Last time, we discussed various implications of Islam and Iman, and the commonalities and differences between them. Among the points we noted was the lexical definition of belief, which is confirmation or affirmation in the heart. This month, we continue on this line, and explore the definition of Iman in the Shari`ah.
Definition of Iman

In the shari`ah, the lexical meaning of Iman is taken and specified further, as is the case with many other words. Salah, for example, lexcially means any type of prayer, but in the context of shari`ah we know it has a more precise implication. Similarly, sawm lexically denotes abstinence from something, while in the Shari`ah it refers to abstaining from food, drink and sexual relations from dawn to sunset with the intention of worship.

Scholars are in agreement that Iman (according to the Shari`ah definition) includes at least two components :
1) Pronouncement by the tongue, which comprises declaring that there is no god but Allah, and that Muhammad (sallallahu `alayhi wa-sallam) is the Messenger of Allah. One should use the words, “I bear witness that . . . .”.
2) Affirmation by the heart : being convinced of the truth of Islam without any reservations, and intending to always remain Muslim. If someone intends to enter Islam for some time and to leave at some time in the future, his Islam is invalid.

The pronouncement or declaration by the tongue is an expression of the belief which is affirmed in the heart. Someone who declares the Two Testifications of Faith by his tongue, and believes in their implication with his heart, is a believer without doubt. Someone who declares it by tongue, but whose heart is unsure about it, or believes something contrary to its implication, is a hypocrite and a disbeliever before Allah, even though he may be treated as a believer by people in this world. “Among mankind are those who say, ‘We believe in Allah and in the Last Day,’ although they are not believers. They seek to deceive Allah and those who believe, but they deceive none but their own selves, although they do not realize. In their hearts is a [spiritual] disease, and so Allah has increased them in [that] disease. And theirs is a painful punishment because they used to lie.” [(2) Al-Baqarah, 8-10]

One who disbelieves in Islam and refuses to pronounce it by tongue is clearly a disbeliever. The only enigmatic case, then, is that of someone who believes in Islam in their heart, but has not declared their belief by tongue. The authentic view is that this person is a believer before Allah on the Day of Judgement (provided he dies in this belief), but that we will treat him as a disbeliever in this world as long as we see no sign of Islam from him. His belief will save him on the Day of Judgement, but as far as worldly treatment goes, we can only go by outward appearances.
The Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa-sallam) has said, “I have been ordered to fight people until they testify that there is no god but Allah, and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and [until] they establish salat and give zakat. Then, if they do that, they have safeguarded their lives and property from me except in the justice of Islam, and their reckoning is with Allah.” [Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim]

However, if such a person was asked to declare the Testifications of Faith, but refused, and there was no danger posed to his life in declaring them, then he is a disbeliever not only in our eyes, but before Allah also. This is because he has shown arrogance to the religion of Allah, and that is disbelief. A case in point here is that of Abu Talib, the Prophet’s uncle:

“On the authority of al-Musayyib : When Abu Talib was close to death, the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu `alayhi wa-sallam) came to him, and found Abu Jahl and `Abdullah ibn Abi Umayyah ibn al-Mughirah there. He said, ‘Uncle! Say, ‘There is no god but Allah’, words by which I can intercede on your behalf before Allah.’ Thereupon, Abu Jahl and `Abdullah ibn Abi Umayyah said [to Abu Talib], ‘Will you turn away from the religion of `Abdul-Muttalib?’ The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu `alayhi wa- sallam) continued to present this to him [by repeating to him in the hope that he would also say it], with the two [pagans] all the while turning him back with those words [of theirs], until Abu Talib uttered as his last words, ‘Upon the religion of `Abdul-Muttalib,’ and refused to say ‘There is no god but Allah’.” [Narrated by al-Bukhari] After Abu Talib’s death, the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa- sallam) said about him, “He is in the Fire upto his ankles, and were it not for me, he would have been in the lowest depth of the Fire.” [Narrated by al-Bukhari and Ibn Hibban]

So, in spite of the fact that Abu Talib was very kind and sympathetic to the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa-sallam) and to Islam, he died as a disbeliever because he was ashamed to declare the Testifications of Faith. Similarly, someone who knows the truth of Islam does not become a Muslim unless and until they submit to and accept this truth. If they know it is true, and yet continue rejecting it and opposing it, they are disbelievers. Allah tells us about the Pharoah and his followers that “They rejected [Our signs], although their own souls were convinced of the truth thereof, [and they did that] out of wrongdoing and arrogance.” [(27) Al-Naml, 14]

Usamah ibn Zayd, along with another Muslim of the Ansar, was once fighting a disbeliever on the battlefield. When they had overpowered the disbeliever, he said, , whereupon the man of Ansar held off, but Usamah pierced him with his spear and killed him. News of this later reached the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa-sallam), who rebuked Usamah severely. He said, “Did you kill him after he said ?” Usamah said,"O Messenger of Allah! He was only taking refuge [behind those words]?” But the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa- sallam) continued saying, “Did you kill him after he said ?” until Usamah wished that he had only accepted Islam that day [so that his previous sins could be forgiven]. [Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim] According to another narration, the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa-sallam) said to Usamah, “Why did you not dissect his heart to see if he said it [for that reason] or not?!” This hadith again reiterates the fact that we have to treat people based on what we see from them; we are not required to investigate their secret affairs, nor to make pronouncements on what is in their hearts.
Are Deeds a Part of Faith?

Scholars of Ahl al-Sunnah have differed on whether deeds are a part of Iman, although they are agreed that good deeds are essential for the preservation and well-being of Iman. According to Imam Abu Hanifah, deeds are not a part of Iman, since they are concerned with the body and limbs rather than with the heart. In many verses of the Qur’an, Allah refers to “Those who believe and do good deeds,” and this supports the idea that they are separate. According to the majority of scholars, deeds are a part of faith. In their support is the hadith, “Faith is seventy and some branches, the highest of which is saying , and the lowest of which is removing something harmful from the road.” [Narrated by Muslim, Abu Dawud and Nasa’i]

In any case, the difference of opinion here is a minor technical point, for all of Ahl al-Sunnah are in agreement that the religion is like a tree whose root is the faith of the heart, and whose branches and fruit are the good deeds. The more good deeds a person does, the stronger is his tree of Iman, and the more fruit it produces. And, in the absence of good deeds, Iman becomes weak, dry and shrivelled, and there is a danger that it may die out altogether.
“Do you not see how Allah sets forth a parable? A good word is like a good tree, whose root is well-established and whose branches are in the sky; it gives forth its produce at every season by the leave of its Lord. And the likeness of an evil word is like a bad tree, which is uprooted from the surface of the earth; it has no stability.” [(14) Ibrahim, 24-25]
Can Iman Increase and Decrease?

Iman can and does increase and decrease. Although every believer is certain of the truth of Islam, and entertains no doubts about it, the higher the person’s spiritual level, the stronger his certainty. And, the stronger one’s certainty, the more it will motivate one to do good deeds and to keep away from evil. The variation in the strength of certainty can be understood by likening it to the strength of vision, such that the believer with strong certainty is like one who sees clearly, while the one with a lower level of certainty (but who still affirms without any doubt) is like one who still sees, but not as clearly, whereas the disbeliever can be likened to a blind person.

Also, in the early days of Islam, as new verses and regulations were being revealed, a Muslim would believe in and accept more facts, and in this sense his faith might also be said to have increased. Similarly, someone who has many proofs backing his faith and can therefore stand strong against confusions raised by disbelievers, can be said to have stronger faith than someone who believes with certainty, but does not have the ability to defend the belief when confronted by disbelievers. It is to be emphasized that one cannot be a partial believer by believing in only a part of Islam. Faith cannot be partitioned; it can only increase and decrease in the ways we have mentioned.