The Effects and Benefits of Faith
Although the effects of religious faith have to a certain extent come to light in our discussion so far, in order to fully understand the truly beneficial effects of this valuable property of life and this spiritual possession.
Tolstoy, the Russian thinker believes, "Belief is what people live with."
The philosopher, Nasser Khosrow Alavi says to his son,
"I turned to religion from the world because; To me, without religion, prison and dungeon would be the world. O son, religion is a world in my heart, this one is in no way a destructible world."
Religious faith has tremendous positive effects, from the point of creating joy and happiness, or bettering social relations of decreasing and eliminating difficulties which are inevitable in the world system.
Effects of Religious faiths are in three sections:
First, Joy and Happiness
The first effect of religious faith, from the point of creating joy and happiness is optimism: optimism towards the universe. It represents creation as something which has goals - goals which are blessed, evolutionary and rich - and naturally gives man an optimistic outlook towards the whole of creation and the rules governing it. The position of the believer in the world is like that of an individual living in a country who considers the laws, orders and organizations of that country to be correct an just. He also believes in the good will of the principal leaders of that country. Naturally, he finds the groundwork for progress and promotion available to himself and everybody else. He believes that the only thing that might hinder him would be his own laziness and inexperience of that of the other dutiful and responsible people.
In the view of such a person, the responsibility for any hindrance lies with himself and not with the organizations and systems of the country. He knows that he and his like are also responsible for whatever deficiency results from their not having fulfilled their obligations and responsibility. This naturally inspires him to work optimistically.
But for an unbeliever, the world is like a person living in a country who considers the law and institutions of that country corrupt and cruel, while he has no choice but to accept them. Such an individual is full of contradictions and hatred. He never thinks of reforming the self, but thinks that since the whole universe is incompatible and full of cruelty, tyranny and dishonesty, what can one insignificant honest person like himself do? Such an individual never enjoys his or her life because the world is always a horrible prison. This is why the Holy Qur’an says:
"But he who turneth away from remembrance of Me, his will be a narrow life." (20:124)
Yes, it is the faith of man that broadens the spirituality of his life and saves him from depression. The second effect of religious faith from the point of creating cheerfulness and happiness is enlightenment in the heart. When man, because of religious faith, finds the universe enlightened by the divine rays of truth, such an enlightenment brightens the spirit, acting as a torch lit in one’s conscience. This is contrary to an unbeliever to whom the universe is absurd, dark, incomprehensible and empty of insight and clarity. Because of this, that person is imprisoned in the dark world of his own creation. The third out-come of religious faith, from the point of creating cheerfulness and happiness is "hope" for the good results of good action.
From the materialistic point of view, the universe is indifferent and impartial towards people, regardless of their course of action: Whether they act in the direction of right or wrong, of justice or oppression, of integrity or deceitfulness. The result of their action depends on one thing only and that is the amount of their effort." From the point of view of a believer, though, the universe is not indifferent towards the effort of these two groups. The universe does not react equally towards these two, but the divine system supports the people who struggle for righteousness, truth, integrity, justice and good will.
"O ye who believe! If you help God’s cause, He will make your foot-hold firm." (47:7)
"For surely God does not waste the reward of those who do good." (12:90)
The fourth out-come of religious faith, from the point creating joy and happiness is peace of mind. It is in the nature of man to seek happiness for himself. He takes great pleasure in the thought of reaching this state; and the thought of a gloomy, deprived future disturbs him and fills him with anxieties and worry.
The cause of happiness are:
1. Effort.
2. Confidence in circumstantial conditions.
A student’s success depends on two factors: his own effort and hard work, on the one hand, and the school atmosphere, that is the encouragement and the effectiveness of the school authorities, on the other hand. If a studios pupil has no faith in the school that he studies in, if he has no confidence in the teacher who grades him at the end of the academic year and if he anxiously anticipates unjust treatment, throughout the whole year he will be full of anxiety, torment and fear.
The duty of man towards the self is clear. From his own side, he does not worry, because anxiety and fear are caused by uncertainty and doubt. Man has no doubt about what is related to himself. What pulls a person towards uncertainty and doubt is his duty towards the universe which is unclear. Is good work useful? Are honesty and trustworthiness useless? In spite of all efforts and fulfillment of responsibilities, is the final result suffering? This is where anxiety appears in its most horrible form.
Those who have formed a relationship with the universe, through religious faith, are given trust and confidence. Anxiety and fear in dealing with the universe are removed and replaced by comfort and ease. This is why we say that one of the effects of religious faith is peace of mind. Another result of religious faith, from the point of creating happiness, is the benefit from a series of joys which are called spiritual pleasures. Man has two kinds of joy: one belongs to his senses, created by a kind of contact between a sensory perception and an external object, such as the joy which results through the mouth by tasting, and through the sense of touch by physical contact. The other is the kind of joy which is related to the depth of one’s spirit and conscience, and has nothing to do with any specific organs; joys which do not result from contact with any external matter. Joy of this kind is that which man gains from generosity, and helpfulness, or from popularity and respect, as well as from his own and his child’s success. This kind of joy has nothing to do with the senses and is not affected directly by an external factor.
Spiritual joys are not only stronger than materialistic joys, but they last longer too. The joy of worshipping God and the joys of prayer is of this kind. The mystics, whose worship is modest, receive the greatest amount of pleasure from their prayers. In religious terminology they talk about the "sweetness of faith." Faith has a sweetness superior to all others. Spiritual joy is increased when acts such as acquiring knowledge, generosity, helpfulness, success and victory initiate from religious faith, and all are performed for God in the area of ‘worship’.
Second, the Function of Faith in the Betterment of Social Relations
Man, like some other animates, is born instinctively social. An individual is not capable of satisfying his needs alone. Life must be shared with others who participate in all duties and creativity, and a kind of work-distribution should be established among them, as there is among other animals such as bees, with one essential difference. That is, work-distribution among non-human beings is instinctive and compulsory by nature, the possibility of disobedience or violation of being absent, contrary to man who is a being with a free will and should perform work freely, as a "duty and responsibility". In other words, the non-human animate beings are under the influence of innate social instincts. Human needs are social without being governed by instincts. Human social instincts, as a series of "drived", exist in the sub-conscience of man and they must be cultivated through education.
A healthy social life is that in which individuals respect each other's rights, rules and restrictions; consider justice sacred and offer love to each other. They want for others what they do not want for themselves; they want not for others what they do not want for themselves; they believe and trust in each other. The guarantee of their mutual confidence is their spiritual values. Each individual considers himself responsible and under obligation to his society. Every individual shows the same virtue and chastity whether in private or in the open. They help one another without having the slightest sense of greed; they move against oppression and tyranny and do not allow dictators and agents of evil to engage in tyranny and corruption. They hold dear moral values and are allied and united like the members of a single body.
What, more than religious faith respects righteousness, holds justice sacred, softens hearts towards each other, establishes mutual confidence between individuals, causes virtue and chastity to deepen their roots in the conscience of human beings, gives credit to moral values, creates the courage to make a move against cruelty and unites everybody like members of a single body. The glories of mankind, which glitter like stars in the sky of their adventurous history, are those whose source is religious faith.
