How should we understand people who say they have experienced God?

A personal experience of God can be real and valuable if it changes one’s own life for the better. As proof of a doctrine, however, it counts only if it can be tested.

Islam teaches that God is living and comes into contact with human beings. He answers prayers, He gives comfort, and He speaks to people, as the first verse above says. That is why Islam takes personal experiences of God seriously. They are not imagination from the outset.

Such an experience is good as long as it helps the person who has it. If someone becomes more honest, more patient and kinder through it, it has fulfilled its purpose. Its value shows in the fruits it bears in that person’s own life.

Things become difficult when such experiences are used as proof of a particular doctrine. People of many religions report experiences, and these reports often contradict one another. One person feels confirmed in this faith, another in that one. Not all of it can be true at the same time. A feeling alone therefore cannot settle a question of belief.

An experience becomes reasonable only when it can be tested, much as in science. A result that can be repeated and confirmed deserves trust. A one-off experience that no one else can follow remains personal.

Sadly, some people exploit exactly this uncertainty. So-called miracle healers and spirit mediums give others hope and profit from their lack of knowledge. The third verse above is therefore a good safeguard. We should not follow anything of which we have no knowledge. Whoever stays alert in this way can gratefully accept genuine experiences and at the same time be protected from deception.