FROM THE EDITORIAL DIRECTOR

FROM THE EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Prof. Farida Khanam is an author, editor, translator, public speaker and former professor of Islamic Studies at Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi. Among her books are ‘A Simple Guide to Sufism’ and ‘A Study of World’s Major Religions’. She has translated into English many books authored by Maulana Wahiduddin Khan. Currently the chairperson of CPS International, she is a regular contributor of articles to various publications. Prof. Khanam has edited Maulana’s English translation of the Quran and has also translated his Urdu commentary of the Quran into English. She can be reached at hub@thespiritofislam.org FAITH IN THE UNSEEN The Quran says: This is the Book; there is no doubt in it. It is a guide for those who are mindful of God, who believe in the unseen […]. (2: 3) F AITH in the unseen is not just a matter of belief. It is directly related to guidance. Only if you believe in the unseen will you receive God’s guidance. If you do not believe in the unseen, you will not receive God’s guidance. By ‘unseen’ is meant a reality that cannot be seen, but is present nonetheless. This is so with God. Although God is apparently invisible, in reality His presence can be experienced more than all existing things. In the above-quoted Quranic verse, faith in the unseen actually refers to faith in God, but in consequence it includes all those aspects of faith which a believer is required to believe in—for instance, divine revelation, angels, Hell and Heaven, etc. We know things in two ways. Firstly, through observation, and secondly, through inference. From the scientific point of view, both these methods are equally reliable. Today, science is considered as a reliable means for analyzing and arriving at a conclusion. Science consists of theoretical science as well as technical science. Technical science looks only at the appearance of things, but everything that appears to be visible is, in the final analysis, invisible. For instance, you can see a flower, but you can’t see its fragrance, not even through the most powerful microscope. This is so