Definition of Faith
“Faith is confirmation by the heart (i.e., belief in the heart), confession by the tongue, and action by the limbs,” meaning faith is to believe in the heart, confess by the tongue, and act with the bodily limbs.
The pious predecessors have expressed this same definition of faith in these words: speech and action. Meaning faith is the speech of the heart and tongue and the actions of the heart and body.
Imam Bukhari’s Statement
Imam Bukhari defines faith by saying: It is speech and action. Meaning faith is the speech of the heart and tongue and the actions of the heart and body.
No Contradiction in the Definitions of the Predecessors
No disagreement is found in all these definitions because in Shariah, the term action applies to both speech and deed.
Hafiz Ibn Taymiyyah’s Position
Hafiz Ibn Taymiyyah Rahimahullah writes about the various interpretations of faith by the predecessors:
“والمقصود ہنا أن من قال من السلف: الایمان قول و عمل، أراد قول القلب واللسان وعمل القلب والجوارح، ومن أراد الاعتقاد رأی أن لفظ القول لا یفہم منہ الا القول الظاہر أو خاف ذلک فزاد الاعتقاد بالقلب، ومن قال: قول و عمل ونیۃ، قال: القول یتناول الاعتقاد وقول اللسان، وأما العمل فقد لا یفہم منہ النیۃ، فزاد ذلک، ومن زاد اتباع السنۃ فلان ذلک کلہ لا یکون محبوبا للہ الا باتباع السنۃ، وأولئک لم یریدوا کل قول و عمل، انما أرادوا ما کان مشروعا من الأقوال والأعمال، ولکن کان مقصودہم الرد علی المرجئۃ الذین جعلوہ قولا فقط، فقالوا: بل قول و عمل۔”
That is, those Salaf who defined faith as speech and action, by speech they meant the speech of the heart and tongue, and by action they meant the actions of the heart and body. Those who thought that the word speech only referred to outward speech, added the belief of the heart. Those who mentioned speech, action, and intention in the definition of faith, included belief and outward words in speech. Intention is not included in action, so they added intention. Those who included the phrase following the Sunnah intended to convey that no action is accepted by Allah without following the Sunnah. Their purpose was to refute the Murji’ah belief, who considered faith to be only speech. The Salaf also included action in it.
Imam Abu Hanifa’s Position
Contrary to the unanimous definition of Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Jama’ah, Imam Abu Hanifa excludes action from the definition of faith. As Imam Waki’ bin al-Jarrah says:
“ولقد اجترأ أبو حنیفۃ حین قال: الایمان قول بلا عمل۔”
Meaning, “Abu Hanifa has made a bold statement by saying that faith is only the name of verbal declaration, not action.”
Abdul Haq Haqqani Deobandi’s Position
Abdul Haq Haqqani Deobandi, while defining faith, says: “Faith is only the name of affirmation of the heart.”
Result of Opposing the Consensus
Those who oppose the consensus of Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Jama’ah on the issue of faith have no right to be called Sunni.
Literal Meaning and Concept of Faith
The word “Iman” is a verbal noun from the Arabic verb form “Af’al.” There are two famous opinions regarding its literal meaning:
➊ Literal meaning of Iman: Affirmation
According to most linguists, the literal meaning of Iman is “affirmation.” They also claim consensus on this. Azhari states:
“اتفق أہل العلم من اللغویۃ وغیرہم أن الایمان معناہ التصدیق”
Meaning, “There is agreement among linguists and other scholars that the meaning of Iman is affirmation.”
The evidence for their stance is the command of the Holy Quran:
“(وَمَآ اَنْتَ بِمُؤْمِنٍ لَّنَا وَلَوْ کُنَّا صَادِقِیْن)”
“(The brothers of Yusuf (peace be upon him) said to their father) You do not verify us, while indeed we are truthful.”
Here, the meaning of Iman (faith) is confirmation.
➋ The view of the pious predecessors: The linguistic meaning of Iman
According to the pious predecessors, the word Iman is used in the language for two different meanings:
(a) With “ba” (ب): When it is with “ba,” it means confirmation. For example, the command of Allah Almighty:
“(آمَنَ الرَّسُوْلُ بِمَا اُنْزِلَ إِلَیْہِ مِنْ رَّبِّہٖ وَالْمُؤْمِنُوْنَ)”
“The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and the believers confirmed what was revealed from their Lord.”
(b) With “laam” (ل): When it is with “laam” and transitive, it means to accept or believe something, as in this verse:
“(وَمَآ اَنْتَ بِمُؤْمِنٍ لَّنَا)”
and
“(فَآمَنَ لَہُ لُوْطٌ)”
Refutation of limiting Iman only to confirmation
The pious predecessors have refuted the theory that confines faith solely to affirmation and stated that although affirmation is included in faith, it is not merely affirmation; it also includes acknowledgment and contentment. Their reasoning consists of the following points:
(a) Transitivity:
The word “Iman” is transitive with both “Ba” and “Lam,” whereas the word “Tasdeeq” is either transitive by itself or with “Ba.”
(b) Components of Meaning:
Faith (Iman) includes the meanings of peace, affirmation, and trust, whereas affirmation (Tasdeeq) does not include the meanings of peace and trust.
(c) Usage for Absent News:
Faith (Iman) is used only for absent news. For example, the word “Iman” is not used for the rising of the sun; instead, the word “Tasdeeq” is used because it is not absent. In contrast, the word “Tasdeeq” is used for both present and absent matters.
(d) Opposition to Faith:
Opposition to faith is disbelief, and it does not only consist of denial, but also includes opposition despite having knowledge of the truth. This is called major disbelief, whereas opposition to affirmation is only denial.
These arguments prove that faith is not just the name of affirmation but also includes other components.
Two Aspects of Shariah: Report and Command
The speech of Allah Almighty and Shariah consist of two aspects: report and command. Affirmation is necessary for the report, while apparent submission, i.e., obedience, is necessary for the command. When the report is accepted with affirmation and the command with obedience, then true faith is attained. If faith is understood only as affirmation like the linguists do, then one component of faith will be complete, and the other will remain incomplete.
For example, Iblis’s disbelief was not due to lack of affirmation. After hearing Allah Almighty’s command, he did not deny it but rather refused apparent obedience, due to which he was declared a disbeliever.
The Harm of Considering Faith Only as Affirmation
In later periods, some people came to believe that faith is only a matter of affirmation. When these people saw that Iblis and Pharaoh did not deny Allah Almighty, or if they did, it was only verbally, while in their hearts they had knowledge of the truth, they became troubled. If these people had followed the path described by the pious predecessors, they would have known that faith is a combination of both words and actions, meaning affirmation of Allah, the Messenger, and their teachings from the heart, verbal acknowledgment, and acting with the limbs.
If there is neither affirmation nor submission, then there is no faith. If affirmation exists but arrogance or stubbornness obstructs apparent submission, then there will be no faith either, just as Iblis’s disbelief was not denial but arrogance. Conversely, the Christians’ disbelief is denial due to ignorance, while the Jews consciously refuse to obey Islam. For example, a group of Jews came to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and asked questions, to which he responded. They said, “We testify that you are the Prophet of Allah,” yet they still did not follow him.
Al-Hakim said:
“ہذا حدیث صحیح لا نعرف لہ علۃ بوجہ من الوجوہ”
And Al-Dhahabi agreed with this.
It is thus established that for faith, along with affirmation, apparent obedience in the form of actions is also necessary; otherwise, how would Iblis’s disbelief be understood?
“The meaning of ‘Iman’: Not affirmation but acknowledgment”
The linguists have interpreted this verse:
“(وَمَآ اَنْتَ بِمُؤْمِنٍ لَّنَا)”
I have defined the meaning of “Iman” as affirmation, which is not correct. The pious predecessors have interpreted it as “Iqrar” (acknowledgment), and this interpretation is more appropriate than “Tasdeeq” (confirmation). The reason is that when the word “Iman” is transitive with “Laam,” it means acknowledgment, not confirmation. The meaning of confirmation applies when the word is inherently transitive or transitive with “Ba.”
Summary:
This article explains the literal and Shariah meanings of faith in detail. Literally, faith means affirmation, but according to the pious predecessors and scholars, faith is not limited to mere affirmation; it includes affirmation from the heart, confession by the tongue, and outward actions. In Allah’s Shariah, for the completion of faith, it is necessary to accept the news through affirmation and the command through practical obedience. The view that mere affirmation is sufficient is flawed, as is evident from the example of Iblis, whose disbelief was due to refusal to obey, not due to lack of affirmation. Therefore, it is necessary to understand faith comprehensively, which includes a combination of both speech and action.
