The way of removing this dangerous disease is the tearing apart the veils of ignorance and doubts and implanting Faith and certainty in heart. That is why the scholars of Islam have said that certainty is the opposite of compound ignorance and confusion and doubt. For this reason certainty is considered the best of human virtues. In the Holy Quran also Yaqueen (Certainty) is mentioned as one of the virtues of the Muttaqueen Pious, Mumineen Faithful and Muhsineen Benevolent.
Surah Baqarah: 2, Surah Naml: 3, Luqman: 4.
Verses:
1. And we made of them Imams to guide by our command when they were patient, and they were certain of our communications.
2. Nay! if you had known with a certain knowledge, You should most certainly have seen the hell; Then you shall most certainly see it with the eye of certainty.
Traditions
1. Washaa says, he heard from Hazrat Moosa bin Ja'far (a.s.): Eemaan is one stage higher than Islam and Taw is one stage higher than it and Yaqueen is one stage higher than Taw and among people nothing is less distributed than Yaqueen. It is scarce.
2. Abdullah bin Sanaan says Imam Sadiq (a.s.) has said: One of the signs of the correctness of the certainty of a Muslim is that he does not make people happy and glad through Gods anger that is, he does not overlook Gods commandments for pleasing people and he does not rebuke people for what God did not give to him, because, sustenance is not obtained either by the jealousy of a jealous or on his man's asking. And if anyone of your runs away from his sustenance it follows him just as his death follow him. Then said: and catches hold of him. Then said: God has, due to His justice, kept ease and happiness in Yaqueen certainty of faith and sorrow and grief in doubt and discontent.
3. Hishaam bin Saalim quotes Imam Sadiq (a.s.): A small but continues virtuous act with Yaqueen is dearer to God than a big deed which is without certainty.
4. Imam (a.s.) heard the voice of a khaariji who was busy in midnight worship and recitation of the Holy Quran. He told him a sleep with faith is better than a prayer with doubt.
Signs of certainty
Imam Sadiq (a.s.) has said: one day the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) offered the morning prayers with people. Then his eye fell on a youth who was dozing. His complexion was yellowish and body very thin. His eyes had gone deep in sockets. Addressing him the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) said: O youth! How you passed your night? He replied: I passed my night in a way which provided me certainty the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) became pleased with his reply and said: Verily every certainty has a reality. What is the reality of your certainty? He answered: O Prophet of Allah! It is the certainty that has made me gloomy. It has made me bear wake fullness during night and the hot sun during days. It has made me disinterested in whatever is there in this world. It has almost enabled me to observe the Throne of Allah as if I am standing in His Presence to account for my deeds that people have gathered all around; as if I am seeing the people of the paradise who are living happily and are reclining on their chairs talking pleasantly with one another and similarly, as if I can also see the people of the hell who are being chastised therein, crying and wailing and as if the nose of the leaping flames of the hell-fire is rigging in my ears. the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) said: This youth is a slave of Allah whose heart is lit up with the light of Faith. Thereafter, the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) himself said to that youth: continue in the state and condition wherein you are now. The youth appealed: O Prophet of Allah! Pray to Allah so that He may grant me martyrdom with your attendants. The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) prayed for him and it so happened that after some time that youth, who was fighting a battle along with the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) turned out to be the tenth martyr of that Holy war.
The late Naraqi has also described signs of certainty in this background:
A: Man does not pay attention to anything except Allah Who alone is his reliance in every matter for him. He believes that whatever God has destined for him will surely reach him. In this condition he reaches a state when everything becomes equal and same for him whether it is existence or non-existence, less or more, praise or condemnation, poverty or richness, health or illness, honour or disrespect One day one of his companions told Imam Sadiq (a.s.): I give preference to illness over health and poverty over wealth. The Imam (a.s.) replied: We are not like that. Rather we like all that God likes for us.
B: Man, in all situations, remains happy and pleased and submissive and meek and content before his Lord and continues to perform all of his duties with a pleasant mood because he possesses certainty, he knows his Lord well and is aware of His Greatness, Majesty and Power and also knows that He, the Omniscient knows all, sees all of his movements and actions and inactions including whatever passes in is his heart.
C: One who has certainty is such that his prayers are answered. Rather sometimes his actions are miraculous. The more man's certainty the more his power grows so much so that at last he is able to rule over matter too in the material world. Once there was a discussion about the walk of Hazrat Isa (a.s.) on water when the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) said: Had his certainty grown further he would have flied in the air also.
Stages or certainty
The wise scholars of Islam have described stages of certainty Yaqueen that are serially as under:
1. Ilmul Yaqueen is the same solid and sound belief that confirms truth and which can be obtained through arguments.
2. Ainul Yaqueen means looking at observing the celestial world through the inner eye of the heart. Amirul Mo-mineen (a.s.) refers to it when he says: I do not adore a god whom I have not seen.
3. Haqqul Yaqueen which means whenever man sees anything in the world be observes the rays permeating therefrom in such a manner that the relation between the aaquil (wise) and the Maaqool (rational) continues perpetually without break.
4. Nihayat Darja Haqqul Yaqueen extreme stage of certainty. This is a degree imagined by ahle sulook soofis where in the aarif gnostic considers himself lost in the radiance of God in such a manner that he no more believes in the stability of things. Imagination of such stages are, maybe, easy but it is obvious that it cannot be reached through arguments and evidences. But it needs many kinds of tiring exercises and endeavours for gaining which first of all man has to remove all lowly instincts from his heart and to fill the heart with the angel-like virtues until the heart becomes as bright as a mirror. Then the more clean and bright it becomes the more it is able to attract Divine radiance.
The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) said: Had not the satans put doubts in man's heart he man would have been able to observe the reality of the heaven and the earth.
For reaching the above-mentioned realities and in order to understand it, it is necessary to cross some stages:
1. The soul of man must have ability.
2. The heart must become clean. All impurities must be removed.
3. Man's mind must not be involved in worldly affairs.
When these stages are reached then he will be able to show tajalliyaat (manifestations) and (Makaashifaat) illuminations.
Kinds of makaashifaat
First: Material physical and natural miracles. It includes information of the hidden which man obtains in the physical world like the science of nature, mathematics, astrology etc
Second: Perceptions of the heart. These are observations which the Saalik (gnostic) and the Aarif (learned) obtain after crossing the material world and entering the world of Misaal likeness, just as personification of some of the meaning in similar shapes forms in the states of wakefulness. For example, dreams and visions which man sees in his sleep.
Third: Revelations which agnostic gets after passing through the world of Misaal and entering the world of spirits and intelligence. They are called spiritual revelations. This condition is created through the power of spirit soul and its domination in the world. For example proficiency of mind, thoughts, travel on earth or in air or walking on fire, knowledge of future events, appropriation of soul health or illness and control over common thoughts etc
Fourth: Revelations of the mysteries which are obtained by the gnostic in the world of pure heartedness and the spirit, after passing through soul and majesty like the unfolding of the secrets of the universe of existence and enlightenment on the total meaning and the knowledge of the Noble Names and Attributes of Almighty God.
Fifth: These are revelations which a gnostic gets after perfection and after passing through the stages of selflessness, purity of soul and on reaching the stage of Tawheed-e-Mutlaq absolute monotheism and Baqaa-e-Billaah nearness to God. They are called Personal Revelations like the understanding of the reality of existence and its effects and the order of commandments on earth and the source of Divine decision and the Heavenly will and the fountain of religion and revelation and coverage of all the descending disasters and the quality of the certainty of the novelties and their relation with the Heavens and the unity and oneness and multiplicity and.
From what has been said above it is understood that the spiritual revelations are obtained before entering the world of Godworship and monotheism and they are common for a mo-min and a mushrik and they never prove the perfection nor do they negate non-perfection.