Living The Quran
From Issue: 629 [Read full issue]
Certainty of Faith
Al-Baqara (The Cow) - Chapter 2: Verse 4 (partial)
"And in the Hereafter they have certainty of faith."
The word translated as "certainty of faith" is yaqin. It means having no doubt about the truth of a matter and arriving at accurate doubt-free knowledge. This knowledge can come from either Revelation, or study and verification. Yaqin has three degrees: first, that which comes from knowledge (ilm al-yaqin); second that which depends on seeing and observation (ayn al-yaqin); and third, that which comes from direct experience (haqq al-yaqin). For example, rising smoke is the sign of fire and gives us some certainty about the existence of a fire where it is rising. This certainty is that which is based on knowledge. When we go to where the smoke is rising and see the fire with our own eyes, our certainty of the fire's existence is the kind coming from direct observation. If we put our hand into the fire and feel its burning quality, then we obtain experienced certainty about the existence and quality of fire.
One may acquire certainty about or certain faith in the Hereafter through Revelation or discovery; or through the seeing of the "heart" (the spiritual intellect); through intellectual deduction or reasoning; or through some sort of contact with the spirits of the dead (provided that this last is done through authentic ways); through true dreams; or through scientific studies. In all these cases, it will be certainty based on knowledge that is certainty of the first degree.
Compiled From:
"The Quran: Annotated Interpretation in Modern English" - Ali Unal, p. 12