Part 70

UNDERSTANDING IMAN AND ISLAM 291

been used rather than the active participle, they would have said, ma saddaqtan, you have not believed us. This is in contrast to the word Iman (i.e., the verb from Iman), with which the preposition is always used before its object pronoun [when this pronoun refers to a rational being]. Hence when one says, “I believed him,” one does not express it as Amantuhu, without the preposition; rather, one says, amantu lahu, with the preposition before the pronoun. Likewise one says, aqrartu lahu, / acknowledged what he said, whose meaning is closer to that of the phrase amantu lahu than is the concept of belief or tasdiq, assent; there is, however, also some difference between them [i.e., between iqrar and Iman].

Second, the word Iman is not synonymous with the word tasdiq, assent, in meaning. To the reporter of an action, whether he witnessed it or not, it is said either: sadaqta, you told the truth, or kadhabta, you lied. Thus, if one says “the sky is above us,” the answer could be either, “you told the truth,” or “you told a lie.” Whereas the word Iman is only used in reference to a report about something that was not witnessed directly. When one reports something he witnessed, like saying, “the sun rose or set,” it is said, “he told the truth,” or “he told a lie.” On this basis, it is said about witnesses and others: saddaqnahum, we affirm their report, and not >4manahum, we have belief in them. Indeed, the Arabic word Iman is derived from the verb amana, to be secure, which is used in reporting unseen matters that are entrusted to the reporter. Because of this, the phrase 4manna lahu, we have believed for him, is not used in the Qur’an or anywhere else in the same sense as saddaqnahum, we affirmed their report. And if two partners share the knowledge of a matter, it is said that one of them affirms what his partner says but not that he has belief in him, because the matter entrusted to that partner was not unseen. Allah says: “Lot believed in him . . .” (29:26); and “. . . They said ‘Shall we believe in two men like ourselves? .. .’” (23:47); and“... [Pharaoh] said: ‘Believe you in him..’” (20:71); and “. . . He believes in Allah, and has belief in the believers .. .” (9:61). Thus He affirms their statements of what was absent in their reports. Hence the word Iman, as indicated by its usage and derivation, implies the meanings of assent and trust as well as acceptance. That is why they said [Josef’s brothers to their father]: “. .. And you will never believe us . . .” (12:17). That is, you do not accept, trust, or have confidence in our report. Even if they were truthful, their father would not trust them. That is because [according to him] they were not trustworthy.

Third, unlike the meaning of the word tasdiq, assent, linguistically the meaning of the word Iman is not opposed to takdhib, denial. [This is a sign of their difference, proving that Iman and tasdiq are not synonymous]. Linguistically, itis known that it is said to every reporter that he told the truth or that he lied. Or that it is said that we affirm or do not accept what he says. But it is not said that we have belief in his report or that we refute him [as the opposite of the first statement], as it is not said that you are a believer in him or a disbeliever in him. But what is known is that the word kufr, unbelief, is the term used in contrast to the word Iman. For example, it is said that he is a believer or an unbeliever and kufr, unbelief, is not restricted to takdhib, denial. One’s unbelief would be greater if he said to a believer: “I know that you are truthful but I will consider you an enemy and will not follow you.” So unbelief, which contrasts with belief, is not mere disbelieving, which proves that Iman is not mere assent. Of course, belief is not merely tasdiq, assent. Rather, the state of kufr, unbelief, is not only disbelief, but also opposition, enmity and rejection despite the fact that one believes, then belief must likewise be belief along with agreement, support and willing cooperation. But assent alone is not sufficient, for Islam is part of the reality referred to by the word Iman, belief; just as refusal to surrender and cooperate even though one affirms that this is part of the reality referred to by the word kufr, unbelief. Hence, every believer must be a Muslim, surrendered to Allah’s Command, and this is what is meant by the work required by belief.

If it were said that the Messenger (pbuh) interpreted belief to mean that in which one believes, one might reply by saying that when the Messenger spoke of that in which one is to believe, he used the preposition bi, in, and not li, for. As for his own person, he is someone in whose message we are ’an nu’mina bihi, to believe (in him) and whom we are ?an nu’mina lahu, to have trust {in him). For Iman bihi, belief in him, with respect to the permanence and certainty [of his message] is a reality we are unable to see but about which he has spoken to us. However, not every unseen reality in which we believe is something we are required to obey. As for the trust we are to have in him, it is belief of the sort that requires us to obey him. It thus needs to be recognized that the Prophet is someone in whom we are to have both kinds of belief described above. Moreover, obedience to the Prophet is obedience to Allah, and obedience to Allah is part of the perfection of belief in him.

UNDERSTANDING IMAN AND ISLAM 293

Fourth, some people say that the Arabic word Iman is derived from the Arabic word ’amn, security, which is the opposite of the word khawf, fear. The Arabic verb amana, he has belief; means that he has become secure. And they recited [for illustration] . . .'.

According to the second premise, if it is supposed that Iman and tasdiq assent, are synonymous, then their [the Murji’ites’] claim that tasdiq can only be in the heart or lip profession, may be answered in two ways. The first of these is man‘, prohibition. Works are considered tasdiq, as it was recorded in the Sahih that the Prophet (pbuh) said: “The eye commits adultery and its adultery is sight; the ear commits adultery and its adultery is hearing; the hand commits adultery and its adultery is assault; the leg commits adultery and its adultery is walking; and the heart hopes for all these and has passion for them, and the woman’s farj, private part, shows this to be true or makes its false.”

Likewise philologists and some sects among the pious ancestors and one of the later Muslims, al-Jawhari, said: “The righteous, upright man, like the utterly iniquitous, believes constantly, being one who demonstrates the truth of what he says by what he does.” Al-Hassan al-Basri said: “Belief does not consist in [outward] adornment, nor in wishing or desiring. Rather, it is something that is established in the heart and confirmed by one’s actions.” This is a well-known statement of his that has been passed down in various versions. Likewise it was related by ‘Abbas al-Diri, who said: “It was related to us by Hajjaj,? on the authority of Abu ‘Ubaydah al-Naji, on the authority of al-Hassan [al-Basri], who said: “The Arabic word siddiq means righteous [one], whose truthfulness is reflected by his works.” Al-Hassan al-Basri said: “Iman is not achieved by wishing, but it is that which is firmly fixed in the heart and is proved through works, Allah would not reward the one who speaks well and acts badly, but will exalt the one who speaks and does righteousness.” Allah says: “. .. To him mount up all words of purity. It is He who exalts each deed of righteousness . ..” (35:10). It has been passed down by Ibn Battah in both versions. In al-Hassan’s statement

' ‘The copies of Kitab al-Iman consulted ( MI.1, p. 248; MI.2, p. 278; MZ, p. 258; and DKI, p. 251) all included a brief footnote which states that what was to be recited here was left blank

> Al-Hajjaj, Ibn Minhal Abu Muhammad (?-217 A H), was a compiler of hadith, and al-Bukhart transmitted some of his hadith. [Kitab al-Iman MZ, p. 258.]

quoted above, “wishing” or “desiring” refers to what one says, whereas by “[outward] adornment” he refers to belief’s becoming an external “decoration,” such that one displays outwardly without the reality of it existing in his heart. However, belief is that which remains in the heart and the reality of which is confirmed by one’s outward behavior. For outward works confirm that there is belief in one’s heart, and without such actions one gives the lie to his claim to have such belief, for that which is in the heart requires outward works, and the absence of the essential quality indicates the absence of the entity in which that quality inheres.

Muhammad Ibn Nasr al-Marwazi relates that “Abd al-Malik Ibn Marwan wrote to Sa‘id Ibn Jubayr asking him about the following matters, upon which Sa‘id remarked: that you asked me about Iman. It is assent. That is, it means to believe in Allah, His Angels, His Books, His Messengers, and in Resurrection Day. You also asked about assent. It is to act in accordance with what you accept from the Qur’an, to ask Allah’s forgiveness, to repent of any sin you committed, and not to persist in it. You asked about religion. It is worship; and you will not find a man belonging to one religion who abandons the worship of his religion and does not follow any other. If he did this, he would be a man of no religion at all. You asked about worship. It is obedience. If anyone obeys what Allah orders or prohibits, he has shown his preference for the worship of Allah. And he who obeys Satan in his religion and works, has worshiped him. Do you not see what Allah says to those who neglect their religion? He says: “Did I not enjoin on you, Oh you children of Adam, that you shall not worship Satan . . .” (36:60), and that their worship of Satan indicates that they have obeyed him in their religion. Asad Ibn Miisa’ said that al-Walid Ibn Muslim said, on the authority of al-Awza‘l, that Hassan Ibn “Atiyyah said: “Iman is in the Book of Allah until it becomes work.” Allah says: “The believers are only those who, when Allah is mentioned feel a tremor in their hearts . . .” (8:2), until this led them to work where Allah says: “. . . And those who offer prayers and spend out of what We have provided for them” (2:3). He said that I heard al-Awza‘l say that Allah the Exalted says: “If they repent, offer prayers and give zakah, then they are your brothers in religion . . .” (9:11). This concludes that Iman in Allah is by the tongue, and assent of it is through works.