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Belief in the Unseen

Belief in the Unseen: Incentive to Work

By Sheikh Muhammad Nur `Abdullah **

September 4, 2005

Question:

Respected scholar, belief in the Unseen (ghaib) is employed by some Muslims in a way that incites effort and prompts work and continuous struggle. On the other hand, some Muslims use belief in the Unseen as a justification for defeatism and laziness, claiming that they believe in the Unseen and this includes the belief in the future victory of Islam, which is a matter of the Unseen. According to them, there is no need for work and effort to help Islam. Please comment.

Answer:

The correct belief in the Unseen is what the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) taught us. Al-Israa' and Al-Mi`raj is a sign of Allah's power given to spiritually and emotionally support Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) to face the trials and tribulations in Makkah. So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not stop working for Islam; the event came at the right time when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and his Companions were working for Islam and were subject to tribulations and tests.

A similar situation happened at the time of Hijrah when the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) believed in the Unseen, which is the help of Almighty Allah. But the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) took all the necessary measures and took all preparations for the journey, such as hiding in the cave of Thawr and hiring an expert guide. So belief in the Unseen does not mean that we sit and wait for miracles to happen.


** ISNA President and Member of the Fiqh Council of North America

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