What is the benefit of believing? What is the use of believing for an individual who is living in comfort without any worry and distress? Why should he believe? How can we make him believe?

What is the benefit of believing? What is the use of believing for an individual who is living in comfort without any worry and distress? Why should he believe? How can we make him believe?

Dear Brother / Sister,

- “Believing” means to be convinced for sure of something’s trueness. A person who believes in something which is proved by certain proofs cannot have a luxury of preferring to believe or not. For example, it is impossible for a person to overlook the sun he sees in an unclouded midday; He cannot have a hesitation such as, “should I believe it or not?” Like this, hesitating to believe in an illuminating truth like the sun and which is also seen by the eye of reasoning is a sign of ignorance.

The belief of Islam is based on believing in God and the hereafter. Truly believing in them only comes to fruition by believing in that the prophet Muhammad is the apostle of God and the Qur’an is the true word of God. According to this, the primary resource is the Qur’an because’ the Qur’an is both a book that we can touch and see with our bodily eyes and also a treasure of miracles that we perceive His heavenly, divine identity with the eye of reasoning and heart. In that case, believing in Islam means believing in what the Qur’an says.

- When a student who ignores the importance of studying and the bitter consequences of failing the class, he spends his days with his friends by amusement and entertainment.  

Overlooking the truths and forgetting the phases of accounting and torture starting after by death may give temporary pleasures in this transient world. They are like “poisonous honey”.    

-The Qur’an informs the following many times in its hundreds of verses with certainty and clearly: if a person who believes in the religion of Islam acts according to his/her belief, he/she will have an immortal happy life in Paradise, which is a realm of the hereafter, and will never die and have any sorrow. On the other hand, he who does not believe in the truths that Islam puts forth will be imprisoned in Hell forever.

Is it possible for a really believing person to overlook these two truths: that is, the result of believing is going to Paradise and the result of disbelief is eternal torture and to say, “I do not care, never mind; these things do not interest me; I enjoy my life; I do not want myself to be disturbed by thinking these things”.

Is it not incredible of a person to fear from a two-day imprisonment and finding it necessary to leave the important pleasures and joys of his soul aside but to remain insensitive in the face of the imprisonment of Hell? Whose reasoning makes it possible for a person to work for this very short life by day and night and meet challenges but not to walk on the way that gains an eternal realm like Paradise?

It is an unchanging principle of human nature to evaluate and perceive events according to the judgment that rule in his heart and mind. For example, a pessimistic individual evaluates and perceives everything from a pessimistic point of view and his life is shaped according to it. On the other hand, an optimistic individual looks at everything from an optimistic point of view and evaluates the life according to it. Red glasses let us see the environment as red; similarly, black glasses also let us see the environment as black.

Since an unbeliever sees the universe as meaningless, null and as a game of coincidence, everything seems gloomy and painful to him. And since a believer knows that everything is meaningful, beneficial and under the control of God’s care and command, everything is seems lovable and peaceful to him.

If there had not been the light of belief brought by Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) and Islam, humanity would not have been able to analyze and understand the events take place in the universe. Thus, humanity would have been in extreme darkness and despair.

For example, an individual who has no belief in the hereafter sees the death as nullity and nonexistence. He also sees the grave as pit of nonexistence. On the other hand, an individual who has light of belief sees the death as a beginning of an eternal realm and the grave as an entrance of an eternal happiness. He does not see death as a terrific source of separation but as a means of rejoining with friends and relatives.

An unbeliever sees unpleasant things and poverty, which is valid in the entire universe, like a funeral house where there is mourning and grieving. He perceives everything and every creation as a hostile person and a stranger. The eye of the heart which is illuminated with the light of belief sees the universe not as a grieving and mourning funeral house but a happy soldier of a military post who has completed its duty and returning to his native land. He sees every creation as a soldier of God and an official servant but not as a stranger or a hostile person.

Besides, human is selfless by his nature. That is, human is a social creature who becomes happy with other’s pleasures and suffers by other’s torture. While everyone is in torture, it is impossible for him/her to get pleasure from life.

However, a faithless person sees everything as meaningless and poor things that are doomed to nonexistence; therefore, from his point of view, the universe is like a house of mourning. He sees everybody as crying orphans. In order to be happy in such a psychological mood, it is necessary to silence the mind and the feelings like an animal or to have a cold heart that does not heed the painful people around. Since both cases are impossible, it is not possible to reach real happiness through denial and faithlessness.

A person who feels disturbed by the sparkling lights and colors of the sun and closes his eyes, causes it to be a night only for himself.

- We should not forget that Hazrat Prophet, who could not make Abu Talib, his uncle, be a believer, was warned and consoled by Allah through the following verse: ”It is true thou wilt not be able to guide everyone whom thou lovest: but Allah guides those whom He will and He knows best those who receive guidance.” (al-Qasas, 28/56)

It is true that Paradise needs people and Hell also needs people. Paradise is not cheap; Hell is not unnecessary. We will do our best but we should not forget that it is Allah who will give people guidance.

Questions on Islam