Some Basic Points Regarding Faith
Faith is essentially to believe in
certain metaphysical, unseen realities. It lends itself to two levels: verbal attestation
and heartfelt conviction. The first level of faith – legal faith or iman al-fiqhi – is simply the verbal affirmation in
the unity of God, the messengership of Muhammad (SAW), the Hereafter, the
Hellfire, the Paradise, the Resurrection, the Day of
Judgment, the Prophets, the Angels, the Divine Books, the Revelation, etcetera.
Anyone who simply professes to believe in these realities is considered a
Muslim. The vast majority of Muslims today have inherited this type of faith
from their parents or the surrounding environment.
The second level of faith – true faith
or iman al-haqeeqi – deals with the heartfelt conviction. This is the level of faith at which the
believer consciously asserts and affirms his belief, beyond any shadow of
doubt, in the aforementioned metaphysical realities. It is this type of faith which
is actually required of a believer for it becomes the basis on which he will be
judged in the Hereafter. Thus, it is this true faith which is the subject of
the passage under discussion.
A point to be noted here is that
inherited faith, though of an unconscious nature, will also incur a type of conviction
in a person through the constant observance of Islamic practices and rituals.
For just as man’s inner being has an effect on his outer personality, so his
conduct and actions affect his inner being. However, this type of conviction,
devoid of an intellectual dimension as it is, is not the subject of this passage.
This passage deals with the faith which is laboriously and consciously attained
through reflection and contemplation. In these ayahs, people of such faith are termed ulul albaab – people of intellect, deep discernment
and contemplation.
The Stages of Intellectual Maturity
The process of contemplation and
reflection leads the ulul albaab through various stages of intellectual maturity. The first of
these stages is the gnosis of Allah (SWT) acquired through constant examination
and thoughtful observation of natural phenomena present in the external
universe. The second stage of this intellectual journey is that of establishing
a close relationship with Allah (SWT) and continued reflection upon the signs
present in the universe. This confers upon the ulul albaab an awareness of the reality of an
afterlife. Hence, the gnosis of Allah (SWT) and recompense of deeds, in consequence
of which an awareness of an afterlife, are arrived at via their own personal
analysis, observation, reasoning and contemplation. The third stage of this
evolutionary thought process is that of a passionate response to the call of a
messenger sent by Allah (SWT); for the call of a messenger is nothing more than
the reassertion of truths already reverberating in their hearts.
The last ayah (195) of this passage portrays the
personality traits of the ulul albaab: such people are not cowardly or weak; they stand up for the Truths
that they have come to believe in and put everything at stake for upholding
these Truths. They are always ready to spend their wealth, part with their families
and, in the final analysis, lay down their lives for the truths they have come
to believe in.
To be continued....
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