Part 8

However, if one’s deed is deemed more desirable in worship than another deed, the worship will not be negated if the desirable deed is lacking. If this is true, then it would be possible to negate from all of the faithful the title of Iman, prayer, charity, and pilgrimage because there are works that are better than others and no one can do righteous works in the exact same way the Prophet (pbuh) did them, even righteous persons like Abu Bakr and ‘Umar. So, if we were to negate them [righteous works] from these individuals because they cannot perfect them, then we can negate them from all Muslims throughout history. And this conclusion cannot be reached by a wise person.

It follows that it is right to say that perfection of belief is negated if one fails to perform part of an obligation for the neglect of which he is to be blamed or

punished. But, this is not the case if he fails to perform a desirable work. Supporting the Prophet’s command to an Arab who did not perform prayer in the right manner, the Prophet said: “Go back and perform [your prayer] as it should be performed for it is not complete.” He also commanded the man who prayed alone, behind the prayer line, to pray again by saying: “No prayer is accepted from someone who prays alone behind the line.” Indeed, the Prophet said that because both men neglected an obligatory act. Further support comes from the following saying of Allah: “Only those are believers who have believed in Allah and His Messenger and have never since doubted, but have striven with their belongings and their lives in the Cause of Allah; such are the sincere ones” (49:15). This saying indicates that striving [in the Cause of Allah] is an obligation, and abandoning doubt is an obligation. It is clear from the saying that although jihad, striving in the cause of Allah, is considered an obligation to be performed by some believers, all of them are commanded to believe in its being an obligatory act and to have true intention to strive whenever it is due. For the Prophet (pbuh) said: “Whoever dies before he invades, in the cause of Allah, or intends to invade will die as a hypocrite” (recorded by Muslim). This means that he who does not have an intention to strive in Allah’s Cause will have a certain degree of hypocrisy. It is inevitable that a believer must practice at least one aspect of jihad.

Allah says: “The believers are those who, when Allah is mentioned, feel a tremor

in their hearts, and when they hear His Verses rehearsed, find their belief strengthened, and put all of their trust in their Lord; who establish regular prayers, and spend freely of the gifts We have given them for sustenance; such in truth are the believers” (8:2-4). All the acts mentioned above are obligatory. That is, putting trust in Allah is a great obligation, as is sincerity to Allah and love of Him and His Messenger. In fact, His command to “put trust in Him” is stressed even more than that of performing the rite of ablution and of taking a bath when in the state of uncleanliness. In contrast, putting trust in anyone but Allah is prohibited. For Allah says: “. .. Then worship Him, and put your trust in Him. . .” (11:123). Allah also says: “Allah! there is no god but Him. In Allah, therefore let the believers put their trust” (64:13). He also says: “If Allah helps you, none can overcome you; if He forsakes you, who is there, after that, that can help you? In Allah, then, let believers put their trust” (3:160). Allah also says: “Moses said: ‘Oh, my people! If you do really believe in Allah, then in Him put your trust if you are Muslims’” (10:84).

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Allah says: “For, believers are those who, when Allah is mentioned, feel a tremor in their hearts, and when they hear His Verses rehearsed, find their belief strengthened . . .” (8:2). It is said that the presence of some intentions and works in one’s heart is a permanent necessity for having belief in Allah. That is, a believer will continue performing these [works] without deliberately striving to do so. However, the absence of these intentions and works indicates that true Iman has not yet been achieved by one’s heart. This is illustrated in the following saying of Allah: “You will not find any people who believe in Allah and the Last Day, loving those who oppose Allah and His Messenger, even though they were their fathers or their sons, their brothers, or their kindred. For such He has written belief in their hearts, and strengthened them with a spirit from Himself ...” (58:22). This saying indicates that you never find a believer who loves those who oppose Allah and His Messenger. For Iman itself precludes love for those who oppose Allah and His Messenger in the same way that opponents stand against one another. Thus, if Iman is in the heart, its opponent, namely, loving those who oppose Allah and His Messenger, is negated. Likewise, if one loves those who oppose Allah and His Messenger, his loving signals that his heart lacks true belief.

Similar is His saying in the following verse: “You see many of them turning in friendship to the unbelievers, Evil indeed are the works which their souls have sent forward before them, with the result that Allah’s wrath is on them, and in torment will they abide. If only they had believed in Allah and the Prophet and in what has been revealed to him, never would they have taken them for friends and protectors, but most of them are wrong-doers” (5:80-81). In these verses, there is a conditional sentence which requires that when a condition is present, then a conditional clause will be introduced by the Arabic particle ‘ law’, which means if when combined with the conditional clause, requires the negation of the conditional sentence. For Allah says: “If only they had believed in Allah and the Prophet and in what has been revealed to him, never would they have taken them for friends and protectors . . .” (5:81). This indicates that the aforementioned Iman, belief, precludes taking unbelievers for friends and protectors. It also indicates that belief cannot be found together with taking unbelievers for friends and protectors in one’s heart. Moreover, it indicates that the heart of whoever takes unbelievers for friends and protectors is devoid of true belief in Allah, His Prophet, and in what has been revealed to him.

Likewise Allah says: “.. . Take not the Jews and the Christians for your friends and protectors: they are but friends and protectors to each other. And he among you who turns to them for friendship is one of them . . .” (5:51). Indeed, Allah means in these verses that he who takes them [Jews and Christians] as friends is not a believer. He also affirms that he who is a friend of one of them is one of them. For indeed in the Qur’an the verses are in harmony with and support of one another. Allah says: “Allah has revealed the most beautiful Message in the form of a Book consistent with itself, yet repeating its teaching in various aspects: The skins of those who fear their Lord tremble with it . . .” (39:23). He [Allah] also says: “Indeed the believers are those who believe in Allah and His Messenger and when they are with him on a matter that requires a collective action, they will not depart until they ask for his permission . . .” (24:62). This is an indication that departure without seeking the Prophet’s permission is not allowed. One should not leave until seeking permission, for indeed, one who departs from the Prophet’s presence without seeking permission abandons some of what is obligated upon him of Iman. Therefore, to do so would negate Iman. That is because the particle innama, verily, affirms the obligation and negates the rest.

Some of the usuliyyiin, religious authorities, say that the particle inna, indeed or verily, is used [grammatically] for affirmation and the particle ma, not, is used for negation. When both of these particles are used jointly, they indicate both negation and affirmation. However, this is not so with the Arab grammarians. Those who know this matter well know that the particle ma is called ma al-kaffah, and that it bars the particle inna and its sisters from governing. Thus inna specializes in governing nominal clauses, but when it conjoins with ma, its grammatical function is nullified. Consequently, inna, along with ma, can now precede both nominal and verbal clauses simultaneously. As a result, both the function and meaning of inna have changed by suffixing mi to it. The same [grammatical] rule applies to other similar particles such as ka’annam, as if,

Likewise Allah says: “They say: ‘We believe in Allah and in the Messenger, and we obey.” But even after that, some of them turn away. They are not really believers. When they are summoned to Allah and His Messenger, in order that He may judge between them, some decline to come. But if the right is on their side, they come to Him with all submission. Is it that there is an affliction in their hearts? Or do they doubt, or are they in fear, that Allah and His Messenger will deal unjustly with them? No, it is they themselves who do wrong. The answer of

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the believers, when summoned to Allah and His Messenger, in order that He may judge between them, is no other than this, they say: ‘We hear and we obey: It is such as these that will be successful.’” (24:47-51).

It is true to say that a true believer is he who performs the obligations and abandons forbidden deeds. For Allah says: “Truly those are the believers . . .” (8:4). And He does not mention more than five requirements for belief. In another verse, Allah says: “The true believers are those who believe in Allah and His Messenger, and have never since doubted, but strive with their belongings and their lives in the Cause of Allah: Such are the sincere ones” (49:15). Allah also says: “... Those who ask for your permission are the ones who believe in Allah and His Messenger . . .” (24:62).

The question raised here is, has belief only five requirements? Two answers are proposed: the assumption is that the five mentioned requirements imply what is not mentioned. For Allah mentions the following requirements: feeling a tremor in one’s heart when Allah is mentioned, the strengthening of belief upon hearing Allah’s verses, complete reliance on Allah, establishing regular prayer in accordance with Allah’s ordinance, and spending the property and gifts Allah has given. It is clear that these five requirements imply unspecified actions. For example, the feeling of a tremor in the heart when Allah is mentioned implies that one apprehends and fears Him. The interpreters of the Qur’an have explained that the verbs wajilat and farigat, fear, both mean “to fear Allah.” Ibn Mas‘id, in his Quranic reading of this verse, read fariqat instead of wajilat: “When the name of Allah is mentioned, their hearts are full of fear [fariqat].” This is valid. For indeed, the meaning of al-wajal, linguistically speaking, is khawf, fear, in accordance with the saying ‘the redness of shyness and the pallor of fear’. Allah says: “And those who give that which they give with their hearts full of fear (wajilatun), they will return to their Lord” (23:60). ‘A”ishah asked: “Oh, Messenger of Allah! Does the one who fornicates and steals feel fear of punishment?” Upon this the Prophet answered: “No, daughter of al-Siddiq,” it is the one who prays, fasts, and spends the gifts given to him and fears [that these righteous deeds] will not be accepted from him.”