Those who said: I am a believer

Tha'labah (may Allah have mercy on him) said that Abu Qilabah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: The messenger who questioned Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) told me that he asked in this way: "I ask you by Allah: do you know that in the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) people were of three kinds: one who was a believer inwardly and outwardly, one who was a disbeliever inwardly and outwardly, and one who was a believer outwardly and a disbeliever inwardly?" The narrator said: Sayyiduna Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "It was certainly so." He said: "Then I ask you by Allah: which of these three kinds were you?" The narrator said: He (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Certainly a believer inwardly and outwardly; I am a believer."

Abu Ishaq said: I met Abdullah bin Ma'qil and said: "Some righteous people find fault with me for saying: I am a believer." Abdullah bin Ma'qil said: "You have indeed failed and lost, if you are not a believer."

Musa bin Muslim al-Shaybani (may Allah have mercy on him) said that Ibrahim al-Taymi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: It does no harm to any of you to say: "I am a believer." By Allah, if he is truthful, Allah will not punish him for telling the truth; and if he is lying, the punishment of disbelief is more severe than the punishment of lying.

Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him) said that a man asked Alqamah (may Allah have mercy on him): "Are you a believer?" He (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "I hope so."

Al-Harith bin Amirah al-Zubaydi said: When the plague spread in Syria, Sayyiduna Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) stood up at Hims to deliver a sermon and said: "This plague is a mercy from your Lord, the supplication of your Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and the death of the righteous people before you. O Allah, grant the family of Mu'adh their full share of it." The narrator said: When he (may Allah be pleased with him) came down from the pulpit, someone came and told him: "Abd al-Rahman bin Mu'adh has been struck by the plague." He (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un (We belong to Allah and to Him we return)." The narrator said: Then he (may Allah be pleased with him) went towards him. The narrator said: When Abd al-Rahman saw him coming, he said: "It is the truth from your Lord, so do not be of those who doubt." The narrator said: He (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "O my son, you will find me, if Allah wills, among the patient." The narrator said: So the family of Mu'adh died one person after another, until Sayyiduna Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) was the last of them left. The narrator said: Then he (may Allah be pleased with him) too was struck by the plague, and al-Harith bin Amirah al-Zubaydi came to him. The narrator said: Sayyiduna Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) fell unconscious. When he (may Allah be pleased with him) came to, al-Harith was weeping, and Sayyiduna Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "What has made you weep?" Al-Harith said: "I am weeping over the knowledge that will be buried with you and lost." He (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "If you are determined to seek knowledge in any case, then seek it from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him), from Uwaymir Abu al-Darda and from Salman al-Farisi (may Allah be pleased with him)." And he said: "Beware of the slips of a scholar." Al-Harith said: I asked: "How am I to recognise his slip, (may Allah restore you to health)?" He (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Indeed, the truth has a light by which it is recognised." The narrator said: Then Sayyiduna Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) passed away, and al-Harith set out for Kufah, seeking Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him). When he reached his door, he saw a group of the companions of Sayyiduna Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) at the door, engaged in discussion. The narrator said: Talk went on between them until they said: "O brother from Syria, are you a believer?" He (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "Yes." Then they asked: "Are you one of the people of Paradise?" He (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "I have committed some sins, and I do not know how Allah has dealt with those sins. If I knew that those sins of mine had been forgiven, I would certainly tell you that I am one of the people of Paradise." The narrator said: While they were in the midst of this, Sayyiduna Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) came out to them, and his companions said to him: "Are you not surprised at this Syrian brother of ours, who claims to be a believer yet does not claim to be one of the people of Paradise?" The narrator said: Sayyiduna Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "If I were to say one of the two, I would say the other along with it." Al-Harith said: "Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un (We belong to Allah and to Him we return)! May Allah have mercy on Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him)!" He (may Allah be pleased with him) asked: "Woe to you, which Mu'adh?" He said: "Mu'adh bin Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him)." He (may Allah be pleased with him) asked: "What did he say?" Al-Harith said: "Beware of the slips of a scholar. I swear by Allah, O Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him), that you are in error. Faith is nothing other than that we believe in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, the Last Day, Paradise and Hell, being raised after death, and the Scale; and we have some sins, and we do not know how Allah has dealt with them. If we knew that those sins of ours had been forgiven, we would certainly say that we are people of Paradise." Sayyiduna Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "You have spoken the truth. By Allah, I was in error."