Down tranquility
Into the hearts of
The believers, that they may
Add faith to their faith;
For to Allah belong
The forces of the heavens
And the earth: and Allah is
Full of knowledge and wisdom.
S.48 A.4
There are two elements here that have caused me to contemplate faith and wisdom in different ways. It amazes me how so few words can do that. I am not sure if I am always interpreting things correctly, but it certainly has added a complexity to my thoughts about my faith - that can only be a good thing. And it is the balance of thought and faith that I want to address first.
"Adding faith to faith" intrigues me. I never thought about layers of faith, I assumed you either had it or you did not, and it was either strong or weak. I also believed there was a difference between thought and faith, and that they sometimes were opposites. I never wanted to be someone who rushes off blindly to a cause or a faith, and I also never wanted to dismiss faith and spirituality because I could not rationalize them. Now I have a different concept of the two, a more elaborate understanding. As I grow nearer to God, do a better job on my path, my faith is rewarded, and the strength of my faith grows. As this happens, I learn to trust those things relegated to faith, and the process becomes easier, more natural. This doesn't diminish my intellect or rational faculties, it enhances them creating a intuitive intelligence that surpasses the cumulative properties of faith and thought alone.
The mention of God's wisdom in the final line, set me to thinking about the arrogance of man, particularly of the atheists among us. I have written about them before (see the link below), but not in the strict context of wisdom. I am sure that what I am trying to express now is old news to many, but this particular variation is new to me. It occurred to me that an atheist, particularly an intelligent assertive atheist, might think himself/herself the wisest entity on the planet, therefor the whole universe for that matter. Imagine the implications of not having the counsel of someone wiser or more astute than yourself! How would you grow? If you made a mistake, who would point it out? Who would you be accountable to? If you failed, who would take care of the inevitable following the wisest person in the world would attract? Surely these sages have seen the terrible legacies of history's doomed demagogues! Finally, imagine the petty intellect that would desire no succor, need no expression of fealty or faith, no source of forgiveness. It is simply unfathomable to me.
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