The faith in appearance

MARCH 11, 2016:   DAILY SUN

Belief in invisibility is the key pre-condition of faith. The wise and intelligent creatures, the human being as well as the Jinn, have to have faith not by seeing directly but by considering circumstances and reasons. Keeping faith in invisibility is applicable only to birds and animals. If we show grass to a cow, it will come to eat. We are intelligent creates and we can believe on the basis of reasons. Being an intelligent creature we should not lower us to the level of animals.

Allah says in the Qur’an: “This is the Book; in it is guidance sure, without doubt, to those who fear Allah. Who believe in the unseen, are steadfast in prayer, and spend out of what We have provided for them.” (Surah Bakarah: Ayat 2 & 3).

The human civilisation is completely based on faith. We have not seen all the matters and events what we believe and there is no possibility of getting a chance to see all those in our lifetime. In almost all the maters we relay on guess, probability or hypothesis. We guess that something might happen or may have happened as it is happening so far. By looking at the foot prints of a particular animal we can come to a conclusion about when and which type of animal has walked past.

Allah says: “Were they created of nothing, or were they themselves the creators? Or did they create the heavens and the earth? Nay, they have no firm belief.” (Surah: At-Tur: Ayat 35& 36).

Human knowledge is very much limited. We are not certain about what is going to happen even before a few seconds. Moreover, we cannot recall hundreds of events that took place before our eyes a few days or hours back. Sir Isaac Newton said, “I was like a boy playing on the sea-shore, and diverting myself now and then finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me”. Similarly, Albert Einstein realised, “Two things are infinite: The universe and the human stupidity…and I am not sure about the universe”.

Hundreds of issues that were the subject matter of science fiction movies and novels earlier, have become a reality in this 21st century. We did not know about the atom, its structure and its huge power before the invention of electronic microscope. If we put a living cell under a powerful microscope we will get a view of the nucleus, DNA and other amazing structures of those elements which remain out of our sight.

Physically, we have various limitations. Human being is one of the most vulnerable among all living creatures in this world. A little heat wave or cold wave causes death to thousands of people during summer and winter. Our auditory capability is 20 to 20,000 hrtz and we cannot hear the sound less than the frequency of 20 hrtz and more than 20,000 hrtz. So, there may be various sights and sounds around us that we cannot see or hear. The animal having the sixth sense can realise those sights and sounds. The power of our other senses, like touch, taste and smell is more limited than most other living creatures. Similarly, the electromagnetic wave or microwave signals are carrying thousands of information but we cannot see and hear them without a receiver or a particular device. So, there maybe thousands of various events taking place around us that go beyond even our imagination. This is because of the limitation of our knowledge and senses.

Prophets have been sent with the verses of Allah in this world who were the most perfect men in this world in all respect and they never told a lie in their whole lifetime. So, why we cannot rely on their messages? Allah says: “Even if We did send unto them angels, and the dead did speak unto them, and We gathered together all things before their very eyes, they are not the ones to believe, unless it is in Allah’s plan. But most of them ignore (the truth).” (Surah Al-An’am: Ayat111).

We should think profoundly about the order of the nature – the rising and setting of the sun, falling of sweet but not salty water of rain, growing up of living things, eco system of this world, inter dependency of animal species, proper distance between the sun and the moon from our earth, exact proportion of different gases in the atmosphere, tide in the river and in the sea, proportion of water and solid matter in the human body and thousands of other events that are taking place around us every day where a very little exception or disorder might bring disastrous consequences to the living creatures.

Allah says: “Seest thou not that Allah sends down rain from the sky, and leads it through springs in the earth? Then He causes to grow, therewith, produce of various colours: then it withers; thou wilt see it grow yellow; then He makes it dry up and crumble away. Truly, in this, is a Message of remembrance to men of understanding.” (Sura Jumar: Ayat 21).
Roger Bacon says, ‘if a person cannot believe in God by watching very much ordinary thing such as, falling of rain and growing up of plants on the land, God will not come before that person to make him/her believe in God.’

Allah says: “So verily thou canst not make the dead to hear, nor canst thou make the deaf to hear the call, when they show their backs and turn away. Nor canst thou lead back the blind from their straying: only those wilt thou make to hear, who believe in Our signs and submit (their wills in Islam).” (Surah Ar-Rum: Ayat 52 & 53).

According to many scientists, this universe was created with the Big Bang and it has been expanding continuously. There must have been a plan before that Big Bang. Without a proper and pre-plan nothing can be created just with a big explosion. If so, we might have seen that a small plane or bus has been created with the crash of an airplane or with the explosion of an atom bomb various objects might have been created. Similarly, if we put ink, paper and many other things in a printing press needed for making a complete book and then blow these up with a powerful bomb, there is no possibility to get a well-bound and well-printed book. But, the reality is that for getting a complete book in hand we will have to go through some logical process, such as preparation of manuscript, doing computer compose, proof reading, correction, arranging papers, ink, printing press and many other necessary things.

Similarly, the whole universe where billions of galaxies, black holes, solar systems, stars, planets and satellites have been spreading over billions of light years orbiting on their respective axes and in this gradually expanding universe the invisible power of gravitation is very much sharp and sensitive. There must be someone who is behind this sensitive and critical system.

Allah says: “With power and skill did We construct the Firmament: For it is We Who create the vastness of pace.” (Sura Jariat: Ayat 47).
Allah also says: “Don’t disbelievers see that the heavens and the earth were joined together (as one unit of creation), before we clove them asunder? We made from water every living thing. Will they not then believe?” (Sura Ambia: Ayat 30).

Apparently, our brain might not accept this whole truth logically; therefore, Allah has sent thousands of Prophets as His representative in this world with the Holy Book in different ages, in different regions and on different nations of this world so that people can realise the existence of Allah perfectly.