Doubt

“Once I wrote to the virtuous servant (a.s) saying that I had doubt and Ibrahim (a.s) had said, ‘Lord, show me how you will bring the dead to life?’ (2: 260) and I would love that you show me something. Thus, he (a.s) wrote back to me, ‘Ibrahim was a believer. He wanted to increase his belief. You, however, have doubt and there is nothing good in doubt.’ And he wrote, ‘Doubt comes when there is no certainty when certainty, comes then doubting is not permissible.’ He wrote further, ‘Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, has said, “We did not find many among them keeping their promises. However, We did find many evil-doers among them.” (7:102) The Imam said, ‘It was revealed about people who doubt.’”

“Amir al-Mu’minin, Ali ibn abu Talib (a.s.) would say in his sermons, ‘Do not suspect; you will doubt and do not doubt; you will become unbelievers.’”

“Once I was in the presence of Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) sitting to his left side and Zurara was sitting to his right side. Abu Basil’ came in and he asked, ‘What do you say if one doubts in Allah?’ The Imam said, ‘He is an unbeliever, O abu Muhammad.’ Abu Basir then asked, ‘What if one has doubts in the Messenger of Allah?’ The Imam said, ‘He is an unbeliever.’ The narrator has said that the Imam then turned to Zurara and said, ‘He (such a person) is an unbeliever only if he rejects.’”

“Once I asked Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) about the words of Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, ‘Those who have accepted the faith and have kept it pure from injustice have achieved security and guidance.’ (6:82) The Imam said, ‘(It means one) who has kept it (belief) pure from doubt.’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.) has said, ‘Doubts and disobedience are in the fire. It (doubt or people having doubts) is not from us nor is it directed to us.’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.) has said, ‘One who doubts in Allah after being born from Muslim parents, forever, will not end up to anything good.’”

“Abu Ja’far (a.s.) has said, ‘No deed with doubt and denial will be of any benefit.’”

8. It is in the advice to al-Mufaddal who has said the following: “I heard Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) saying, ‘One who has doubt or Zann (better than doubt and less than certainty) and lives with one of them (such conditions), Allah turns his deeds fruitless. The authority and proof for (existence of) Allah is clear authority and proof.’”

“Once I said to one of (two Imam) (a.s.) ‘We find a man who worships, and strives with humility but does not believe in the truth (Shi’a belief). Will it be of any benefit for him?’ The Imam said, ‘O abu Muhammad, the case of AM al-Bayt (of Muhammad) is like that AM al-Bayt in the family of Israel. An individual of that family would strive for forty nights and pray, his prayers received the answer. Only one man of that family strived for forty nights and prayed but his prayer did not receive any answer. When Jesus, son of Mary came, he complained to him about his case and asked him for prayer. The Imam said that Jesus then cleansed himself, said the prayer, prayed to Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, and Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, sent revelations to Jesus that said, ‘O Jesus, My servant came to Me from a door that is other than the door from which one must come to Me. He prayed and there was doubt in his heart about you. Were he to pray to Me until his neck would be cut off (disintegrate) and his fingers turn into dust, I would not answer his prayer.’ The Imam said, ‘Jesus then turned to the man and asked, ‘Do you ask your Lord for help while you have doubt in His prophet?’ The man said, ‘O Spirit of Allah and His word, it has been just as you said. Pray to Allah for me to remove doubt from me. ’ The Imam said that Jesus than prayed for him and Allah accepted his repentance and he became like all the other ones of that family.’”