03 May, 2024

24 Shawwal, 1445 H

Donate Now HEART-ICON
MENU

"Silence saves you from regret"

- Imam Ali (as) -

Learning
imge

Core Curriculum
Section 1 - God, Religion and Islam: An Introduction

  • Topic 1.1 - God, Allah and Religion

  • Topic 1.2 - What is “Religion” and What’s the Point of it Anyways?

  • Topic 1.3 - Introduction to Islam

  • Topic 1.4 - A Brief Introduction to the Prophet Muhammad (s), the Prophet of Islam

Section 2 - Foundations of Islam - Theology

  • Topic 2.1 - Satan, Jinns and Angels: Their Influence in the World

  • Topic 2.2 - The Islamic Concept of the Nafs: Battling the Human Ego

  • Topic 2.3 - The Sharīʿa: Purpose and Practice

  • Topic 2.4 - Nubuwwa: The Purpose of Prophethood in Islam

  • Topic 2.5 - Tawhīd: The Unity and Oneness of God in Islam

  • Topic 2.6 - The Usūl al-Dīn: The Fundamental Beliefs of Islam

  • Topic 2.7 - Adala: Divine Justice in Islam

  • Topic 2.8 - Entering Islam: The Shahada

  • Topic 2.9 - Maʿād: The Day of Judgment in Islam

  • Topic 2.10 - Imāmah or divinely guided leadership in Islam after the Prophet Muhammad.

Section 3 - Foundations of Islam - Obligatory Acts

  • Topic 3.1 - Accepting Islam: Putting Faith into Action

  • Topic 3.2 - The Furūʿ al-Dīn: The Fundamental Practices of Islam

  • Topic 3.3 - Salāt: Obligatory Ritual Prayers in Islam

  • Topic 3.4 - Fasting in Islam, its Purpose, Dos and Don’ts

  • Topic 3.5 - The Hajj Pilgrimage

  • Topic 3.6 - The Purpose of Zakat and Khums in Islamic Law

  • Topic 3.7 - Jihād in Islamic Law and Spirituality

  • Topic 3.8 - Commanding the Good and Forbidding Evil in Islam

  • Topic 3.9 - Tawalla and Tabarra, its Basics and Purpose

  • Topic 3.10 - The Five Categories of Islamic Law

  • Topic 3.11 - Niyya: Religious Intention as the Foundation of Islamic Practice

  • Topic 3.12 - Ritual Purity in Islamic Law: Understanding Tahāra and Najāsa

  • Topic 3.13 - Other Obligatory and Forbidden Acts in Islam

Section 4 - Prophethood in Islam

  • Topic 4.1 - A Brief Biography of the Prophet Muhammad (s): The Prophet’s Childhood (PART I of III)

  • Topic 4.2 - Bio: The Prophet Muhammad as a Prophet of God (PART II of III)

  • Topic 4.3 - A Brief Biography of the Prophet Muhammad (s): The Prophet’s Character (PART III of III)

  • Topic 4.4 - The Prophet Muhammad (s) as Messenger and Teacher

  • Topic 4.5 - The Prophet and his Relationships

  • Topic 4.6 - The Prophet’s Sunnah and Hadith

  • Topic 4.7 - Ghadīr and Arafah: The Two Last Sermons of the Prophet

  • Topic 4.8 - Jesus and Mary in Islam

Section 5 - The Qur'an and Hadith

  • Topic 5.1 - Islam and Other Religions

  • Topic 5.2 - What is the Qur’an? A Short Introduction to Islam’s Holy Book

  • Topic 5.3 - The Structure of the Holy Qur’an

  • Topic 5.4 - The Quran and Islamic law

  • Topic 5.5 - The Qur’an, Allah and Humankind

  • Topic 5.6 - Hadith and Sunnah, difference and variations

  • Topic 5.7 - The Reliability of Hadiths

  • Topic 5.8 - A Reflection on Verses of the Holy Qur’an

  • Topic 5.9 - Hadith al-Thaqalayn

  • Topic 5.10 - Imam Ali (as) and Nahj al-Balagha.

  • Topic 5.11 - Taqlid and Tawḍih Al Masail Genre of Literature

Section 6 - Measuring Good and Bad in Islam

  • Topic 6.1 - Guidance According to Islam

  • Topic 6.2 - Life and Death in Islam

  • Topic 6.3 - Heaven and Hell in Islam

  • Topic 6.4 - The Effects of Our Actions in this World

  • Topic 6.5 - The Gray Areas of Islamic Law and Morality

  • Topic 6.6 - Benefits of Islamic Law in this World

  • Topic 6.7 - Good and Bad Deeds: The Spiritual Consequences of our Choices

  • Topic 6.8 - The Effect of Culture and Environment in Shaping our Religious Choices

  • Topic 6.9 - Fate and the Consequences of our Choices in Islam

  • Topic 6.10 - Trivializing the Harām

  • Topic 6.11 - Sinning Against Others and their Delayed Punishment

  • Topic 6.12 - The Three Kinds of Rights in Islam

  • Topic 6.13 - Major Sins in Islam

  • Topic 6.14 - Repentance and Forgiveness of Sins in Islam

  • Topic 6.15 - Kufr in Islam

  • Topic 6.16 - Why Allah Allows People to Sin

Section 7 - The Legacy of the Prophet Muhammad (s) and his Ahl al-Bayt (as)

  • Topic 7.1 - Islam and Knowledge: the Importance of Islamic Education

  • Topic 7.2 - The Ahl al-Kisa

  • Topic 7.3 - Imamah in the Qur’an

  • Topic 7.4 - Fatima al-Zahrah (as)

  • Topic 7.5 - A Brief Look at the Lives of the Imams (Imam al-Hasan until Imam Muhammad al-Baqir)

  • Topic 7.6 - A Brief Look at the Lives of the Imams (Imam Jafar al-Sadiq until Imam Hasan al-Askari)

  • Topic 7.7 - A Brief Look at the Life and Importance of Imam al-Mahdi (aj)

  • Topic 7.8 - Salawat and Atonement in Islam

  • Topic 7.9 - The Companions (Sahaba) of the Prophet According to the Qur’an

  • Topic 7.10 - Clerical Hierarchies in Muslim Communities

  • Topic 7.11 - Mosques in Islam

  • Topic 7.12 - The Philosophy of Karbala and Majalis

  • Topic 7.13 - A Brief Biography of Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (as)

  • Topic 7.14 - The Battle of Karbala: A Brief History

Section 8 - Islamic Relationships, Sects and Conflicts

  • Topic 8.1 - Islam and Rights

  • Topic 8.2 - Islam and Religious Conflicts

  • Topic 8.3 - Major Sects of Islam

  • Topic 8.4 - Sunnism and Shi’ism, beginnings and historical developments.

  • Topic 8.5 - Misconceptions about Shi’ism

imge

Special Topics
Section 9 - Independent Topics

  • Topic 9.1 - Muslim Converts – Welcome to Islam!

  • Topic 9.2 - Basic Dos and Don’ts of Being a Muslim

  • Topic 9.3 - Halal Food and Zabiha

  • Topic 9.4 - Modesty in Islam

  • Topic 9.5 - Family, Parents and Marriage in Islam

  • Topic 9.6 - Marriage in Islam

  • Topic 9.7 - Islam and Sex

  • Topic 9.8 - Women’s Menstruation in Islam

  • Topic 9.9 - Music, Alcohol, Drugs and Pork in Islam

  • Topic 9.10 - Islam and Science

  • Topic 9.11 - A Reading List of Islamic Knowledge

  • Topic 9.12 - Islam and Sufism

  • Topic 9.13 - Ritual Prayers and Supplications in Islam

  • Topic 9.14 - Death & Burial Rituals in Islam

  • Topic 9.15 - The Battle of Armageddon: An Islamic View

  • Topic 9.16 - The Muslim Calendar

  • Topic 9.17 - Muslims and non-Muslims in the Shariah

  • Topic 9.18 - A Timeline of Major Events in Islamic History

  • Topic 9.19 - Introducing the Qur’an: Why it is the way it is

  • Topic 9.20 - The School of Imam Jafar al-Sadiq

  • Topic 9.21 - Major Fields in Islamic Studies

  • Topic 9.22 - The Caliphate in Sunni and Shia Islam

  • Topic 9.23 - The Spread of Islam: After the Prophet until the Ottoman Empire

  • Topic 9.24 - Islam, Racism and Anti-Semitism

Section 10 - Islam, Religion, and Modern Controversies

  • Topic 10.1 - Modern Fallacies about God: where Theists and Atheists Agree

  • Topic 10.2 - Tawhīd: The Muslim God according to the Prophet Muhammad and the Ahl al-Bayt (as)

  • Topic 10.3 - God’s Existence: The Argument From Being (Wujūd)

  • Topic 10.4 - God’s Existence: The Kalam Cosmological Argument

  • Topic 10.5 - God’s Existence: The Argument From Design

  • Topic 10.6 - The Problem of Evil, Suffering and Pain

  • Topic 10.7 - Why did God Create Us? The Purpose of our Creation

  • Topic 10.8 - Why Humans Need Religion according to Islam

  • Topic 10.9 - Jahl and Spiritual Ignorance in Islam

  • Topic 10.10 - Faith in Islam: Belief without Evidence?

  • Topic 10.11 - Do Non-Muslims Go to Hell?

You have to login to use this feature

Faith in Islam: Belief without Evidence?

Abstract

Faith does not mean “belief without evidence.” Faith or īmān in Islam means deeply trusting God in His providence and truthfulness. 

INTRODUCTION 

 

Bismillāhir Rahmānir Rahīm, As-salāmu ʿAlaykum wa rahmatullāhi wa barakātuh. Peace be upon you brothers and sisters. 

 

Welcome back to the Muslim Converts Channel! 

 

There is a current conflict that is going on between atheists and theists. One of the big claims that is being made against theism is the irrationality of faith.  

 

Most of these atheists are claiming that faith is to believe without evidence. On the other hand, science is to believe something with evidence. This means that religion asks us to accept things blindly, whereas science, which many atheists claim to have a monopoly on, asks us to accept something based on credible evidence and proofs.  

 

In this lesson, we will respond by saying this distinction and definition of faith is false - not only in the Islamic perspective - but also in the perspective of other religions like Christianity. 

 

BODY OF TEXT 

 

Imam Jaʿfar al-Sadiq (as) once said: Faith is what sits in the heart and Islam is that which legalizes marriages and inheritance and protects lives. Faith is inclusive of Islam but Islam is not inclusive of faith. 

 

The Arabic word for faith is īmān. It is rooted in a word that means to be tranquil, to be secure and to trust. This is why the word amāna in Arabic, which comes from the same root word, refers to a “trust” that you give someone. 

 

So how does this tie into the debate on faith as “belief without evidence” and science as “belief with evidence”?  

 

The mistake that atheists make here is thinking that faith, both in Islam and Christianity, is somehow an epistemological category. Epistemology has to do with how you know something and the nature and limitations of knowledge. So for example, a relevant epistemological question would be how you would know that God exists, or how do you come to know mathematical truths, how are they accessed, and how do you know they are truths in the first place? 

 

If we define faith or īmān as strictly a form of belief only, then faith would be an epistemological category. However, this isn’t how faith is defined in Islam and Christianity - this is a total misunderstanding by both atheists and uneducated laymen and laywomen.  

 

Faith or īmān in Islam is a deep relationship of trust that you have with God. It is to trust that everything He says is true, including Prophethood and the Day of Judgment among other things. It is also to trust that He is our ultimate nurturer, sustainer and caretaker. It is a relationship which at its core level brings about inner peace and tranquility. Al-Mu’min is one of Allah’s names which means the granter of inner peace and security.  

 

So faith or īmān in Islam is not an epistemological category, it is a moral category. As a moral category, it is the proper and right way that one should approach and interact with God. This is separate from the issue of proving God’s existence, which naturally requires evidence.  

 

Providing intellectual reasons and evidence for God’s existence has been quite the big topic in Islam. Scholars like Ibn Sina, Nasir al-Din al-Tusi, Allamah al-Hilli and many others have written works demonstrating God’s existence. Christian scholars like Thomas Aquinas have also done the same. But these have been topics for philosophy and theology to deal with. 

 

Faith as a relationship of trust with God is an issue of spirituality. It is a matter of the soul or metaphysical heart. For many Muslims, faith is what comes after one is convinced of God’s existence through evidence. 

 

We will leave you with the following hadith to think about.  

 

Imam al-Baqir (as) once said, “faith is what settles down in the heart and takes it to Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy”  

 

Until Next Time, Thank you for watching. As-salāmu ʿAlaykum wa rahmatullāhi wa barakātuh 

 

 

Īmān

a deep relationship of trust with God 

Faith

the English word for īmān 

Epistemology

study of knowledge, its nature and its limits. In short, how we know about things.

Faith as an epistemological category

how we come to know about God’s existence 

 

Faith as a moral category

the proper and right way that one should approach and interact with God. 

 

Al-Mu’min

 One of God’s names, meaning the giver of inner peace. 

 

Q1

What is īmān?

A deep relationship of trust with God; trusting that what God says is true; faith that God will help and sustain you throughout your life and gives what is best for you. 

 

Q2

Is faith belief without evidence?

No, it is trusting God and having a relationship with Him after one has come to know of God’s existence through evidence. 

Q3

Where should I look to know about God’s existence?

 Philosophy and theology. 

Q4

What does it mean for faith to be a moral category?

The proper and right way that one should approach and interact with God. 

Q5

Is the concept of īmān in Islam and faith in Christianity similar?

Yes, the traditional conception of faith as a moral and not epistemological category is very similar.  

 

faith
īmān
epistemological category
moral category
evidence for God
belief without evidence
science
ibn sina
nasir al-din al-tusi
Thomas Aquinas

Man and Faith by Murtaza Mutahhari