ﺇﻳﻤﺎﻥ
“A knowledge in the heart, a confession of the tongue, and an activity with the limbs.” Faith is confidence in a truth which is real. When people have confidence, they submit themselves to that truth. It is not sufficient just to know the truth, but the recognition of the heart should be expressed by the tongue which is the manifestation of the intelligence and at last to reflect this confidence in their activities. The Qur’an is effectively comparing faith to a tree whose roots are deep in the soil and branches spread in the vastness of the sky.
“Iman is that you believe in God and His Angels and His Books and His Messengers and the Hereafter and the good and evil fate [ordained by your God].”
Ibn Abbas narrates that the Angel Jibril once asked the Prophet: “Tell me what is Iman?” The Prophet replied: “Iman is to believe in Allah, the Day of Judgment, His (Allah’s) Angels, Books and Prophets and to believe in life after death; and to believe in Paradise and the Fire, and the setting up of the Mizan (scales) to weigh the deeds; and to believe in the Divine Decree, the good and the bad of it (all). Jibril then asked him: “If I do all this will I be with Iman?” The Prophet said: “When you have done all of this, you will be having Iman.”
There are three major components of Eeman, which are:
# To believe with the heart;
# To confess with the tongue;
# And to demonstrate (has been possessed in the heart and uttered with the tongue) in physical action.
– The first component itself (belief in the heart) consists of two parts:
1. Adoption of the heart, whereby the heart recognizes and accepts that, whatever Allah and His Messenger have said is true; that God and His Messenger are Just in whatever judgment they make; and that it does not have any doubts in this adoption and acceptance.
2. The work of the heart, which means, the heart is to practice whatever is instructed to by Allah ṣubḥānahū wa ta’ālā , such as having love for God and His Messenger, and the believers; and not keeping love for the non-believers.
For that Allah says in Sūrah al-Hujurah, 14:
“The bedouins say: “We believe.” Say: “You believe not but you only say, ‘We have surrendered (in Islam),’ for Faith has not yet entered your hearts…”
He also says in Sūrah al-Mujādilah, 22:
“You (O Muhammad) will not find any people who believe in Allah and the Last Day, making friendship with those who oppose Allah and His Messenger (Muhammad), even though they were their fathers or their sons or their brothers or their kindred (people). For such He has written Faith in their hearts…”
The verses above actually come to draw our attention to the fact that the heart is the original source of iman .
– The second component; confess with the tongue: This happens by saying the ‘ shahādah ’ (witness); there is no god except Allah, and Muhammad is His Messenger.There is something important about confessing with the tongue (shahādah ). That is, it must be intended and meant, and should not be just a fact of pronunciation.
3. The third component of iman is to demonstrate in physical actions that is what it means to do what Allah ṣubḥānahū wa ta’ālā has commanded, and staying away from what He has forbade. Allah ṣubḥānahū wa ta’ālā says in Surah Al-Hujurat, 15:
“Only those are the believers who have believed in Allah and His Messenger, and afterward doubt not but strive with their wealth and their lives for the Cause of Allah. Those! They are the truthful.”
He also says in Surah Al-Anfāl, 2-4:
“The believers are only those who, when Allah is mentioned, feel a fear in their hearts and when His Verses (this Qur’an) are recited unto them, they (i.e. the Verses) increase their Faith; and they put their trust in their Lord (Alone); (2) Who perform As-Salat (Iqamat-as-Salat) and spend out of that We have provided them. (3) It is they who are the believers in truth. For them are grades of dignity with their Lord, and Forgiveness and a generous provision (Paradise).”
Faith (iman ) is generally outlined using the six articles of faith:
# Belief in Allah the only God.
Qur’an 112: Surah Al-Ikhlas, Verse 1
Say (O Muhammad (Peace be upon him)): “He is Allah, (the) One.
# Belief in the Angels
# Belief in Holy Books (Quran)
# Belief in the Prophets
# Belief in the Day of Judgement
# Belief in God’s predestination. ( Either good or bad).
Surah An-Nisa, Verse 136:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا آمِنُوا بِاللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ وَالْكِتَابِ الَّذِي نَزَّلَ عَلَىٰ رَسُولِهِ وَالْكِتَابِ الَّذِي أَنزَلَ مِن قَبْلُ وَمَن يَكْفُرْ بِاللَّهِ وَمَلَائِكَتِهِ وَكُتُبِهِ وَرُسُلِهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ فَقَدْ ضَلَّ ضَلَالًا بَعِيدًا
O you who believe! Believe in Allah, and His Messenger (Muhammad SAW), and the Book (the Quran) which He has sent down to His Messenger, and the Scripture which He sent down to those before (him), and whosoever disbelieves in Allah, His Angels, His Books, His Messengers, and the Last Day, then indeed he has strayed far away.
Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Prophet said: “Iman has more than 70 branches. The most excellent among these branches is the saying of “Laa ilaaha ill Allah” (there is no God but Allah), and the smallest branch is to remove an obstacle from the wayside. And Haya (modesty) is an important branch of Iman.”
Credit: Baba Salam
Nafysah @ .Knowislam.com.ng.
English 