Part 9

Al-Suddi interpreted the Qur’anic verse, “When Allah is mentioned, feel a tremor in their hearts,” as referring to the one who, whenever he intends and tries to do harm, refrains from doing it. Allah, the Exalted, says: “As for the one who feared to stand before his Lord and restrain his soul from lust, indeed the Garden will be his abode” (79:40-41). Likewise is His saying: “And for he who fears the stand of His Lord, there will be two Gardens” (55:46). Mujahid and other interpreters said: “A man starts to commit a defiant act then immediately remembers that he stands before Allah, and he abandons committing this act out of fear of Allah.”

Since feeling a tremor in the heart when Allah is mentioned implies fear and apprehension of Allah, then this feeling requires one to do what he is commanded and refrain from what he is forbidden to do. Sahl Ibn ‘Abd Allah”! said: “There is no barrier between Allah and His Servant thicker than being in no need of Allah, and there is no path closer to Allah than being in need of Him.” The essence of the good in this life and the Hereafter is the fear of Allah, as indicated in His saying: “When the anger of Moses subsided, he took up the Tablets whose text contained Guidance and Mercy for all those who fear their Lord” (7:154). This verse indicates that guidance and mercy are for those who fear their Lord.

> Tprahim Ibn Yazid (2-96 A.H.) was a scholar of hadith and tafsir and one of the Successors. [Kitab al-Iman MZ, p. 41.]

4 Ali Ibn al-Ja‘d (2-230 A.H.) was a scholar of hadith. [Kitab al-Iman MZ, p. 41.]

35 Shu‘bah Ibn al-Hajjaj (82-160 A.H.) was one of the great scholars of hadith. [Kitab al-Iman MZ p.41 and al-Zirikit, vol. 3, p. 241.]

% Mansiir Ibn al-Mu‘tamar (7-132 A.H.) was considered an authority on and a scholar of hadith. [Kitab al-Iman MZ, p. 41.)

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN IMAN, ISLAM AND IHSAN 35

(55:46). Those who fear their Lord are those who will prosper, as stated in the saying of Allah: “Those [people] depend on guidance from their Lord, and it is those who will prosper” (2:5). They are the believers and the Allah-fearing ones, who are mentioned in Allah’s sayings: “Alif. Lam. Mim: This is the Book which contains no doubt. It is a guidance to those who fear Allah” (2:1-2). He also mentions in the verse of al-Birr, Righteousness: “. .. Those are the people of truth, and they are the Allah-fearing” (2:177). They are the ones who follow the Guidance of the Book, as indicated in Allah’s saying: “. .. Whosoever follows My Guidance will not lose his way nor fall into misery” (20:123). Thus, he who does not lose his way is a follower of Allah’s Guidance and he who does not fall into misery is blessed. Those are the followers of the straight path upon whom Allah has bestowed His Grace. They include prophets, righteous ones, martyrs, and virtuous people, whose path is not anger, nor that of those who go astray. Accordingly, they deserve Paradise without punishment because they are true believers.

Illustrating this point is the following saying of Allah: “. .. Those who truly fear Allah, among His Servants, who have knowledge . . .” (35:28). This verse means that whosoever truly fears Allah has knowledge, as indicated in another verse. Allah says: “Is one who worships devoutly during the hours of the night prostrating himself or standing [in adoration], who takes heed of the Hereafter, and who places his hope in the Mercy of his Lord [like one who does not]? Say [to them, Oh, Muhammad]: Are those who know equal to those who do not know? . ..” (39:9). The word fear implies to fear Allah and to expect reward from Him; otherwise it would mean despair. Whereas, expectation Tequires fear; otherwise, it would mean safety. Thus, those who fear and make supplication to Allah are the knowledgeable praised by Him.

It was reported that Abu Hayyan al-Taymi said: “The knowledgeable persons are three: a person who is knowledgeable about Allah but not His Commandments, a person knowledgeable about Allah’s Commandments but not about Him, and a person knowledgeable about Allah as well as His Commandments. A person knowledgeable about Allah is the one who fears Him, anda person knowledgeable about His Commandments is he who knows what is required and what is prohibited.” It was recorded in the al-Sahih collection of hadiths, from the Prophet (pbuh), that he said: “I swear by Allah that, among you, I hope, I will be the most

fearful of Allah and the most knowledgeable about His Commandments.” If those who fear Allah are the knowledgeable persons, then they should not be criticized because they perform what they are asked to do. This is illustrated in the following verses. Allah says: “. .. But their Lord inspired [this Message] to them: ‘Indeed We shall cause the wrong-doers to perish!” and ‘Indeed We shall cause you to dwell in the land after them.’ This is for anyone who fears My position and fears My threat.” (14:13-14) Allah also says: “But for anyone who fears the position of his Lord, there will be two Gardens” (55:46). Those who fear Allah are promised victory in life and reward in the Hereafter because they performed the obligations. Thus fear of Allah requires performing the obligations. This is said to the fajir, man of bad conduct, who does not fear Allah, as indicated in the meaning of the following verse. Allah says: “Allah accepts the repentance of those who do evil in ignorance and repent soon afterward . . .” (4:17).

Abu al-‘Aliyah”’ said that he asked the Companions of Muhammad about this verse: “Allah accepts the repentance of those who do evil in ignorance and repent soon afterward,” and they told me that everyone who disobeys Allah is ignorant and everyone who repents before death is a repenter of short notice, and so said other interpreters. Mujahid said: “Every disobedient person is considered ignorant [at the time he is being disobedient].” Al-Hassan [al-Basri], Qatadah,” “Ata,” al-Suddi,” and others said: “They are called ignorant not because they are in the state of being disobedient but because they do not recognize that they are being disobedient.” Al-Zajjaj*' said: “This verse does not mean that they do not know that it is evil, for if a Muslim does an evil act and he does not recognize it as an evil act, he will be considered as if he did not do it.” However, al-Zajjaj proposed that this verse bears two possible interpretations. One is that they have done evil,

7 Abu al-‘Aliyah, Rufay‘ Ibn Mihran al-Riyahi (?-93), was one of the first generation of commentators of the Quran and a collector and transmitter of hadith. [Kitab al-Iman MZ, p. 43

38 Qatidah Ibn Di‘amah al-Saddist (61-117 A.H.) transcribed hadith and wrote commentary on the Qu’ran. [M. M. Azami, p. 98.]

* Al-Suddi, Abu Muhammad Isma‘il Ibn ‘Abd al-Rahman (?-128 A.H.), was famous for his Qur4nic interpretation. [Sezgin, vol. |, pp. 77-78.]

“! Al-Zajjaj, Abu Ishaq Ibrahim Ibn Muhammad al-Ansari (7-922 A.D.), was a grammarian who composed a book on the meaning of the Qur’an. [al-Fihrist, vol. 1, pp. 131-33.]

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN IMAN, ISLAM AND IHSAN 37

not recognizing its bad consequences. The other is that they do evil, knowing its bad consequences, preferring this life to the Hereafter. Hence, they are called ignorant for their preference of getting the little over the abundant and eternal of doing evil or bad judgement. Both these issues are interlaced. This issue is addressed in detail in the dialogue with the Jahmites.

Accordingly it can be said that anyone who disobeys Allah is ignorant and anyone one who fears Allah is knowledgeable and obedient to Allah. An individual is ignorant for lacking fear of Allah. For if he fears Him, he does not disobey Him. Supporting this point is the saying of [bn Mas‘id (may Allah be pleased with him): “Fear of Allah is complete knowledge and Allah’s deception is complete ignorance.” For indeed having a perception of fear entails fleeing from it, and having a perception of something you desire entails pursuing it. If one does not flee from fear and does not demand the desired, it indicates that one does not have a true perception of it. One may perceive information about it, but having a perception of that information and believing it and even memorizing it letter by letter is different from the perception of the object itself. Likewise, if the perceived entity is neither desired nor disliked, then one starts to believe what is fearful for others as well as liked for others. This does not result in either fleeing from it or requesting it. The same thing applies if one is informed about something either desired or disliked. The informer does not tell a lie but rather recognizes his truthfulness. However, his heart is occupied with other matters beyond the perception of what he is being informed about. The result of all of this initiates neither fleeing nor demanding.

According to a well-known statement by al-Hasan al-Basri, the Prophet (pbuh) said: “Knowledge is of two kinds: knowledge of the heart and knowledge of the tongue. Knowledge of the heart is useful while knowledge of the tongue is Allah’s proof against His Servants.”