Doubting Leads to Disbelief

Doubt is the opposite of certainty and is a serious disease of the
heart. Onceit becomes deep-rooted, it destroys the Muslim's soul
through hesitation, suspicion and obsessive diffidence. It also
prevents the Muslim fromachieving his aims because it makes him unable
to make a decision or adopt an opinion; rather it rendershim
constantly bewildered and reluctant.
Doubts Drove Them to Disbelief
When Allaah The Almighty sent Messengersto their peoples, some of
these people were overwhelmed by doubts, and they even acknowledged
this. Allaah The Almighty Says (what means): } Has there not reached
you the news of those before you- the people of Nooh [Noah] and 'Aad
and Thamood and those afterthem? No one knows them but Allaah. Their
messengers brought them clear proofs, but they returned their hands to
their mouths and said, "Indeed, we disbelieve in that with which you
have been sent, and indeed we are, about that to which you invite us,
in disquieting doubt." Their messengerssaid, "Can there be doubtabout
Allaah?" { [Quran 14:9-10]
Their doubt and hesitation caused them to disbelieve in Allaah The
Almighty and in His message; hence, He, the Exalted commanded the
Prophet, , to declare tosuch doubting people that he was following
thetruth and was certain of what Allaah The Almightyhad sent him with.
AllaahThe Almighty Says (what means): } Say, [O Muhammad], "O people,
if you are in doubt as to my religion - then I do not worship those
which you worship besides Allaah; but I worship Allaah, who causes
your death. And I have been commanded to be of the believers. { [Quran
10:104]
Doubts About Resurrection
Muslims are certain that death is not the end of man's existence;
rather they believe that there are many hardships that follow. They
are certain that Allaah The Almighty will resurrect the dead from
their graves to be taken to account on the Day of Judgment. However,
many non-Muslims do not believe in the Resurrection; instead they are
filled with skepticism. Allaah The Almighty Says (what means): }
Rather, their knowledge is arrested concerning the Hereafter.Rather,
they are in doubt about it. Rather, they are,concerning it, blind. And
those who disbelieve say,"When we have become dust as well as our
forefathers, will we indeed be brought out [of the graves]? We have
been promised this, we and our forefathers, before. This is not but
legends of the former peoples." { [Quran 27:66-68]
The Noble Quran tells us about one of the most obstinate disbelievers
who came to the Prophet, , raising doubts about the issue ofthe
Resurrection. Allaah The Almighty Says (what means): } And he presents
for Us an example and forgets his [own] creation. He says, "Who will
give life to bones when they are disintegrated?" Say, "He will give
them life who produced them the first time; and He is, of all
creation, Knowing." [It is]He who made for you from the green tree,
fire, and then from it you ignite. Is not He who created the heavens
and the earth able to create the likes of them? Yes, [it is so]; and
He is the Knowing Creator. His command is only when He intends a thing
that He says to it, "Be," and it is. { [Quran 36:78-82]
Hence, when Allaah The Almighty resurrects such disbelievers from
their graves, they will be certain that what they were doubtful about
is indeed a fact. Allaah The Almighty Says (what means): } And if you
couldsee when they are terrified but there is no escape and they will
be seized from a place nearby. And they will [then] say, "We believe
init!" But how for them willbe the taking [of faith] from a place far
away? And they had already disbelieved in it before and would assault
the unseen from a place far away. And prevention will be placed
between them and what they desire, as was done with their kind before.
Indeed, they were in disquieting denial. { [Quran 34:51-54]
On the other hand, in thislife the believers are certain that they
will be resurrected on the Day ofJudgment. Hence, they supplicate to
Allaah The Exalted to protect them from the evils of this Day and to
be Merciful to them. Allaah The Almighty Says (what means):
· } "Our Lord, surely You will gather the people fora Day about which
there is no doubt. Indeed, Allaah does not fail in His promise." {
[Quran 3:9]
· } "Our Lord, and grant uswhat You promised us through Your
messengersand do not disgrace us on the Day of Resurrection. Indeed,
Youdo not fail in [Your] promise." { [Quran 3:194]
Conditions of the Doubtful in their Graves
When such people are placed in their graves, they will see some of the
matters about which theyhad been doubtful. This will happen when the
two angels come to ask each of them, as the Prophet described: "'What
was your creed in life?' He would reply, 'I do not know.' Then he will
be asked, 'Who is thisman [i.e., the Prophet ]?' Therefore, he would
say, 'I heard people saying something so I said it too.' A place will
then be opened for him so that he can see Paradise and its bliss. Then
it will be said to him, 'Look at the bliss which Allaah The Almighty
has deprived you of.' Another place will be opened for him sothat he
can see Hell whileit is crushing itself. Then, it will be said to him,
'This is your place. You have lived in doubt, you died in it and will
also be resurrected doubtful.'" [Ibn Maajah]
Doubts During Prayer
One may have doubts while performing prayer concerning the number of
Rak'ahs (units) that he has performed. The Prophet, , taught us what
to do when this happens; he said: "If any one of you is in doubt about
his prayer and does not know how many he has prayed, one or two
Rak'ahs, then let him consider it one, and if he doubts whether he
offered two or three Rak'ahs, let him consider it two, and if he
doubts whether he offered threeor four Rak'ahs, let him consider them
three. Then he should perform two prostrations before making Tasleem."
[Ahmadand At-Tirmithi]
The Prohibition of Searching for Faults in One's Family
One may have unfoundeddoubts about his wife, but the Sharee'ah forbids
us from giving in to such doubts. In a Hadeeth on the authority of
Jaabir ibn 'Abdullaah he said, "The Prophet forbade surprising one's
family at night out of distrust or seeking to discover their faults."
[Muslim]
Doubts About People's Intentions and Deeds
When some people speakwith others, they remain doubtful and skeptical
about their intentions and deeds, giving precedence to evil
assumptions and interpretations. Such people always live in a state of
anxiety and the solution to this is to resistdoubts about people's
intentions. Such people are in urgent need of theblessed advice,
"Interpretyour brother's words as well as possible unless otherwise is
proved."
They also should follow the advice of 'Umar ibn Al-Khattaab who said,
"Never think ill of a wordsaid by your Muslim brother as long as you
can find a single good interpretation for it."
We ask Allaah The Exaltedto provide us with certainty as He is the
onlyOne who can do this. - - ▓███▓ Translator:->
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