Part 66

Then after Islam comes Iman, which is characterized by tranquility and certainty and is also distinguished by its quantity and quality. Iman leads one to the truth.

Believers are those who have Iman in Allah, in His Angels, in His Books, in His Messengers, and in the details of Divine Predestination, which they do not know.

Hence, believers have [in their hearts] the assurance and the conviction that Muslims do not have, for a believer must be a Muslim. However, the contrary is not true. For Islam does not require Iman. In other words, when people convert to Islam, abide by its laws, and obey Allah and His Messenger, they will be considered Muslims, having an absolute Iman. And, if Allah wills, the essence of Iman will gradually enter their hearts. However, a great number of people do not reach the rank of Iman. Such people are neither called unbelievers nor hypocrites. But they do not have knowledge of the heart, the conviction, and the love of Allah and His Messenger, which would enable them to overcome their doubts.

Similarly, if they are commanded to strive, but do not obey, then they will be threatened with punishment. That is why when the Prophet (pbuh) entered Madinah, most of its people became Muslims, but when calamities and hardships befell the Muslims, some people became hypocrites. Had those hypocrites died before the calamities occurred, they would have died Muslims and entered Paradise even though they were not true believers. Allah says: “Alif, Lam, Mim. Do people think that they will be left alone on saying, ‘We believe,’ and that they will not be tested? We did test those before them, and Allah will certainly know those who are true from those who are false” (29:1—3); and “Allah will not leave the believers in the state in which you are now until He distinguishes what is evil from what is good . . .” (3:179); and “There are among mankind some who serve Allah, as it were, at the very edge: if good befalls them, they are therefore, well content; but if a trial comes to them, they turn their faces: they lose both this world and the Hereafter. That is an evident loss!” (22:11). For this reason, Allah dispraises hypocrites who have rejected belief after they had accepted it by saying: “... The hypocrites are indeed liars. They have made their oaths a screen [for their misdeeds]: thus they hinder [people] from the Path of Allah: truly evil are their deeds. That is because they believed, then they rejected belief: so a seal was set on their hearts. Therefore they understand not” (63:1—3); and “The hypocrites are afraid lest a seerah should be sent down about them, showing them what is in their hearts. Say: ‘[Go ahead and] mock! But certainly Allah will bring to light all that you fear.’ If you ask them [about this], they declare: ‘We were only talking idly and joking.’ Say: ‘Was it at Allah and His Signs, and His Messenger, that you were mocking? Make you no excuses: You have rejected belief after you had

IMAN AND ISLAM AND THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THEM 275

accepted it. If We pardon some of you, we will punish others among you, because they were criminals’” (9:64—66). Thus, He commands the Prophet (pbuh) to tell them that they had rejected Iman after they had accepted it.

The claim made by some concerning such verses as these is invalid, to the effect that after having professed belief, they disbelieved with their tongues after having first disbelieved in their hearts. For professing belief with one’s tongue while disbelieving in one’s heart goes hand in hand with [utter] disbelief. Hence it may not be said, “you have become unbelievers after having believed,” for what this really means is that such people have never ceased to be unbelievers in the first place. And if what is meant here is, “you displayed unbelief after having displayed belief,” then the only people they have displayed anything to are their intimate associates, and with their intimate associates, they have continued to be as they were in the beginning. Rather, when they behaved as hypocrites and were warned that a chapter [of the Qur?4n] would be revealed to manifest the hypocrisy in their hearts, and when they spoke derisively [of Allah’s signs] they became unbelievers after having believed. Moreover, the term “unbelievers” does not imply that they were still hypocrites. Allah says: “Oh, Prophet! Strive hard against the unbelievers and the hypocrites and be harsh against them; their abode is Hell, and worst indeed is that destination. They swear by Allah that they said nothing [bad], but really they said the word of unbelief and they disbelieved after accepting Islam, and they resolved that which they were unable to carry out, and they could not find any cause to do so, except that Allah and His Messenger had enriched them of His Bounty. If they repent, it will be better for them, but if they turn away, Allah will punish them with a painful torment in this world and in the Hereafter . . .” (9:73—74). He says here, “they became unbelievers after having become Muslims;” the Islam referred to here may be of the same sort as that of the desert Arabs referred to in verses quoted above, such that His sayings, “after their having believed,” and “after their having become Muslims,” bear the same meaning. They may, however, still be hypocrites, since they have not entered a state in which they possessed any belief whatsoever, the reason being that they have displayed unbelief and apostasy. And for this reason they are called upon to repent as in the above verse: if they repent, it will be better for them, but if they tum away from their previous repentance, they shall be afflicted with a grievous punishment both in this world and the next. This situation is similar to that of someone who manifests unbelief with the result that the Messenger wages jihad against him by

establishing limits and penalties for him. Mention of this is made in the command to “fight against the unbelievers and hypocrites, showing them no mercy;” about such people it is also said that they are “without protectors nor supporters on earth.”

However, those who became unbelievers after having become Muslims are to be distinguished from those who became unbelievers after having professed belief. For they have sworn by Allah to do what they have said; they have also uttered the word of unbelief after having become Muslims and sought that which they had not attained, which indicates that they sought it persistently yet did not reach their intended destination. For Allah did not say, “they sought after what they had not done,” but rather “what they had not attained,” since both a saying and a deed came from them. Allah says: “If you ask them, they will declare: ‘We were only talking idly and joking . . .”” (9:65). Hence they confessed to what they had done and even apologized; thus Allah says: “Make no excuse; you have disbelieved after you had believed. If We pardon some of you, We will punish others among you because they were criminals” (9:66), which indicates that as far as they were concerned, they had not committed unbelief. In fact, they did not consider what they had said or done to be infidelity whatsoever. However, this verse makes it clear that mocking Allah, Allah’s Signs, and His Messenger is unbelief that may be committed after one becomes a believer. And this in turn indicates that those spoken of here had a weak belief, as a result of which they committed this forbidden act that they knew to be forbidden, although they did not believe it to be outright unbelief. Hence, more than one of the pious ancestors stated, concerning the description of the hypocrites to whom a proverb was applied in Siirat al-Baqarah, that they saw, then were blinded; they knew, then denied; they believed, then disbelieved, Likewise Qatadah and Mujahid said: “Allah applies a proverb to the way in which they approached the believers, heard the message the Prophet had brought, then lost the light they had attained.” Allah says: “Their likeness is as the likeness of one who kindled a fire; then, when it lighted all around him, Allah took away their light and left them in darkness so they could not see. They are deaf, dumb, and blind, so they return not [to the right path]”

There are those who claimed that the term “light” in this verse refers to the protection which was provided for their lives and wealth as long as they were in this world, and which they were stripped of when they died, just as the person

IMAN AND ISLAM AND THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THEM 277

mentioned in the verse is stripped of the light he once enjoyed. However, this is not the meaning conveyed by the verse. Allah says: “... And left them in darkness so they could not see. They are deaf, dumb, and blind, so they return not [to the right path}” (2:17--18). Moreover, on Judgment Day they will be in torment. Allah says: “On the Day when the hypocrites, men and women, will say to the believers: ‘Wait for us! Let us get something of your Light!’ It will be said: ‘Go back to your rear! Then seek a light!’ So a wall will be put up between them, with a gate therein. Inside it will be Mercy, and outside it will be Torment. [The hypocrites] will call the believers: ‘Were we not with you?’ The believers will reply: “Yes! But you lead yourselves into temptation. . .”” (57:13~-14). More than one of the pious ancestors said: “On the Day of Judgment, a hypocrite will be given a light, then the light will be extinguished.” For Allah says: “... That Day Allah will not permit the Prophet (pbuh) and those who believe with him to be humiliated. Their light will run forward before them and their right hands, while they say, ‘Our Lord! Perfect our light for us and grant us Forgiveness . . .”” (66:8).

Quranic interpreters have said that when the believers see the light of the hypocrites extinguished, they asked Allah to perfect their light for them and grant them Paradise.

Ibn ‘Abbas said: “On the Day of Judgment, every Muslim will be given light. But the light of the hypocrite will be extinguished.” So the believer feels frightened when he sees the light of the hypocrite extinguished. Then he [Ibn ‘Abbas] said: “Our Lord! Perfect our light for us.” This has been established in the collections of sound traditions, from the tradition of Abu Hurayrah and Abu Sa‘id, various forms of which are accepted from the Prophet (pbuh); it was narrated by Muslim on the basis of the tradition of Jabir. It is also well known from the tradition of Ibn Mas‘iid, which is the longest version, and from that of Abu Misa in the long tradition, in which it is mentioned that he called upon the Day of Judgment, saying: “Let every community follow that which it has followed before, such that everyone who has worshiped the sun shall worship the sun, all who have worshiped the moon shall worship the moon, and those who have worshiped taghiit, idols, shall worship idols. Moreover, each community shall retain its hypocrites, who will be approached by Allah in a form they have never known. He will say: ‘I am your Lord,’ to which they shall reply: ‘May Allah protect us from you! This is the place where our Lord comes to us, and if He were to come to us