Explaining Certainty

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ 

Imam ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Alawi al-Haddad (q.s.) wrote, “Certainty is power, firmness and stability of faith so great that it becomes as a towering mountain which no doubts and illusions can shake.  Rather, doubts and illusions disappear completely, and when doubts come from outside, they are neither listened to by the ear, nor heeded by the heart.  Shaythan cannot approach the possessor of such certainty; he flees from him, fears his very shadow, and is content to keep at a safe distance. 

Certainty results from confidence in what Allah (s.w.t.) has Guaranteed, turning to Allah (s.w.t.) with pure longing, abandoning all things which distract from Him, continuously returning to Him in all circumstances, and spending all one’s energy in seeking His Good Pleasure. 

In sum, certainty is the essential thing, and all other noble ranks, praiseworthy traits of character, and good works, are its branches and results.  Virtues and actions are strong or weak, sound or unsound, according to the strength or certainty.  Luqman (a.s.) said, ‘Action is possible only in the presence of certainty’, a servant acts in obedience only to the extent that he has certainty, and a man becomes neglectful in his actions only when his certainty diminishes.”