William James has said...

William James has said: "Let any number of our motives and incentives have their source in this world, but as most of our desires and inclinations are not in keeping with any material calculations, it is evident that they spring from the metaphysical world". ( Psychoanalysis and Religion , p. 508. New York, 1929) As spiritual inclinations do exist, they should be fostered and fostered well and carefully. Otherwise they are likely to deviate from the right course and cause irreparable loss.

Another psychologist, Erich Fromm says: "There is none who is not in need of a religion and does not want limits for his orientation and a subject for his pastime. A man himself may not distinguish between his religious and non-religious beliefs and may believe that he has no religion. He may regard, his attachment to the apparently non-religious objectives, such as wealth, power or success as simply a sign of his interest in practical affairs and a pursuit of his own welfare.

The question is not ,whether a man has or has not a religion. The question is what religion he has". ( Psychoanalysis and Religion , p. 508) What this psychologist means is that a man cannot live without hallowing and adoring something. If he does not acknowledge and worship only Allah, he is bound to recognize something else as a supreme reality and to make it the object of his faith and worship.

As man is in need of an ideal and a faith and by his instinct seeks something which he may hallow and adore, the only way open to us is to augment our religious faith, which is the only faith which can really bring man under its sway. The Holy Qur'an is the first Book which has described religious faith as a sort of concord between man and the entire creation: "Do they seek anything other than the religion of Allah?

But to Him submits whosoever is in the heavens and the earth." (Surah Al-e-Imran, 3:83) The Holy Qur'an has also described religious faith as a part of the innate nature of man: "Be devoted to the upright religion. That is the nature in which Allah has created man." (Surah ar-Rum, 30:30) Effects and Advantages of Faith We have already referred to the effects of religious faith.

But in order to explain the advantages of this valuable asset of life and a spiritual wealth in a better way, we propose to discuss them more elaborately. Tolstoy, the Russian writer and philosopher says: "Faith is that thing with which people live".