FAITH IN THE UNSEEN
The Quran says: “This is the Book; there is no doubt in it. It is a guide for those who are mindful of God, who believe in the unseen.” (2:2-3)
Faith in the unseen is not simply a matter of religious belief. It is directly connected with the issue of spiritual guidance. Only someone who has faith in the unseen will gain spiritual guidance. In contrast, a person who does not have faith in the unseen will not receive spiritual guidance. When all the realities are unseen, how can the matter of the discovery of Higher Reality be an exception?
In Arabic, the word ghaib or ‘unseen’ does not only mean something that is not present. The term is used for something invisible but not non-existent—that is to say, a thing that is not visible while remaining present or having an existence. This is the case with God. Even though God appears to be in the unseen, He is more present than anything else. In the above Quranic verse, ‘the unseen’ means having faith in God, but indirectly, all those aspects related to faith in God are also included here that are necessary for a true believer of God to have belief in—for instance, Divine Revelation, Angels, Hell and Heaven, etc.
The fact is that we know things through two methods. One is through direct observation, and the other is through inference. From the scientific point of view, both these methods and arguments are equally valid. In terms of their validity, there is no difference between them.
In the present age, science is a valid means for scholarly research. Science has two parts—one is theoretical science, and the other is technical science or applied science. Technical science deals only with the external or apparent aspects of things. However, in their final analysis, all things that appear to be visible become invisible. According to a scientific study, all things are finally a collection of atoms, and an atom, in its final analysis, is a collection of sub-atomic particles that are not visible. In this sense, it would be correct to say that not only is the unseen Creator in the unseen realm and hence unobservable to us directly, but even apparently, observable creations are, in their final analysis, in the unseen realm, therefore, unobservable to us.
Alfred Korzybski (1879-1950) described the universe as engaged in a ‘mad dance of electrons,’ highlighting the undeniable presence of the invisible in the cosmos. Another scientist has defined the universe as ‘waves of probability’ due to its invisible state. The British scientist Sir Arthur Eddington (d. 1944) explored this theme in his book Science and the Unseen World (A. S. Eddington, Macmillan, 1929, 91 pages). From this perspective, it is correct to say that not only is the, apparently, invisible Creator in the unseen realm, but the apparently visible creation is also in the unseen state.
In this world, we perceive things, but we only see their apparent manifestations. The true essence of things remains unseen for us. This situation mirrors the nature of God. From His essence, God is unobservable and unseen, but God becomes observable and manifest in the context of His creation. The existence of creation itself is evidence of the Creator’s existence. The creation of the universe is so meaningful that without accepting it as the work of the Creator, it is simply impossible to explain it.
God’s being in the unseen is, in one sense, on account of the exigency of the test humans are being put to during our short spell on earth. If God could be seen through our physical eyes, the exigency of the test would be over. Because God is in the unseen, believing in Him is a test for us. If God were before our eyes and observable to us, having faith in Him would not become a test for man. To have faith in the unseen God and related beliefs in the unseen is a great blessing for man. This is because such faith is engendered through deep thinking and reflection in man’s mind. As a result, a never-ending process of reflection and contemplation occurs within our minds. It is on account of this that it becomes possible for us to find God at the level of discovery. Because of this, the realization of God can be, for us, a self-discovered reality—and without doubt, there is nothing more significant than a self-discovered reality in this world. For God and the aspects of faith related to Him, remaining in a state of the unseen for man is an endless source of intellectual development.
Faith in the unseen is a necessary condition for obtaining spiritual guidance. However, this is not any arbitrary sort of condition. Instead, it is an exceedingly reasonable condition for a creature like man. To understand any great reality, an awakened mind is required. Only a person whose mind is awakened can understand any great reality. God is undoubtedly the most significant reality. That is why only that person who awakens his mind through study and reflection can attain God- realization in the real sense. A person whose mind is not awakened is sunk into intellectual blindness. With intellectual blindness, no one can achieve the realization of God.
