God says
Q.2:3 who believe in [the existence of] that which is beyond the reach of human perception**, and are constant in prayer, and spend on others out of what We provide for them as sustenance;***
**Al-ghayb (commonly, and erroneously, translated as “the Unseen”) is used in Qur’an to denote all those sectors or phases of reality which lies beyond the range of human perception and cannot, therefore, be proved or disproved by scientific observation or even adequately comprised within the accepted categories of accepted thought: as, for instance, the existence of God and of a definite purpose underlying the universe, life after death, the real nature of time, the existence of spiritual forces and their inter-action, and so forth. Only a person who is convinced that the ultimate reality comprises far more than our observable environment can attain to belief in God and, thus, a belief that life has meaning and purpose. By pointing out that it is “a guidance for those who believe in the existence of that which is beyond human perception”, the Qur’an says, in effect, that it will – of necessity – remain a closed book to all whose minds cannot accept this fundamental premise.
Part of verse 2:3 will be repeated next Friday, insaAllah, in order to provide comment on “sustenance”.
