How Do I Know I Believe in God and the Quran?
Answered by Shaykh Yusuf Weltch
Question
How do I know I believe in God and the Quran? What does it mean to believe? How can I be certain in my belief in God, if our limited minds can never truly comprehend Him?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate
In order to answer your question, I would like to lay down some definitions for you to think about.
The Literal Meaning of Faith
The literal meaning of faith (Iman) is affirmation. If one merely holds that the Qur’an is true. Allah is real. The Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless him and give him peace) is truly the final messenger of Allah. [Asbahani; Mufradat fi Gharib al-Qur’an]
This is sufficient belief, and is enough for one to enter Paradise.
Complete Faith
The above should not be confused with the idea of complete faith. Complete faith is described as the combination of three things.
1) Affirmation (tasdiq_as mentioned above)
2) Testifying to that truth by one’s tongue
3) Acting according to the dictates of one’s faith (i.e., obeying Allah and His Messenger)
[Ibid.]
Increasing in Faith
As one increases in their obedience to Allah Most High and their following of the Prophetic guidance, the quality of their faith will increase. This will continue until it reaches complete faith.
It is this level of faith that we understand the many Prophetic narrations that begin with –
“None of you truly believes until…
– he loves for his fellow muslim what he loves for himself [Bukhari and Muslim]
– his desires are in accordance to what I have brought [Nawawi, al-Arba’in al-Nawawiyya]
– he loves me more than his parent, children, and all of humankind. [Bukhari]
etc…
How Do I Know That I Believe?
If you agree that Allah, the Creator exists and is One with no partner and that He sent Prophets and Messengers for the guidance of creation, the finality of them being the Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless him and give him peace) – you are a believer.
True Faith in Bewilderment
You are correct in saying that Allah Most High is too great to fully comprehend. However, believing in Allah Most High is not dependent on full comprehension. In reality one’s recognition of their limited capacity to understand Allah Most High is itself real faith. In fact it is the highest level of faith.
Imam al-Ghazali writes, “This (level of faith) is what the most veracious, Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (Allah be pleased with him) meant when he said, ‘Inability to truly comprehend (Allah) is comprehension.” In fact this level is what the Leader of Mankind (the Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless him and give him peace)) meant when he said, “Glory to You, O Allah. I cannot enumerate praises upon You. You are as You have praised Yourself.” [Ghazali; al-Maqsad al-Asna’]
The inability to encompass understanding Allah Most High relates to His essence. However, Allah Most High has made it part of the human potential to understand, in a very profound way, His names and attributes. [Ibid.]
Dealing With Doubts in Faith
You have already admitted to suffering from misgivings (waswasa) and cognitive distortion. You must understand that your ability to discern between true faith and its opposite is compromised.
For this reason, just know that you believe in Allah Most High, that you are a Muslim, and that you are surrounded day in and day out by signs of Allah’s greatness.
Follow these two advices.
1) Reflect on the amazing creation of Allah Most High, from the sunset to the digestive system in the body. It is through this reflection that Allah Most High will allow the spark of certitude to enter your heart.
Allah Most High says, “We will show them Our signs in the universe and within themselves until it becomes clear to them that this ˹Quran˺ is the truth. Is it not enough that your Lord is a Witness over all things?” [Quran; 41:53]
2) Obey Allah Most High as best as you can and keep the company of people who truly believe in Allah Most High.
Allah Most High says, “O believers! Be mindful of Allah and be with the truthful.” [Quran; 9:119]
Could There Ever Be Doubts in Allah, the Creator?
If you strive to ignore your doubts and dedicate a portion of your day, even if brief, to reflecting on Allah’s signs, you will find the sweetness of faith and the certainty that the Prophets brought.
Allah Most High says on the tongue of the Prophets, “Their messengers asked ˹them˺, “Is there any doubt about Allah, the Originator of the heavens and the earth? He is inviting you in order to forgive your sins, and delay your end until your appointed term.”1 They argued, “You are no more than humans like us! You ˹only˺ wish to turn us away from what our forefathers worshipped. So bring us some compelling proof.” [Quran; 14:10]
Hope this helps
Allah knows best
[Shaykh] Yusuf Weltch
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Shaykh Yusuf Weltch is a teacher of Arabic, Islamic law, and spirituality. After accepting Islam in 2008, he completed four years at the Darul Uloom seminary in New York, where he studied Arabic and the traditional sciences. He then traveled to Tarim, Yemen, where he stayed for three years studying in Dar Al-Mustafa under some of the greatest scholars of our time, including Habib Umar Bin Hafiz, Habib Kadhim al-Saqqaf, and Shaykh Umar al-Khatib. In Tarim, Shaykh Yusuf completed the memorization of the Qur’an and studied beliefs, legal methodology, hadith methodology, Qur’anic exegesis, Islamic history, and several texts on spirituality. He joined the SeekersGuidance faculty in the summer of 2019.
