. J '-Ɵ  (cont.)

It shows that the questioner should be humble and polite in front of the one he is questioning.' On the other hand, Ibn Hajr points out that, once again, this abrupt manner of coming all the way to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and putting his hands on the Prophet's thighs may have been just another means by which he is showing himself to be a rough, ill-mannered bedouin Arab.2 Hence, it could have been simply another act to attract the people's complete attention. He said, "O Muhammad ... " "Make not the calling of the Messenger among you as your calling of each other" (al-Noor 63). In this hadith, the Angel addressed the Prophet (peace be upon him) by saying, "O Muhammad." This has caused some concern. Such a way of addressing the Prophet (peace be upon him) is not considered proper and is censored in the above verse of the Quran. How is it that the angel addressed him in that manner? Three answers have been given to this question: (1) The prohibition of such address applies to humans only and not to the angels; (2) this event occurred before the prohibition of such address (although this explanation seems unlikely since the event took place so late in the Prophet's life); and (3) this was done to further the appearance that he was a bedouin Arab.3 "tell me about Islam" In this narration of the hadith, the Angel first asks about Islam. In other narrations, he first asks about Imaan. There are some who argue that asking about Imaan should be first as that is more consistent with the Quranic presentation of such topics. Note the following verse in which the topics of faith are stated first and then the outward practices are described: .., ,., / .., ,.,, ., ,., J 0 M ,,,. .., J ,,,. .z / ;;;._ ! \ Hadith #2: The Hadith of Jibreel hearted obedience to Him the cardinal principle of his life. This is the sum and substance of the Islamic creed ... 1 "He said, 'You have spoken truthfully [or correctly].' We were amazed that he asks the question and then he says that he had spoken truthfully." The behavior of the angel was something very strange for the people. First, he had asked the Prophet (peace be upon him) some questions. In general, when a person asks a question, it implies that he does not know the answer. Therefore, it is strange that he should comment that the answer was correct. Second, more importantly, this was information that was known only from the Prophet's teachings. This man who had come to ask the questions was not known to any of the people and, so, he was not known to have been someone who learned from the Prophet (peace be upon him). This made it all the more surprising that he had the boldness to state that the Prophet's replies were correct. "He said, 'Tell me about Imaan (faith)."' In this narration, after asking about Islam, the Angel asked the Prophet (peace be upon him) about Imaan or faith. Once again, the Prophet (peace be upon him) understood that he was not asking about the nature of faith but he was, instead, asking about what is to be believed in. However, before discussing the aspects that the Prophet (peace be upon him) mentioned, it is important that one have the correct understanding of the concept of Imaan derived from the Quran and sunnah. Therefore, the following pages will be a discussion of the concept of faith. The Concept of Jmaan What is Imaan (faith)? Who is a believer? What is disbelief? Who is a disbeliever? These questions appeared very early in the history of Islam. Unfortunately, they also led to differences of opinion as well as division among the Muslims. In the first century of Islam, the Khawaarij had developed their own theory of faith and began to call many of the Muslims of that time disbelievers. In response to them came groups such as the Murj ia, Jahamiyah and others whose definitions of Islam embraced everyone regardless of their deeds. Another group, the Mutazila, developed their own theory which was termed the "position between the two positions". Through all of this, though, by the grace of Allah, the position of the Quran and sunnah on these questions was clear and propagated by the true followers of Islam. 1 Nomani, vol. 1, p. 54. Commentary on the Forty Hadith of al-Nawawi In the opening pages to his work, Haqeeqat al-Imaan ind ahl al­ Sunnah wa al-Jamaah, Muhammad Abdul Hadi al-Misri makes a very important point. 1 This important point is not only valid for the question of faith and disbelief but is valid for practically all aspects of the faith. If Muslims would keep this principle in mind, many of the differences among them would be removed and they would be guided to the true teachings of the Quran and sunnah.