“And who believe in what has been revealed to you, [O Muḥammad], and what was revealed before you, and of the Hereafter they are certain [in faith].” Chapter 2 Al Baqarah, verse 4.
The previous blog was discussing the last aspect of this verse namely, certainty of faith. Allah, the Exalted, did not only declare a truth in the Holy Quran but He also provided evidence for it through examples. Examples which can be found in the past nations and those placed in one’s very own life. For example, in the Holy Quran Allah, the Exalted, advises that sometimes a person desires a thing even though it will cause them trouble if they obtained it. Similarly, they might hate a thing while there is much hidden good in it for them. Chapter 2 Al Baqarah, verse 216:
“…But perhaps you hate a thing and it is good for you; and perhaps you love a thing and it is bad for you. And Allah knows, while you know not.”
There are many examples of this truth throughout history. For example, some muslims believed the Pact of Hudaiba which was made between the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, and the non-muslims of Mecca would harm Islam and the muslims. Yet, history clearly shows that it favoured Islam. This is discussed in Hadiths found in Sahih Bukhari, numbers 2731 and 2732. If one reflects on their own life they will find many examples when they believed something was good when it was actually bad and vice versa. These examples prove the authenticity of this verse and therefore strengthen a muslim’s faith.
Another example of how gaining knowledge strengthens one’s faith is found in chapter 79 An Naziat, verse 46:
“It will be, on the Day they see it (Judgement Day), as though they had not remained [in the world] except for an afternoon or a morning thereof.”
If one turns the pages of history they will clearly observe how great empires came and went. But when they left they faded away in such a way as if they were only on Earth for a moment. All but a few of their signs have faded away as if they never inhabited the Earth in the first place. Similarly, when one reflects on their own life they will realise that no matter how old they are and no matter how slow certain days might have felt overall their life so far has passed in a flash. This is true irrespective of a person’s age. Understanding the truthfulness of this verse strengthens one’s faith. And this certainty inspires one to prepare for the hereafter before their moment runs out.
Muslims must strive to study and act on the Holy Quran and the traditions of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, so that their adopt certainty of faith. This will take a muslim to the level of faith mentioned in a Hadith found in Sahih Muslim, number 99, which is called excellence (Ihsan). This has been discussed extensively over three audio/video podcasts titled: Ihsan – Excellence, and can be watched using the following links: https://youtu.be/M8ZNTBzcp0g and https://fb.watch/3K8jrBhaUC/
But to sum up, when one reaches certainly of faith they act as if they can witness Allah, the Exalted, observing their inner and outer being. The one who achieves this will not be shaken by any difficulty and will remain steadfast on the correct path under all circumstances.
PodTafseer: Al-Baqarah – Part 8: https://youtu.be/7ZKTP8elpjU
PodTafseer: Al-Baqarah – Part 8: https://fb.watch/3K8sABwJ87/
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