EVIATION FROM TRUTH: FAITH, DISBELIEF, AND HUMAN SELF-ALIENATION
Introduction: The Fundamental Distinction Between Faith and Disbelief
Faith (iman) and disbelief (kufr) are not merely theoretical forms of belief; they represent two opposing poles regarding how a human being gives meaning to and lives life. Faith is a holistic approach to servitude to Allah; it is a foundational system of belief and trust that enables a servant to dedicate his entire life to Allah. This system is built upon truth. In contrast, disbelief constructs life by dividing it into compartments and building it upon elements that distance human existence from servitude to Allah. Linguistically meaning “to cover,” disbelief is essentially the attempt to cover up the truth—namely, the existence of Allah, revelation, and prophethood.
Faith grants a person the ability to build character by comprehending life along the axis of divine pleasure and striving to live accordingly. While continuing existence as a believer, such a person builds relationships with others upon divine commands and prohibitions. What determines his life is the effort and determination to remain upon the path drawn by divine knowledge. Disbelief, on the other hand, detaches a person from truth and leads him to construct a lifestyle centered on himself, preferring a mode of existence grounded in oppression, where others and the rest of creation hold no inherent meaning.
Disbelief as the Opposite of Tawhid and the Construction of False Power Centers
While faith unifies everything through the principle of tawhid and places Allah’s oneness at the center, disbelief denies this unity and elevates multiplicity and fragmentation. Disbelief is the process of constructing alternative centers of power—idols, deified individuals, or ideologies—to replace Allah. As seen in the example of Pharaoh (modernization), this tendency feeds on the desire to establish a human-centered order that disregards Allah’s creative power and absolute attributes (All-Knowing, All-Seeing, All-Powerful, etc.).
In ancient times, this deviation appeared when clerical classes assumed a quasi-divine identity and became ultimate sources of knowledge. In the modern era, it manifests through the exclusion of the unseen and the spiritual. Modern disbelief elevates reason, experimentation, and science as the sole sources of knowledge, forming new concentrations of power through them and attempting to establish an order that excludes Allah from the equation. The monistic outlook of modern thought, built upon subject-centered knowledge processes and the determinative position of the subject, sidelines the context of divinity and effectively idolizes the human subject, announcing the establishment of a new form of idolatry. Even if this reality is not openly recognized, it is nothing other than this.
Denial, Ingratitude, and Self-Alienation
Classical sources describe the relationship between disbelief and denial as a voluntary choice and a moral decline. Referring to the Qur’anic distinction between “fujur” (corruption) and “taqwa” (God-consciousness), disbelief is understood as covering the truth, while denial carries the dimension of ingratitude. Allah created the human being in the best form (ahsan al-taqwim) and breathed into him of His spirit; thus, ignoring all these blessings leads not only to alienation from Allah but also from one’s own essence.
Every act of ingratitude contains alienation within it. When a person ignores the goodness done to him in order to assert his own existence, he not only alienates himself from others but also initiates a process of alienation from himself.
Once the process of denial begins, a person becomes estranged from revelation, from the prophet, and from other people—and ultimately from himself. This alienation leads to the loss of conscience, mercy, and compassion. Conscience is the balance of humanity and the essential condition for objectivity; yet the atmosphere of disbelief and ingratitude dulls and destroys it, opening the door to oppression.
The Path to Oppression and the Sealing of the Heart
Disbelief and denial are not static states; they are deepening and intensifying processes. This progression follows a hierarchy: from disbelief to denial, from denial to hatred, and from hatred to oppression. A denier may perform good deeds only insofar as they serve his own interests, for in disbelief the essential principle is the deification of one’s own desires and expectations.
The most critical stage in this process concerns the state of the heart. At the level of disbelief, there may still be the possibility of reform and return (repentance). However, when denial and ingratitude become ideological refuges, conscience dies completely. The death of conscience results in the sealing of the heart; once the heart is sealed, the path of return and reform is closed. Sources present the fate of the peoples of ‘Ad and Thamud and of Pharaoh as examples of sealed hearts and those who entered an irreversible path.
Conclusion: Self-Sufficiency (Istighna) and the Path to Salvation
One of the fundamental psychological factors driving a person toward transgression and disbelief is the state of self-sufficiency (istighna). Referring to the verse in Surah Al-‘Alaq, “Indeed, man transgresses when he sees himself as self-sufficient,” the assumption that one needs no one lays the foundation of disbelief. This state results in consciously or unconsciously placing one’s own self in the position of God.
Disbelief and denial have a contagious nature; they continually seek new supporters and new channels of power to sustain themselves. The way out of this darkness lies in not surrendering to the ego and satanic whisperings, restraining worldly ambitions, and submitting to the divine will. Salvation becomes possible by recognizing—through conscience—that errors turn into oppression, and by acknowledging Allah’s absolute sovereignty on earth, entering a new path of return (repentance).
Disbelief turns worldly life into a prison and paves the way for the spread of oppression. Life becomes unbearable. The orphaned, the homeless, the displaced, the weak, the poor find no space to live. Since denial contains ingratitude within it, conscience is driven toward extinction and justice is replaced by oppression. The possibilities of life in this world are squandered, and unbearable suffering begins to adorn existence. Everything begins to experience its own decay and dissolution.
Faith illuminates; it offers a world and a life filled with light. Disbelief and denial offer nothing but darkness. O human being, understand that you have no choice but to bear the consequences of your own preference, and act accordingly, so that you may attain the honor of assuming responsibility for your own ultimate fate.
YORUMLAR