Surah Adh-Dhaariyat (51) — Ayah 36

(Ayah 36) {فَمَا وَجَدْنَا فِيْهَا غَيْرَ بَيْتٍ مِّنَ الْمُسْلِمِيْنَ:} That is, in that town there was only one house of Muslims, and that was the house of Lut (peace be upon him), who was commanded to leave with all his family members except his wife.

From these two verses, it is supported that when Islam is genuine and true, then it is also faith; in this case, Islam and faith, and Muslim and believer, are the same thing. However, when Islam is not genuine, but consists only of outward actions, then there is a difference between Islam and faith. Imam Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him) and the hadith scholars say the same. For more, see the commentary of Surah Al-Hujurat (14, 15).

36. 1. And this was the house of Allah’s Prophet, Hazrat Lut (Lot) ؑ, in which there were two daughters and some believers. It is said that there were thirteen people in total. Among them was the house of Hazrat Lut ؑ, in which were his two daughters and some believers. His wife was not included among them; rather, she was among those who were destroyed with her people by the punishment. (Aysar al-Tafasir) The meaning of Islam is obedience, submission; a Muslim is one who bows his head in submission to Allah’s commands. In this sense, every believer is a Muslim. That is why first the word “believer” was used for them, and then the word “Muslim” was used for the same people. From this, it is inferred that there is no difference in their referents, as some people differentiate between a believer and a Muslim. Wherever the Quran has used the words “believer” and “Muslim,” it is according to the meanings that exist between them in the Arabic language. Therefore, in comparison to the linguistic usage, the consideration of the legal (shar‘i) reality is more important, and according to the legal reality, the only difference between them is what is established from the Hadith of Jibril ؑ: when the Prophet ﷺ was asked, “What is Islam?” he replied: Testifying that there is no god but Allah, establishing prayer, giving zakat, Hajj, and fasting in Ramadan. And when asked about faith, he replied: To believe in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, and in destiny (that good and evil are from Allah), i.e., to have conviction in these things in the heart is faith, and the fulfillment of commands and obligations is Islam. In this respect, every believer is a Muslim, and every Muslim is a believer. (Fath al-Qadir) And those who differentiate between a believer and a Muslim say that it is correct that here the Quran has used the words “believer” and “Muslim” for the same group, but according to the difference between them, every believer is also a Muslim, but it is not necessary for every Muslim to be a believer. (Ibn Kathir) In any case, this is an academic discussion; both sides have their own arguments to support their positions.

So We found there no house of Muslims [30] except one.

[30]
Among the People of Lut, There Was Only One Muslim Household:

This was the household of Sayyiduna Lut ؑ. The commentators say that there were a total of thirteen individuals who were saved from this destructive punishment. His wife was among those who were destroyed. It is possible that those who believed in him had also taken refuge in his house. It should be noted that those who believed in Sayyiduna Lut ؑ were also given the title of Muslim by Allah Almighty, from which it is understood that in the sight of Allah, the only true religion is Islam, and all those who believed in the prophets were Muslims. And in the beginning, they were Muslims. Later, each prophet’s community adopted separate names for themselves, and then they became known by those names.