Question 649 - The Enlightening Answer Across the Ether, Vol 7

Ahmed al-Hasan Response:

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah send prayers upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, the Imams and the Mahdis, and grant them peace. ‘When Allah alone is mentioned, the hearts of those who do not believe in the Hereafter recoil; but when those besides Him are mentioned, behold, they rejoice’ [al-Zumar 39:45]. The question here is: Is there anyone who recoils when Allah alone is mentioned? Atheists do not recoil, because they do not originally believe in His existence such that they would recoil from Him. Polytheists do not recoil, because they believe that He is Allah, so how would they recoil from the mention of Allah? In addition, outwardly they believe in the Hereafter. Therefore, what is intended by the mention of Allah is the mention of Allah’s vicegerent in His earth, or the Face of Allah, or Allah in creation; and what is intended by the Hereafter is the unseen. Those who disbelieve in Allah’s vicegerent in His earth in every age are the ones whose hearts recoil when he alone is mentioned before them, because they do not believe in the unseen (the Hereafter). They demand to be compelled to believe in Allah’s vicegerent by an overpowering material miracle that leaves no room whatsoever for the unseen, while they rejoice if their non-practicing scholars-who fight Allah’s vicegerent in their age-are mentioned, and they demand the overpowering material miracle that leaves no room whatsoever for the unseen or the Hereafter. Thus, one who does not believe in the unseen, and those whose faith contains no room for the unseen, do not truly believe in the Hereafter, because the Hereafter is unseen. How, then, can one believe in it while demanding that his faith be founded upon a materially manifest miracle that is one hundred percent material, so that it negates any room for the unseen in faith? Therefore, in the time of the Messenger of Allah Muhammad (s), who is Allah’s vicegerent in His earth, those who disbelieved used to recoil from his mention, but they would rejoice if their chiefs, notables, and non-practicing scholars were mentioned, whether they were Hanifs, Jews, or Christians. Peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be upon you.