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CHAPTER 1
EXPLANATION OF IMAN, ISLAM AND IHSAN
The Requirement of Believing in Godâs Decree; Evidence of Dissociation from those Who do not Believe in the Divine Decree and Confronting them Squarely
Abu al-Husayn Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj al-Qushayi (may God bestow mercy on his soul) said: We start with Godâs help and we need nothing other than that. None can guide us to success other than God, the Most-Glorious.89
89. The most important thing to mention under this heading is the different views of scholars concerning iman, or faith, and Islam: what is universal or peculiar in each? Does faith increase or decrease? Are manâs actions a part of faith. Scholars of early and more recent times have spoken at length on all these issues. I will confine myself to the quotation of short parts of what they have said to illustrate both what I have already mentioned as also to add plenty more.
In his book, Ma[alim al-Sunan, Imam Abu Sulayman Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Ibrahim al-Khattabi al-Bisti, a scrupulous fiqh scholar of the Shafi[i School, said:
This is a question that has troubled many people, causing them to err. Al-Zuhri said that Islam is the word [i.e. the verbal utterance], while iman is the action. In support of his view he cited the Qurâanic verse: âThe bedouins say: âWe have attained to faithâ. Say [to them]: âBelievers you are not. Rather say: âWe have submitted ourselvesâ,â for true faith has not entered your heartsâ. (49: 14) Others state that iman and Islam are one and the same thing. They cite the two verses that say: âWe brought out such believers as were there; but We did not find there any who had surrendered themselvesi to Us apart from a single houseâ. (51: 35â36) Two of the most eminent scholars have spoken about this, and have made their conclusions on the basis of these two views. The one who discussed it later replied to his predecessor, writing a book on the subject running into hundreds of pages.
The right thing of all this is that it should not be general-ized, but rather qualified. A Muslim is a believer in certain situations but not in others, while a believer is a Muslim in all situations. Every believer is a Muslim, but not every Muslim is a believer. When you put the question in this way, you realize that the verses are all consistent and harmonious, displaying no difference or conflict. The essential point of faith is âto believeâ and the essential point of Islam is âsubmission and self-surrenderâ. A person may superficially appear to have surrendered but has not genuinely submitted himself. He may be true in his innermost soul, but does not show himself to be in submission.
Al-Khattabi said about the Prophetâs hadith:
âFaith consists of 70 odd partsâ: This hadith tells us that iman is a noun that means a whole that has parts and constituents, and has a highest point and a lowest one. The noun refers to some of these as it refers to them all. When it truly exists, it comprises all its parts and includes all its constituents. It is like Islamic prayer, which has parts and constituents but its name refers to its parts as well while its reality requires that it includes all its constituents. This is evidenced by the Prophetâs statement: âModesty is a part of faithâ. The hadith confirms that some people are better than others in faith and that believers have different grades of faith.
Imam Abu Muhammad al-Husayn ibn Mas[ud al-Baghawi of the Shafi[i School referred to the hadith which mentions Gabriel questioning the Prophet about iman and Islam and the Prophetâs answers. He said:
The Prophet defined Islam as a noun referring to apparent actions and defined iman as a noun referring to beliefs. This does not mean that actions are not part of iman or that beliefs are not part of Islam. This is merely giving details of a complete whole, which is a single totality that makes up religion. Hence, the Prophet said at the end of the ...
