Instead of letting it lead to despair or hopelessness, he wanted to use its disruptive power to tear down outdated or false ideals, traditions, and moral values. He then aimed to “re-evaluate” or create new values that affirm life—meaning, a positive, life-affirming philosophy where people embrace existence fully, even without any ultimate divine or cosmic meaning.

For Nietzsche, the one who would do this is the Übermensch, often translated as “Overman” or “Superman.” This refers to a human being who transcends conventional values and creates their own, embracing life and its challenges with self-affirmation. Nietzsche introduced this concept in his 1883 work Thus Spoke Zarathustra.

What Nietzsche meant by changing morals?

In the “Christian West,” we can see an example of how a value can end up undermining itself. The value in question is truth. People started to see truth as the most important thing, but this actually caused problems for the very foundations that made truth so important in the first place.

So, how did truth become the top value? Before Christianity, Europe mainly worshipped many gods. These gods sometimes told the truth, but they also lied and acted badly. For example, Zeus, the Greek god, was known for raping women. Many gods and heroes in these old stories lied and tricked others. Because of this, ancient religions often encouraged deception and lying. Socrates even talked about how these stories needed to be controlled because they promoted dishonesty.

Ancient religions had many gods, and those gods often fought or disagreed with each other. But with the rise of Christianity, the Bible offered a new way to think about morality. The Bible taught that lying was wrong and that being truthful made God happy. For example, Proverbs 12:22 says that lying is an abomination to the Lord, and those who are faithful are His delight. Christianity made truth a central part of its teachings, warning that lying would lead to punishment.

However, when Western society lost its faith—something Nietzsche called the “death of God”—the basis for these moral values disappeared. Without belief in God, people lost their reason for valuing truth as something absolutely good. Their idea of truth became “free-floating,” meaning it was just accepted as obvious, without a solid foundation. Philosophy then started questioning everything, and the idea that truth must always be the highest value began to weaken.

When people became more focused on worldly pleasures—things like pleasure and pain—the idea of truth could even be seen as a problem. If telling the truth gets in the way of feeling good or gaining pleasure, why should we value it? If a lie could bring more happiness, some might choose to lie instead of telling the truth.

But changing how society thinks about truth didn’t happen overnight. Christianity had been part of Western life for so long that its moral ideas had become deeply rooted. Many of these ideas are now taken for granted, even if we no longer think about them consciously.

Post-Truth Era : The Beginning of Moral Fall

From the start of the Enlightenment period to the time when many people lost their faith, we have moved into what is now called the “post-truth” era.

Trust is very important in any society. Most people don’t have the time or knowledge to fully understand the complex subjects that experts study for years. Because of this, they need to trust experts to guide them. But this trust depends on whether the experts are honest. Sometimes, organizations like Wikileaks have released information revealing corruption, which can damage people's trust in these experts and institutions.

This can lead to what I call societal exhaustion. This is when many people become mentally tired and confused because there are so many different opinions from so many so-called “experts.” This makes it hard for people to find the truth. Many might give up trying, feeling it’s impossible, or they might start believing that all truths are relative and uncertain.

When these debates happen in public, they often get heated and controversial. Covering such topics takes a lot of mental energy, and adding anxiety makes things worse. This is especially true for people who have jobs, families, and little free time. They can’t spend enough time studying these difficult issues properly. Even experts find it hard to understand everything in a quick TV debate after a busy day. So, when people pick a side, they are often influenced more by persuasive speaking and emotion than by real knowledge.

Abundance of Choices and it's Nihilist Effect:

The next question you might ask is how having too many choices can lead to nihilism, or the belief that life has no meaning.

We say that this happens when the benefits of having many options and being unique are canceled out by the difficulty of making a decision. While having many choices can make people feel and help them feel, too many options can become overwhelming and cause stress. When choices become too complicated, any positive feelings about them can disappear.

To learn about something, you first need to decide what path to take. But to do that, you have to sort through countless options, which can be very confusing. This problem is often seen in debates about religion, where people reject all religions because there are so many different ones.

There are a few reasons why having too many choices makes people unhappy: First, they may regret their decision later or worry they made the wrong choice. Second, there’s the cost of opportunity—time and resources spent on choosing, which can’t be recovered. Third, having many options can raise expectations, making people think they should find the perfect choice. Lastly, if things go wrong, people tend to blame themselves.

This feeling of being stuck or unable to decide is called “choice paralysis.” It can also lead to mental exhaustion caused by too much information. This exhaustion might make people feel like life is absurd or pointless, as many existential philosophers discussed. For Albert Camus, this was about how the world doesn’t meet our hopes, or how our ideals don’t match reality.

What is Nihilism of a being?

Nietzsche called nihilism “an intermediary pathological state,” meaning it’s a temporary mental condition people go through, not a deliberate choice. It happens when people feel tired and see no point in life.

Most who feel life is meaningless haven't thought deeply about why. Instead, they experience these feelings as emotions—like feeling overwhelmed or exhausted. Life can be tough, and even strong people can feel beaten down. No education can prepare someone for every hardship.

When people are stressed or mentally drained, they can slip into nihilism. It’s like a mental illness caused by feeling worn out and losing hope.

Several things threaten our sense of purpose today. Modern society makes this worse because:

• Science and philosophy often question traditional beliefs, causing doubt.
• Society feels more fragmented and impersonal due to industrialization.
• There’s so much information and stuff that it’s hard to focus.
• Rapid change makes people feel unstable and insecure.

All these factors can lead to feelings of meaninglessness, depression, and even suicide.

To cope, many turn to distractions. Nietzsche called this “self-hypnosis,” where we use technology to zone out from reality. Instead of facing life's big questions, people watch Netflix, scroll social media, or seek entertainment. We have access to more information than ever, but many prefer illusions and fantasies over reality.

This escape prevents us from finding real meaning. So does this prevent us from our social duties?

By the way, I've wrote a good article on Addiction and its relationship with boredom: read it here.

Another Novel

Before we move on, I want to tell a short summary of a great Anti-Nihilist novel written by Ivan Turgenev (1818–1883), a Russian novelist, and it is Fathers and Sons. It was his response to the growing wave of nihilism among Russian youth— through this novel, he was trying to understand the soul of future nihilist generation.

Plot Summary of Fathers and Sons

The novel follows Arkady Kirsanov, a young graduate, who returns home with his friend Yevgeny Bazarov—a self-declared nihilist. Bazarov hates art, emotion, and tradition, believing only in science and rationality. His presence disrupts the Kirsanov household, especially clashes with Arkady’s uncle Pavel, a man of aristocratic values.

As the story unfolds, Bazarov’s rigid philosophy begins to crack. He falls in love with Anna Odintsova, a wealthy widow, and confesses his love, but Anna, sensing his inner turmoil and emotional immaturity, gently rejects him. Bazarov is devastated—not just by the rejection, but by the realization that he is not immune to the very emotions he claims to hate.

After this emotional blow, Bazarov returns to his parents’ home. His relationship with them is strained; they adore him, but he remains distant and silent, unable to express affection.

Seeking distraction which a nihilist always do, Bazarov throws himself into medical work. While performing an autopsy, he accidentally infects himself with typhus. As he lies dying, his nihilism falters. He expresses regret, he asks for Anna, who visits him briefly, but it’s too late, yet he admires her beauty on his deathbed. Bazarov confronts his own emotions and recognizes the beauty in Anna, a feeling he had previously suppressed due to his nihilistic beliefs, and dies happily.

Bazarov dies young, brilliant, and alone. His death happens tragically and lonely.

What happens to a nihilist society?

So before becoming nihilist as a society we have to accept that, we humans are not objects. When I see someone, I can sense their feelings and position, even through their non-verbal cues, whether in images or writings.

If a person tries to escape the burden of consciousness by hiding in artificial forms of entertainment, they are also avoiding their relationships with other people. Our connections with others are a fundamental part of how we experience the world. When those relationships are replaced by online interactions, it’s just another form of artificial society created for escapism.

By escaping from the real world and, consequently, from other people, a person might also lose their sense of duty towards their community. For example, in public transport, many people are glued to their phones with earphones in, ignoring the world and others around them.

In societies that have lost faith in traditional beliefs and have removed God from social life, the usual motivations to seek truth—like fear of eternal punishment—disappear. The same applies to the fear of punishment for suicide. Without belief in God, doubts and skepticism tend to increase.

Some people, instead of feeling despair, find a way to embrace the idea of “Optimistic Nihilism.” This view accepts that there’s no objective meaning in the universe but sees this as freeing rather than depressing. Since there are no fixed rules or purpose, individuals are free to create their own values and goals.

However, morals created by different people in this way often don’t hold society together. If truth or morality gets in the way of personal benefit or freedom, why would someone feel obliged to care about the truth? Even some criminals don’t feel guilty because their actions are part of their pursuit of freedom.

In the end, a society based on such individualism might fall apart, because nihilism is a self-centered philosophy. Each person would develop their own morals, leading to fragmentation and lack of unity.

As we can see, the emphasis on valuing freedom and individuality in the Western world has led to portions of society moving in very different directions on several subjects.

Thus each of us doesn't care about our responsibilities in such society. We just don't care about anything and everything. Then what have we become? Are we atheists then?

The Ignorant Nihilist

For an atheist, there is no God, and they don’t worry about Him.

In Nietzsche’s book The Gay Science, he talks about this idea with a story called “The Madman.” In the story, a man who is seen as crazy runs into the market square and asks everyone, “Where is God?” People laugh at him. Nietzsche shows that today, many people have lost their faith in God and see belief in Him as something silly or childish.

The madman doesn’t like being laughed at. He throws his lantern on the ground and warns everyone that something terrible has happened. He says:

“Where is God?” he cried. “I’ll tell you! We have killed Him — you and I! We are all His murderers.”

This doesn’t mean they literally killed God. It’s a symbol of how people have lost their faith in the Christian God.

In modern society, people are left to go their own ways. Society is more focused on individual freedom and expression. There are many choices, lots of information, and less belief in God. This situation is like the earth being untied from the sun — it’s drifting away from shared values and connections.

Because of this, as nihilists, people are often atheists. When belief in God fades, questions about morality and what is right or wrong become more complicated to answer.

Morality of a Nihilist

In the past, societies were held together by traditional morals. But when nihilism became widespread, those shared values were abandoned. Instead, people focus on vague ideas like freedom and personal expression. They also embrace moral relativism and subjectivism, which means everyone has their own idea of what’s right. This has led to more division and polarization.

Many people feel overwhelmed by this confusion. They see a world without clear meaning, which can make feelings of emptiness and nihilism grow — creating a vicious cycle.

Society’s higher values, like morality and truth, are based on commitments to something greater. But in today’s secular world, we haven't really asked why we should value truth so highly, or why society should see itself as responsible for upholding it. These values come from Christian roots in the West. Now that many have moved away from Christianity, we need new reasons to justify why we hold truth and morality as important.

As Nietzsche asks in the same story of the madman: “Do we not have to become gods just to seem worthy of it?” He’s questioning what happens when such ideals become impossible or absurd.

In a world no longer guided by shared principles, and focused on individual freedom, he is asking us tough questions: How much freedom do we give up for security and comfort? There’s a conflict here — my freedom to do something might limit someone else’s freedom. For example, if my neighbor parties loudly at night, I lose my right to a peaceful sleep.

Most people don’t have the time or knowledge to fully consider these complex issues. How can they make fair decisions about them then?

When we’re faced with important choices, not deciding is the same as making a bad decision. Life often forces us to act quickly, without enough time to think deeply.

But who should be in charge of solving these moral problems? And how can we choose leaders if everyone is an atheist and a nihilist?

The reality is, we have no choice but to rely on systems of faith, laws, and authority figures to help us navigate these questions. We need some higher principles to guide us. That doesn’t mean we should throw out religion and morals altogether just because people have become nihilists. They still need frameworks to live by.

Solving Morality in a Nihilistic World

Even though many people reject religion and follow nihilism or atheism, they still see some benefits in religion. So, they pick and choose parts of it that suit them—like a “pick & mix” religion.

Alain de Botton, a well-known YouTuber and author of Religion for Atheists, looks at religion in a positive way. But his view still comes from an atheist and nihilistic perspective, which reduces humans to nothing. When asked if he’s worried about religion, he said:

“No, because most of us don’t decide things based on reason. You don’t say, ‘I’m an atheist because I’ve looked at all the evidence,’ and you don’t say, ‘I’m religious because I’ve checked all the evidence either.’”

Nietzsche describes this situation perfectly in his story of the madman. He says that we are the ones responsible for the “death of God”. This has left us like rootless people. He compares it to “drinking up the sea” or “wiping away the horizon with a sponge”. Basically, we’ve achieved the impossible — we’ve “unlocked” the earth from its sun, meaning we’ve lost our guiding purpose and direction. We’re now floating in an abyss, with no clear point of reference or meaning. Like a tree that destroys its roots hoping to grow bigger, only to collapse and rot. Before the “death of God”, what kept people grounded was their tradition, their belief in a higher purpose. But after losing that, there was nothing left to hold them steady.

Nietzsche also suggests that when faith in God is gone, people try to become gods themselves. Not literally like Greek gods, but in a way that replaces God with either the community—like extreme nationalism or communism—or the individual, who becomes their own highest value. In doing so, they make themselves the center of everything, along with their desires, wants, and needs.

If we think of religion as rules given by an ultimate authority, then in a nihilistic world, there is no higher authority above us—unless someone suppresses our rights. Instead of escaping religion, nihilists create their own. They become the leaders of their own “religion”, with new high priests who are admired and looked up to. For example, Richard Dawkins, author of The God Delusion, is seen by many as a new kind of guide. But many philosophers, like Michael Ruse, criticize Dawkins’ work, saying it made them feel ashamed of being atheists.

Viktor Frankl, a psychologist and philosopher, said in his book Man’s Search for Meaning that “man’s search for meaning is the primary motivation in his life,” not just a secondary rationalization of instincts. If Frankl is right, then just like a sick person yearns for a cure, a person suffering from nihilism also desperately seeks meaning in life.

Why Believe in the Divine?

As a nihilist, someone will definitely ask why one should believe in the divine. Interestingly, even some atheist authorities admit that belief in the supernatural comes naturally to humans. For example, Paul Bloom, who calls himself an atheist, wrote an article titled Religion is Natural. He argues that recent research shows that two basic parts of religious belief — belief in the soul (mind-body dualism) and belief in divine beings — are natural for young children.

This idea aligns with what Allah (SWT) says about our Fitrah — the innate tendency to believe in God and the supernatural. The Qur'an states:

"When your Lord took from the children of Adam their descendants and made them testify about themselves, [He asked], 'Am I not your Lord?' They replied, 'Yes, we testify.' ... On the Day of Judgment, you cannot say, 'We were unaware of this.'"

Allah also says:

“So be firm in faith — the natural way of Allah, which He has instilled in all people. Let there be no change in this creation of Allah. That is the straight path, but most people do not know.”

But many in this community want proof of God's existence that they can see — empirical evidence. Can you see the problem with that? It’s like demanding to see evidence of a painter only through the painting, without seeing the painter himself. Such unreasonable demands can never be fully satisfied. And just because we can’t meet this kind of proof doesn’t mean we are justified in denying God's existence.

People often say there are so many gods and religions that maybe they’re all different. This can make someone feel overwhelmed or give up on finding the truth—that’s called nihilism out of information overburden. But rejecting all religion just because of many beliefs isn’t fair.

Instead, we can ask simple questions to find the most likely answer. If we have good reasons for some beliefs, we don’t need to dismiss everything. We compare ideas and see which makes more sense. If there’s evidence of a creator, we can explore what kind of being it is.

Imagine a skeptic who agrees that believing in one God is better than many (and logically that's true). They’ll ask:

“Which God is the real one? The Jewish God? The Christian God? The Muslim God?”

They think that because each describes God differently, they’re talking about different gods.

But think of a man named Abid. Three friends meet him at different times and describe him differently. Despite their differences, they’re all talking about the same person—just describing him in different ways. If someone asks, “Which Abid is right?” they might think it’s different people. But actually, it’s the same Abid, just described differently.

Islam teaches us that:

“We believe in what was revealed to us and what was revealed to you. Our God and your God are one.”

Just because people describe God differently doesn’t mean they’re talking about different gods. They might just see or understand Him differently.

If you ask why choose Islam, it’s like giving a hairdryer or washing machine to someone who already knows how to use them—they’ll be amazed. But if you give these things to someone unfamiliar, they won’t see their value. Many people don’t see the beauty of the Islam because they overlook its true greatness.

Final Words

As we have reached the end of our article, it is important for the reader to understand why Islam can help address both the causes and effects of nihilism. Let me share what Friedrich Nietzsche says about this, though it’s crucial to note that he did not think highly of Christian faith. One of his final works, The Anti-Christ: A Criticism of Christianity, was meant as an all-out attack on it. However, Nietzsche had some interesting remarks about Islam. In aphorism 60, he states:

“Christianity destroyed the harvest we might have reaped from the culture of antiquity, later it also destroyed our harvest of the culture of Islam. The wonderful Moorish world of Spanish culture, which in its essence is more closely related to us, and which appeals more to our sense and taste than Rome and Greece, was trampled to death (I do not say by what kind of feet), why? Because it owed its origin to noble, to manly instincts, because it said yea to life, even that life so full of the rare and refined luxuries of the Moors! ... Later on, the Crusaders waged war upon something before which it would have been more seemly in them to grovel in the dust, a culture, beside which even our Nineteenth Century would seem very poor and very “senile.” Of course they wanted the booty: the Orient was rich... Fancy the Church having waged its deadly war upon everything noble on earth, precisely with the help of German swords, German blood, and courage! A host of painful questions might be raised on this point. German nobility scarcely takes a place in the history of higher culture: the reason of this is obvious Christianity, alcohol—the two great means of corruption.... War with Rome to the knife! Peace and friendship with Islam.”

Despite his criticism of religions as a whole, Nietzsche referred to Islam as “noble” and praised it for its “manly” instincts. This raises the question: did Nietzsche see something in Islam that could serve as an antidote to the sickness of nihilism?

In Islam, there is a strong emphasis on upholding the truth and recognizing that it is, in fact, attainable. In the Qur’an, Allah states:

“And declare, ‘The truth has come, and falsehood has vanished. Indeed, falsehood is bound to vanish.’”

There is no “post-truth” in Islam. Facts cannot be picked and chosen based on whims. You can't be a nihilist Muslim.

Furthermore, pessimism — an attitude of hopelessness toward life and existence — is completely impermissible in Islam. We are to be, in a sense, tragic optimists. We understand that life can be difficult.

But Allah tells us that He “does not burden a soul with more than it can bear.”

— Qur'an 2:286

And the Qur’an expresses this point again:

“Do people think once they say, ‘We believe,’ that they will be left without being put to the test? We have certainly tested those before them. And (in this way) Allah will clearly distinguish between those who are truthful and those who are liars.”

Additionally, Abu Huraira reported that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

“Nothing afflicts a Muslim — hardship, illness, anxiety, sorrow, harm, distress, or even the pricking of a thorn — but that Allah will expiate his sins by it.”

For those who become believers, an avenue for developing a relationship with the Creator is opened, as Islam does not require intermediaries to practice it.

What About Morality?

If you have accepted Allah as your Lord, and Muhammad (S.A.W) as your messenger, can you truly say there are no moral truths to be found? The greatness of Islam is not only proven through the words of anti-religious Nietzsche but also by a narration reported by Jabir ibn Abdullah:

“Verily, Allah has sent me with the perfection of noble morals and the completion of good deeds.”

We also recommend you to read our articles on Friedrich Nietzsche and on the issue of depression and its Islamic cure.