WHAT IS EEMAN?
This article
is a part of the AHYA Multi-Media's Distance Learning Course, which will be
published soon.
From As-Sunnah
Bimonthly Islamic Newsletter
When it comes
to a concept from the Qur'aan and the Sunnah, there has always been two
approaches to determine its correct meaning. These steps help distinguish
between the correct Islamic concept and the later innovated views.
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The first
approach is to discover the meaning from the Qur'aan and the teachings of
Allah's Messenger (sallallahu alaihe wa-sallam), as he passed on to his
Companions.
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The second
approach is to discover the linguistic meaning based on assumption without
first referring to the explanation given by Allah and His Messenger (sallallahu
alaihe wa-sallam). This latter approach is that of the heretical groups.
Shaikh
al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (rahimahullah) writes in Kitaab al-Imaan:
"One must
understand that if any term is found in the Qur'aan and the Hadeeth, and its
explanation is known and its meaning is made clear by the Prophet (sallallahu
alaihe wa-sallam), then there is no need to use any linguistic meanings as
evidence…
The words
Salaah, Zakat, Siyaam (fasting), Hajj are found in the words of Allah and His
Messenger (sallallahu alaihe wa-sallam). The same is true for the word Khamr
(intoxicants) and others. From him (Allah's Messenger (sallallahu alaihe
wa-sallam)), one knows their meanings. If anyone wants to explain such terms
in a way, other than how the Prophet (sallallahu alaihe wa-sallam) explained
it, such an explanation will not be accepted… The terms Imaan, Islam, Nifaaq
(hypocrisy) and Kufr are more important than these terms.
The Prophet (sallallahu
alaihe wa-sallam) explained the meanings of these terms in such a way that it
is not necessary to look for their linguistic origins or how they were used by
the pre-Islamic Arabs and so forth. Therefore, it is a must that while trying
to determine the meanings of such terms, one looks at how Allah and His
Messenger (sallallahu alaihe wa-sallam) explained them. Their explanation is
clear and sufficient… the heretics have been misled on this matter.
They turn
away from this method. Instead, they begin to explain the religion of Islam
based on some premises that they believe to be sound, either concerning
linguistic meaning or rational thought. They do not ponder or consider the
explanation of Allah and His Messenger (sallallahu alaihe wa-sallam). Every
premise that goes against the explanation given by Allah and His Messenger (sallallahu
alaihe wa-sallam) is certainly misguidance." [Shaikh al-Islam Taymiyyah,
Kitaab al-Imaan (Beirut al-Maktab al-Islami, 1988) p. 271]
Eeman is explicitly described in the famous hadeeth of Jibreel (alaihis-salaam),
when he (alaihis-salaam) asked the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alaihe
wa-sallam): "What is Eeman?" He (sallallahu alaihe wa-sallam) replied:
"Eeman is to believe in Allah, His Angels, His Books, His Messengers, the
Last Day and to believe in the Predestination; the good and the bad." [Saheeh
al-Bukharee and Saheeh Muslim]
Ibn Abbas (radhiallahu
anhu) said: 'When the delegation of Abd al-Qais came to the Messenger of Allah
(sallallahu alaihe wa-sallam), he commanded them to believe in Allah and
asked: "Do you know what is Eeman?" They replied: 'Allah and His Messenger (sallallahu
alaihe wa-sallam) knows best.' He (sallallahu alaihe wa-sallam) then answered:
"It includes bearing witness that there is no god but Allah, and that Muhammad
(sallallahu alaihe wa-sallam) is the Messenger of Allah, to establish Prayer,
pay Zakaat, fast in the month of Ramadaan, and give one-fifth of the
war-booty." [Abu Dawood 3/ 4660 and at-Tirmidhee]
All the matters of belief relating to Allah, the Day of Judgment and other
matters of the unseen originate from these six fundamentals, so "Give glad
tidings to those who believe and do good deeds, for them will be Gardens
through which rivers flow…" [Soorah al-Baqarah (2): 25]
THE CONCEPT OF Eeman:
Eeman is a
combination of Belief and Actions. The earlier scholars summed up these
two components in their saying: "Eeman is Statement and Action." [See al-Laalakai
v.1, p.176]
Statement
here includes both; statements of the heart and statement of the tongue
(Verbal Confessing) and Action include both, actions of the heart and actions
of the body. These two components are broken down into three essential parts
for better understanding: -
-
Belief of
the Heart.
-
Confession
by the Tongue
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Actions of
the Body.
(a) Belief
of the Heart: Heart
is the root of Eeman. If the belief of the heart is not firm and correct then
no other deed or action can be perfect. The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu
alaihe wa-sallam) said: "There is a lump of flesh in the body. When it is
sound, the whole body is sound; but when it goes wrong, the whole body goes
wrong (as a result). It is the heart!!" [Saheeh al-Bukharee and Saheeh Muslim]
Belief in the
heart constitutes of two parts: -
(a) Statement
of the Heart, i.e. Tasdeeq (Affirmation) made up of Recognition, Knowledge and
Affirmation of Allah and His Commands.
(B) Actions
of the Heart i.e. Inqiyaad (Submission) made up of Acceptance and Submission
to Allah and His Commands.
The first
aspect of Recognition and Knowledge is ingrained in the human nature (i.e.
Fitrah Natural Instinct). The second aspect of Submission requires to be
implied. Therefore, the main message of all the Messengers of Allah (alaihis-salaam)
and their dispute with the disbelievers was specifically the second aspect;
i.e. 'Submission to the Commands of Allah.'
Allah says:
"And verily, We have sent among every Ummah (community, nation) a
Messenger (proclaiming): "Worship Allah (Alone) and avoid
Taghoot." [Soorah an-Nahl (16): 36]
It was
difficult for the disbelievers to accept and submit to the Commands of Allah
because they lacked the love for the Truth.
Allah says:
"…he brought them the Truth, but most of them are averse (unwilling,
opposed) to the Truth." [(23): 70]
And: "It
is not you (O Muhammad (sallallahu alaihe wa-sallam)) that they deny, but it
is the signs of Allah that the wrongdoers deny." [Soorah al-An'aam: 33]
But "If
you ask them (the disbelievers) who created them, they will surely say:
"Allah" How then are they turned away (from His worship)?" [(43): 87]
Thus, in
general, the truth of Allah's Oneness (Allah's Lordship) is clear to all, but
they do not accept and submit to the Commands of Allah, which Allah refers as
Truth in the verse. This is one of the major aspects that distinguish Mumin
(believer) from Mushrikeen (non-believers).
Thus, the
belief of the heart is the most important component of Eeman. One who desires
to be certain about his Eeman and safeguard himself from loosing it (Eeman) -
he must Recognize the Truth, Desire the Truth and hold Love for it (meaning
adhere firmly to the Commands of Allah).
This should also be
combined with hatred for falsehood and disbelief, because Allah mentioned love
for Faith along with the hatred for disbelief and disobedience in the verse:
"But Allah
has endured the Faith to you and has beautified it in your hearts and has made
disbelief, wickedness and disobedience hateful to you. These are the rightly
guided ones." [Soorah Hujurat (49): 7]
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(B)
Confession by the Tongue:
The second
necessary component of Eeman is the confessing of one's Eeman by the Tongue.
The simple pronouncement of the words 'La ilaha illAllah' is not the intent -
Certainly, the hypocrites did so (merely pronounced the Shahadah) but they
were not true believers. The pronouncement of the words must accompany: -
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The Correct
Belief in the Lordship of Allah and its related aspects.
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Rejection
of all kind of Shirk.
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Adherence
to the laws of Islam.
If these
principles are not the intent of the proclamation, then such a confession is
not beneficial. Hence, before one makes the testimony of Faith, he must
clearly understand the meaning and purport of confession.
Ibn Taymiyyah (rahimahullah) writes in his book Kitaab al-Eeman:
"The Arabs do
not have any such thing in their language as affirmation or denial unless it
be in meaning and wording (i.e. unless one understands and verbally
confesses). One will not find in Arabic speech statements such as: 'Mr. X
believed in Mr. Y' or 'denied him' if Mr. X only knew it in his heart that he
(Mr. Y) was true. (Such a statement would only be made if the person) spoke
it. Whoever does not affirm his belief in someone with his speech, if he has
the ability to do so, is not a believer according to (the language of the)
Arabs. Therefore, our pious predecessors of this nation (the Sahabah) and
those who follow them in goodness agree on this point.
One who
believes in his heart but does no verbally state his belief is not considered
as a believer neither in this life nor in the Hereafter. Allah has not
declared such a person to be a believer in the Message (the Qur'aan) - simply
due to the Knowledge of Eeman in his Heart. He is not considered a believer
unless he confirms it by his speech.
Therefore,
the outward speech is an essential aspect of Eeman, and according to the
earlier and later scholars, one will not be saved unless he verbally
testifies. The Muslims agree that he, who does not make the confession of
faith although he has the ability to do so, is a disbeliever. He is a
disbeliever both inwardly and outwardly according to the pious predecessors
and Imams of this nation." [Ibn Taymiyyah, Kitaab al-Eeman, p.126]
(c)
Actions of the Body:
Actions of
the body are the third integral part of Eeman. True belief of the heart
results in external Submission to the Commands of Allah. It is not possible
that one's belief of the heart is at a high level of Eeman but is not
demonstrated by his deeds.
Ibn Taymiyyah
(rahimahullah) said: "It is inconceivable that there be a man who is a
believer with confirmed belief in the heart that Allah has obligated him to
Pray, give Zakaat, Fast and perform Hajj but he lives his whole life without
even making one prostration to Allah or never fasting any month of Ramadaan,
never paying Zakaat for the sake of Allah and never making pilgrimage to
Allah's House. This is impossible!! This would only happen if the person
has hypocrisy and opposition to Islam in his heart - It would never happen
with a true faith!! For this reason, Allah describes those who refused to
prostrate, as unbelievers…" [Muhammad Ibn Taymiyyah Majmoo vol.7, p.611]
The most
important belief that should dictate our actions is that Allah All-Mighty
exists, He is the Creator and Provider, and none can benefit not harm us
except with His Permission. For example, if a person's Eeman in Allah is firm,
he will be able to direct all his worship and obedience to Allah and feel no
fear to worldly powers.
The Story
of the Prophet Moosa, the Magitians and the Pharaoh
Consider the
encounter of Pharaoh's court magicians with Prophet Moosa (alaihis-salaam) as
described in the Qur'aan. Before meeting the Prophet, they pleaded with
Pharaoh for a substantial reward if they were to defeat Moosa (alaihis-salaam)
in the contest using magic:
"So the
sorcerer came to Pharaoh and said: 'Of course we shall have a suitable reward
if we win.'" [Soorah al-A'raaf (7): 113]
Pharaoh accepted their plea and promised them not only a reward but also
position at court. When the encounter with Moosa (alaihis-salaam) began, the
magicians realized quickly that while their own display was simple magic, the
Prophet Moosa's display was extraordinary and much more than any human could
do. So they all fell down in Sajda (prostration) saying: "We believe in the
lord of the Worlds. The Lord of Moosa and Haroon." [Soorah Taa-Haa : 70]
Pharaoh was so stunned by their declaration of Faith in Allah that he shouted:
"Have you believed in him, before I gave you permission?… Be sure, I will
cut off your hands and your feet on opposite sides, and then I will crucify
you on trunks of palm trees. So shall you know which of us can give the more
and lasting punishment." [Soorah Taa-Haa : 71]
But these threats did not frighten the magicians. These men who had just been
begging Pharaoh for more gold coins now became so fearless because of their
faith in Allah that they answered him back easily: "Never shall we prefer
you over the Clear Signs that have come to us and Him who has created us. So
decree whatever you wish to decree. For you can only decree concerning matters
of this world. We have believed in our Lord; may He forgive us our faults and
the magic to which you did compel us, for Allah is the Best and forever
abiding." [Soorah Taa-Haa : 72-73]
Increase
and Decrease of Eeman:
"Whenever
there comes down a Soorah, some of them say: 'which of you has had his faith
increased by it? Yes, those who believe their faith is increased and they do
rejoice. But as for those whose hearts is diseased, it only adds wickedness to
their wickedness, and they die while they are disbelievers." [Soorah at-Tawbah
: 124-125]
The Messenger
of Allah (sallallahu alaihe wa-sallam) said: "Faith has over seventy branches,
most excellent of which is the declaration of "La ilaha illa Allah' and the
humblest of which is the removal of a bone from the road. And modesty is a
branch of Eeman." [(Saheeh) Sunan Abo Dawood (3910)]
Eeman
increases and decreases according to one's Belief and Actions. It has higher
parts and levels. Acts of obedience to Allah increase one's Eeman and acts of
disobedience decrease it. This is where those who posses Eeman fall in
different ranks. Hence, with regards to the actions of the heart, some have a
greater love of Allah than others, while others fear Him more, and others are
superior in their sincerity to Allah. Concerning the actions of the tongue,
some recite Qur'aan more than others do, others engage in more remembrance.
Likewise, people also differ in actions of the limbs.
Basic Level of Imaan
The basic
level of Imaan is the minimum level of 'Tasdeeq - Affirmation (or Statement)'
and the minimum level of 'Inqiyaad Submission (or Action).'
(a)
Tasdeeq (Affirmation) - Belief in everything that one knows from the
Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alaihe wa-sallam) and willingness to believe in
all the new information he acquires from him (sallallahu alaihe wa-sallam).
Meaning to realize, accept and admit that he must believe in everything that
is authentically reported from the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alaihe
wa-sallam).
(b) Inqiyaad (Submission) - Adherence to everything known from the
Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alaihe wa-sallam). Meaning to submit to all the
commands of Allah's Messenger (sallallahu alaihe wa-sallam) and have a
willingness, desire and recognition that he is obliged to submit to every
command authentically known from him (sallallahu alaihe wa-sallam).
These are
the compulsory aspects for the validity of Imaan. If these are not fulfilled
then Imaan does not exist.
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