I have a question that has been bugging me for some time which no scholars are able to answer for me satisfactorly.

This is based upon Ashari aqeedah:

Unaided human reason cannot by itself figure out what is good and what is bad and how to follow Allah (SWT). Things are good or bad because Allah (SWT) makes them good or bad, not because our reason dictates it to be so. Allah (SWT) sent us Messengers to know what is good and what is bad and to tell us to believe in Him and follow Him, etc. If pure human reason alone could do this then Messengers would be unnecessary. This is why Imam al-Ghazali says that those unreached by the message or reached with a distorted message are not responsible.

So what is the nature of belief? When the message reaches a person how does he accept it as the truth and become a Muslim? Someone may hear the full undistorted truth about Islam but still have doubts which prevent him from entering, while someone else may be wholly convinced on little "proof".

Shaykh Nuh Keller once said that if Islam could be proved there would not be a single kaffir on the face of the earth. So how does one accept something unproved as true?

I asked Shaykh Abu Qanit al-Hassani about this and his reply was:

The acceptance of revelation is almost always due to the person
realizing the conformity of what he hears with his "pre-programming"
which took place before his birth (and is partly mentioned in verse
7:172
of the Qur'an)...

> For example, someone hears the Qur'an, what lets him grasp Islam
> in his heart? Now the Catholic Philosopher Blaise Pascal said that
> there are 3 ways that you can believe something. You believe through
> reason, inspiration, or habit.

Another reason for belief is direct perception - this is why the Arabs
say
"al-`ayaanu yughni `ani l-burhaani" "Eye-witnessing frees one from
needing detailed proofs". In English, you say "Seeing is believing."
The actual and foremost reason for belief is perception. For the
common
man, it is a weak feeling in the heart which reminds him the truths
which
he learned before being born into this world - which he still carries
along
with him subconsciously. For the `arif and advanced spiritual, it is a
constant and strong vision of the Divine Entity which fortifies and
firmly
established this belief in his heart...

There is no "versus" here [concerning reason vs. revelation] if you want to give your heart rest, know
that
Allah knows the true nature of existence. And this true nature can be
discovered in multiple ways (more than three ways). And that rational
logic
is a means to discover this reality. And Revelation from a true
prophet
is a way to discover this reality. And witnessing with one's eyes,
ears, soul, dream body, or astral body is another way to verify this
reality. And there other ways also, such extensive research into
history and finding that all beliefs of all traditional people can be
traced
back to some ancient core teachings which agree with each other - and
the differences we see today among the religions are due to improper
preservation and adulterated conveyance away from the original
teachings.
He also said:

Rejecting Islam due to fiqh has been the major reason for leaving Islam
from the time of Abu Jahl to now. You should know that the real reason
Abu Jahl never became Muslim was that he was afraid that the laws which
Muhammad was bringing would infringe on his current "unfair" and
"dishonest"
business practices - as is recorded in some books of seerah...

The truth will remain the truth regardless of whether we believe it or
not. Belief is a choice which we are offered - a choice if made
correctly
will lead to eternal bliss and a choice which if made incorrectly will
lead to eternal pain.

qul al-haqqu min rabbika fa man sha'a ful yu'min wa man sha'a fa
l-yakfur.
inna a`tadna li l-dhalimina naaran ahata bihim saradiquha.

"Say: The truth is from your Lord; so, whoever wants let him believe
and
whoever wants let him disbelieve. Indeed, We have prepared for the
wrong-doers a Fire whose covering flames will engulf them."

[{Surah Kahf, verse 29}]

Yes. The individuated choice is real and if you understood the key to
destiny,
you would be among the scarce who understand how it works.
So belief is a choice. Now here is where my problem comes in. I do not understand how belief is a choice. Knowledge of something requires that you are convinced it exists. For example a normal healthy person may believe that the computer monitor in front of him exists because of his senses, he can see it he can touch it etc. But a person that suffers from chronic hallucinations would take more convincing to realize the monitor does in fact exist.

The same thing with Islam, this is what I do not understand, I cannot grasp this concept what so ever. Acceptance of Islam in the heart is based upon the heart being convinced of it's truth. This is belief, confirming that something is true. This doesn't seem like a choice to me. Some people may want to believe in Islam, and even chose it as their religion, but their hearts won't let them believe that it is true because they aren't CONVINCED.

So basically I have asked Shaykh Abu Qanit al-Hassani, read Imam al-Ghazali's writings, listened to Shaykh Nuh's talks, and I still cannot grasp this concept.

Allah (SWT) puts iman in the hearts of who he wishes, and put's kufr in the hearts of who he wishes. But there is also free-will for man to choice either. So belief is a choice and a gift? I am confused.

Shaykh Abu Qanit al-Hassani said that most people will never understand the "key' to understanding divine decree and free-will, but he offers it anyway:
<madrassa> Could you please clarify the two seeming contradictory statements
+that are in the Quran when Allah (SWT) says that all evil comes from Me, as
+well as evil comes from what your hands have earned. I was reading a book in
+which the author was trying to clarify this by saying:
<madrassa> That Allah created both good and evil and with him both were in
+perfect harmony, and when he released them into this dunya evil got its shape
+due to the distance from Him.
<madrassa> Now is it true that if a person on a Path moves closer to Allah,
+just because of his proximity, evil might have a lesser effect on him
<madrassa> since there seems to be a proportional relationship between evil
+and its distance from Allah (SWT)
<madrassa> done
<aq_hasani> ok
<aq_hasani> We can see the line reasoning of the quoted author, but the contained
+statement is not ...
<aq_hasani> in full conformity to the actual truth of the matter.
<aq_hasani> Firstly, we have answered a very similar question in our Previously Answered
+Ihsan Section about there usually being *two* perspectives to each issue.
<aq_hasani> One of these perspectives is called (all of these are considered synonyms
+(for now)):
<aq_hasani> shari`ah/farq/hikma
<aq_hasani> The other perspective is called:
<aq_hasani> haqiqah/jam`/qudra
<aq_hasani> And it is only the advanced and completed spiritual [rajulun kaamil] who has
+truly learned to join between the two.
<aq_hasani> Farq states that everything in Allah's creation is separate in terms of
+individuals being responsible for their own actions.
<aq_hasani> Jam` states that everything is ultimately in the control of Allah.
<aq_hasani> And the higher understanding here has to do with the key to undertanding
+destiny - which is referred to as a secret by past scholars due the rarity of
+the individual who possesses the key.
<aq_hasani> Nevertheless, we will lay bare this key for you in a single statement, which
+perhaps you may understand at a much later date:
<aq_hasani> First the pre-requisite understanding...
<aq_hasani> All responsibility returns to the concept of "consciousness".
<aq_hasani> It is only because we are conscious of our actions and experience choice
+that responsibility can be established.
<aq_hasani> Once you understand this, then you are ready to receive the key:
<aq_hasani> And again, we would not expect you to fully understand at this point.
<aq_hasani> The Key: "Our consciousness is a subset *representation* of the Divine
+consciousness."
<aq_hasani> We do not want to go into detailed references and explanations in this
+online lesson.
<madrassa> i understand
<aq_hasani> So, we ask you to use the Previously Asked Questions option...
<aq_hasani> so we can send you some previous discussions about this.
<aq_hasani> [We will also paste in part of the Previously Asked Ihsan Question]:
<aq_hasani> One reason people are confused about this matter is that the Qur'an itself
+quickly switches
<aq_hasani> from the level of shari`ah to the level of haqiqah and vice versa (often in
+the same verse).
<aq_hasani> Thus, they are unable to understand what really is meant since the same
+event is narrated
<aq_hasani> from two opposite vantage points.
<aq_hasani> An example of this in one verse is:
<aq_hasani> And these villages We destroyed when they started doing wrong and We had
+[already]
<aq_hasani> appointed for their destruction a fixed date [maw`idan].
<aq_hasani> [{Surah Kahf, verse 59}]
<aq_hasani> Now the beginning part of the verse is talking on the level shari`ah - that
+Allah brought
<aq_hasani> punishment on people because of incorrect conscious choices that they were
+making.
<aq_hasani> And the second part of the verse is talking on the level of haqiqah - that
+they were
<aq_hasani> to be destroyed on a particular date as predestined for them.
<aq_hasani> An example of this in two verses is:
<aq_hasani> "...If good befalls them they say, 'This is from Allah.' And if bad
<aq_hasani> befalls them, they say, 'This is from you [O Prophet].' Say: All
<aq_hasani> is from Allah. So what is wrong with these people that they almost
<aq_hasani> cannot understand [a simple] statement.
<aq_hasani> If good befalls you, it is from Allah and if bad befalls you, it is
+from
<aq_hasani> yourself..."
<aq_hasani> [{al-Nisa', verse(s) 78-79}]
<aq_hasani> Now, clearly, if one were think on the same level, the verses above contain
<aq_hasani> a contradiction - as many unqualified people (mostly non-Muslim) have
+claimed.
<aq_hasani> But, such passages in the Qur'an are written for the baqi who has learned
+to join
<aq_hasani> between the haqiqah and the shari`ah. Thus, he sees the shari`ah part of
<aq_hasani> "if bad befalls you, it is from yourself" and he sees the haqiqah part of
+"all is from Allah".
<aq_hasani> The spiritually immature will not be able to grasp this.
Can someone put this all together for me so I can grasp these concepts?

Jazakallahu Khayrun