Chapter 3: FAITH & BELIEFS

Faith (Īmān) is a religious term that refers to the complete and unwavering acceptance of something in the heart. At its core, faith is the belief in God. When a person submits their heart and mind to God with the utmost devotion and contentment, they are considered a believer in the terminology of the Qurʾān.

Qurʾān. This is the true essence of faith. Therefore, the Qurʾān emphasizes that a person’s words and actions must align with their faith. As a result, every good deed is regarded as a distinct characteristic of faith and an essential attribute of the believers.

There is no doubt that in the eye of the law, every person who verbally acknowledges Islam is a believer. His faith cannot be deemed lesser or greater. However, as far as true faith is con-cerned, it is not at all a stagnant thing. It grows with the remem-brance of God, the recitation of His verses, and the manifestation of His signs in oneself and the universe. The Holy Qurʾān has likened it to a tree whose roots are deeply entrenched in the earth and whose branches spread across the heavens.

The same applies to the decrease of faith. If a person starts acting against the demands of his faith instead of continuously increasing it with beneficial knowledge and righteous actions, then his faith also decreases, and in some situations, it can com-pletely vanish.

Thus, it is evident that faith and action are both essential and inseparable. Just as actions are necessary along with faith, faith is also necessary along with actions. The Qurʾān has consistently presented this as a fundamental condition for salvation.

This belief consists of believing in the following five things:

Belief in God

Allāh is the name of the entity who is the creator of the earth, the heavens, and all creatures. This name has been exclusive to the Lord of the worlds from the beginning. Even before Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), this name was used in the pre-Islamic Arab society with the same meaning. It is one of the remnants of the Abrahamic religion that was inherited by the Arabs.

Acknowledging this entity is something that has been innately placed within humans since eternity. The Qurʾān states that this matter took the form of a covenant.

The Qurʾān mentions this covenant as an actual event. Humans were sent to this world for a test; thus, the memory of this event has been erased from their conscious minds, but its reality is en-graved in their subconscious and deeply embedded in their minds, a truth that cannot be erased.

Therefore, when there are no external hindrances and a person is reminded, they are naturally drawn to it. This is much like a child instinctively reaching for its mother, even though the child has no recollection of being born, yet leaps toward her with a sense of familiarity, as if it already knows her. Similarly, the in-dividual feels that acknowledging God satisfies a deep, inherent need within them. Once embraced, this acknowledgment aligns with and fulfills all the emotional and psychological demands of their being.

The Qurʾān declares that the human soul’s testimony regard-ing God’s lordship is so definitive that every individual is ac-countable to God based on this testimony alone.

In addition to innate guidance, humans have been endowed with the ability to infer certain truths beyond their direct sensory experiences, based on what they see, hear, and feel.

A simple example is the Law of Gravitation. When an apple falls from a tree, it hits the ground. Lifting a stone from the earth requires effort. Climbing stairs is more difficult than descend-ing them. The moon and stars move in their orbits across the sky. For centuries, humans observed these phenomena until one day, Newton revealed that they were all governed by the law of gravitation. This law itself is invisible, yet today it is universally accepted as a scientific fact.

This acceptance comes from the fact that the theory aligns with all known facts, explains every observation, and no alternative theory has been proposed that accounts for these events as com-prehensively as the law of gravitation does.

It is clear that this is an inference of the unseen from the seen. When a person uses this capacity to study themselves and the universe around them, their study also testifies to the same truth hidden within them.

So, they observe that every object in this world is a miraculous manifestation of creative elegance; there is profound significance, extraordinary care, wisdom, purpose, and astonishing order and arrangement; unparalleled geometry and mathematics, which cannot be explained by anything other than having a creator. This Creator is not a blind and deaf force, but a being of infinite wisdom and intelligence. For if the manifestation of power did not arise from a knowing and wise source, it would amount to mere coercion. But clearly, that is not the case. Rather, it shows extreme suitability, tremendous harmony, generates extraordinary benefits and peculiar variations, which could not arise from any blind and deaf force.

Although these evidences were sufficient, to provide con-clusive proof to humanity, God ordained that the beginning of human history take place through a person who heard God’s voice, saw His angels, and departed from this world after bear-ing witness to the reality through direct observation, so that his knowledge might be transferred from generation to generation, ensuring that the concept of God never becomes alien to any era of human life, any region of the earth, any community, any generation, or any race.

In addition to sending Adam and Eve into the world as the first human beings, God established a system through which, for a certain period, their descendants could witness the acceptance or rejection of their faith and deeds. This system enabled them to experience divine judgment in a tangible form, thereby making them participants in the same testimony as their parents. This verification occurred when people presented offerings to God. As a sign of acceptance, fire would descend from the sky and consume the offerings. This miraculous event provided clear evidence of divine approval for every person of that time.

This makes it evident that the existence of God is a self-evi-dent truth that humans have inherited from their ancestors, and which both soul and matter testify to with their existence.

But what is the nature of God? What are His attributes? What are the laws He has set for Himself? If a person wishes to attain knowledge of their Lord, these questions inevitably arise in their mind. This knowledge is essential for faith. When the Qurʾān demands faith in God, it also provides answers to these questions. What are these answers? We will clarify this here.

‘Dhāt’ (Essence)

The Qurʾān has made it abundantly clear about ‘dhāt’ of God Almighty that in no way can it come within the human scope of perception. This is because the creator of the means of percep-tion can certainly encompass and comprehend them, but these means cannot in any way encompass the one who encompasses everything.

Attributes

The attributes of God Almighty, however, to some extent, do come within human grasp. This is because some aspects related to attributes, no matter how insignificant, are also present in humans.

God Almighty has granted us a share of His knowledge, awareness, power, lordship, mercy, and wisdom. By analogy, we can form—at least to some extent—an idea of these divine attributes.

Therefore, when the Qurʾān states that He is the Creator, the All-Powerful, the Most Merciful and Compassionate, the All-Knowing and Wise, the Ever-Living and Self-Sustaining, the First and the Last, the Apparent and the Hidden, it indeed establishes a concept of God’s attributes.

When contemplating these attributes, it is essential to appre- ciate their aspect of elegance, as true power is only commend-able when coupled with mercy, generosity, and justice. In the same way, anger, vengeance, and wrath are praiseworthy when directed against oppression and aggression. Mercy, forgiveness, and generosity are likewise worthy of praise when applied appro-priately. The Holy Qurʾān highlights this dimension of elegance by describing God’s attributes as the Self-Sufficient with the Praiseworthy, the All-Knowing with the Wise and the Almighty with the Forgiving.

Similarly, it should also be noted that any concept of God Almighty that is established cannot be devoid of majesty, ele-gance, and perfection. For example, attributes of perfection are the Indivisible, the Unique, the rock of refuge. The Pure, the Source of Peace, and the Giver of Security are attributes of ele-gance and attributes of majesty include the King, the Almighty, the Compeller.

In the human heart, attributes of majesty inspire fear, rever-ence, and laudation, and attributes of elegance inspire admiration, hope, and love. Then, attributes of majesty are more obvious to the senses, while attributes of elegance are nearer to the intellect and the heart.

When considering the Creator, the dominance of attributes of elegance is felt; but when confronting the human ego, the aspect of majesty becomes prominent. Man rushes towards God out of fear and tries to seek refuge in the embrace of His attributes of elegance.

The Holy Qurʾān, when it says all the good names belong to Him, means that every name that expresses God’s majesty, ele-gance, and perfection is good and can be used to call upon Him.

The attributes of perfection of God Almighty are significant because they highlight His greatness. When one correctly con-ceives these attributes, as a result, one believes in a God who is unique, incomparable, and unmatched; a rock of refuge for all; the sole owner of the earth and the skies and everything in between; whose sovereignty has no partner; whose mechanism of creation has no co-sharer; nothing is hidden from His sight; no matter is beyond His command; everything is in need of Him, and He needs none; inanimate objects, plants, animals all prostrate before Him and are engaged in His glorification and praise; His power is limitless, His extent unbounded, and His will operates in every particle of the universe; He can annihilate and recreate whatever and whenever He wills; honor and disgrace are in His hands; all are transient, He alone is eternal; He is beyond all comprehension, yet closer than the jugular vein; His knowledge and power encompass everything; He knows the secrets of the hearts; His decree prevails over all wills, and His command is above all commands; He is free from all faults, aloof from all evils, and absolved of all accusations.

Among these attributes of perfection, the most important is the oneness of God Almighty. The Holy Qurʾān has explicated it with utmost emphasis and clarity. So much so that the last chapter of this heavenly scripture ends on the Surah that instructs the Prophet to openly declare that God is One, the sustainer of all, He is neither a father nor a son of anyone, and there is none comparable to Him.

The significance of monotheism is precisely why the Qurʾān declares that without it, no human deed is acceptable, and with it, there remains hope for the forgiveness of all sins. For a person who believes in monotheism cannot persist in sin with rebellion, nor is he deprived of the grace of repentance and divine for-giveness after committing a sin. Inevitably, he turns back to his Lord, thereby securing for himself the entitlement to pardon and forgiveness before the Day of Judgment.

The arguments for monotheism presented in the Qurʾān are extremely appealing and based on established facts of knowledge and reason. It is enough to say that no one has any evidence for making anyone a partner in God’s divinity. The Qurʾān has, on more than one occasion, called upon its audience to provide any rational or scriptural proof for their claims—if they can, they should certainly do so. Whether there is a partner to God or not, the primary witness can only be God Himself, and the only way to know God’s testimony is through His revealed scriptures and those traditions and accounts that have been transmitted to humanity generation by generation through His Prophets and Messengers. In them, there is no endorsement of polytheism.

God’s Way

The manner and method God Almighty deals with humans are referred to in the Qurʾān as the Way of God (Sunnat Allāh). God Almighty declares that these protocols are immutable, with abso-lutely no changes occurring within them. Thus, just as knowledge of His attributes is essential for understanding God, knowledge of these divine sunna is also essential. These sunna are as follows:

Belief in Angels

The beings through whom God communicates His commands to His creation are called angels. In the Qurʾān, the word used for them is ‘al-malaika,’ the plural of ‘malak,’ meaning ‘messenger.’ Thus, the Qurʾān reveals that the connection between the celes-tial and terrestrial realms is established through their mediation, and they manage all affairs according to the decrees of God. Their role is such that the command given to them by God Himself is carried out among His creatures like that of a mere subordinate, without any exercise of their own will. They are the embodiment of obedience, constantly engaged in praising their Lord, and they do not deviate from His command in the slightest.

Belief in Prophets

The distinguished individuals through whom God arranged for the guidance of the children of Adam are called Prophets. They were humans but were chosen by God based on His knowl-edge and wisdom for this role. This is a divine gift, not attained through instruction, training, or learning. The Qurʾān tells us that the chosen ones are those who protect themselves from the temptations of the self and Satan, remain safe from sins, and are among the righteous and the best of their people.

God sent these Prophets to every community. He had prom-ised Adam (PBUH) that He would send guidance to his progeny. This guidance was delivered to humanity through these Prophets. They received revelation from heaven and conveyed the truth to the people—giving glad tidings of good consequences to the believers and warning the disbelievers of the consequences of their denial.

The necessity of Prophets was not because humans could not recognize their creator or differentiate between good and evil. All these aspects are part of human nature and were imprinted in it from the first day of creation. Thus, the need arose not for making them aware of these facts but for two reasons:

With the advent of Muhammad, the Messenger of God (PBUH), these two purposes were achieved globally and to the fullest extent, hence the chain of Prophethood has been termi-nated. The Qurʾān has declared that he is the last Prophet, and after him, no Prophet or Messenger will come.

Recognizing these prophets is not difficult for a person with a sound natural disposition. If a person’s heart and mind are truly awake, then both “the face and voice of the Prophet are miracles in themselves.”

( روئے و آواز پیمبر معجزه است )

However, God also grants them clear signs so that even if the opponents do not verbally admit, they are left with no choice but to believe in their truthfulness. The Qurʾān tells us that these clear signs are given to every Prophet according to their era and circumstances. Among these, some are mentioned here.

Belief in the Scriptures

Just as Prophets were sent for the guidance of humanity, God Almighty also revealed His books along with them. These books were revealed so that guidance from God could remain in writing and in His own words among people, to serve as a measure for truth and falsehood. This would allow people to resolve their disputes by referring to it, thereby establishing justice in matters of religion.

The existing collection of earlier scriptures, the Bible, suggests that some form of divine book or revelation was given to every Prophet. The Qurʾān mentions the Torah and the Gospel in the same way it mentions the Scriptures of Abraham. All of these are divine books, and God calls for belief in the overall message of these scriptures without discrimination.

Among these, four books hold extraordinary significance: the Torah, the Psalms, the Gospel, and the Qurʾān. The Torah was revealed to Moses (PBUH), the Psalms to David (PBUH), and the Gospel to Jesus (PBUH). The Qurʾān was revealed to God’s last Prophet, Muhammad, (PBUH). Of all divine texts, the Qurʾān stands uniquely as the only book we can affirm with certainty to exist today exactly as it was revealed—unaltered, in its original language and structure.

Belief in the Day of Judgment

The belief in the Day of Judgment holds extraordinary impor-tance among the truths that religion demands to be believed. This belief is fundamental in the message of the Prophets, peace be upon them. The foundation of all laws, goodness, and virtue rests on this belief. The basis of Prophethood and Messengerhood is established on this. A prophet is a prophet because he brings news of this great announcement. A messenger is a messenger because he comes with its message. The Qurʾān is a scripture of warning and glad tidings for this Day of Judgment. It tells people that just as you wake up after sleeping; just as rain falls on the dead earth and it comes to life before your very eyes; just as you were nothing but then became living beings from a drop of water, similarly, one day you will be raised from the graves. Your Lord will not face any difficulty in this. Its recipients consider it improbable and say, “Who will revive these decayed bones?” It replies, “He who produced them the first time will revive them.” Reviving is as easy for Him as speaking a word.

The evidence, signs, situations, and stages of this are clearly described.

•Evidence

Signs
When will this day come? The Qurʾān has made it clear that no one knows except God. Its time is only known to Him, and He does not inform any of His Prophets or an-gels about it. Its signs and indications, however, have been mentioned in the Qurʾān, ḥadīth, and ancient scriptures. Some of these signs are of a general nature, while the na-ture of others pertains to specific events and occurrences. None of the first kind of signs have been mentioned in the Qurʾān. They are mentioned in traditions. Of the sec-ond kind of signs, only one thing has been mentioned in the Qurʾān, and that is the emergence of Gog and Ma-gog. Therefore, this is the definite sign. Other than this, of the signs that are generally mentioned, some have already appeared, and the rest will necessarily appear if there is no mistake in attributing them to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

Events

How will the Day of Judgment be established? Its de-tails are described in several places in the Qurʾān. What will happen to the earth and the heavens, to the sun, the moon, the stars, and the planets? What fate will befall the creatures living on earth? How will people rise from their graves and gather before their Lord? The Qurʾān presents vivid depictions of these events throughout its chapters. A study of pre-Islamic (Jāhiliyya) literature reveals that the Arabs of that time favored imagery—particularly simi-les—over abstract metaphors, which the Qurʾān also pow-erfully employs in portraying these realities. The Qurʾān has taken this into consideration and has depicted the commotion of the Day of Judgment in such a way that its reader feels as though they are witnessing it unfold before their very eyes. The sequence of events that emerges is as follows:

Stages

The stages that humans will pass through to reach that day, and the places where they will be settled afterward, are also detailed in the Qurʾān. Humanity is steadily mov-ing toward it. The first stage of this journey is death. After a brief span of worldly life, this stage inevitably arrives for every individual, and there is no escape from it. It can come in the morning or evening, before birth, or shortly after; in childhood, youth, or old age—whenever it pleas-es. Each person must surrender to it, whether willingly or reluctantly.

The Qurʾān describes that a person’s true self, referred to as the ‘nafs,’ is an existence distinct and independent from their corporeal life. At the moment of death, this ‘nafs’ is separated from the body. A specific angel is assigned this responsibility, supported by a group of angels working un-der his command. This angel comes and formally takes the ‘nafs’ into custody, much like a government official takes possession of something entrusted to them.

The Qurʾān also mentions the dealings with a person at this moment. After the Conclusive Establishment of Truth by the Prophets, the souls of their deniers are seized by angels who strike them, and it is made known to them at the time of death that they are now to face the punish-ment of disgrace. On the other hand, those who believe in the Messenger and are completely purified from disbelief, polytheism, oppression, and all forms of corruption, the angels greet them with peace and give them glad tidings of Paradise.

After that come the stages known as the Intermediate State (Barzakh), the Gathering (Maḥshar), Hell, and Par-adise. The Intermediate State serves as a barrier where the souls of the deceased will remain until the Day of Judgment. In various traditions, the term ‘grave’ is met-aphorically used to describe this state. Here, humans will experience a form of life without a physical body. The con-sciousness, sensations, and experiences of the soul in this state will bear some resemblance to what is experienced during dreams.

The Qurʾān informs us that for those whose situations are unequivocally clear—whether they are at the height of loyalty or are outright rebels and arrogant deniers—a form of punishment or reward will begin in this very realm. This is because there will be no need for their ac-tions to be reviewed or their deeds to be judged.

The next station is ‘Maḥshar’. After the second blowing of the trumpet, all humans will rise to life again. This life will be with both soul and body. The Qurʾān has referred to it as the second life. In this, the worldly body of humans will be transformed into a body that will be suitable for living in all conditions of comfort and torment in God’s eternal kingdom, but with the same personality as they are alive today.

All of humanity will be divided into three groups on that day:

i. those who were foremost in accepting the truth,

ii. the common righteous whose record of deeds will be given in their right hand,

iii. and the criminals whose hands will be tied behind their back and their record of deeds be placed in their left hand.

This is the moment when the accounts will be taken, and witnesses will be presented for the Conclusive Establish-ment of the Truth. Prophets will also be called to testify.

People’s tongues, hands, feet, ears, eyes, and even the hair on their bodies will bear witness. After this, the verdict will be announced, and people will be dispatched to Hell or Paradise.

The Qurʾān states that Hell is the worst place to be. It will have the punishment of fire. This fire will scorch fac-es, disfigure them, peel off the skin, and reach the hearts. Criminals will have collars around their necks and chains on their feet, and everything will become a source of re-gret. Above all, people will be deprived of seeing God Almighty’s radiant presence and of receiving His gaze of favor; He will not even turn to look at some of these crim-inals.

In contrast to Hell, Paradise is the dwelling place of the righteous. Its vastness is as extensive as the universe. It is a place of eternal bliss, where there is no concept of life followed by death, pleasure tainted by pain, happiness overshadowed by sorrow, tranquility disturbed by distress, ease interrupted by hardship, or blessings accompanied by curses. Instead, its comfort is everlasting, its delights are boundless, its days and nights are eternal, its peace is perpetual, its joy is undying, its elegance is eternal, and its perfection is infinite. God Almighty has provided therein such things for His servants which no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no human heart has ever conceived.