The Essence of Islam – Volume III — Page 43
2 FAITH, CERTAINTY AND INSIGHT As far as the belief in God Almighty, the question of metaphors, and the phenomena of here and the hereafter is concerned, the approach of philosophers is very differ- ent from that of Prophets. Faith in the Unseen Taught by Prophets The main principle followed by the Prophets is that faith proves fruitful only if the unseen is accepted as unseen, and the self-evident testimony of physical senses and ab- solute mathematical proof is not insisted upon inasmuch as all spiritual merit and worthiness of nearness to the Divine depends upon righteousness, and he alone pos- sesses true righteousness who safeguards himself against the extremes of investigation, multiple denials, and test- ing every little detail, and is prepared to accept a way that appears safer and preferable to other ways as the truth, out of a sense of precaution. This is faith, and this is what helps open the door of Divine grace and becomes the means of acquiring good fortune here and in the hereafter. When a person establishes himself firmly on faith and then seeks to foster his knowledge through prayer, worship, reflection and observation, God Al- mighty Himself becomes his Guardian, and, taking him by the hand, leads him from the stage of faith to that of 'Ain-ul-Yaqin [certainty by sight. ] But all this is achieved only through steadfastness, striving, effort and purifica- tion of the ego. He who seeks clarification of all details at the very first stage, and is not prepared to abandon his