Part 82

Thus, in the verse above, He affirmed the Iman of both the favored and the less favored and this is agreed upon by Muslims. So our Prophet (pbuh) said: “If the ruler has judged correctly he receives two rewards, but if he has judged wrongly he receives one.” He also said to Sa‘d Ibn Mu‘adh, when he made a judgment in the Banii Qurayzah case: “You have judged as a king rules from above seven firmaments.” Moreover, he [the Prophet] used to say to military leaders: “If you laid siege to any fort and they ask you to judge them as Allah wishes, do not do that, but judge them as you and your companions see fit [because people’s judgment could be right or wrong, but Allah’s judgment can never be anything but right], so if he [the judge] is correct, he will receive two rewards for being in agreement with Allah’s judgment. However, if he is mistaken, he will only receive one reward.” These three sayings are reported in Sahih Muslim and Sahih al-Bukhari. Sulayman (may Allah be pleased with him) said that: “I asked Allah

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to enable me to make judgments that agreed with His judgment [i.e., for the ability to judge correctly].”

These tests and others prove what the Companions of the Prophet (pbuh) and their Successors agreed on: that one of two persons may be given ijtihad, reasoning ability, by Allah. As a result, he receives knowledge that the other does not, as a result of which he receives two rewards. The mistaken one receives one reward, but he is not considered a sinner. The knowledge of the first person, and his overt and covert deeds based on it, bring about an increase in his Iman. Moreover, this Iman is his duty, since he is able to achieve it. However, the other is not obliged to have it since he is not able to achieve it. Hence, the first person has been favored with an obligatory Iman, but it is not a must for the other, who is unable to attain it.

This is the state of the whole Muslim community with respect to problems of knowledge. If one person is given knowledge of the truth in a certain matter, while another person seeks to understand it but is unsuccessful, both are praised, rewarded, and considered believers. Allah gives the first person some Iman, which it is his duty to have. But the mistaken individual does not deserve punishment. However, if he were the first person and did the same thing, he would be punished. Likewise, Allah especially favors our Prophet’s (pbuh) community with what a law would be, and if we abandoned anything in it then we would deserve punishment and dispraise. The Prophets before Muhammad are not to blame for neglecting this law [since they had not yet received it]. But Allah favors Muhammad (pbuh) and his community over other prophets and other communities [without directing blame to any of the other prophets and their followers].

If a human being is only obliged to have that belief of which he is capable, and if he does what he is asked to, he merits Paradise. If this man is called a Muslim, but not a believer, he must be the one who is promised Paradise as the desert Arabs were, and like the man whom our Prophet (pbuh) spoke of, saying, “... or a Muslim,” and anyone of whom Iman is negated such as a fornicator, a drunkard, a thief, or someone whose neighbor is not secure from his injurious conduct, or who does not desire for his brother [in Islam] what he desires for himself; but this is not so. Allah promises Paradise only to believers, not Muslims, although He considers Islam the only religion that is to be accepted from people. Allah says: “Allah has promised to believers, men and women, Gardens under which rivers

flow . . .” (9:72). So He confines it to either absolute Iman or that which is bound to righteous deeds. Allah says: “Those who have belief and do righteous deeds, they are the best of creatures. Their reward is with Allah: Gardens of Eternity, beneath which rivers flow . . .” (98:7—8); and “But give glad tidings to those who believe and work righteousness, that their portion is Gardens, beneath which rivers flow. Every time they are fed with fruits therefrom, they say: ‘Why, this is what we were fed with before . . .”” (2:25); and “Those who believe, and do deeds of righteousness, and establish regular prayers and regular charity, will have their reward with their Lord: on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve” (2:277); and “But to those who believe and do righteousness, He will give their [due] rewards, and more, out of His Bounty . . .” (4:173); and “Then those who believe in Allah, and hold fast to Him, soon will He admit them to Mercy and Grace from Himself, and guide them to Himself by a straight Way” (4:175); and “But those who believe and do deeds of righteousness, we shall soon admit to Gardens, with rivers flowing beneath their eternal home: Therein shall they have spouses pure: We shall admit them to shades, cool and ever deepening [Paradise]” (4:57); and “.., Allah’s promise is the Truth and whose words can be Truer than those of Allah’s?” (4:122); and “As to those who believe and work righteousness, Allah will pay them [in full] their reward; but Allah loves not those who do wrong” (3:57); and “To those who believe and do deeds of righteousness has Allah promised forgiveness and a great reward” (5:9); and “. .. So those who believe and do righteous deeds, upon them shall be no fear nor shall they grieve” (6:48); and “But those who believe and work righteousness, no burden do We place on any soul, but that which it can bear, they will be Companions of the Garden, therein to dwell [forever}” (7:42). And there are many other Qur’anic verses that express the meanings above.

So the promise of entering Paradise and receiving mercy in the Hereafter and deliverance from punishment is tied to absolute Iman, and Iman is accompanied by righteous deeds. And as we have mentioned, absolute Iman includes what Allah and His Messenger commanded, and is not limited to the name Islam. Some claim that if one has all the Iman he can attain, yet is not able to know its details, he may be called a Muslim, but not a believer; nevertheless, he will still enter Paradise. Paradise is merited by anyone who is called a Muslim, even if he is not called a believer. However, this is not the case; for Paradise is not tied to anything except Iman. This is consistent with the claim of some that not every Muslim is among

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the believers whom are promised Paradise. If he were, then the promise of Paradise would be bound to one’s being a Muslim just as it is bound to his being a believer, and to his being righteous and pious. Allah says: “As to the Righteous, they will be in the midst of Gardens and Rivers” (54:54); and “As for the Righteous, they will be in Bliss” (82:13); and “Behold! Indeed on the friends of Allah there is no fear, nor shall they grieve; Those who believe and [constantly] guard against evil; For them are Glad Tidings, in the life of the Present and the Hereafter: no change can there be in the Words of Allah. This is indeed the supreme Success” (10:62—64). Since the word Islam was not used in this manner, we know that the reality it refers to is not necessarily tied to Iman as it [Iman] is tied to the words “righteous” or “pious,” and that the word Muslim includes those who are threatened with punishment although Allah rewards them for their obedience, such as having Iman in his heart. They have some hypocrisy by which they deserve punishment, but they will not be in Hell forever; since if they have some Iman in their hearts, the like of the weight of an atom or more, Allah takes them to Paradise after they are punished.

FURTHER DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ISLAM AND IMAN

Thus, major sinners are imperfect believers, and if any one of them has a degree of hypocrisy in his heart, he will be punished if Allah does not forgive him, but he will not dwell in Hell forever. So major sinners are Muslims but not [true] believers. But they [major sinners] show hypocrisy in their deeds rather than in belief, since hypocrisy in belief would make them unbelievers. So, since they were closer to being unbelievers than believers, they were called hypocrites. They are included in the category of Muslims according to worldly judgments just as the outright hypocrites are, since they have Iman and are included in Allah’s call: “Oh, you who have believed!” His is a command to do what benefits them and abandon what hurts them, and they need this. Also, if the Iman which they have includes them in the group addressed as, “Oh, you who have believed!” then no one objects; otherwise, they would be in a worse state than the sheer hypocrite. The hypocrite is addressed on the basis of his deeds, which benefit him in this life and cause him to be assembled along with believers on the Day of Resurrection, being distinguished thereby from people of other religions just as he was in this life. However, at the Hour of Truth, they will be separated. Allah says: “. .. So a wall

will be put up between them, with a gate therein. Within it will be Mercy throughout, and without it, all alongside, will be [wrath and] punishment! [Those without] will call out: ‘Were we not with you?’ [The others] will reply: ‘True! But you led yourselves into temptation; you looked forward [to our ruin}; you doubted [Allah’s promise]; and [your false] desires deceived you in respect of Allah. This Day no ransom will be accepted of you, nor of those who rejected Allah. Your abode is the Fire: that is the proper place to claim you: and an evil refuge it is!”” (57:13-15). Allah also says: “The hypocrites will be in the lowest depths of the Fire: no helper will you find for them; except for those who repent, do righteous deeds, hold fast to Allah, and purify their religion as in Allah’s sight: if so they will be [numbered] with the believers. And soon will Allah grant to the believers a reward of immense value” (4:145—46).

So if the servant of Allah does righteous deeds [for the cause of Allah], this is the Islam that is Allah’s religion, and such a person has enough Iman to be assembled with believers on the Day of Resurrection. If he committed sins, he is punished and taken out of the Fire if he has even a mustard seed’s weight of Iman, or even if he has hypocrisy with respect to deeds, not belief. Allah says: “. . . They will be [numbered] with the believers. And soon will Allah grant to the believers a reward of immense value” (4:146). So He does not say that they are believers only by virtue of this, since having belief in Allah, His Angels, His Books, and His Messengers is obligatory for having Iman, and they do have this belief. However, he mentions righteous deeds and loyalty to Allah and says: “They will be [numbered] with the believers.” Hence, they are treated as believers.