What is the believing in the unseen? What is faith in the unseen? What does the quran say about believing?
In fact, at the moment of death when the curtains removed and the world of the unseen becomes visible to the human eye, man’s test in this world will come to an end, and then faith and repentance will not be acceptable.
Because the sensitivity of heart to believe in the unseen is required in order to be honored with the blessings of Paradise. It is not an important skill to accept the perceivable beings.
The real important skill is to be able to believe in the truth while it is behind the curtain and to spend a life in accordance with that belief, and to give the last breath in that belief. Necip Fazil describes such a blessed moment of death as follows:
At that moment, curtains go up and curtains go down,
The true skill is to be able to say “Welcome” to the Angel of death…
Mawlana Jalaluddin al-Rumi says:
“Since thou hast seen the revolution of the millstone, come now, see also the water of the river.
Thou hast seen the dust rise into the air: amidst the dust see the wind.” (Mathnawi, Book 5, verses 2900-2901)
However, thanks to the key of contemplation, this test is not so difficult. Because;
“Our Lord is unseen because of the heaviness of His appearance”
He is Muta’al (Transcendental, the Most Exalted and beyond everything). He is Bâtin (the Hidden, the Imperceptible, One who is behind the curtains). However, everything created by our Lord is the manifestation of His attributes. Everything attests Him.
The perfect harmony in the universe points out several names of Allah such as ‘Alîm (the All-Knowing), Hakîm (the Wise), Azîz (the Mighty), Qayyûm (The Self-Subsisting) and Mudabbir (One who plans, rules, and governs).
The ecological system which feeds trillions of living beings ranging from the microscopic ones to the gigantic whales; a separate dining table is prepared for each and every one of the creatures; none of them is left hungry…. This marvelous system indicates us other names of Allah such as Razzaq (the Total Provider), Mun’im (the Benefactor, the Generous), Karîm (the Generous), Jawâd (the Magnanimous), and Nâfi’ (the Propitious, the Benefactor, the Source of Good).
We observe different species and varieties of creatures, but in fact, each creature is a unique copy. There are no two people exactly identical regarding their physical properties and a life plan. Even the identical twins have different fingerprints, different retinas, and of course completely different fate.
Mawlana Jalaluddin al-Rumi says:
“O, foolish man! Which one is more plausible, existence or nonexistence of a maker of all these mansions, palaces and many residences?”
This distinguished art is not unique only to man. There are not even two identical apple or orange trees on earth. Every one of them has a separate fate, program, and a lifespan.
The Prophet Adam (pbuh) had the codes of entire humanity. Color, shape, height and everything… A child inherits certain characteristics from his/her grandfather and also from his/her mother’s relatives.
Trillions of sperm cells, from which man is formed, are created in human body in a life time. When it fertilizes an egg in the uterus and they form 46 chromosomes, trillions of possibilities emerge. Trillions times trillions of possibilities…!
A person has a couple of children. The divine fate selects them from among trillions of possibilities. Parents only watch, admire, and embrace this divine gift by saying “O, my child!”
O man!
You were created from one cell from among those trillions! Not the other trillions, but you have been created. What a nice opportunity of contemplation this is… Because we have been the chosen and created ones from among the trillions of cells that could be other human beings, we should always thank Allah.
Mawlana Jalaluddin al-Rumi says:
“O my son! Which one is more plausible the existence of a clerk who writes the lines that you see or nonexistence of a scribe of the writings that adorn the walls and fill the pages, line by line?”
Necip Fazil expresses how these magnificent arts and distinguished works refer to the Divine Artist behind the curtains.
Festivities, beautification and rejoice in atoms;
And annulated glory, annulated glory.
Interwoven architecture, interwoven personality,
I know You, O Lord, the Unknown Famous.
The enormous celestial bodies, the endless galaxies and the heavens opens the windows for our contemplation of other names of Allah such as Azîm (the Magnificent), Kabîr (the Great), Khaliq (the Creator), Azîz (the Mighty), Qadîr (the Powerful) and Muqtadir (the All Authoritative).
Various living beings and plants are the manifestations of Allah’s names, al-Bari (the Evolver, the Maker from nothing) and al-Musawwir (the Flawless Shaper).
The system established on the interrelations of all these numerous creation is another manifestation of the Allah’s Omnipotence.
A gazelle is fed with herbs. Lion eats the gazelle. The remaining of its body feeds scavengers such as hyenas, vultures, and similar creatures. Flies and insects are fed with it too. Their remains and corpses return to the ground, and become the nourishment for the plants. Thus, the circle turns back to the beginning.
Chicken eats the scorpion, the human eats chicken. This is a perfect ecological order in the food chain. If this balance is harmed, everything will fall into disorder .
Mawlana Jalaluddin al-Rumi says:
“O man! Can you show me anything in this universe that comes into existence by itself? Separate a self-sprouting plant from the soil and see if it is grown by itself or not.”
If one looks at the whole as much as he can, the glory, power and, wisdom can be clearly seen. The wisdom is the secret side of the events, processes and the entities. On the other hand, it is the accourate expression and act attesting that every event in the universe occurs in accordance with certain purposes and it is not useless and void.
Our eyes can see a certain distance. In other words, we can see clearly up to a certain point, blurry from that point to another point, and can see nothing beyond that last point. We can see neither the microscopic world nor the distant places without the aid of some instruments. Again, the wavelength visible to the eye is also limited. We cannot see the infrared and ultraviolet lights around us.
Our hearing ability also works within certain boundaries. We can hear only a certain frequency range.
Based on these examples, we have to admit that human intellect is limited too. While the human mind is stopped even by physical problems, it is unthinkable that it does not fail in metaphysics. How beautifully Ziya Pasha expressed this:
İdrâk-i meâlî bu küçük akla gerekmez,
Zîrâ bu terâzî bu kadar sıkleti çekmez.
Meaning “It is not within the ability of this small mind to perceive the high truths; Because this (small) scales cannot carry so much weight.”
“If thou wert to question them, “Who created the heavens and the earth?”
They would be sure to reply, “they were created by (Him), the Exalted in Power, Full of Knowledge”. (Al- Zuhruf, 43: 9)
Just like our senses of seeing and hearing, every scale has maximum and minimum limits. This is also true about the range of perception of human mind. The human mind’s attempt to solve enormous problems such as fate and destiny is like trying to weigh a huge truck by a tiny jeweler’s scale! That scales will certainly shatter into pieces!
In the way how our mind works, because it formulates opinions, makes comparisons and conjectures about the unknown with reference to what it has already learned, there is a high probability that it may fall into mistakes and go astray in the areas out of its perception. Philosophical heresies are examples of this. Therefore, in matters that are beyond the capacity of human mind, it is necessary to employ human mind as subject to the content of revelation.
We can understand the weakness of man by contemplating the following facts:
There are various kinds of mechanisms in human body. We breathe, blood is purified in our lungs and it is loaded with oxygen to be delivered to the cells. The heart works for a lifetime without taking a break. Every limb needs a rest, but the heart does not. In other words;
Our heart beats constantly and pumps blood to the cells located at farthest part of our body.
Our liver slowly gives our body the sugar extracted from the foods. If it gave the sugar suddenly, the sugar would turn into a poison.
Our kidneys are a magnificent filtering system…
(O, my Messenger) Say: “Who is it that sustains you (in life) from the sky and from the earth? or who is it that has power over hearing and sight? And who is it that brings out the living from the dead and the dead from the living? and who is it that rules and regulates all affairs?” They will soon say, “Allah”…” (Yunus, 10: 31)
There are many other systems and none of these systems control is subject to human will. They work according to a divine program outside our will. According to the scientists, these systems work as if each one of them has a computer.
If their control were to be given to us, we would certainly fail about the management of the organs of our body. Because we forget and we need to sleep, but these organs have to work while we are asleep. Their Owner keeps each one of them working in harmony.
There are many things that man cannot solve by his limited mind and assumes that these are causeless. As the secrets of these events have been solved in time, they have started to be understood. Everything in the universe attests that it was created as a flawless part of a perfect plan by a Creator who knows everything and has endless wisdom and power.
The following is only one of the thousands of examples:
Man had looked at his fingertips for thousands of years, but was not able to realize that those fingertips are a kind of seal and a kind of registry number unique to him. The uniqueness of the fingerprints was discovered in the late 19th century thanks to a science called dactyloscopy.
Meaning “The entire universe is the greatest book of Allah. If you read any letter of this book, you will see that it refers to Allah. When you contemplate any particle in this Universe, it will take you to Allah.”
The planet Earth, which is full of endless secrets from which we could give only a few examples cannot even be considered in the size of dust particle when it is compared to the universe. On the other hand, however, there are numerous beings and wonders placed in it.
Allah Almighty says:
(O, my Messenger) Say:
“Who is it that sustains you (in life) from the sky and from the earth?
or who is it that has power over hearing and sight?
And who is it that brings out the living from the dead and the dead from the living?
And who is it that rules and regulates all affairs?” They will soon say, “Allah”…” (Yunus, 10: 31)
Even the polytheists could not deny Allah Almighty as the Creator. This situation is expressed in another verse as follows:
“If thou wert to question them, “Who created the heavens and the earth?”
They would be sure to reply, “they were created by (Him), the Exalted in Power, Full of Knowledge”. (al-Zuhruf, 43: 9)
Despite all these, a foolish man may deny if he wants.
Necip Fazil:
Festivities, beautification and rejoice in atoms;
And annulated glory, annulated glory.
Interwoven architecture, interwoven personality,
I know You, O Lord, the Unknown Famous.
Just as the unbelievers of the past who witnessed the prophets’ clear miracles but said “This is just a magic”, today’s unbelievers will present some excuses for their denial too.
However, these excuses are too weak to cover the quest for truth in their own conscience. Just as atheist professors who were forced to accept the existence of a Creator after performing research on human gene for 25 years, there are many others who could find no relief but to believe.
The nonsense of the denial of the existence of a Creator is a weakness caused by arrogance. It is caused by the thought that believing in Allah, being a servant to Him, serving to the Messenger of Allah and the divine book are acts that are beneath the person.
Whereas;
The true value of man comes from being a good servant of Allah Almighty.
Because every disbeliever, who cannot understand the purpose of his creation, lives like a fugitive on earth and spends every moment of his life uneasy and disturbed under the fear of incurring to calamities.
It is well known that the psychological disorders have risen in this century when disbelief and secularization have widely spread.
Thus in order to have a peaceful life, it is necessary to contemplate upon the answers of the following questions:
Mawlana Jalaluddin al-Rumi says:
“Correct yourself, before you read the verses of the Qur’an and the sayings of the Prophet.
If you do not smell the beautiful fragrances in the rose gardens, look for the fault not with the garden, but rather with your nose.
– O man! Know the wisdom in your creation and contemplate on it!
– O man! Think about on whose property you live and get yourself together!
– O man! Live your life with a purpose!
– O man! Why did you come to this world? Where does this flow go?
– O man! Think about and read all the signs embedded in this universe, in yourself and in the Qur’an, and contemplate on them deeply.
The existence of those who do not contemplate on all these truths and insist on disbelief can be taken as another reason for contemplation.
As a manifestation of Allah’s name al-Mudil, it is necessary that the unbelievers whose hearts are sealed will exist in this world of testing until the Judgment Day.
Such people prove with their existence that the mind is not enough for contemplation. The heart is not enough for finding the true path. These are only means. Unless Allah Almighty grants, man cannot find the straight path. This is a divine secret teaching us that we must take refuge in Allah.
Another reason that reminds man the purpose of his creation is his life.
Sheikh Sâdî says:
For the hearts that know Allah, even a single leaf in the trees is a means to know Allah. As for the heedless, the whole tree does not even have the value of a single leaf.
After the infancy and childhood which is the period of incompetence, the period of strength namely the youth starts, and thereafter the period of incompetence and weakness, in other words, the old ages come. The human soul, which desires the eternity, objects this journey going towards an end and asks the question “Where does this journey go?” and contemplates upon the death and the afterlife.
Source: The Universe, The Qur’an And The Human, Osman Nuri Topbaş, Erkam Publications