The Test of Faith

The Test of Faith

1988 9 September 17 The Test of Faith (438) To believe in God is to accept Him as the Supreme Being. To acknowledge him as such means owing one’s allegiance to Him alone. Whether one is sincere in one’s faith or not can be ascertained only under conditions which put it to the test.

The Quran makes it clear that the test of a real believer does not just involve the testimony of faith by word of mouth, but his staunch adherence to his faith throughout all the subsequent periods of trial which he must undergo as part of God’s scheme for mankind. It is only if he remains true to his faith in testing circumstances that his testament of faith will be valid in the eyes of God. Only then will he be reckoned worthy to take his place in the heaven God has prepared for the true believers of this world.

To believe in God is to accept Him as the Supreme Being. To acknowledge him as such means owing one’s allegiance to Him alone. Whether one is sincere in one’s faith or not can be ascertained only under conditions which put it to the test. Then it becomes clear whether one has really accepted God as supreme, or whether one is only paying lip-service to His almighty power, and has allowed others to occupy that special place in one’s life which should be reserved for God alone.

Time and time again in this life, one is faced with the alternative of obeying the will of God, or the will of others. On the one hand, there is God and the path he has laid down for man, while, on the other hand, there are worldly enticements such as material gain, social interests, family requirements, sensual pleasures and all kinds of egoistic urges which demand satisfaction. All of these factors loom large on the human horizon and when a man has to make a choice between them and the path of God, he finds himself in a dilemma. But it is only when he is faced with such dilemmas that he can have the opportunity to prove his mettle. In God’s eyes, His truest servants are those who put all other considerations aside and hold fast to the commandments of God, no matter if personal interests have to fall by the wayside, if the desires of their near and dear ones have to be curbed, or if the idol of their own ego has to be shattered. If, in spite of all these deterrents, they steadfastly pursue the path that represents the will of the Almighty, they cannot but find eternal favour in His eyes.