Question: “It is said that believing something blindly without investigating it is not faith (iman).” Is faith not in the unseen (ghayb)?
ANSWER
aith (iman) is not strengthened through reason, investigation, or research; on the contrary, these may even lead to an increase in doubts. A scholar named Ibn Saqqa used to attempt to prove everything through reason. He would prove the existence and oneness of Allah with 99 proofs. In time, however, there arose matters that exceeded the limits of his reason, and his doubts increased. When he asked Yusuf al-Hamadani a question, the latter said, “There is a smell of disbelief in your words.” As a matter of fact, when he went to Istanbul as an envoy, he became a Christian there. He then attempted to prove the existence of three gods with 100 proofs. Therefore, reason alone cannot be taken as the sole criterion.

The meanings of two hadith-i sharifs are as follows:

(There is no one more harmful than a person who judges the religion according to his own reason.) [Tabarani]

(In the time period close to Doomsday, believe like an old woman.) [Daylami]

This hadith does not mean, “Believe blindly.” It means, “Believe in what our religion teaches without subjecting it to reason or seeking proof for it.” The Hereafter and the Bridge of Sirat cannot be proven through reason or logic. The Mu‘tazila denied such matters as the Bridge of Sirat and the Mi‘raj. One who investigates and seeks proof cannot be free from doubt. For example, one cannot explain the Bridge of Sirat through reason and is therefore compelled to deny it; one cannot say, as Hazrat Abu Bakr did, “If he said it, then it is true.” If one were able to say this, there would be no need for investigation. Therefore, the one who seeks to investigate is in great danger.

While the polytheists, relying on rationalistic arguments and demanding empirical verification, denied the Prophet’s Mi‘raj, Abu Bakr attained the highest degree of faith by setting such rational objections aside and simply declaring, “If he said it, then it is true.” For this reason, he was honored with the title as-Siddiq. He did not allow rational speculation to stand in the way of his faith; rather, he affirmed without hesitation that the Messenger of Allah had ascended to the Mi‘raj and returned in an instant, and his faith shone like the sun. The Prophet said, “If the faith of Abu Bakr were weighed against the combined faith of all people, his faith would outweigh theirs.” His exalted faith was attained not through rational investigation, but through sincere affirmation.

The fundamental principles of faith are not subject to rational investigation or empirical verification; in other words, they are not established through independent inquiry. In the Qur’an, while the righteous are praised, it is stated (as meaning): “Those muttaqis believe in the unseen.” (Al-Baqarah 3)

Hadrat Sayyid Abdulhakim Arwasi states:
Faith (iman) is to affirm as true, without subjecting it to independent verification or consulting reason, experience, or philosophy, all that Muhammad alaihissalam conveyed in his capacity as a Prophet. To affirm these truths merely because they conform to reason would amount to affirming the dictates of reason rather than affirming the Messenger. Alternatively, it would mean affirming both the Messenger and reason, in which case one’s reliance upon the Messenger would not be complete. When such reliance is incomplete, there can be no faith. (Endless Bliss)

Islamism and Faith
Question: Is Islamism the same as being a Muslim, and are the so-called “truths of faith” the same as true faith? Can a person attain true faith simply by reading a book based on rational arguments?
ANSWER
In authoritative religious texts, just as there is no such term as “Islamism,” we have not come across a term such as “truths of faith” either. Today, people generally refer to the information that is attempted to be explained through reason by conducting research and investigating events as “truths of faith” in order to prove Allah’s existence. Just as the word Islamism is not the same as being a Muslim, what is referred to as “truths of faith” is not true faith, either. It is nothing more than a person’s own belief. Merely reading a religious book that does not take transmitted religious sources as its foundation or attempting to prove the existence of Allah through rational arguments does not lead to true faith. Rather, true faith is attained through Sufism and by reaching the spiritual station of fana’

Hadrat Imam Muhammad Ma‘sum stated:
Since the nafs also attains faith among the great masters of Sufism, their faith is protected from being lost. The hadith, “O my Lord, I ask You for a faith that does not end in disbelief,” and the 136^th verse of Surat al-Nisa’, which means, “O you who have believed, believe!”, point to true and genuine faith. This verse means, in effect, “Attain true faith.” (Second Volume, 61st Letter)

Hadrat Sanaullah-i Dahlawi stated:
In Sufism, one who attains the station of fana possesses true and genuine faith and will therefore certainly die in a state of faith (iman). The 143rd verse of Surah al-Baqarah, which states in meaning, “Allah will never cause your faith to be lost,” together with the hadith, “Allah Most High does not take back the faith of His servants” [who have attained the station of fana’], indicates that true faith, once attained, will not be taken away. (Irshad-ut-Talibin)

Hadrat Imam-i Rabbani says the following about true faith:
Sufism serves to consolidate and firmly establish the creed of Ahl al-Sunnah, ensuring that it is not shaken by influences that give rise to doubt. Faith strengthened through reason, rational argument, and intellectual investigation cannot attain the same degree of firmness. In the 28th verse of Surat al-Raʿd, it is stated, in meaning: “The settling and establishment of faith in the hearts occurs only and exclusively through dhikr.” (First Volume, 266th Letter)