Through the Light of Divine Revelation

The very first quality by which Allah (swt) describes the muttaqīn (the God-conscious) is belief in the unseen: “This is the Book about which there is no doubt, a guidance for the God-conscious — those who believe in the unseen” (2:2-3).

The muttaqī is one who conducts every aspect and every moment of life according to the principles of servitude to Allah, as He says: “They are those who have faith and are mindful of Him” (10:63).

Thus, the foundation of life lived under the shade of servitude is faith in the unseen. This faith is not confined to merely acknowledging the existence of a Creator who governs, provides, and possesses perfect power; rather, it is the certainty that the unseen constitutes the very foundation upon which human life is built.

Belief in the unseen shapes one’s thinking, builds one’s character, defines one’s aspirations, governs one’s decisions, and directs one’s actions. It is through the unseen that the ultimate truths are unveiled to humanity — truths that could never be attained independently: the truth of oneself, of the universe, and of life itself.

Through this unseen, people come to truly know themselves. But when people turn away from the unseen, they forget Allah — and in doing so, forget their own selves — and Allah leaves them to their forgetfulness, as He says: “And do not be like those who forgot Allah, so He made them forget themselves” (59:19). And, “They forgot Allah, so He forgot them” (9:67).

The core of Satan’s deception lies in severing humanity’s connection with the unseen. Once this bond is cut, a person becomes easy to control and quick to be led astray. Confined within his/her own finitude and severed from the Absolute Truth, one’s very instincts — created to sustain life on earth — become, in perception, the ultimate reality that defines one’s identity and pursuit of happiness.

Satan’s scheme is to inflame these instincts until a person’s “religion” becomes the worship of desire, the essence of a materialistic creed. In such a state, all standards by which one measures reality become purely material, as Allah (swt) says: “Those who disbelieve enjoy themselves and eat as cattle eat, and the Fire will be their abode” (47:12). And, “So leave them to eat and enjoy themselves, and be diverted by false hope; for soon they will know” (15:3).

To apply this faith correctly, one must learn to view reality not merely through the physical eye, but through the lens of divine revelation — interpreting truth and existence through the perspective of the Qur’an. The believer does not rely solely on immediate appearances or material outcomes; rather, one measures what is seen against what Allah has revealed. This is the essence of looking at life “through the eye of the unseen.”

Allah (swt) repeatedly calls upon people in the Quran: “Do you not see? Do you not reflect?” Such verses remind us that true reasoning and reflection arise only when thought is aligned with divine revelation.

Here lies the inner struggle: a person may witness something with their eyes, experience it directly, and even feel convinced by its presence — yet know, through the Quran, that it is false and deceptive. This tension emerges because the outward world is often shaped by trials, by disobedient hands, failing systems, and corrupt influences. What appears tangible and stable is, in truth, a distorted image — concealing the deeper reality behind it. Without revelation, one cannot perceive this hidden truth.

The practical dimension of faith in the unseen is to train oneself to view the world through the Quran. Instead of relying on material analysis or surface impressions, the believer anchors their perception in the words of Allah (swt). This requires trust, reflection, and submission: trust in what Allah has declared, reflection upon His signs, and submission when appearances seem to contradict revelation.

Through this process, the believer attains clarity, stability, and guidance, while others remain lost amid the illusions of outward reality. Faith in the unseen is not an abstract concept; it is a way of life. It shapes how one interprets the world, confronts challenges, and understands events.

To live by it is to shift one’s vision from the temporary to the eternal, from appearance to truth, and from confusion to certainty. When believers learn to perceive reality through the Quran, they fulfill the essence of faith in the unseen — making it the compass that guides their hearts, their thoughts, and their actions.

One of the proofs that a person cannot perceive reality as it truly is — merely through their own beliefs, imaginations, and misguided thoughts, or through a perception shaped by attachments, submission to desires, and the pursuit of passions, along with emotional impulses — is that all these factors inevitably affect how one views reality. They construct for the individual a subjective and distorted vision, preventing them from seeing things as they truly are. For this reason, Allah gives us an example to illustrate this truth in His saying: “Or ˹their deeds are˺ like the darkness in a deep sea, covered by waves upon waves, topped by ˹dark˺ clouds. Darkness upon darkness! If one stretches out their hand, they can hardly see it. And whoever Allah does not bless with light will have no light!” (24:40).

Here, light – when speaking of faith in the unseen – represents that very faith itself: the trust in the unseen which Allah, exalted is He, has revealed to His servants. It is the divine light conveyed through His revealed Book.

An example that vividly illustrates this meaning is the difference between perceiving reality through human understanding — limited and engulfed in layers of darkness — and perceiving truth as it truly is, through the light of Allah (swt).

The story of Noah and his son is one of the clearest demonstrations of this contrast. When Noah (peace be upon him) said to his son, “O my son, embark with us, and do not be with the disbelievers” (11:42), he sought his son’s salvation aboard the Ark—knowing, through the light of faith, that the flood would be fatal. But his son perceived reality through the lens of material reasoning. He thought that if he sought refuge on a mountain, the waters would not reach its summit. His logic, shaped by limited human experience, could not conceive that the flood would rise above the mountains. Thus, he said, “I will take refuge on a mountain to protect me from the water.”

Noah replied, correcting his son’s perception and revealing the true reality: “There is no protector today from the decree of Allah except for whom He has mercy” (11:43).

That was the true reality, known to Noah (peace be upon him) through revelation from Allah, the Almighty. And the outcome was as Allah said: “And the waves came between them, and he was among the drowned” (11:43).

Thus, the distinction becomes clear: between a vision of reality shaped by the limitations of the self, darkened by desire and misguided perception, and the true vision illuminated by the light of Allah — which reveals to man the reality of existence as Allah intended it, not as one imagines it with his deficient intellect.

When one does not adhere sincerely to this faith — seeing through the light of divine revelation — they fall into estrangement that manifests as self-reliance. This self-reliance misleads a person away from the guidance of Islam, leads to neglecting supplication to Allah, and gives rise to self-admiration. This, in essence, is the very transgression about which Allah says: “Indeed, man transgresses because he sees himself self-sufficient” (96:6–7).

The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) instructed the believers to seek refuge in Allah’s mercy and never be left to the care of their own selves, not even for the blink of an eye — for to rely upon oneself is to turn away from belief in the unseen. Among his supplications was: “O Allah, I hope for Your mercy; so do not leave me to myself even for the blink of an eye, and set right for me all of my affairs. There is no deity but You.”