But if we cannot distinguish other facts beyond the senses...

But if we cannot distinguish other facts beyond the senses, can we say that they do not exist? No. This is wrong. The greatest mistake made by the human being is to suppose that all the senses that one has are adequate for understanding whatever exists and to negate what is not distinguishable for one. All the things which a human being should believe in are expressed by the Quran under the heading of the unseen. If we cannot distinguish them through the senses, how should we accept them?

Other ways and means are placed at our disposal to believe in the unseen. The verse of the Quran concerning faith in the unseen does not mean that we should accept every hidden matter simply because we have faith. If an exorcist claimed that he had an army of jinn, we should not believe him simply because he speaks of the unseen. But we must not deny the unseen altogether. If we were asked what are the ways of believing in the unseen, we would say that there are stages.

The first stage is to distinguish the various signs which make it impossible to deny it. It means entering from the stage of denial into the stage of doubt. Let me give you an example. In the past, the only wave which was recognized in the space was the sound wave, which was compared to the waves created by throwing a stone into a pool.

But today, science has discovered other waves which are not distinguishable by our ears or any of our other senses such as electric waves or radio waves which are not sound waves. For if they were sound waves it would take a space of time similar to sound waves in order to be heard. It is sometimes said that the sound of Big Ben in London is heard all over the world before it is heard by the people in the area near it. How can one distinguish various waves in the space which are not sound waves?

Only by scientific conjecture, not by the senses. Thus the denial of the existence of such waves shows only ignorance. Is faith in the unseen a belief in God, in the angels, in the Book and revelation, in the Resurrection? No. It is higher than that. It means belief in a relationship between oneself and the unseen and not thinking of the two as totally separate.

When in our prayer we say, "You only do we serve; to You alone do we pray for succour." (1:5) w e show that we worship hidden God and beg His assistance since we believe that all powers are in His hand. In a supplication you ask His aid to give strength to your body, your resolution and your thought. But what is that for?