Although Satan had no any doubt about the existence of Allah (SWT), he rebelled Allah and did not obey His order of prostrating to Hz. Adam; then, how can people be accused of not believing in Allah without seeing Him?

Although Satan had no any doubt about the existence of Allah (SWT), he rebelled Allah and did not obey His order of prostrating to Hz. Adam; then, how can people be accused of not believing in Allah without seeing Him?

Dear Brother / Sister,

First of all, it is necessary to believe that it is possible to comprehend the existence and oneness of Allah in real sense with the equipments that He has given to us such as reasoning and revelations that support these equipments. The belief of billions of people throughout human history is a proof of this truth.

Even in this materialistic age, the belief of billions of people in Allah (SWT) depending on divine religions shows that the test of humanity is very equitable. Even the belief of people who are not in the category of divine religions in the existence of an infinite power in any way and their worshipping a void God though it is false, shows that it is an undeniable proof that the nature of human contains a belief in Allah.

It is clear that humans are creatures that think and have a free will. The testing of such an equipped living creature shows that those equipments are given for this test. As man who has a capacity for easily distinguishing the profit-loss, good-evil, architect-architecture, art-artist, building-builder, and author-book, it is necessary to accept that he also has a capacity for thinking that this palace of universe has a builder; this book of universe has an author, this art of creation has an artist. That is why Imam Maturidi said; “even if prophets had not been sent, people would have been responsible for knowing the existence of Allah (SWT) with their minds”. However, along with the mind, lots of human mechanisms such as the nature of man, his conscience and feelings; weakness-poverty, fear-love are a kind of windows which are open to Allah, He sends prophets with miracles and also books as a guidance by not limiting only to those natural guide mechanisms.

Despite these visible truths, there is no doubt that it is Satan’s trap of showing us issues whose nature we do not know like comparing them with Satan or closed doors whose keys we do not have.

Is it not better to mind our own business instead of trying to learn all of the secrets of the test with our small mind? Is it not an easy thing to consider the capacity of our mind and free will and trying to make our heart and reason accept that Allah (SWT) is a just creator who never oppresses and that the present test is just?

If Allah had not aimed to distinguish between people who use their mind and those who do not, who listen to their conscience and those who do not and between the good and the bad, to carry out a test with an equitable purpose like rewarding those who were hardworking and passed the test and punishing those who were lazy and failed it, why would He have given that test. Who could have opposed Him if He had sent everybody to Hell without giving any tests?

According to the narration from Ibn Hajar, Satan lost the test eternally because of five reasons.

1. For not accepting his sin

2. For not regretting

3. For not condemning his nafs (self) which led him to rebellion

4. For not repenting

5. For giving up hope from the Divine Mercy (Ibn Hajar, Munabbihat, 73)

Hence, a believer should always admit his sins, regret his mistakes, criticize his nafs (evil-self) and condemn it; often repent and should not give up hope from Divine Mercy.

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