Faith and Scepticism
by Sheikh Muhammad Tufail
Al-Ahmadiyya, January 1979 Issue (Vol. 1, No. 1, pp. 1–2)
Faith means belief, trust, confidence or that which produces belief, evidence, token or pledge. It is also observance of trust and fidelity. Faith thus can be defined as the act or state of wholeheartedly and steadfastly believing in the existence, power and benevolence of a Supreme Being, or having confidence in His providential care, and of being loyal to His will as believed in or revealed.
Scepticism in the realm of philosophy is the doctrine of the sceptics; the opinion that real knowledge of any kind is unattainable. A sceptic, generally speaking, is a person who doubts without absolutely denying the truth; an inquirer who has not yet arrived at definite conclusions. This means that the sceptic never affirms nor denies any position, but has his doubts.
To a Muslim, scepticism is the foundation of faith.
The statement may sound strange; nevertheless, the fact is that faith grows out of the sceptical attitude of the mind at one stage or another. If a person is not a seeker after truth, how can he discover truth? If he is not an inquirer, how can he arrive at a solution? If he has not taken the risk of going out and travelling, how could he reach his destination?
Faith is the journeying of the soul in the valley of scepticism.
Faith and credulity are not the same thing. Credulity is believing in anything which is told to us. Faith is an acceptance of something after the proper exercise of human reason. It is just not agreeing to something but committing oneself to this agreement wholeheartedly. When a Muslim says, in the language of the Quran:
اِنِّیۡ وَجَّہۡتُ وَجۡہِیَ لِلَّذِیۡ فَطَرَ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ الۡاَرۡضَ حَنِیۡفًا وَّ مَاۤ اَنَا مِنَ الۡمُشۡرِکِیۡنَ ﴿ۚ۷۹﴾
“Surely I have turned myself, being upright, wholly to Him Who originated the heavens and the earth, and I am not of the polytheists” (6:79),
he indeed commits his whole personality, including his reason, will and emotion to God, his Creator and Sustainer. This faith must accompany righteous deeds and should make a person faith-worthy and trustworthy. It will then make us faithful to our Lord and to ourselves.
This small plant of faith has to be taken care of and nourished in our hearts. When we do this, faith will sustain and support us. And finally, it will make us free from anxiety, grief and scepticism.