Book of Faith
Regarding Faith and its Commands
The literal meaning of Iman (faith) is “certainty”.
Its technical meaning is “to affirm that which the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ brought”. Affirmation means: “to accept and acknowledge what the Prophet ﷺ brought (the Shariah)”.
Merely affirming in the heart without acceptance and acknowledgment is not sufficient, and many disbelievers would not be considered as having Iman because they also recognized the truth of the Prophethood and Messengership of the Prophet ﷺ. As Allah Almighty said:
﴿ يَعْرِفُونَهُ كَمَا يَعْرِفُونَ أَبْنَاءَهُمْ﴾
“They recognize him as they recognize their own sons.”
① Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (RA) narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
ثلاث من كن فيه وجد بهن طعم الإيمان: من كان الله ورسوله أحب إليه مما سواهما، ومن أحب عبدا لا يحبه إلا لله، ومن يكره أن يعود فى الكفر بعد أن أنقذه الله منه كما يكره أن يلقى فى النار
“Whoever has the following three qualities has tasted the sweetness of faith through them: ① Allah and His Messenger ﷺ are more beloved to him than anything else. ② He loves a person solely for the sake of Allah. ③ He hates to revert to disbelief after Allah has saved him from it, just as he hates to be thrown into the fire.”
Some narrations mention “Halawat al-Iman” (the sweetness of faith). This is a figurative metaphor, meaning that a believer desires faith as one desires something sweet. The sweetness or taste is considered essential for faith, and the attribute of taste or sweetness is ascribed to faith.
Sheikh Abu Muhammad bin Abi Jamrah (may Allah have mercy on him) explains: It is called sweetness because Allah Almighty has likened faith to a tree. He said:
﴿مَثَلًا كَلِمَةً طَيِّبَةً كَشَجَرَةٍ طَيِّبَةٍ﴾
“The example of the good word is like a good tree.”
So, the word refers to the word of sincerity, the tree is the root and origin of faith, following commands and avoiding prohibitions are its branches, the good deeds a believer performs are its leaves, acts of worship are its fruits. The sweetness of the fruit is the selection of the fruit, and the perfection of the fruit is its ripening, from which its sweetness (taste) becomes apparent.
In the hadith, the word is “مما” not “ممن“. This is because “مما” includes both rational and irrational beings. It has generality.
Al-Sheikh Al-Baydawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “Here, love means rational love. It means to choose that which sound intellect demands and inclines towards, even if it is against the desire of the self.”
② Sayyiduna Anas (RA) also narrates that he heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say:
لا يؤمن أحدكم حتى أكون أحب إليه من والده وولده والناس أجمعين
“None of you can be a believer until I am more beloved to him than his father, his children, and all people.”
Here, love means love by choice, not natural love. This is the position of Imam Khattabi (may Allah have mercy on him). Sheikh Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “This refers to the conflict between the commanding self (nafs al-ammara) and the contented self (nafs al-mutma’inna). Whoever prefers the contented self, his love for the Prophet ﷺ is not dominant.”
③ Sayyiduna Sufyan bin Abdullah Al-Thaqafi (RA) narrates: I said, “O Messenger of Allah ﷺ! Tell me something about Islam so that I do not have to ask anyone after you.” The Prophet ﷺ said:
قل آمنت بالله ثم استقم
“Say: I believe in Allah, and then remain steadfast.”
Qadi Iyad (may Allah have mercy on him) said: This hadith is among the comprehensive sayings of the Prophet ﷺ. It corresponds to the statement of Allah Almighty:
﴿إِنَّ الَّذِينَ قَالُوا رَبُّنَا اللَّهُ ثُمَّ اسْتَقَامُوا﴾
Meaning: “They acknowledged the oneness of Allah, believed in Him, and remained steadfast.”
They did not separate from Tawheed and remained obedient to Allah Almighty until their death.
Al-Ustadh Abu al-Qasim al-Qushayri (may Allah have mercy on him) wrote in his treatise: Steadfastness is a degree through which all matters reach perfection and completion. Its presence ensures the attainment and organization of good deeds. Whoever is not steadfast in his state, all his efforts and struggles are wasted and futile.
He said: It is also said that only the elite possess the power of steadfastness because it means abandoning one’s habits and preferred things and standing before Allah in the reality of sincerity. Therefore, the Prophet ﷺ said: “Be steadfast; you will not be counted.”
Al-Sheikh al-Wasti (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “This is the trait by which virtues are perfected, and its absence makes virtues ugly.”
④ Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (RA) narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
والذي نفس محمد بيده لا يسمع بي أحد من هذه الأمة يهودي ولا نصراني ثم يموت ولم يؤمن بالذي أرسلت به إلا كان من أصحاب النار
“By the One in Whose hand is the soul of Muhammad (ﷺ)! Every Jew and Christian among this Ummah who hears about me and then does not believe in the Shariah I brought is a denizen of Hell.”
⑤ Sayyiduna Anas (RA) narrates that he heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say:
لا يؤمن أحدكم حتى يحب لأخيه ما يحب لنفسه
“None of you can be a believer until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.”
Scholars (may Allah have mercy on them) explain: “None can be a believer” means “perfect faith,” otherwise, a person who lacks this trait still attains the essence of faith. Loving for one’s brother means liking for him acts of obedience and permissible things. The narration in Sunan an-Nasa’i clarifies:
“Until he likes for his brother the same good that he likes for himself.”
Al-Sheikh Abu Amr bin al-Salah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Some have considered acquiring this trait difficult or impossible, but this is not true because it means that none of you has perfect faith until he likes for his brother in Islam what he likes for himself. This can be achieved by liking the same blessings that he has to be granted to his brother, without causing any obstruction or reduction. This is easy for a sound heart but difficult for a corrupt heart.
Hafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) said: This negates the perfection of faith. Then he said: If it is said that whoever has this trait is a perfect believer even if he does not observe other pillars, the answer is that this is an exaggeration.
It means liking good and welfare. This is a comprehensive term that includes all acts of obedience and permissible matters in this world and the Hereafter, and all prohibitions are excluded from it because goodness is not among forbidden matters. Love and liking are the names of the intention that considers it good.
Al-Sheikh Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Love is the inclination and tendency towards that which is compatible with love. Sometimes it is through what causes it, such as beauty or action, sometimes for the essence itself, such as virtue and perfection, and sometimes for the favor, such as bringing benefit or removing harm.
Al-Sheikh Karmani (may Allah have mercy on him) said: It is also part of faith that one dislikes for his brother what he dislikes for himself. The Prophet ﷺ did not mention this because love for something necessitates hatred for its opposite.
