Iman and Islam "The desert Arabs (Bedouins) say: We believe. Say: Ye have no faith!; but ye (only) say: aslamna (We have submitted) our wills to Allah! For not yet has Faith entered your hearts. But if ye obey Allah and His Messenger, He will not belittle aught of your deeds: for Allah is Oft- Forgiving, Most Merciful. " (al-Hujurat 49/14) Ibn Kathir said: "This honorable ayah provides proof that Faith is a higher grade than Islam, according to the scholars of the Ahlu 's-Sunnah wal- Jama'ah." (Tafsir Ibn Kathir) It was narrated from Umar (ra) that he said: "While we were sitting with RasulAllah (saw) one day a man came up to us whose clothes were extremely white, whose hair was extremely black, upon whom traces of traveling could not be seen, and whom none of us knew, until he sat down close to RasulAllah (saw) so that he rested his knees upon his knees and placed his two hands upon his thighs and said: O Muhammad, tell me about Islam. RasulAllah (saw) said: Islam is that you witness that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and you establish the prayer, and you give the Zakaat, and you fast Ramadaan, and you perform the hajj of the House if you are able to take a way to it. He said: You have told the truth. And we were amazed at him asking him and (then) telling him that he told the truth. He said: Tell me about iman. RasulAllah (saw) said: That you affirm Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, and the Last Day, and that you affirm the Decree, the good of it and the bad of it. He said: You have told the truth. He said: Tell me about ihsan. RasulAllah (saw) said: That you worship Allah as if you see Him, for if you don't see Him then truly He sees you. He said: Tell me about the Hour. RasulAllah (saw) said: The one asked about it knows no more than the one asking. He said: Then tell me about its tokens. He (saw) said: That the female slave should give birth to her mistress, and you see poor, naked, barefoot shepherds of sheep and goats competing in making tall buildings. He went away, and I remained some time. Then RasulAllah (saw) asked, me (i.e., Umar) : Do you know who the questioner was? I said: Allah and His Messenger know best. RasulAllah (saw) said: He was Jibril who came to you to teach you your din." (Muslim) Ibn Rajab said: "...and as for the way in which to reconcile between these texts and the hadith in which Jibril asked about Islam and Iman, and in which RasulAllah (saw) distinguished between the two, and placed the outer actions under the category of Islam instead of Iman; this becomes clear to us when we understand the following principle, and that is that there are certain terms that are so comprehensive that they also carry the meaning of other terms when they are mentioned on their own. However, when accompanied with the other term, its meaning is only indicative of a part of the meaning of these terms, with the other term being indicative of the rest of the meaning. An example of this is in the term 'faqir' and the term 'miskin'; if either of them is mentioned on its own, they would each be generally defined as 'one who is in need.' However, if they are both mentioned together in the same sentence, one of the terms refers to a specific type of person in need, and the other term is in reference to another specific type of person in need. Such are the terms 'Islam' and 'Iman': if either term is mentioned on its own, it includes the meaning of the other, and it is indicative of what the other term is indicative of, representing the more comprehensive meaning. If they are both mentioned together, one of the terms is indicative of certain aspects of this more comprehensive meaning that the other is not, with the other term being indicative of the rest of the comprehensive meaning. And this was clearly stated by a group of the scholars. Abu Bakr al-Isma'ili said: "Many of Ahlu 's-Sunnah wa 'l-jamaa'ah stated that Iman is speech and action, and that Islam is what has been obligated upon the human being of actions. If one of these terms is mentioned along with the other, such as if one were to say 'the Muslimun and the Mu'minun,' each term is indicative of a meaning that is not indicated by the other. And if each term is mentioned on its own, it is indicative of the general meaning of both terms." And this interpretation was also mentioned in by Khattabi in his book 'Ma'alim as-Sunnan, 4/313) ', and a group of the scholars followed him in this after-wards. And what also proves this is that, when mentioning it individually in the hadith of Abdu'l-Qays, RasulAllah (saw) described Iman in the same way that he described Islam when it was mentioned along with Iman in the hadith of Jibril (as). And in another hadith that mentioned Islam individually, he described Islam in the same way that he described Iman, as in the 'Musnad' of Ahmad, on the authority of Amr bin Abasah, that a man came to RasulAllah (saw), saying: "O RasulAllah (saw)! What is Islam? RasulAllah (saw) replied: It is that you submit your heart to Allah, and that you protect the Muslims from your tongue and hand. The man then asked: Which Islam is the best? RasulAllah (saw) replied: Iman. The man asked: And what is Iman? RasulAllah (saw) said: That you believe in Allah, His Angels, His Books, His Messengers, and the Resurrection after death. The man asked: Which Iman is the best? RasulAllah (saw) said: Hijrah. The man asked: And what is hijrah? RasulAllah (saw) said: That you abandon evil. The man asked: And which hijrah is the best? RasulAllah (saw) replied: Jihaad." So, RasulAllah (saw) described Iman as being the best Islam, and described Iman as being included under Islam (as opposed to it being a separate term). And with this explanation, the conclusion is clarified for us in regards to the issue of Islam and Iman, and whether they are one and the same, or are two distinct terms: ...if either Islam or Iman are mentioned on their own, there is no difference between the two terms. If they are mentioned together, this is when we differentiate between them, saying that Iman is the belief, acceptance, and knowledge in the heart, while Islam is the humble submission and enslavement of the servant to Allah that is manifested in the outer actions." (Jami al-Ulum wa 'l-Hikam, 1/105-107) It is narrated from Sa 'd ibn Abi Waqqaas (ra) that RasulAllah (saw) distributed (zakaah) amongst (a group of) people while Sa 'd was sitting there. Sa 'd said: But RasulAllah (saw) left a man who I thought the best of them all, and did not give him anything. I said: O RasulAllah (saw), why did you leave out So and so? By Allah I regard him as a faithful believer. RasulAllah (saw) said: Or (merely) a Muslim. I remained quiet for a while, but could not help repeating my question because of what I knew about him. I said: RasulAllah (saw), why did you leave out so and so? By Allah I regard him as a faithful believer. RasulAllah (saw) said: Or (merely) a Muslim. I remained quiet for a while, but could not help repeating my question because of what I knew about him. I said: O RasulAllah (saw), why did you leave out so and so? By Allah I regard him as a faithful believer. RasulAllah (saw) said: Or (merely) a Muslim. I give to one person even though another is dearer to me, for fear that he might be thrown on his face in the Fire. " (Bukhari; Muslim; Ahmad, Musnad) Imam Abu Hanifah said: "Lexically, there is a difference between Iman and Islam, but (in the shari'ah) there is no Iman without Islam, nor does there exist Islam without Iman, the two being (inseparable), like the inside and outside (of something). " (al-Fiqhu'l- Akbar) Hafidh Abu Bakr al-Ismaili said: "Some of them said iman is surely statement and deed, while Islam is the doing of what has been made incumbent on the human being to do. When each noun is mentioned separately, close to the other, such that it is said 'the believers and the Muslims' individually, then a meaning is intended by one of them (which is) not intended by the other. While if (only) one of the two nouns is mentioned, it implies all and includes them. Many of them said Islam and iman are one; Allah (swt) said: "And whoever seeks other than Islam as a religion, then it will not be accepted from him." (Al-i Imran 3/85). So if iman was other than it (i.e., Islam), then it would not be accepted. He (awj) said: "So we brought out whoever was in it from the believers but We did not find save one house of the Muslims in it." (adh- Dhariyat 51/35-36) From them are those who opined that Islam is relative to surrender (istislam) to Allah, subjection (khudu) to Him, and submission (inqiyad) to His judgment in what he is a believer of as He said: "The Arab Bedouins said: We believe. Say: You did not believe. Say, however: We surrender (to Islam), for iman has not yet entered your hearts." (al-Hujurat 49/14), and He (jj) said: "They consider that they surrendered (to Islam) as a favor to you. Say: Do not consider your Islam as a favor to me. Rather, Allah favored you that He guided you to Islam." (al-Hujurat 49/17) This is also evidence for those who say both are one. I say there are other statements, and the preferable (one) in my view is the statement of those who say if iman and Islam are separate, they correspond (in meaning) and when they are combined, they are separate (in meaning) ." (I'tiqaad A 'immah al- Hadith, 67-68) Shaykhu'l-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (ra) explained that: "Iman is made up of: A basis (asl) without which it cannot be complete; Wajib o(bligatory (duties), whose neglect cause Iman to be deficient and render the one guilty of this punishable; and Mustahab (recommended duties) whose absence causes the greatness of rank to be lost. And amongst the people are those who wrong their own souls, those who are just in between (following a middle course), and those who are foremost (in goodness just like entities and acts such as) hajj, the physical body, the mosque and other such entities, actions and characteristics (in which their is also either perfection, deficiency and moderation). And from its various elements (i.e., those that constitute Iman) are those which if they are not present will reduce it (from being) most perfect (i.e., the mustahab), and those which will cause it to fall short of perfection (i.e., the wajibat) and this is abandoning the obligatory duties and falling into the forbidden matters. And from it (i.e., the various elements of Iman) is that which will cause its basis (rukn) to be impaired, and that is the abandoning of belief (i 'tiqaad) and speech (qawl) and which the Murji 'ah and Jahmiyyah claim to be (what justifies) the appellation (of Iman). And by this (classification) will the doubts of all the sects be put to an end. Asl (the foundation of Iman) is in the heart and its perfection (kamal) lies in the outward actions, in opposition to Islam since its basis is what is external and its perfection lies in the heart." (Majmua al-Fatawa, 7/637); "The difference arises from the fact that Islam is din submission. Din is the infinitive of the verb dana, yadinu which means to submit and surrender. The religion of Islam which Allah has ordained and promulgated through His prophets is to submit to Him alone. It is nothing but submission, worship and service to Allah and to Him alone. Hence if one serves Him and serves another god besides him, he is not Muslim; similarly one who does not serve Him and refuses out of pride to serve Him, is not a Muslim. One becomes Muslim when one submits to Allah; hence if Islam is a matter of action, action of the heart and the body. As for iman, it is essentially tasdiq (belief and confession), iqrar (consent and commitment), marifah (knowledge and realization). It is a commitment of the heart, implying action of the heart. Its essence is tasdiq and actions follows from it. That is why RasulAllah (saw) described iman as iman al-qalb (faith of the heart) and its submission, faith in Allah, in His angels, books and messengers. On the other hand, he (saw) described Islam in terms of submission and observance, observance of the five fundamentals. In the same way he (saw) has characterized Islam and Iman at other occasions. For example he (saw) has said: "Islam is something visible and iman is in heart. " (Bukhari; Muslim; Abu Dawud; Tirmidhi; Ahmad, Musnad) Actions are visible and we can see them; but belief, knowledge, love, fear and hope are invisible. However, they do have signs which demonstrate their presence; and since a sign can not prove the existence of the thing it signifies unless it is a necessary consequence of the latter, it follows that the actions which a believer does are the necessary consequences of his faith. In a hadith reported by Abd-Allah Ibn Umar (ra) and Abu Hurayrah (ra) RasulAllah (saw) has said: "A Muslim is one from whose tongue and hand other Muslims are safe, and a mu'min is one from whom people feel secure with regard to their life and property. " (Bukhari; Abu Dawud; Tirmidhi; Nasai; Darimi; Ahmad, Musnad) This means that he (saw) has described Muslim in terms of something which is visible; safety of the people, whereas he (saw) has described mu'min in terms of something invisible; the feeling of security with regard to life and property. Obviously, the latter epithet is nobler than the former, for the one who inspires in you a feeling of security; you will certainly not receive any harm from him. The converse is not true; if one does not do any harm to you, it does not mean that you should feel secure from him. He does not cause you any harm but you may not feel secure from him, for it is possible that he has refrained from harming you in hope or fear of something and not because he believes in his heart that he should not harm you. Take another hadith, which is reported by Amr Ibn Absah. A man asked RasulAllah (saw): "What is Islam? He (saw) said: feed people and to be soft in speech. Then he asked: What is iman? He (saw) said: Magnanimity and patience. " (Ahmad, Musnad) Feeding is an external action which one does for various reasons; similarly, soft speech is an external action. Magnanimity and patience on the other hand are virtues which are hidden in the soul. Allah (awj) has also said: "They enjoin patience and they enjoin compassion to each other. " (al-Balad 90/17) Obviously, magnanimity and patience are better than feeding people and speaking softly. " (Fatawa, 7/263-264); "...for this reason RasulAllah (saw) explained iman as the belief of heart and bowing of the heart. This is the iman to Allah, angels, books and messengers. He (saw) explained Islam as: Submission to things which are apparent. Those are the five articles of Islam. So it is seen that RasulAllah (saw) explained iman and Islam also the same in his other sayings. " (Kitaab al- Iman, 224); "When Iman and Islam are both used (at the same occasion) then iman (refers to) in the heart and Islam is on the dhahir. " (Fatawa, 7/553); "Surely tawhid is the asl of iman. This is the alamati fariqa between the ahl al- Jannah and ahl al- Jahannam. It is the fee of jannah. For this reason no ones Islam without it will be correct. " (Fatawa, 24/235); "Likewise those who do not perform ibadaah to Him moreover escapes from making ibadaah to Him will not at all be considered as Muslim. The reason is because Islam is submitting only to Allah. This is obedience to Him and ibadaah to Him. The scholars of language have also said this: When an individual has submitted it will be said he has become Islam. Fundamentally Islam is a form of act; the action of the heart and limbs. Iman is asl, attesting, testifying and ilm. This is the word (statement) of the heart which is also the action of heart. The basis of this is attesting and the action is bound by it. " (Fatawa, 7/263) Ibn Qayyim stated: "The one who studies the sources of the shari'ah will know the relationship between the external actions of the limbs and the actions of the heart. The deeds are not (beneficial) without the actions of the heart. The actions of the heart are more of an obligation upon the person than the actions of the limbs. Isn't a believer distinguished from a hypocrite simply due to the actions in their hearts that are different from each other? Can anyone enter into Islam except by the actions of his heart before the actions of his limbs? The servitude and worship of the heart is greater, more and longer lasting than the servitude of the limbs. They are obligatory upon the heart. However, the (specific) submission of the limbs is obligatory only at certain times. The seat of iman is the heart and the seat of Islam (submission) is the external limbs." (Badaai al-Fawaid, 3/230); "A person may have in him both kufr and iman, and shirk and tawhid, and taqwa and sin, and hypocrisy and iman; this is one of the greatest principles of Ahlu's-Sunnah and this is disagreed with by ahl al-Bid'ah (the people of Innovation) such as the Khawarij, the Mu 'tazilah and the Qadariyyah. And the question of the coming out of those who committed major sins from the Fire -and not residing therein forever, is built upon this principle- and it is shown by the Qur'an, the Sunnah, the Fitrah and ijmaa of the Sahabah. Allah (swt) says: "And most of them believe not in Allah except that they attribute partners (unto Him) ." (Yusuf 12/106) So Allah - the One Free from all Defects- affirmed belief for them along with Shirk. And He (swt) says: "The Bedouins say: We believe. Say: You believe not, but only say: We have surrendered (in Islam), for faith has not yet entered your hearts. But if you obey Allah and His Messenger, He will not decrease anything in reward for your deeds. Verily, Allah is Oft- Forgiving, Most Merciful." (al-Hujurat 49/14) So He affirmed Islam and obedience to Allah and His Messenger whilst negating their iman; and what is meant is unrestricted and full iman which deserves the unreserved term as occurs in: "Those who believe in Allah and His Messenger, and do not doubt, but strive with their wealth and their lives for the cause of Allah." (al-Hujurat 49/15) But in the more correct of the two sayings they (the Bedouins) were not munafiqs, rather they were the Muslims due to their obedience to Allah and His Messenger, but were not Believers, even if they had some iman which took them away from being kafirs." (Kitabu's- Salaah, 25); "Another result (of zina i.e., fornication) is that he is no longer regarded as a believer, as it was narrated in al-Sahihayn (i.e., Bukhari and Muslim) that RasulAllah (saw) said: "The adulterer at the time when he is committing adultery is not a believer. " So he loses his faith in a general sense, although he does not lose it altogether. Ja 'far ibn Muhammad was asked about this hadith and he draw a circle on the ground and said: This is the circle of faith. Then he drew another circle outside it and said: This is the circle of Islam. When a person commits zina he goes out of (the former) but he does not go out of (the latter). Just because a man has a portion of faith, it does not mean that he can be called a believer, just as if a man has a portion of knowledge and fiqh, he cannot be called a scholar or faqih, or if he has a portion of courage or generosity he cannot be called courageous or generous. Similarly, he may have a portion of piety but he cannot be called pious, and so on. The correct view is to take this hadith as it appears to be and not try to interpret it otherwise. And Allah knows best." (Rawdat al- Muhibbin, 360) "In the shari'ah of Islam; iman can not be present without Islam. Meaning without submitting in the dhahir, it is not possible submitting in the batin is present in someone." (Sharh Fiqh Akbar, 72) Imam Baghawi said: "Nabi (saw) gave the name Islam to the dhahir (apparent) deeds; and the name of iman to the batin (inwardly) deeds. This will never indicate that deeds are not from iman. Or it will not indicate that the confirmation of the heart is not from Islam. These explanations are the explanations of a single sentence. And this sentence consists of a single thing. All of these are deen." (Sharhus '-Sunnah) Ibn Abi Izz al-Hanafi said: "The sum of the issue is as such: There is a difference between the mention of Islam and Iman together and the mention them separately. The relation of Islam and Iman is as the same as the relation of the kalimah of shahadah (relation of 'LailahaillaAllah ' with 'Muhmamadun RasulAllah ') with each other. There is difference between the shahadah of 'LailahailaAllah ' and the shahadah of 'Muhammadun RasulAllah '. Their meaning is not the same. However they are related to one another. Both in meaning and with regards to the hukm both consist of one thing. Islam and Iman are also the same. The one who does not have Islam would also have no iman. The one who does not have Iman would also have no Islam either. It is because a mu'min who actualized his iman would certainly have Islam which will not lift Islam from him. Likewise a Muslim who submits would have Iman which won 't lift iman from him. The Islam of an individual can only be sahih in this way. " (Sharhu 'l Aqidatu 't-Tahawi, 251) -- Al-Furqan Foundation
