Faith in the Unseen
When something is present but is not visible, the word unseen or invisible (ghayb) will be used. The same is true of God. Although God is apparently in the unseen, in reality, He is more present than any other thing which is present. Faith in the unseen (iman bil-ghayb) directly means faith in God, but indirectly it includes all those related things which are included in faith and is a must for a believer. For instance, revelation, angels, Paradise and Hell, etc.
The truth is that we learn of things in two ways, one by observation and the other by inference. In respect of science, both these methods are equally reliable. In terms of validity, there is no difference between the two.
In present times, for academic studies science is regarded as an authentic source of the truth. There are two sides to science, one being theoretical and the other technical. In terms of scientific studies, the sphere of technical science is limited. Through technology one can see only the appearances of things, but all the things which are apparent have, in the last analysis, their unseen aspects. For instance, you can see flowers, but you cannot see their fragrance. It is not possible to see the fragrance of a flower by means of any microscope or telescope. Although, just as the flower exists, so too does its fragrance exist.
According to scientific study, all things are finally a combination of atoms and the atom in its last analysis is a combination of electrons and protons. One scientist, describing this reality, has written that the entire universe is a mad dance of invisible electrons (and protons). Other scientists have interpreted this invisible state of the universe as being waves of probability.
In this respect, it would be right to say that not only is the seemingly invisible Creator unseen, but His visible creation is also in the unseen. The British scientist, Sir Arthur Eddington (d. 1944), wrote extensively on this subject in a book titled Science and the Unseen World (Macmillan, 1920).
The truth is that what we see in this world is only their appearance: the reality of things still remains invisible. The same is true of God. God as to His being is apparently invisible, but in His creations He becomes visible to us. The existence of the things He created is in itself a proof of the existence of the Creator. The universe is so meaningful that, without accepting the Creator, it is not possible to explain the universe.
God’s being in the unseen is in one sense due to the exigencies of putting mankind to the test. If God were to become visible, there would be no such exigencies. God being in the unseen is why believing in Him becomes a test paper for us. Had God been visible, having faith in God would not have become a test for human beings. God and all other things related with belief in Him, being in the unseen, are matters of great blessing for man, because it is due to this that the process of thinking has been initiated and stimulated. It is owing to this that we have a limitless sphere in which to ponder and reflect. It is owing to this that realization of God can become for us a self-discovered reality, and without doubt it is a fact that there is nothing having a greater impact in this world than a reality discovered on our own. God and other matters of belief being in the unseen are an endless source of intellectual development for man.
For guidance, the condition of faith in the unseen is no arbitrary condition but for a creature like man, it is rather a very reasonable condition. For the understanding of any great reality, an awakened mind is always required. Only the mind of an awakened person is capable of understanding a great reality. God without doubt is the greatest reality. That is why having faith in God, or the realization of God in the true sense, can be had only by one who has awakened his mind by study and reflection. One whose mind is not awakened is as if suffering from an intellectual blindness and without doubt the realization of God cannot be achieved in a state of such blindness.
