Faith and Islam

Faith and Islam

Welcome to Quran for Humanity channel. Here we explore the beauty and wisdom of the Quran. Today’s topic is “What is faith – does faith need to be blind?”

Faith – Dictionary meaning

Faith is generally defined as complete faith in someone or something for which there is no proof or no reasoning, or strong belief in God or in the doctrines of a religion, based on spiritual apprehension rather than proof.

Faith in Islam

But in Islam, faith is not only a belief; it is based on knowledge acquired from revelation and judged by the faculty of reason. It is based on clear-cut, well-founded principles, which human faculties can easily accept to be true and rational, for example Tauhid – the doctrine of the Oneness of Allah. Ask yourself: Which is better, one God, or two or more gods? Take another example – the Quran says on the Day of Judgment every individual will be compensated for their good or evil actions. Now what does your common sense tell you – should a person be rewarded for good actions and face consequence of his evil actions, or not? The answers are obvious if we use our rationality.

The Quran directs us to believe in One God and insists on the truthfulness of its message, but at the same time it encourages us to use our rationality to determine the soundness of what it tells us. The approach of the Quran is not “believe it because we tell you,” but rather “this is the truth of the matter, check it yourself, verify it, and judge it based on proofs and rationality.”  

Avoid Conjecture

Another aspect of faith in Islam is the avoidance of conjecture and speculation, because conjecture, assumption and guesswork do not equal knowledge or truth. Faith should be based on a sound foundation. The Quran insists,

Do not follow what you have no ‘sure˺ knowledge of. Indeed, all will be called to account for ˹their˺ hearing, sight, and intellect. 17:36

There is no blind faith in Islam

The Quran insists that a person should have faith with full insight. The Quran urges us to pay attention to natural phenomena around us and observe how they work; can this be by an accident or by chance? Did the forces of nature come into existence on their own? Do they work on their own, without any Originator?

Have they not looked at the heaven above them – how We structured it and adorned it and [how] it has no rifts? And the earth – We spread it out and cast therein firmly set mountains and made grow therein [something] of every beautiful kind. Giving insight and a reminder for every servant. 50:6-8

Also think over our own existence and creation. How did we come into existence – on our own? Can we survive without nature? Who created nature? Paying attention to these facts will develop our faith.

Allah expresses wonder that people do not apply their God-given powers of reason, and that disappointment is expressed loudly in the Quran.

They have hearts with which they do not understand, they have eyes with which they do not see, and they have ears with which they do not hear … 7:179

Examine the Quran also  

The Quran is full of guidance and wisdom – it is neither fiction nor myth. This is the beauty of the Quran and Islam: Allah tells us don’t follow even the Quran blindly, but think about it first. Can the Quran be the work of a man? At different places in the Quran, Allah says that if you think that the Quran is work of a man, bring another Quran like this, or bring ten chapters like these, or even bring one chapter like this. Let all mankind and jinns (genies) come together for this task. And if you cannot do that, then believe -have faith, that this Quran is from Allah. This is how we develop our faith.

Conclusion

God emphasizes in the Quran that He has provided us with intelligence and reasoning. If we make use of our natural faculties, we can develop insight and arrive at the right conclusion on our own; we do not need outside support. So in the Quran, prophet Muhammad (PBUH), has been commanded to say,

“This is my way; I invite to Allah with insight, I and those who follow me. And exalted is Allah; and I am not of those who associate others with Him.” 12:108

These are insights on which a person can base his or her faith. Islam and Quran do not call us to “blind faith.”

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