Part 104

THE CONCEPT OF EXCEPTION ACCORDING TO AHMAD IBN HANBAL

The second principle appealed to by those who considered it necessary to make the exception [the first of which was discussed in the beginning of this chapter] is that absolute Iman includes the performance of all that Allah commands and the abandonment of all that He prohibits. Hence if a man says, “I am a believer” [according to these considerations], then he testifies concerning himself that he is among the righteous and godfearing who perform all they are commanded to do and abandon all they are prohibited from doing. Hence, he is one of the friends of Allah. Indeed, this is a testimony concerning oneself about something he does not

know. If this testimony were true, then he would have to testify that he will enter Paradise if he dies in this state of belief. However, no one can testify to his [future] entrance into Paradise. For his testifying that he is a believer is the same as his testifying that he will enter Paradise if he dies in this state of belief. And this is, indeed, the basis on which the majority of the pious ancestors used to make the exception, although they made it permissible to omit the exception when Iman is spoken of in another sense. This will be discussed below, if Allah wills.

Al-Khallal, in the Book of the Sunnah, related that Sulayman Ibn al-Ash‘ath [Abu Daiid al-Sijistani] said that he heard from Abu ‘Abd Allah Ahmad Ibn Hanbal that a man came to him and said: “I was asked, ‘Are you a believer?’ I said: ‘Yes, is there something wrong with that. Are not all people either believers or unbelievers?” Whereupon Ahmad became angry and said: “This is the argument of those who suspend all judgment concerning their spiritual status, leaving it in the hands of Allah.” [That is, it is the attitude taken by the Murji”ites.] Allah says: “There are [yet] others, held in suspense for the command of Allah . . .” (9:106). Then Ahmad added: “Is not Iman both words and works?” The man answered: “Yes.” Ahmad replied: “Have you spoken the words?” “Yes,” the man replied. Ahmad said: “Have you done the works?” The man replied: “No.” Ahmad then said: “Then how can you object to saying, “if Allah wills” [making the exception] when you claim to be a believer?”

Abu D@iid said that Ahmad Ibn Abu Surayj told him that Ahmad Ibn Hanbal wrote to him regarding this issue, saying that Iman is words and works; we have spoken the words but we have not done the works. Therefore, we make the exception regarding the works. Al-Khallal mentioned this reply on the authority of al-Fadl Ibn Ziyad, who said that he heard Abu ‘Abd Allah saying that Sulayman Ibn Harb’ used to say that we perform the works but we do not know if Allah will accept them or not.

I said that Allah’s acceptance depends on the performance of the work in the way Allah commands. Hence, if someone fears Allah as he performs a work, and if he does it in the way Allah commands, then Allah will accept his work. But he cannot

” Sulayman Ibn Harb, Abu Ayyub al-Washihi (?-244 A.H.), wasa leading jurist, scholar of hadith, and a judge in Makkah. [Kitab al-Iman MZ, p. 385.]

be absolutely certain that Allah will accept it because he is not certain whether he has perfected his work. Allah says: “Those who dispense their charity with their hearts full of fear. . .” (23:60). [That is, they are afraid that their charity will not be accepted by Allah.] ‘A’ ishah once said: “Oh, Messenger of Allah, does the man who commits adultery, steals, and drinks wine fear Allah?” To this he [the Prophet] replied: “No, daughter of alSiddiq [the first Caliph, Abu Bakr], he is the man who prays, fasts, and gives charity and who fears that these deeds will not be accepted from him [by Allah].”

Al-Khallal also related that Abu Talib al-Makki said that he heard Abu ‘Abd Allah saying that we have no choice but to make the exception. For if someone said, “he is a believer,” then this means that he has uttered the necessary words but has not performed the works. Hence, the exception is to be made for the works.

Also, Ishaq Ibn Ibrahim said that he heard Abu ‘Abd Allah saying: “Refer to the saying of Ibn Mas‘id concerning the exception with regard to Iman, that Iman is words and works, and works mean action. We have spoken the words but we fear that we have not fulfilled the works. Therefore, I prefer that one make the exception with regard to Iman by saying, ‘1 ama believer, if Allah wills.”” He [alKhallal] also said that he also heard Abu ‘Abd Allah being questioned about the saying of the Prophet (pbuh): “We will follow you, if Allah wills.” When asked to which part of the statement the exception applies, he answered that it applies to the location in which the Prophet would be buried. For he did not know whether he would be buried in that place or somewhere else.

It is also related that al-Maymiini asked Abu ‘Abd Allah [i.e., Ahmad Ibn Hanbal] about his view on the statement: “Oh, say, | am a believer, if Allah wills, hoping that you are a believer,” since he did not know if his works would be perfected and accepted or not. Such statements are found in abundance in the sayings of Ahmad and others with similar views. This is also consistent with what has already been mentioned to the effect that the absolute believer is one who performs his obligations, and thus deserves Paradise if he dies in this state of belief. Similarly, he who does not perform his obligations and commits what is prohibited will not be called a believer. For the absolute believer is one who is righteous, godfearing, and a friend of Allah. Hence, if one says, “I am a believer,” then it is exactly as if

he were to say, “without a doubt, I am righteous, godfearing, and a friend of Allah.”

Ahmad [Ibn Hanbal] and others of the pious ancestors used to hate to hear one man ask another: “Are you a believer?” They also used to hate the answer. For this is a heresy introduced by the Murji’ites to defend their view that a man knows of himself that he is not an unbeliever. Rather, he finds that his heart believes in what the Prophet’s message revealed. Therefore, by saying, “I ama believer,” he proves that Iman is mere tasdiq. For you are definite about your being a believer, but you cannot be certain about performing all you have been commanded to do. When the pious ancestors realized the Murji’ites’ intent, they would either avoid answering this question entirely, or elaborate on their answer. This is because the term Iman may be used either in an absolute or a conditioned sense. Thus, they used to answer by referring to Iman in the conditioned sense, which does not require that one testify that his Iman is perfect. Therefore, the correct view [of the three mentioned in this chapter] is that it is permissible to say, “I am a believer,” without making the exception if he so chooses. However, this refers to the conditioned, not to the absolute, Iman, That is why Ahmad [Ibn Hanbal] used to hate to answer with regard to the perfected Iman without making the exception.

Al-Marwazi said that Abu ‘Abd Allah [Ahmad Ibn Hanbal] was once asked: “Should we say, ‘we are believers’? He replied: “Rather, we say ‘we are Muslims.” Al-Marwazi asked Abu ‘Abd Allah again: “Should we say ‘we are believers’”? He replied that rather, “we say ‘we are Muslims,” although he did not criticize the person who omits the exception, as long as he does not mean to say, as the Murji?ites did, that Iman is mere verbal testimony of belief. Rather, he omitted it because the exception may imply doubt, and he has no doubt about the presence of Iman in his heart, even if he is not absolutely sure about the perfection of his Iman.

Al-Khallal said that Ahmad Ibn Asram al-Muzani told him that if Abu ‘Abd Allah was asked whether he was a believer, he would say, “your questioning is a heresy,” since there was no doubt about his Iman. Or he would say, “we do not doubt our Iman.” Al-Muzani also said that he recalled that ‘Abu ‘Abd Allah said, “I say, as Tawiis did, ‘I believe in Allah, His Angels, His Books, and His Messengers.”

Al-Khallal also said that Harb Ibn Isma‘il* and Abu Da?id told him that Abu Da?iid said he heard Ahmad [Ibn Hanbal] saying that he [Ahmad] heard Sufyan Ibn ‘Uyaynah say that if one is asked, “are you a believer?” he should not answer, but say, “your question is heresy and I have no doubt about my Iman.” He also said that if the person questioned says, “I am a believer, if Allah wills,” then this exception is not to be considered as doubt. For he does not doubt the fact that what was revealed to the Messenger is the truth; in fact, he is quite certain of it. Rather, he doubts or is uncertain about whether he will keep performing the obligations for the rest of his life. Indeed, it has been revealed that Ahmad [Ibn Hanbal] said that we do not have any doubts about our Iman, nor did the inquirer have doubts about the Iman of the person he questioned. Moreover, he was certain of his belief in what the Messenger came with [commands and prohibitions], but he was uncertain about his performance of his obligations.

It follows that Ahmad [Ibn Hanbal] and others of the pious ancestors used to speak definitively and unequivocally about the presence of Iman in the heart. However, they made the exception when referring to absolute Iman, which involves performing what is commanded. They also made it permissible to make the exception when referring to the practical aspect of Iman that one is not confident of fulfilling completely. This is, indeed, another consideration, although we have no doubts about the Iman in our hearts. For making the exception regarding things that we know to exist is supported by the Sunnah, due to the wisdom and prudence of such a practice.

Muhammad Ibn al-Hassan Ibn Hariin reported that he asked Abu ‘Abd Allah [Ahmad Ibn Hanbal] about making the exception with respect to Iman. The latter replied that yes, one must make the exception if he has doubts about his future works. Ibn Mas‘td and others also used to make the exception, which was consistent with the views of al-Thawri. Allah says: “... You shall enter the Sacred Mosque, if Allah wills” (48:27). The Prophet (pbuh) also said to his Companions: “Thope I am the most godfearing of all of you.” He also said about someone who had died: “He will be resurrected as a Muslim, if Allah wills.” Accordingly, Ahmad [Ibn Hanbal] emphasized that he made the exception as a precaution lest