24-D2L - Doctrines of Faith IV - SH Yasir Qadhi

arkness
to
Light
An in-depth study of
Sh. Yasir Qadhi

Notes by Durbah
Edited by

Table of Contents

1. The Blessings of Imn ....... 1
2. Definition of Imn according to Ahl al-Sunnah ... 8
3. Pillars of Imn . 12
4. Relationship between Imn and Islm ........... 16
5. Increase and Decrease of Imn .... 20
6. Levels of Imn .... 25
7. Minimal Level of Actions .. 30
8. The Issue of Istithn.... 39
9. Factors that Weaken ones Imn ................. 41
10. Factors that Negate ones Imn .... 50
11. The Opposing Groups ... 67
12. Conclusion and Final Remarks .. 78

THE
BLESSINGS
OF IMN

Chapter 1:
1
Aqeedah IV: Darkness to Light Sh. Yasir Qadhi
The Blessings of Imn

1. THE BLESSINGS OF IMN

This class is added with academic justice to know what the proper definintion of imn and kufr, what
the line in between is and the levels of each. Some of the blessings of imn were discussed in the
previous Light of Guidance class. What is discussed here is from a different perspective, focusing on the
adjectives and verbs that Allaah (SWT) used to describe imn.
A. The single greatest blessing that Allaah (SWT) bestows on anyone is that of Imn. -
.., , ,ls .l`. _ ... _ls _>.. l` .| _, < _., _>,l. _>..> _..,l
| ` .. _, ... _
They consider it a favor upon you that they have accepted Islaam. Say: Do not [use] your Islaam as a
favor upon me. Rather, Allaah has shown you favor by guiding you to Imn if you are indeed truthful.
[Al-Hujuraat 49:17]

And the sign of this faith is the gratitude and thankfulness a slave expresses for this favor.

B. Allaah (SWT) writes/inscribes Imn in the hearts of His chosen servants.
.> !. _`..` , <!, , ,l > _:`, _. :!> < .`]. l .l
>, !, , >,!., `.>| :,: s , .l` . _ `,l _.., >.`, _`,
.. `l>.`, ..> _ > _. !.> `.. _..> !, _ . < .s . . s
,.l` ,> < | ,> < `> > l .
they are the ones whom Allaah has written Imn in the hearts, and He has helped them with a spirit
from Him. He shall cause them to enter gardens underneath which rivers flow to dwell therein for all
of eternity. Allaah is pleased with them and they are please with Him. These are the party of Allaah,
and indeed, the part of Allaah is truly the victorious. *Al-Mujadilah 58:22]

C. Allaah (SWT) makes Imn beloved to those whom He loves, and beautifies it for them.
.l. >, _. < l _>`-,L`, _ ,. _. . , .. - l _>.l < ,> `> ,l|
_.., ..`, _ _>,l : ` >,l| >l _.l !,`.-l ,.l` `> _ .:l
_ . _. < .-. < ', l. ',>> _
2

but rather, Allaah has made Imn beloved to you and beautified it in your hearts, and cause dyou to
despise disbelief, and sin, and evil these are the rightly guided. A bounty from Allaah, and a blessing,
and indeed Allaah is all-Knowing, all-Wise. *Al-Hujuraat 49:7-8]

ALLAAHUMMA ZAYYINA BEE ZEEYNATIL IMN.

Even when you are walking down the street, you might be able to spot another believer because
imn beautifies him and it becomes visible on their faces. The believer sometimes has (insight
or perspicuity) and sees by the light of Allaah (SWT).

D. Imn has a taste and provides spiritual nutrition
He who is content with Allaah (SWT) as His Lord, and with Islaam as his religion, and with
Muhammad (pbuy) as his Prophet has tasted the reality of Imn. *Muslim+

The word Taam in Arabic means both taste and nutrition or sustenance; therefore a mumin has an
internal energy and is always optimistic, strengthened with tawakkul, so even if the body gets
physically weak, their imn / spirit is always strong.

The soul is in need of nourishment. Its nourishment is . We are created from the earth and from
a soul. Soul is nourished by that which is from Allaah. Anything from the soil feeds the body.

E. Imn is like a beautiful and blessed tree.
l . , ,. < .. .l ,,L :> : ,,L !l. ,!. !`s _ ,!. .l __

Have you not seen how Allaah has given the similitude of a beautiful kalima as a beautiful tree, whose
roots are firmly established, and whose branches tower in the skies *Ibrahim: 24+.

The beautiful kalima here is in reference to the highest level of imn, and that is the declaration of imn;
saying (laa ilaaha illa Allaah). It is being compared to the beneficial date palm tree. This parable
also mentioned in a hadith. The similitude is discussed in detail in the Light of Guidance class.
In 5 words, Allaah (SWT) gives us a perfect description incomparable in any other language. What is
the analogy between the kalimah and the tree? What is the symbolism?
One seed provides bounty for everyone. One phrase gives you so much back.
Just like the tree, imn flourishes and grows over your lifetime.
The tree provides shade and coolness as a sign of protection. Imn also gives you protection.
Life. Imagine walking in a desert and you see tress: LIFE! A tree symbolizes to mankind life.
Modern sciences tell us a bit more to make it more profound. Trees are the basic building
blocks of the entire ecosystem. It gives us the air that we breathe. The wood with which we
build our house, fruits for nourishment. Everything we need to live. If we would remove the
trees, there would be no more life. Similarly, laa ilaaha illa Allaah symbolizes the building block
of spirituality and imn. Just the sight of the tree gives you a sense of life, peace and calmness.
This is something implied in the parable.
3

Roots go very, very deep to provide stability and strength against the withering storms and
raging winds. Imn gives you purpose and stability in your life. Even in the face of calamities
and uncertain times. When the fitan come; the tornadoes of reality, imn allows you to remain
firm and steadfast.
Imn achors itself in the heart, and once it does it does not leave it after that. True imn does
not leave the heart. The seed of imn is planted in the right soil in the heart of a Muslim: the
right soil is the fitrah.
A tree whose branches are towering in the skies, such a tree can never be hidden even if you
tried. Imn is something that can never be hidden. Imn is based in the heart yet manifests
itself in the limbs and actions.

F. Imn has a sweetness that the heart feels

Three *matters+ whoever has them shall taste the halawa (sweetness) of Imn. (1): The one to
whom Allaah and His Apostle becomes dearer than anything else; (2) Who loves a person and he
loves him only for Allaah's Sake; (3) who hates to revert to kufr (disbelief) as he hates to be thrown
into the Fire." [Sahih Al-Bukhari]

G. Imn has a light that enlightens the heart There are many verses in the Quraan referring to this
!!., _.] `.., 1. < `.. , .]. , >.`, _ _. ... > _-> l .
:.. ., - , >l < " s ,> __
O ye that believe! Fear Allaah, and believe in His Messenger (sallallaahu alayhe wa sallam), and He will
bestow on you a double portion of His Mercy: He will provide you a Light by which ye shall walk (straight
in your path), and He will forgive (your past): for Allaah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. *Al-Hadid:28]

< '. ,.. .l _ `_.. . :. : >:. !, _!,`.. _!,`..l _ >l>`
>l>l ! .l ' _: .`, _ . :> : .,. .. , ,. ,,`s :l>,
!., ',_.`, l `l `. ... "!. . _ls . _. < .:`.l _. ',!: . <
_.. . _!.ll < _>, ,`_: ',l. __
Allaah is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The Parable of His Light is as if there were a Niche and
within it a Lamp: the Lamp enclosed in Glass: the glass as it were a brilliant star: Lit from a blessed Tree,
an Olive, neither of the east nor the west, whose oil is will-nigh luminous, though fire scarce touched it.
4

Light up Light! Allaah doth guide whom He will to His Light, and Allaah doth set forth Parables for men,
and Allaah doth know all things. *An-Nr:35]
This verse is called Ayatun Nr and there is some debate regarding the interpretation of this verse.
Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaah understood this verse in the light of the explanation given by Ibn Abbas
(RA). There are two views concerning the meaning of the pronoun (His) in The parable of His Light
1. The first is that it refers to Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted, meaning that the parable
of His guidance in the heart of the believer is (as a niche).
2. The second view is that the pronoun refers to the believer himself, which is indicated by the
context of the words and implies that the parable of the light in the heart of the believer is
as a niche. So the heart of the believer and what he is naturally inclined to of guidance and
what he learns of the Qur'aan which is in accordance with his natural inclinations.
In every single verse it is Allaah who is bestowing the light and beautifying it - there is no
intermediary in between so a believer should feel humbled by this blessing. This world is darkness
and what gives us light and life in this dark world is the light of imn given by Allaah to the believer.
This light will show on the day of judgement and help us cross the sirat; a place that is extremely
dark. If Allaah does not give you light then there is no light for you, this is explicitly mentioned in the
following verse

..And he to whom Allah has not granted light - for him there is no light. *An-Nr 24: 40+

H. Imn finds a dwelling-place in the heart of a believer another beautiful metaphor
_. ] ',,. .] _.., _. _al, ',> _. >!> ,l| .> _ > .. >l>
!.. . _`. `, _ls . . l l , .!.> _. _`, _: ... . .l`! `>
_>l .l _

But those before them (i.e., the Ansar) had inhabited homes (in Madinah) and Imn, they love those
who fled unto them for refuge, and find in their hearts no need for that which hath been given them,
but prefer (the fugitives) above themselves though poverty become their lot. And whoso is saved from
his own avarice such are they who are successful *Al-Hashr:9]

The Ansaar are praised with 2 descriptions they inhabited the houses of Madina and have the
imn dwelling in their hearts, the verb used (inhabiting) is not one that is normally used for imn.
When the Muhajiroon came to Madinah, they hosted them in their homes and gave them from their
wealth. Imn is dwelling in their hearts as if it is their residences. And when they gave, their hearts
5

were happy with their giving highest form of giving. Imn is living in your hearts the same way you
are living in your houses. Imn gives life to you.

I. The Caller to Imn
,` . ! | . . ! . . - . ! .` . ! : , ! ,` . ! : _ l , . . _ , . .` , , > : ! . . ! ,` . ! ! s l . ! : . , . !
!. s !..!:,. !.. _. , __

Our Lord! We have heard a crier crying out for faith Have Imn in your Lord so we have believed.
Our Lord! Forgive our sins, and remove from us our faults, and cause us to die amongst the righteous.
[Al-Imran: 193+

The caller to imn is praised, and the best person is the one who believes and calls others. This
directly refers to the prophets and indirectly to all those who call for religiosity and imn. A
presenter or announcer is an ambassador who has a special privilege with one who sends them.
Imagine the noble status of the emissaries of Allaah

J. Imn brings about nothing but good in this life and the next
l l . , , . . . - ! | , . . . ! | ,` . _ l . ! , . .` : . ! s . s . , l > _
_ : ,>l !,..l ,t..-`.. _| | _,> __

Why was there not a single township (among those We warned), which believed, - so its faith should
have profited it, - except the people of Jonah? When they believed, We removed from them the penalty
of ignominy in the life of the present, and permitted them to enjoy (their life) for a while. *Yunus: 98+

Imn brings about good. All of imn is good. The blessings increase in proportion to imn. Every
single prophet was rejected and all towns did so except the town of Yunus, the whole town
accepted Islaam. When you have true faith in Allaah, the blessing of dunya increases.

K. Imn conquers all else, and nothing conquers it
`.. .> `.. l s | .. _,... __

And do not become feeble, nor grieve, for you shall be the victors if you truly have imn
[Al-Imran 3:139]

6

It is supreme and nothing can be supreme over it. The believer is always be the winner in the grand
scale of things even if he loses his life or is killed . It does not mean every believer will
succeed in dunya but in the aakhirah their victory is secured if the condition of imn is fulfilled.

L. Imn Has levels and branches.
Imn is composed of sixty odd branches. The best of them is the testimony of faith, and the lowest of
them is to remove some harm from the path. And modesty is one branch of faith. [Muslim]

Another version mentions 70 odd branches, but the version with 60 is more authentic.
Imn has levels and branches or categories; it is not just one entity. The highest level is to fully
comprehend and practice the conditions of the testimony of faith ) ), and the lowest level is
removing anything that might harm people along their streets/paths. And hayaa is branch of imn
all the more reason for us to study the levels and branches of imn.

7

DEFINITION
OF IMN
ACCORDING
TO AHL AL-
SUNNAH

Chapter 2:
8
Definition of Imn According to Ahl al-Sunnah

2. DEFINITION OF IMN ACCORDING TO AHL AL-SUNNAH
2.1 Methodology of Defining:
Where do we get definitions from? How does one make any definition and who has the right to?

1. Defining words through Scriptural Evidence (Quraan and Sunnah) e.g., Salah
Salah, Hajj, Sawm, Zakah, and other words had other meanings before Islaam. Quran and
Sunnah redefined them.
Salah linguistically is to invoke and call out to (duaa). Islaamically it is the specific
worship marked with specific actions and done in specified timings.
Hajj: to intend . As if you intend to commemorate and worship Allaah.
Sawm: Abstaining and preventing.
Zakah: Purification of the soul.

2. Defining words through linguistic evidence (poetry, lexicons, etc) e.g., ila al-kabayn
In reference to the ankles when washing the feet in wudoo. Does it mean include or up to?
There is a difference of opinion between the madhabs but we go back to how the words are
interpreted linguistically. Majority say it is up to and includes elbow/ankles.
Muslims are the first civilization to write dictionaries in history. They did so initially to explain the
Arabic wordings of the Quran and then similarly for Hadith. Afterwards they wrote dictionaries
for the rest of the words of the Arabic language. These dictionaries are based on pre-Islaamic
poetry and classical works.

3. Defining words through cultural norms e.g., safar .
This has a connotation with slang and colloquial vernacular. Nowadays, dictionaries are written
to explain the present usage of each word based on this method. So what constitutes travel
(safar) here will be left to cultural norms.

Q. Which one should we choose from the term Imn?
To get the proper definition of a word, we go through the order specified above. This
methodology is the hallmark of Ahlus Sunnah and this understanding is unique compared to
all the other groups. This methodology in itself is in congruence with the fitrah.

All groups except Ahlus Sunnah say imn should be defined through linguistic perspective. Even
though our understanding of imn is crystal clear from Quraan and Sunnah, the vast majority of
muslims have defined it like the other groups. Language has differences nevertheless and there are
grey areas. Some groups just go to the linguistic meaning directly and reinterpret these words. The
Qaramitah and Ismailis said hajj is just visiting your shaykh. One Progressive once said, I pray 30
times a day. Everytime I remember god!

9

Linguistically, imn - comes from which is to grant protection and security and remove fear.
This meaning was used in the Quraan:

Who has fed them, [saving them] from hunger and made them safe, [saving them] from fear.
[Quraish 106:4]

Another linguistic meaning is to believe in your truthfulness:
. . . . _ l . l . . , _ _
.. But you would not believe us, even if we were truthful. *Yusuf 12:17+

So some groups said that imn is believing in the truthfulness of the message. They used the word
tasdeeq as a synonym. Ibn taymiyyah said that the most precise/closest synonym to imn in Arabic
language is not tasdeeq but iqraar belief with certainty.
In the 2
nd
chapter of the Quran, Allaah (swt) is defining for us who is a believer.

Who believe in the unseen, establish prayer, and spend out of what We have provided for them,
[Al-Baqarah 2:3]

Based on all evidences in the Quran and Sunnah, Ahlus Sunnah extracted the definition of Imn as:
1. Belief in the heart
2. Statement of the tongue
3. Actions of the limbs
4. It increases with good deeds
5. Decreases with bad deeds

10

2.2 DEFINITION FROM THE SALAF
The pious predecessors defined Imn by description and not by demarcating or quantifying it.

It is a Mutawatir from the early scholars that Imn is comprised of statements and actions; it
increases and decreases.

1. Abdullah b. Umar said, We learnt Imn, and then we learnt the Quran so we increased
in our Imn.

2. Hasan al-Basri said, Imn is not by decorating oneself *with outward matters+, nor is it by
wishful thinking. Rather, it is what settles in the heart and is confirmed with actions.

3. Al-Bukhari said, It is composed of statements and actions, and increases and decreases.

4. Sahl al-Tustari was asked, What is Imn? He replied, Statements, actions, intentions
and Sunnah. For if Imn is only statements without actions, this is kufr, and if it is
statements and action without intentions, this is nifaq, and if it is statements and actions
and intentions without sunnah, it is bidah.

5. Story of al-ShafiI after he quoted a hadith, then was asked what his opinion was,
Subhan Allaah! Do you see me go to church? Or do you see a zunnar tied around me? I
tell you that the Prophet (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) said something, and then you dare
ask me what my opinion is?

He was asked a question of fiqh and yet he got angry because for a muslim, it cannot be that
he would willingly contradict the sunnah of the Prophet peace be upon him.

11

PILLARS
OF
IMN

Chapter 3:
12
Pillars of Imn

3. PILLARS OF IMN
1. Belief in the heart

a. Knowledge and Affirmation (qawl al-qalb).
Believing that everything from Allaah swt and His messenger is true.

Whoever disbelieves in Allah after his belief... except for one who is forced [to renounce his religion]
while his heart is secure in faith. But those who [willingly] open their breasts to disbelief, upon them is
wrath from Allah , and for them is a great punishment *Nahl 16:106+
l! , s !. . , _ l `.. . _>.l l !..l`. !.l _>., _.., _ >,l
| `-,L. < .`. >.l, _ . >l..s !:,: | < " s ,> _
The Bedouins say: We believe. Say: you have not believed, but rather you have accepted Islaam; and
Imn has yet to enter your hearts. *Al-Hujurt: 14]

This is the belief in Allaah, the prophets, angels, books, resurrection, etc. for the vast majority
of muslims imn is only this (belief in heart), but this is not the sunni way of understanding. In
the second verse Allaah (swst) denies Imn but affirms Islaam for the Bedouins. The firms
verse imn resides in the heart - (except one who was forced while his heart is secure in faith).
This is an exception in the case of one who utters statements of disbelief and verbally agrees
with the Mushrikin because he is forced to do so by the beatings and abuse to which he is
subjected, but his heart refuses to accept what he is saying, and he is, in reality, at peace with
his faith in Allaah and His Messenger. The scholars agreed that if a person is forced into
disbelief, it is permissible for him to either go along with them in the interests of self-
preservation, or to refuse, as Bilal did when they were inflicting all sorts of torture on him.

b. Actions of the heart (amal al-qalb).
Emotions are the internal actions of the heart and a believer must have certain actions in his
heart love, hope, fear, submission, patience, trust, respect for Allaah and His signs.

It is not possible to have imn without some bare minimum level of actions in the heart like love
of Allaah swt and His messenger, taqwa and khashya of Allaah, etc. Love is not an on/off switch,
it is an internal action based on knowledge and submission. The disbelievers know the truth yet
refuse to submit to it:
13
Pillars of Imn

, l1 , ., .> _, >,l> _>l!, ,=. _>ll >. _

Or do they say, "In him is madness?" Rather, he brought them the truth, but most of them,
to the truth, are averse (hate it). *Muminoon 23:70+

They know and affirm it but instead of loving it they hate it. But those who believe submit
willingly to Allaah swt and love Him even more:
_.l `.. , .: !',`> <
And those who believe love Allaah even more *Al-Baqarah: 165]

In addition to affirmation, it is necessary to have love.

Iblees did not deny anything in theory or refuse to believe; he refused to submit and therefore
was declared a kafir. The uncle of the prophet (pbuh), Abu Talib, believed and acknowledged in
the prophethood of his nephew but this did not translate into actions. Even Firawn do you
think that he actually believed in his heart that he is lord? He rejected Musa even though he had
yaqeen that Musa came with the truth and yaqeen is the highest level of affirmation.

2. Admitting with the tongue (al-iqrar bi-l-lisan)
l !. ., <!, !. _. !.,l| !. _. _| | .> ,|
Say all of you: We believe in Allaah, and what has been revealed to us, and Ibrahim
[Al-Baqarah 2:136-7]

There must be a general type of worship/dhikr of Allaah with tongue. This is for one who is capable
of speaking it can be said in non Arabic language as long as it is some form of public expression.
Public means that it must be out loud between oneself and Allaah; it does not necessarily have to
be in front of a congregation
'A'isha reported: I said O Messenger of Allah, the son of Jud'an established ties of kinship and fed
the poor. Would that be of any avail to him? He said: It would be of no avail to him as he did not
ever say: O my Lord, pardon my sins on the Day of Resurrection. [Muslim]
So how does this affect us? Well, we have to:
i. Say the kalima. Shahaadah is not just when a person embraces Islaam, but to renew it
multiple times even within your day. This is necessary. Without this statement, a person is
not muslim. Like Heraclius and others who didnt declare that they are Muslim because it
was not politically correct.
14
Pillars of Imn

ii. Do general dhikr with the tongue reading Quraan, calling the adhaan, istighfaar, etc.
iii. Must abstain from speaking kufr except under coercion. It is impossible for a Muslim to
ridicule or say anything negative of Allaah, His signs, or His messenger. Also to abstain from
wailing over the dead or saying words showing discontentment with Allaahs decree.

3. Acting with the limbs (al- amal bi-l-jawarih)

In over seventy verses, Allaah (swt) mentions imn along with amal al-salih (righteous actions). This
shows to show the inherent relationship between them. There is unanimous consensus among the
first 3 generations of Islaam that action is part/pillar of imn. An average Muslim believes that only
saying kalima is enough to be a muslim even if he does not pray once in his lifetime. This is not
correct based on the following evidences:
!. l < _, .`,l >...,|
And Allaah will not cause your imn to go to waste *Al-Baqarah: 143]

This ayah was revealed at the time of change of the Qiblah. The prophet was asked about the
previous prayers that were performed facing Jerusalem. Allaah (swt) revealed that He will not cause
their imn to go to waste. There is no action that Allaah called it imn except salah. Bukhari, Shafii,
and Ahmed used this verse to prove that salah is the outward action that is proof of imn.
The famous hadith of the Delegation of Abd al-Qays:
The Prophet (pbuh) said, I order you to believe in Allaah. And do you know what is belief
in Allaah? [It is] to testify that none has the right to be worshipped but Allaah, and I am the
messenger of Allaah, and to offer prayers perfectly, and to pay zakat
Another evidence: The famous hadith of the branches of faith clarifies this point:
Imn is composed of sixty odd branches. The best of them is the testimony of faith, and the
lowest of them is to remove some harm from the path (physical action). And modesty is
one branch of faith (heart action).

Every verse that commands you to perform an action is proof for this.
Therefore, to say faith is the translated word for Imn is inaccurate. Imn is not synonymous with
faith. Faith is just 1 pillar of imn. Imn has a lot more pillars. Even Iblees has faith but doesnt have
imn.
15

RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN
IMN AND
ISLAAM

Chapter 4:
16
Relationship between Imn & Islaam

4. RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN IMN AND ISLAAM
These two terms seem to occur in very different contexts; sometimes they seem to mean same thing,
sometimes different things.
What is the difference between them? Lets examine the following evidences:

a. The concluding verses of surah al Hujuraat MEMORIZE THEM

l! , s !. . , _ l `.. . _>.l l !..l`. !.l _>., _.., _ >,l
| `-,L. < .`. >.l, _ . >l..s !:,: | < " s ,> _

The desert Arabs say, We believe. Say, Ye have no Imn; but say, We have submitted our wills to
Allaah (Aslamna), For not yet has Faith entered your hearts. But if ye obey Allaah and His Messenger,
He will not belittle aught of your deeds: for Allaah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. *Al-Hujuraat 49:14]

They consider it a favor to you that they have accepted Islam. Say, "Do not consider your Islam a favor
to me. Rather, Allah has conferred favor upon you that He has guided you to Imn, if you should be
truthful." [Al-Hujuraat 19:17]

b. Hadith of Jibril when he questioned the Prophet about Islaam, then Imn then Ihsaan. 3 levels
given 3 answers.

c. Hadith of the Delegation of Abd al-Qays: Once a delegation ofAbdul Qays came to Allaahs
Apostle and said, We belong to such and such branch of the tribe of Rabia, and we can only come
to you in the Sacred Months. Order us to do something good so that we may take it from you and
also invite our people whom we have left behind (at home) to it. The Prophet (pbuh) said, I order
you to believe in Allaah. And do you know what is belief in Allaah? [It is] to testify that none has the
right to be worshipped but Allaah, and I am the messenger of Allaah, and to offer prayers perfectly,
and to pay zakat, and to give the khumus. And I forbid you from dubba and hantam and muqaytat
and naqir (all these are utensils used for the preparations of alcoholic drinks) *Agreed Upon+

Imn (belief in Allaah) was given the same definition of Islaam in this hadith. Hajj was not mentioned
because it was not yet made obligatory.

How do the scholars reconcile between apparently differing texts??
Note that the linguistic definition of Islaam is to submit and surrender. Technical: submit to Allaah
and follow his commandments and enter into His deen.

17

Scholars have differed over the relationship between these two terms, as follows:
Based on the usage of these terms in the Quraan and Sunnah: (only 3 btw)
1. First Opinion: The Two Terms are Synonymous
Held by Al-Bukhari; Ibn Mandah (4
th
century); and Muhammad b. Nasr al-Marwadhi (Imam
Ahlus Sunnah in Khurasaan).
Their evidence was the fact that the two seem to refer to the same reality.
They combined the two hadiths - Hadith of Jibril and delegation of Abd al-Qays and the verse
!.> >! _. l !, _. _,.. .l __ !. !..> !, ,s ,, _. _,.`..l __
Then We evacuated those of the Believers who were there; But We found not there any Muslim
person except in one house *Dhariyaat: 35-36]

In this ayah, it refers to the same people; children of Lt. Then they are synonymous.
So their conclusion is both words refer to the same. Even Ihsaan means the same. All 3
(theology, actions, and spirituality) have to exist in the person simultaneously. A person has to
have imn so he can pray. Proof is at end of hadith Jibril: he came to teach you your religion.
And imn increases based on your actions and closeness to Allaah.
Bukhari was asked about the verses of Hujurt the meaning of Aslamna he explained it as
political acceptance out of fear; outwardly accepted so it is the linguistic term of submitting to
the political dominance of Islaam.
2. Second Opinion: Islaam signifies the Shahdah and Imn signifies the actions.
This was the opinion of another group, such as al-Zuhri (one of the giants of our religion),
Hammad b. Zayd (Kufah), and also reported from Imam Ahmad.
They defined Imn as actions, not faith. Imam Ahmad explained that Islaam is to say the kalima
and imn is to act. They used as proof the verse of Hujurt; they said with their tongues
aslamna but their actions were deficient.
Bukharis response: Didnt Allaah swt say in Quraan that most A3raab Bedouins are hypocrites?
So in this ayah, Allaah (swt) is talking about those hypocrites. Aslamna here means the
linuguistic meaning, not the shar3ee meaning; submitted to the Islaamic state.
Another proof cited was the hadith of Sad b. Abi Waqqas,
Allaahs Apostle distributed (zakat) amongst (a group of) people while I was sitting there but
Allaahs Apostle left a man whom I thought the best of the lot. I asked, O Allaahs Apostle! Why
have you left that person? By Allaah I regard him as a mumin. The Prophet (pbuh)
commented: Or merely a Muslim. I remained quiet for a while, but could not help repeating
my question because of what I knew about him. And then asked Allaahs Apostle, Why have
you left so and so? By Allaah! He is a mumin. The Prophet (pbuh) again said, Or merely a
Muslim. And I could not help repeating my question because of what I knew about him. Then
the Prophet (pbuh) said, O Sad! I give to a person while another is dearer to me; for fear that
he might be thrown on his face in the Fire by Allaah. *Al-Bukhari]
- Out of fear that he will misuse the money. Imam Ahmad said the Prophet knew he
has outwardly accepted Islaam.
18

3. Third Opinion: Synonymous at times, different at times.
This is the first and second opinions combined and it solves all of the issues raised. Ibn Taymiyyah
championed and popularized this position and its become the standard position of Ahl al-Sunnah.
Others had this opinion before him but werent as vocal or popular.
If the two terms occur in different contexts, they are synonymous, but if they occur in the
same context, Islaam signifies the outward actions and Imn signifies the inner beliefs.
Combines all of the evidences above along with other Scriptural references.
At a basic level, every Muslim has to have imn in their heart. The term imn is sometimes used in
the Quran generically/broadly. In this case it is synonymous with Islaam. For example: O you who
believe everyone who says they are Muslim.
However, at times, Allaah (swt) uses imn as a praising term that is above and beyond the regular
level; a praiseworthy imn. For example:
. _l `.. .l _ > _ :. `-:.> _
Certainly will the believers have succeeded. They who are during their prayer humbly submissive
(khashioon) *Al-Muminoon 23:1-2]
!..| _`...l _ :| : < l> ',l :| ,l. ,ls ...,, :: !...,| _ls
`, l ., _
The believers are only those who, when Allah is mentioned, their hearts become fearful, and when His
verses are recited to them, it increases them in faith; and upon their Lord they rely. [Al-Anfaal 8:2]
To have strong khushoo in your prayer is a higher level of imn. That your heart trembles when
Allaah (swt) is mentioned and your imn increases upon hearing His verses, these are all
characteristics of the higher level of iman; the praiseworthy imn. How many of us have this higher
level of imn?
So it is possible that the Bedouins surah al-Hujurt have prayed and fasted yet the praiseworthy
iman has not entered their heart. So there are levels of imn and there must be some kernel of
imn to perform the actions since Allaah mentions that He will not waste their deeds and we know
that Allaah accepts good deeds only from a believer.
Through this explanation, we can see Imam Bukharis point: you need to have all simultaneously.

19

INCREASE
AND
DECREASE
OF IMN

Chapter 5:
20
Increase and Decrease of Imn

5. INCREASE AND DECREASE OF IMN
5.1 Evidences for Increasing and Decreasing of Imn

This is of the fundamental unique positions of Ahl al-Sunnah.
No other group has this as a tenet of faith (increase/decrease). We know this because we all experience
it. We know it from our fitrah, and we dont need evidence for it. Your imn in Ramadaan is not like
outside of Ramadaan. Your imn while listening to the Quraan or attending a lecture is not the same
like when you go to work. Your imn in Makkah while in Hajj or Umrah is not the same like when you are
in NYC. THIS BELIEF IS UNIQUE TO AHL Al-SUNNAH WAL JAMAAH THAT IMN INCREASES AND
DECREASES and there are explicit verses in the Quraan that imn increases, mutawaatir hadiths, ijma,
fitrah, and logic all prove that imn is dynamic in nature. The majority theological groups say imn is
stagnant and does not go up and down. One of the priniciples of Aqeedah at-Tahawiyyah says this.
Evidences:
| . . ! l . . .` _ _ | : : < > l l ,' | : . l , s l , , , . . . : : | , . . . !
The believers are (only) those who, When Allaah is mentioned, their hearts tremble, and when His
verses are recited to them, their Imn increases *Al-Anfal: 2]

:| !. l. :. .. _. `_1, , .: .:..> !..., | !.! _ `.. ,
.: !...,| `> `:,.`. __
And whenever a Surah is revealed, there are those who *mockingly+ ask, Who amongst you has
increased in Imn? So as for those who *truly+ believe, their Imn increases and they rejoice.
[At-Tawbah: 124]

> _ . _ l . > , . _ l , l . . . , _ l , : : | , . . . ! . _ | , . . .
He is the one who has sent down peace to the heart of the believers, so that they can increase Imn
upon their Imn. *Al-Fath: 4]

_ 1,.`. ,l _ . ..>l ::, _ `.. , !..,, |
so that the People of the Book have certainty, and the people of Imn increase in their Imn.
[Al-Muddathir: 31]
21

_ ! _ l ` l . ! _' | l . ! _ . > , -` l > ! > : > : > | , . . . !
Those whom, when the people said to them They have gathered against you, so be scared of them!,
they only increased in their Imn *Al Imran: 173+

The narrations from the Prophet show that imn is of different levels:

Hadith: I have never seen any with lesser aql and religion and that [still] manages to cause a smart
mans intelligence to disappearDoes she not leave prayer in her menses? So that is her deficiency in
her religion *Al-Bukhari]
There is an entire chapter in Sahih Bukhari on this. Indirectly this hadith is highlighting the strength of
women and how they can overpower men with fitnah; even a smart man acts like a fool when he is in
love. The deficiency in deen is due to their missing prayers during their menstruation period, so this
proof that you have less deen when you miss prayer.
Touchy issue: Are woman here portrayed as intellectually inferior to men? Is it IQ factor? Exam scores?
Statistically, women are not intellectually inferior. How do we understand this Hadith? In aql, testimony
of 2 women is equal to 1 man. Ibn Taymiyyah offers a resounding explanation: Aql here is not IQ factor
aql here is to control and restrain and generally speaking man is able to restrain his emotions and
can perform more rationally than emotionally, whereas woman act or judge more emotionally than
rationally. This is the beauty of Allaahs creation where balance in family and society is maintained
with an emotional mother and a rational father. Therefore woman are not sinful in missing these
prayers; she can make up in rewards by excelling in other avenues. This door is endless. If anything, this
hadith is warning women to be cautious of their powers over men.
Overall this hadith proves that missing an action even for legitimate reasons causes decrease in imn
so how much so for illegitimate reasons????
Hadith: The one who fornicates does not fornicate as a mumin; the one who steals does not steal as
a mumin, the one who drinks does not drink as a mumin. *Al-Bukhari]
this negation of imn is not such that it takes one out of fold of Islaam as claimed by khawaarij (their
belief that major sins takes one out of fold of Islaam and treachery is a major sin)

Hadith: Whoever amongst you is able to change an evil with his hand, let him do so, and if not, then
with his tongue, and if not, then with his heart, and that is the weakest Imn. *Imam Ahmad+

Hadith: While I was sleeping I saw (in a dream) some people wearing shirts of which some were
reaching up to the chests only while others were even shorter than that. Umar b. al-Khattab was
shown wearing a shirt that he was dragging. The people asked, How did you interpret it, Oh Allaahs
Apostle? He replied, The religion. *Al-Bukhari]
- Indicative that the level of imn among people is of varying levels.
All the traditions that mention people will be removed from the Fire in batches, depending on their
level of Imn. Also traditions that mention the different levels of people in jannah.

22

Every group besides Ahl al-Sunnah say imn is like a light switch; it is either on (have it, therefore
believer) or off (dont have it, therefore kafir). We say it is like a light nob where turning it slowly until a
visible light comes on is the beginning of imn and then it grows until it is bright enough to light up the
room and you can see your path. This is the minimum level. And then it keeps increasing until its very
bright; this is the minimal level required by Allaah. At its brightest, prophets is the level attained by the
prophets, etc.
*Note: Some controversy over Imam Maliks position Some say imam Malik was of the opinion that
imn does not go down i.e. stagnant. There are some reports from his students that he said that
Quraan says imn goes up so I am not going to say it goes down. Some say he did this to avoid going
down the route of Khawaarij who said one who sins his imn is removed. In another narration of Malik -
he says imn increases and decreases.
5.2 Examples of how this occurs

Ibn Taymiyyah clarified how Imn Increases and Decreases: (kitab ul imn)
1. The details of what believers have been commanded to do varied from time to time and from
place to place.
The details vary with knowledge. The early Muslims didnt have to pray 5 times a day and were
permitted to drink alcohol. Does that make them any less? As the rulings were revealed, they
would submit. This is not inventing imn but increasing imn incrementally.

2. The level of commitment and action that believers undertake.
Those who are satisfied with the bare minimum are not like those who do more nawaafil acts of
worship. Those who strive to learn and do better are not like the sinners.

3. Actual affirmation of truth is in fact of various levels.
Those who believe are of various levels. There are decimal points between 0 and 1. When Abu
Bakr was asked if he believes in what the prophet narrated in the incident of Israa and Miraaj,
he said, If hes said it, then hes spoken the truth. Thats why he was given the title of Sideeq.
Others were not as firm but didnt deny. So there are various levels of trust. One who witnesses
and sees is not the same as one who hears.

4. Detailed knowledge of a matter adds levels of perception and certainty that summarized
knowledge does not.
ACADEMICS GIVES IMN RUSH AND SPIRITUALITY. Knowledge brings a consciousness that
ignorance can never bring. For example, if 5 hadiths of wudoo are brought to you about the
virtues (forgives sins, recognized & light on DOJ, hawd, etc) will change a lifetime of your
wudoo. The scholars way of doing wudoo is much higher adds khashya and taqwa.

5. A belief that causes one to act upon it is necessarily stronger than a belief that does not cause
any action.
How many believe in jannah and hell but how many struggle to achieve it / stay away? All of us
know smoking is bad. Even the smoker knows. The one who is not smoking is in a higher level
than the one who smokes, no?
23

6. The actions of the heart (humility, love, modesty, sabr, tawakkul etc), which are an integral
part of Imn, vary widely between people.
When a calamity (death of a loved one, a financial loss, etc) strikes, thats when imn really
shows; how do you deal with it? The believer will have patience and tawakkul and this is of
varying levels.

7. The outward actions vary widely between people.
This is similar to point 2. The one who prays extra and fasts is different that those who dont.

8. States of ghafla (heedlessness, lapse of imn, unconscious of Allaah) are more frequent for
some than others.
Some people can spend hours or even days not remembering Allaah. While others if they spend
an hour or two watching a movie, they feel guilty. Some would even refuse to watch a movie
because they would consider it a waste of time. The lesser ones ghafle, the higher ones imn.

9. It is possible that a matter or belief is denied because of ignorance, and when someone learns
of its truth, he accepts it.
When you present someone with something of the deen and he denies it initially, then you
show him the proof (take them to a scholar, listen to a lecture), then they realize they were
wrong and accept it. This shows something has changed in them internally; they had to expand
their imn once presented with the evidence and accept it.

Remember the hadith of Omar: "O prophet of Allaah! You are dearer to me than everything
except my own self." The Prophet said, "No, by Him in Whose Hand my soul is, (you will not
have complete faith) till I am dearer to you than your own self." Then Omar said to him,
"However, now, by Allah, you are dearer to me than my own self." The Prophet said, "Now, O
Omar (you have reached). *Bukhari+

How do I know my state of imn?
Look at you the quality of your deeds as well
as the phases of ghafla:
How much khushoo do you have in
your prayer?
How much do you push yourself to stay
away from the haraam?
Where is your heart when you read the
Quraan?
24

LEVELS
OF
IMN

Chapter 6:
25
Levels of Imn

6. LEVELS OF IMN
There are 3 primary sign posts of Imn. Sometimes this is translated as Islm, Imn, and Ihsn. In
between each are countless levels. It is important to know them to gauge where we are and work
towards reaching the next level.
1. The bare minimum of Imn
This is also called al-Imn al-Mujmal and mutlaq al-Imn.

Beneath that level a person is not Muslim. Light bulb shows a flicker of light.

Definition: The bare minimum level of Imn is embodied in the Kalima itself: believing that
Allaah (SWT) and His Messenger (pbuh) are truthful in all that they say, and then wishing and
attempting (having a genuine desire that would translate into action ) to implement their
commandments, even if it is a minimal attempt.

The person says the kalima, affirms its truthfulness, and attempts to practice the commandments.
*Note: There is controversy over the bare minimum of actions required to be discussed later.
Benefits:
In this world, the person shall enjoy the LEGAL RIGHTS AND benefits of a Muslim in an
Islaamic State. In an Islaamic System, all you need to become a privileged citizen is change
your religion, something you have control over vs. where your mother gave birth to you.
In the hereafter, the person shall be saved from eternally remaining in jahannam. Might
enter hellfire temporarily but eventually is saved from it and made to enter paradise.

The general body of Muslims is at this level. They practice on and off and fall into some sins here
and there. Many people convert for some benefits that they may attain also. Islaam allows this so
they may taste the sweetness of imn and have it conquer them with its purity. Ibn Taymiyyah
states that most people are at this level. If they are saved from trials and tests in this dunya, they
might eventually enter paradise. But if they are put into tests and trials (sacrifice wealth and life),
they might fall into it and end up with hypocrisy. These trials are like a punishment for them in the
dunya and if they give up their faith, they forfeit their blessings in the hereafter. They are still called
Muslims though. For some, the trials increase their imn.
This level in and itself is not praiseworthy, the Quran never calls them mumin unconditionally.
2. The minimal level required by Allaah (SWT)
This is also called al-Imn al-wjib, al-Imn al-kmil al-wjib and al-Imn al-mutlaq

This is a higher level of Al-Imn Al-Wjib. Using the analogy of the light bulb, this is when the light
bulb turns on.

Definition: The fulfillment of the obligatory deeds and the avoidance of major sins
Hadith of Bedouin who said he wont do anything beside what prophet approved this is the bare
minimum. None of the sahaabah were at this level. This Bedouin clarified the bare minimum for us.
26
Levels of Imn

A bedouin with unkempt hair came to Allah's Apostle and said, "O Allah's Apostle! Inform me what
Allah has made compulsory for me as regards the prayers." He replied: "You have to offer perfectly
the five compulsory prayers in a day and night (24 hours), unless you want to pray Nawafil." The
bedouin further asked, "Inform me what Allah has made compulsory for me as regards fasting." He
replied, "You have to fast during the whole month of Ramadan, unless you want to fast more as
Nawafil." The bedouin further asked, "Tell me how much Zakat Allah has enjoined on me." Thus,
Allah's Apostle informed him about all the rules (i.e. fundamentals) of Islam. The bedouin then said,
"By Him Who has honored you, I will neither perform any Nawafil nor will I decrease what Allah has
enjoined on me. Allah's Apostle said, "If he is saying the truth, he will succeed (or he will be granted
Paradise). [Bukhari]
Sahaabah were dumbstruck, how can someone like this exist? The prophet (pbuh) said,
or he will be successful if he is truthful. Sahaabah considered him at a very low level. Nowadays this
person would be considered of high status! The standards have changed.
Benefits:
Enjoy the benefits of the protection of Islaam in this world
Besides the benefits of the previous level, they enjoy extra blessings and mercy.
Protection of Allaah (SWT) in this world (protect you from calamities) and the next
Guaranteed to be protected from the Fire (never enter jahannam) even if he is punished in
other ways in dunya or in the grave or on sirat passing on the bridge over hellfire.

*Note: Every time the characteristic of Imn is negated in the Quran or Sunnah, it is to this level of
Imn, and not the previous, unless evidence indicates otherwise.
Examples:
"By Allah, he is not a believer! By Allah, he is not a believer! By Allah, he is not a believer." It was
asked, "Who is that, O Messenger of Allah?" He said, "One whose neighbor does not feel safe
from his evil". [Bukhari]
If a person is irritating his neighbors somehow, does this mean that he is a kafir? The
negation here is for this second level of imn. It is like a spectrum. People are at varying
levels of that spectrum. When you read the beginning verses of surah al-Muminoon, how
many characteristics of the believers being describe do you possess?
None of you truly has imn until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.
This level of imn is almost non-existent nowadays. It means they have not reached the
perfection of imn. A person doesnt become a kafir if he doesnt reach this criterion.

Anytime an action is praised and negated for believers it is this level of imn. Meaning that the
person is at the lower side of the spectrum.
27
Levels of Imn

3. The perfection of Imn
This is also called al-Imn al-kmil al-mustahabb aka Al-Ihsaan

All Muslims have to have a generic level of Islm, Imn, and Ihsn simultaneously (as stated before
by Bukhari). Then there is higher levels of imn & ihsan. The perfection is what we are discussing
here. Using the analogy of the light bulb, this is where it becomes bright and luminous.

Definition: There is no precise definition that separates this level from the next
This is the ultimate level of striving that is preferred. A person has perfected the sunnah and
performs a healthy dose of nawafil, has consciousness of Allaah more than the mumin, and has
ihsn. Now they are being conscious of Allaah in every action and possess the quality that the
prophet described of ihsn, worshipping Allaah as though you see Him. This is the state of
conquering every natural deed and converting it into a devotional deed. This level is more an
intellectual/psychological/spiritual state than a physical one (quality vs. quantity).
Benefits: Increase protection in this life and the next
Evidences:
_ `.. , `l .,l, ..., | lL, , .l` `l _. > .. . __

Those who have faith, and do not mix their faith with injustice, they are the ones who shall
have security (amn), and they are the ones who are rightly guided. *Al-Anam:82+

Ibn Taymiyyah comments that therefore the more imn a person has the more amn he will have
from Allaah in this world (the quality of life increases; they become more optimistic and tranquil,
and their pain and anguish are washed away) and the next.

One verse explicitly mentions 3 categories: some of them wronged themselves, some were in the
middle, and some were in the forefront of good. All 3 will eventually enter jannah. The quickness of
entry and the level will depend on the level of imn they achieved.
. !.. ..>l _ !.,L. _. !.:!,s ` .. 'l!L . ..l .. ...1. . .
_,!. ,,>l!, :|, < l: > `_. l ,,l __ ..> .s !.l> ., l> !,
_ . !. _. >: ll `.!, l !, ",> __ l! ..> ' < _ >: !. s >'
_ | !.` , "- l >: __ _ !.l> : .!1.l _. . . !.. ., !, '..
!.. ., !, ',-l __ _ ` `l '!. . > _.1`, ,l. .., > . s
_. !,.s ,l. _> _ __
28
Levels of Imn

Then We have given the Book for inheritance to such of Our Servants as We have chosen: but there are
among them some who wrong their own souls; some who follow a middle course; and some who are, by
Allaahs leave, foremost in good deeds; that is the highest grace. Gardens of Eternity will they enter:
therein will they be adorned with bracelets of gold and pearls; and their garments there will be of silk.
Who has, out of His Bounty, steeled us in a Home that will last: no toil nor sense of weariness shall touch
us therein. But those who reject (Allaah) for them will be the Fire of Hell: No term shall be determined
for them, so they should die, nor shall its Penalty be lightened for them. Thus do we reward every
ungrateful one! *Fatir: 32-36]

We want to reach the level of ihsn and be the foremost in good deeds. Fasting Mondays and
Thursdays, praying at least 2 rakahs quiyam every night, and having a daily dose of reading the Quraan.
That is the food of our soul. The best way to protect the fardh is by doing the sunan. Sunan becomes a
safety net at troubling times.

Feeling hypocritical is a sign of imn. The more imn-
conscious a person becomes, the more imn they have
and the less they think they have. Only when it exists
do we monitor our intention. A true believer sees his
intention changing 40 times a day. While a munafiq
finds his intention constant for 40 yrs!
29

MINIMAL
LEVEL OF
ACTIONS

Chapter 7:
30
Minimal Level of Actions

7. MINIMAL LEVEL OF ACTIONS

What is the minimum level of actions required for being a Muslim? This is in reference to as
mentioned earlier. This has nothing to do with the FiTrah by the way.
The most common yet false definition is if the person identifies himself as being a Muslim.
Imn lives in the heart ( ). It is impossible to have imn in the heart and no demonstration of
that imn in the form of actions.
Whoever doesnt satisfy the minimum level we dont call him a kaafir however, so be careful. Our
tradition talks in generalities, not specifics.
The Quran is full of evidences that demonstrate actions are an integral part of Imn.

_,l >,.!.!, _.!. _> ..l _. _.- , ,. > . , .> .l _. : < !,l
,.. __ _. _.- , _. .>l..l _. : _.. > "_.`. ,.l`! l>.,
. >l .lL`, ,1. __ _. _.> !.,: _.. l`. .> < > "_.>: _,. .
,> ,| !, .> .> < ,>,| ,l> __

(This) shall not be in accordance with your vain desires nor in accordance with the vain desires of the
followers of the Book; whoever does evil, he shall be requited with it, and besides Allaah he will find for
himself neither a guardian nor a helper. And whoever does good deeds whether male of female and he
(or she) is a believer these shall enter the garden, and they shall not be dealt with a jot unjustly. And
who has a better religion than he who submits himself entirely to Allaah? And he is the doer of good (to
others) and follows the faith of Ibrahim, the upright one, and Allaah took Ibrahim as a friend.
[Al-Nisa 4: 123-125]

_. .. !, !.. `. . _ . - .>l..l ,.l`! `> .> .] _l`-l __

And whoever comes to Him as a mumin, having done good deeds, these are the ones that shall have
the high ranks. *Ta Ha: 75+

When Imam Shafii was challenged by the Murjiah that imn is does not include actions, he quoted the
following ayah:

31

!. ' . | ., - ,l < _,.l > : `] _.] ,!.` > ., 1`, :l .l .` , :l ,l: _,:
. ,1l _
And they were commanded not, but that they should Worship Allaah, and Worship none but Him alone
(abstaining from ascribing partners to him), and perform As-Salt (Iqamat-as-Salt) and give Zakt: and
that is the Right religion. *Al-Bayyinah: 5]

Ayat Al-Birr lists so many fundamental actions as part of righteousness:
_, l l l. > >`>` _, _ :.l ,- .l _>.l l _. _. , < !, ,,l >
.l.l ..>l _.,,.l _. , _!. l _ls .,`> _: _ 1l _...,l _,>.. .l
_ _,,.l _ !.l _ !l ,! :l .l _. , :l _.l >.-, :|
..s _ ..l _ ,!. !,l ,.l _,> _!, l ,.l` _. ] . . , .l` `>
1`.. l __
Righteousness is not that you turn your faces toward the east or the west, but [true] righteousness is
[in] one who believes in Allah , the Last Day, the angels, the Book, and the prophets and gives wealth, in
spite of love for it, to relatives, orphans, the needy, the traveler, those who ask [for help], and for
freeing slaves; [and who] establishes prayer and gives zakah; [those who] fulfill their promise when they
promise; and [those who] are patient in poverty and hardship and during battle. Those are the ones who
have been true, and it is those who are the righteous. [Al-Baqarah 2:177]
After the conquest of Makkah and the spread of Islam in many parts of Arabia, Allaah (swt) ordered the
prophet to tell the disbelievers to leave the Arab Peninsula or become Muslim. To become Muslim, it is
not enough to repent to Allaah and utter the shahaadah; they have to establish prayer and pay zakaah.
| ,!. `.! :l .l '. , : l >.>| _ _,.]
But if they repent, establish prayer, and give zakah, then they are your brothers in religion.. [At-
Tawbah 9:11]
32

There are other ayahs showing that knowing is not enough. Jews have recognized Muhammad as a
prophet just as they recognize their own sons. They have been given wahy and the signs were very clear
to them. Did that make them Muslim?
_.] `.. . , ..>l . . - , !. - , >,!., | !1, .. .. >,l _>l >
.l-, __
Those to whom We gave the Scripture know him as they know their own sons. But indeed, a party of
them conceal the truth while they know [it]. [Al-Baqarah 2:146]

Huyayy b. Akhtab was a Jewish scholar who saw the signs of prophethood and knew that he was exactly
as mentioned in their books. He knew he was a prophet yet decided to rebel against him. Iblees believed
in Allaah yet was arrogant to submit to His command. Many people know the truth yet they turn away
from it. How did Allaah (swt) describe them?
_.. _l. _ _>.l ,. _|. __
So he neither gave charity nor prayed, but rather rejected and turned away. *Qiyamah: 31-32]

or rejected here means rejected the truth; an action with the heart. or turned away means
didnt follow which is rejection of obedience; an action of the body (or limbs).

_ L , -` < l . . | . l | < > l > . _ _ _
Say (O Muhammad ): "Obey Allaah and the Messenger (Muhammad)." but if they turn away, Then
Allaah does not like the disbelievers (kaafireen). [Aal-Imrn 3:32]

So refusing to obey is kufr.

Note: you dont need the shahaadah to be a Muslim. Waraqah submitted to Islaam without
declaring his shahaadah but has done the equivalent of the shahaadah.

Abu Bakr al-Ajurri (d. 360) writes, O you who have been blessed with understanding of the halal
and haram, if you understand the Quran as you are supposed to, you will see that Allaah (SWT) has
obligated upon people after they believe in him that they act and I have read the Quran, and
found 59 times in the Book of Allaah this fact. For Allaah never causes anyone to enter Jannah with
only Imn, but rather through His mercy, and by allowing them to believe in Him and act
righteously.
33

To Clarify: There are four logical possibilities with respect to inner and outer coordination:
1) Imn in the heart of and outward actions outwardly clearly mumin
2) Both non-existent clearly Kafir
3) Outer actions without inner Imn clearly munafiq
4) Inner Imn without actions difference of opinion between Murjia and Ahl al-Sunnah.
Ahl al-Sunnah believe that this situation is simply an impossibility. When imn exists in the
heart, it will be shown in actions. This is necessary causal relationship. You cant have an
inner imn without the outer manifestation of it. Imn is more than just faith.

There is a direct correlation between the inner and outer level of Imn. Inner faith and
outer actions are indications of the other, and the absence of one is an indication of the
absence of the other.

There are 4 opinions on the minimum level of actions required:
1) Must perform an unspecified type of good deed (jins al-amal)
This opinion is a completely modern one that contradicts common sense. Like smiling in the face of
your brother.

2) The five prayers:
a) Leaving any one prayer is kufr.
This is a minority opinion.
b) Leaving prayers completely is kufr
This is the majority opinion; that the one who does not even pray jumuah or eid prayers
regularly then this is kufr (but be careful to put the label of kaafir). Even if the person claims
imn, it is not true imn. Call it something else. Imn is more than just belief. Allaah (swt) says,
:| _, ` > `- _` - , __
And when it is said to them to bow down they do not do so *Al-Mursalat: 48]

Imam Shafii used this ayah to prove whoever doesnt pray is not a muslim.
_.. _l. _
So he neither gave charity nor prayed, but rather denied and turned away *Qiyamah: 31+

!. `>l. _ 1. l! __ `l ,. _. _..l __

What has caused you to enter Saqar? They said: We were not of those who prayed
[Al-Mudaththir: 42]

34

When the qiblah was changed, the following ayah was revealed. Here, Allaah called salah imn.
There is no other action in the whole Quran that Allaah swt equates with imn.

!. !.l- > ,1 l _.l . !,l. | l - .l _. _,., _.l _.. l1., _ls ,,1s | .l
l > , , : | s l _ ] . _ > . _ < . ! l < l ,` . , _ | , . . . > | _ < , ! l . ! _ l ,' . > , '

And We did not make the qiblah which you used to face except that We might make evident who
would follow the Messenger from who would turn back on his heels. And indeed, it is difficult except for
those whom Allah has guided. And never would Allah have caused you to lose your imn (prayers).
Indeed Allah is, to the people, Kind and Merciful. *Al-Baqarah 2: 143]

l>' _. >.- , l> `s!. :l .l `-,. ,:l .. 1l, !,s __
So there came after them a generation a (misplaced) the prayer *Maryam 19:59]

What is the meaning of a? Ibn Masud said it means lost or misplaced its timing. Had they
abandoned it (salh), they wouldve abandoned Islaam.
_, _ ..l l _ _.] > _s :. >!. _
So woe to those who pray. Who are sahn of their prayer. [Al-Man 107:4-5]

Sahn means those who are lax in prayer. Sad b. Abi Waqqs related, "I asked the Prophet (pbuh)
about the meaning of "the worshipers who are neglectful of their Prayer.' He said, "It is the delaying
of performing the Prayer in its definite time." They did not care for timings for which they are
punished in wayl, a valley in hell.
_,,.`. ,l| :1. ., :l .l .>. _. _,:.l _
and establish prayer and do not be of the Mushrikn (Ar-Rm 30:31)
This ayah reveals that the absence of salah is like paganism. This concept is even more explicit in this
hadeeth in saheeh Muslim:

Between a man and shirk is the abandonment of prayer.

35

The following are prophetic traditions about the status of prayer and he who abandons it:

a. When the son of Adam recites the Ayat of Sajdah (prostration) and then falls down in
prostration, the Satan goes into seclusion and weeps and says, Woe unto me, the son of
Adam was commanded to prostrate, and he prostrated and Paradise was entitled to him
and I was commanded to prostrate, but I refused and am doomed to Hell. *Muslim]

Ishaq b. Rahwayh said this is about 1 who refused 1 sajdah. What about he who leaves all
sajdahs?

b. The treaty that I have with them (my followers) is
salaah, whoever leaves it has commited kufr. [Muslim]

c. During hajj, the prophet (pbuh) was praying dhuhr in Mina. After finishing he saw someone
right at the back who has not joined the salah. He asked him: why didnt you pray? Are you
not a Muslim? He said, I prayed in my tent. The prophet (pbuh) said, If you come to the
masjid then pray with the people even if youve prayed (by yourself before). [Nas]

Rule, even if you prayed at home, you cannot cut yourself off in the masjid from the
jama3ah and not join. The proof here is that leaving the salah made him question his imn.

d. Whoever prays as we pray, turns to face the
same Qiblah as us and eats our slaughtered animals, that is a Muslim. *Bukhari and Muslim+

The sign of a Muslim is first praying like we pray, face our Qiblah, and eat our zabiha This
hadith is in reference to when Muslims conquer the Arabian Peninsula, if they come across a
group and dont know who they are, they are to wait until fajr time. If they hear the adhan,
then that is proof that they are Muslim. Prayer is a sign of being a Muslim. And of the
conditions of prayer is to face the qiblah in prayer. On top of that, when they slaughter they
say bismillah. This is also proof that slaughtering is a devotional, ritual, and even theological
action. If there were no adhan and no prayers, then they are pagans.

e. Whoever guards the prayers shall have a light, evidence, and evidence on the day of
judgment. And whoever doesnt guard the prayer shall have no light, nor evidence, nor
salavation and will be resurrected with Firawn, Hamn, Qaroon, and Ubayy ibn Khalaf.
[Musnad Ahmad]

This means the person who prays occasionally is sitting on the line b/w imn and kufr. And
the lesser he prays, the closer to kufr he is. Therefore, Jumuah muslims are barely on the
line of kufr. And 2 or 3 times a day is better but still falls short of the obligation.
cant be given as a title to someone who prays 2 or 3 times a day, but hes still a sinner.
36

There are mutliple narrations from first 3 generations that whoever leaves prayer is not
muslim:

a. When Omar (RA) was stabbed and was about to die, he heard the adhan was called and
tried getting up to go to pray. He said: There is no share
(fraction) of Islaam left for the one who leaves the prayer.

b. said the companions wouldnt see the abandonment of anything being
kufr except for salh.

Q: Why did this group leave zakah? Their proof was the hadith in Bukhari there is no owner of
camels who does not give zakah except that they will trample on him on the Day of Judgment
until Allaah judges between them and decrees paradise or hell - even though he did not give
zakah he is sinner and will be punished for his sin.

3) The five prayers and zakat
Held by everyone in group A by default. Both together held explicitly by Imam Ahmed. Salah and
Zakah are linked through the entire Quran:
| ,!. `.! : l.l '. , : l l> l,,.
So if they repent, and establish the prayer and pay the zakat, then let them be
[at-Tawbah:5]

_l ` .. :l .l `. . , :l .. . , _l.` , >. . s
So if you establish the prayer, and pay the zakat, and believe in My Messengers
and help them [Al-Maidah:12]

Incident of the Wars of Ridda
Those who support this opinion (five prayers and zakat are the minimum) quote the historical
evidence of the wars of apostasy. When the prophet (pbuh) passed away, some apostatized by
following other false prophets. Some denied the zakah. Abu Bakr vowed to fight them. Omar
said, but they say ? Abu Bakr said: By Allaah, I shall
fight whoever separates between (the obligation of) salah and zakah. Upon hearing this, Omar
showed his agreement that this is the truth.
So this group said there is ijma within the sahaabah.

Did those people refuse the obligation of zakah or felt greedy? Some scholars say they denied its
obligation therefore Abu Bakr fought them. The early reference doesnt mention this so it shows
37

us that Abu Bakr did not bother to ask them their stance on it; for actions are speaking for the
inner state.

4) All of the pillars of Islaam
All of the above evidences put together:
Hadith of Jibrl
Hadith of the Delegation of Abd al-Qays:
Once a delegation of Abdul Qays came to Allaahs Apostle (pbuh) and said, We belong
to such and such branch of the tribe of Rabia, and we can only come to you in the Sacred
Months. Order us to do something good so that we may take it from you and also invite
our people whom we have left behind (at home) to it. The Prophet (pbuh) said, I order
you to believe in Allaah. And do you know what is belief in Allaah? [It is] to testify that
none has the right to be worshipped but Allaah, and I am the Messenger of Allaah, and to
offer prayers perfectly, and to pay zakat, and to give the khumus. And I forbid you from
dubba and hantam and muqaytat and naqir (all these are utensils used for the
preparation of alcoholic drinks) *Agreed Upon]

This is the position of Ibn Taymiyyah. Salah and Zakat are 2 outwardly actions that the state can
monitor. But what right do we have to distinguish between them and other arkaan (pillars) of
Islaam? Doesnt a rukn (pillar) being missed negate the act? What is a rukn but a necessary part?
The fact is salah is emphasized extra because it is the most difficult of the 5 and it is impossible
to find someone who prays 5 times a day and doesnt perform the rest. If they perform salah 5
times a day, it follows much easier to give zakah once a year, fast once a year, and hajj once in a
lifetime.

Those who took this opinion, what would be the difference for them between minimum Imn
and Imn waajib? 2 differences:
1. Avoiding the major sins
2. It is a perfection of completing the 5 pillars that gets you to the imn al wjib. To
attempt to do it and fall short sometimes is mutlaq al imn.

In summary, the three main opinions of Ahl al-Sunnah the minimum is all prayers or at least some form
of regularity like 2 of the 5 (first opinion) then he is on the fence between imn and kufr. This is taken
from the hadith that whoever misses 3 jumuahs straight, then nifaaq is sealed on his heart. The second
opinion is that the minimum level is both salah and zakat. The third says all 5 pillars are integral parts of
Islaam.

38

THE ISSUE OF
ISTITHN

Chapter 8:
39
The Issue of Istithn

8. THE ISSUE OF ISTITHN

Historical controversy: How does one respond when asked, Are you a mumin?
One group said whoever says inShaaAllaah is doubting his imn and has committed kufr. Another
group said you have to say inShaaAllaah, otherwise you commit kufr! This controversy no longer exists
by the way.
Position of Ahl al-Sunnah:
Did not like the question, and said the whole issue was an innovation.
However, they said it was permissible (perhaps even better) to say inShaaAllaah after this
phrase, and it was permissible to leave it.
It was permissible (or better) to say because:
1) Imn is of levels, and no one knows for sure whether he has perfected those levels or not.

2) True Imn is that which has been accepted by Allaah (SWT), and no one knows if that will be
the case.

3) No one knows in what state one will die, hence if one adds inShaaAllaah it is as if one is
hoping and praying to die in that state

4) As for the basic level of Imn regarding which one should not be in doubt, it is in face
permissible to occasionally used istithn even when one is not in doubt.

And it was permissible to leave because there is no evidence that suggests it is obligatory, and people
should be certain about having entered the basic level of Imn. Additionally, we are not supposed to
praise ourselves.

Ahmad b. Hanbal was asked, Doesnt saying inShaaAllaah constitute doubt? He replied, I seek
Allaahs refuge! Doesnt Allaah say, You shall, inShaaAllaah, enter the Sacred Mosque, safe and
secure *Al-Fath:27+ and didnt the Prophet (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) say, And we will,
inShaaAllaah, join you. So where is the doubt in this?

Alqama was asked, Are you a mumin? He replied, I hope I am, inShaaAllaah.

However, Ahl al-Sunnah did not allow istithn in Islaam, so one says, I am a Muslim inShaaAllaah
because this deals with the outward testimony of faith and rulings of this life.

InShaaAllaah should only said when referring to future events.

Another historical controversy: Is Imn created or not? This is also a bygone controversy there are
elements of imn that are uncreated like Quraan, shahadah. However, our actions are created.

40

FACTORS
THAT
WEAKEN
ONES IMN

Chapter 9:
41
Factors that Weaken Ones Imn

9. FACTORS THAT WEAKEN ONES IMN
9.1 Major and minor sins
This categorization is in the Quraan:

_ ,..> ., . _> l | .l
Those who avoid great sins (kabair) and shameful deeds, only (falling into) small faults *An-Najm: 32]

| ,..> !, !. .. . s >. >. s >.!:,. l> .. >.. !., _

If you shun the great sins which you are forbidden, We will do away with your small sins and cause you
to enter an honorable place of entering. *An-Nisa:31]

Most explicit verse:
_.` .. >l _. _,.>. l _,1:`. ! .. , l1 , !. .l,., _!. ..> ..l
':!-`, :,- . :,, | !.> .> !. l .s .l> `lL, ,, .> __

And the Book shall be placed, then you will see the guilty fearing from what is in it, and they will say:
Ah! Woe to us! What a book is this! It does not omit a small one (saghira) nor a great one (kabira),
except that is enumerates it (all). And what they had done they shall find present (there), and your Lord
does not deal unjustly with anyone. *Al-Kahf:49]

And in the hadith,
Of the kabair is a man cursing his own father *Al-Bukhari]

The five prayers, and the Friday prayer to the Friday prayer, and one Ramadan to the next, forgives
all that is between it, as long as the kabair are avoided *Al-Bukhari]

Praying regularly forgives your minor sins. So does fasting, etc

Avoid the seven deadly sins." It was asked:"What are they, O Messenger of Allah?" He replied,
1. Associating anyone or anything with Allah in worship; the biggest kabira ever is shirk
2. Practicing sorcery,
3. Killing of someone without a just cause whom Allah has forbidden,
4. Devouring the property of an orphan,
5. Eating of usury,
6. Fleeing from the battlefield
7. And slandering innocent chaste believing women." [Al-Bukhari]
42

What is the definition of a kabira?
Some scholars said that it is anything that has a hadd punishment. Ibn Hazm disagreed; there is no
hadd for cursing ones father.
Some said that they are the sins that were forbidden in other shariahs and ours- but this again is
wrong- drinking alcohol in moderate quantities is allowed for Jews.

Al-Ghazali and his teacher al-Juwayni defined major and minor based on the state of the persons
heart if your heart feels the guilt then it is a minor sin and if your heart is devoid of guilt then it is a
major sin. But again if one fornicates or murders and feels guilty about it, does this make it minor?
This is more of a mystical definition.

Ibn Abbas defined it as every sin for which there is prescribed punishment in the hellfire or invokes
Allaahs curse or anger is major sin.

Ibn Taymiyya adopted Ibn Abbaas and defined it as Every sin that has been assigned a worldly
punishment (hadd), or has been threatened with the Fire, or Allaahs curse, or His anger.

Proof for this definition is in the following ayah:
| > . . , , ! . ! . . s . . > s . > . , : ! . > . . > l . . > , . ! _
If you shun the great sins which you are forbidden, We will do away with your small sins and cause you
to enter an honorable place of entering. *An-Nisa:31]

A kabira is something that will lead to destruction. The opposite of the ayah; if you dont avoid
kabaair, this brings about major punishment.

Q: Does a habitual minor sin become a major sin?
Answer: Maybe, it depends on the state of the sinner.

Academically, a minor sin itself cannot become a major sin. But if it leads to the feeling of being safe
from Allaahs punishment, then the attitude here is what becomes a major sin. Having no guilt and
being callous and unafraid of Allaah is a major sin. Habitually committing a minor sin yet feeling guilty
about is still a minor sin. But when it is done without any remorse, become a habit, and leads to
arrogance here we follow Ghazaalis definition that it becomes a major sin).
Another categorization:
Sins performed out of lust and desire (Adam)
Sins performed out of arrogance (Iblis)

Ibn abbas was asked of minor sins no better way to define this than fornication of eyes (not lowering
ones gaze). These sins will inShaaAllaah be forgiven with good deeds.

43

9.2 Status of sins vis--vis Imn
Rule: Sins that are less than kufr do not in and of themselves expel a person from Islaam.
Khawaarij oppose this. They say any person who commits a major sinner is a kaafir.
There are 5 categories of evidences
1. Shirk is the only unforgivable sin and perfecting tawheed leads to jannah.
| < `- , : . , ` - , !. : ,l: _.l ',!:
Indeed, Allah does not forgive setting up partners with Him in worship, but He forgives what is
less than that for whom He wills [An-Nisaa4:48+
2. Those who commit major sins will enter paradise
Ubadah b. al-Samit reported that the Prophet (pbuh) took the oath from the women and
said, give me the oath of allegiance: that you shall not commit shirk, or steal, or fornicate,
or kill your offspring So whoever fulfills this shall have his reward with Allaah. And
whoever falls into any of these [sins] and is punished in this world, then that shall count as
expiation for him. And whoever commits any of these [sins] secretly shall be left to Allaah
if He wills, He shall forgive, and if He wills, He shall punish him. *Al-Bukhari]

Abu Dharr , I visited the Prophet (pbuh) when he was sleeping, and he was wearing a while
thawb when he woke up, I sat next to him. He said, No servant says La ilaha ila Allaah
and dies with that except that he shall go to Paradise. I said, Even if he fornicated and
stole? He said, Even if he fornicated and stole! I said, Even if he fornicated and stole?
He said, Even if he fornicated and stole! I said, Even if he fornicated and stole? He said
Even if he fornicated and stole but then added on the fourth, even if Abu Dharr doesnt
want it! *Muslim+

This shows you imn of sahaabah; how they thought that committing these sins will not
enter you jannah.
Another proof: hadith of the person who killed 99

3. Evidences that affirm faith to those who commit major sins
The Prophet (pbuh) called fighing another Muslim is kufr: Abusing a Muslim is Fusuq (evil
doing) and fighting him is Kufr *Bukhari+. However, the following ayah affirms belief to
them:
| !.!L _. _,.. .l l.. >l.! !.. , | - , !..> | _ls _>
l..1 _.l _-,. _.> ,_.. _|| . <
And if two parties or groups among the believers fall to fighting, then make peace between
them both, but if one of them rebels against the other, then fight you (all) against the one that
which rebels till it complies with the Command of Allah *Al-Hujurt 49:9+

44

This proves that that this act is a major sin that constitutes minor kufr.
Bilal borrowed money from Abu Dharr and wasnt able to pay it back. Abu Dharr addressed
Bilal as You son of a black woman! The Prophet (pbuh), addressing Abu Dharr, said: Abu
Dharr! Have you criticized him because of his mother? You still have traces of Jahiliyyah in
you *Bukhari].

Haatib b. Abi Balataa, a companion who witnessed Badr, committed treason by revealing
the secret of the Prophet to the Quraish. Allaah (swt) revealed the beginning verses of surah
Al-Mumtahinah addressing this. However, he was neither executed nor considered an
apostate.

During the lifetime of the Prophet there was a man called `Abdullah whose nickname was
Donkey, and he used to make Allah's Apostle laugh. The Prophet lashed him because of
drinking (alcohol). And one-day he was brought to the Prophet on the same charge and was
lashed. On that, a man among the people said, "O Allah, curse him! How frequently he has
been brought (to the Prophet on such a charge)!" The Prophet said, "Do not curse him, for
by Allah, I know for he loves Allah and His Apostle." [Bukhari]

So he fell into the major sin of drinking alcohol
multiple times and was punished for it. The prophet
still considered him a believer and testified that he
loves Allaah and His messenger.

4. All of the evidences of the intercession of the Prophet
discussed in Light of Guidance class. Explicit hadith in
musnad Ahmed: My shafaa is intended for those who
committed major sins of my ummah. Because those who
avoided major sins will enter jannah.

5. The purpose of hadd punishment would be useless if
that sinner was not a muslim. Here the punishment is a
sign of forgiveness. If the Islaamic state punishes you, you
are forgiven. Many sahaabah wanted this hadd applied to
them so they would be forgiven and not be punished in
the hereafter.

Q: Are these traditions problematic?

There are mushkil traditions that the Khawarij use. However, to understand a matter fully, you
never use just one hadith and ignore the rest of the evidences. There are more than 15 evidences in
each of the 5 categories above that a major sin does not expel one from Islaam.

Of these mushkil hadiths:

A. He will not enter jannah, he who has an atoms weight of kibr (pride and arrogance) in his heart.
[Tirmidhi]. So does an arrogant person become kaafir? Arrogance is major sin and there is threat
of him not entering jannah immediately. This is the general verdict that he does not deserve
jannah but Allaah may choose whatever He wills.

Sahl al-Tustari said,
Even if the sinner is
punished, his
punishment will not be
like the disbeliever, He
shall not be thrown in
like him, nor shall he
remain [eternally] like
him, nor shall he suffer
like him.

45

B. Whoever has the following four (characteristics) will be a pure hypocrite *Bukhari+
The mushkil point is the words will be a pure hypocrite. The response here is the four traits
mentioned relate to excesses in dealings and not in theology. The hypocrite who outwardly
claims that he is Muslim but internally does not believe is the one that the ayahs of severe
punishment describe. So these four traits are signs of minor nifaq which could lead to major
nifaq (theological). This hadith is intended as a severe warning against these four traits.

C. The one who fornicates does not fornicate as a mumin *Bukhari+
This is restricted to the times of committing the sin. And whats negated here is Al-imn Al-
Kaamil.

Conclusion: A Major sinner is still a Muslim. If the hadd is applied, then that will be an expiation for
them. If the hadd is not applied and they sincerely repent then inShaaAllaah they are forgiven. If
they dont repent, then it is up to Allaah, He might forgive them or punish them. Even if they are
punished, it is not eternal and will be different than the kaafir. (Refer to Sahls statement above)

Rule: Considering sins to be permissible (istihlal) expels one from Islaam even if one does
not commit the sin.

This is the matter of someone permitting for themselves or others that which is well-known to
be haraam. A person knows that Allaah has made it haraam, and he doesnt care about it, and
he makes it halaal. What we are referring to is quoting an ayah in the Quran and the person just
rejects it out right. For example, Allaah (swt) has forbidden marrying what your fathers have
married previously. It so happens that a man at the time of Ali refused this and made it halaal
for himself. Ali ordered him to be executed. This is as if you are stripping away Allaahs right of
Ruboobiyyah.

Be careful with this and dont use it loosely. We dont use istihlal in grey areas of fiqh.

Side point: The problem nowadays with homosexuality and that anyone who criticizes it
is considered doing hate speech. Shaykh Yasir Qadhi wrote an article on this. Justifying
homosexuality (believing it is permissible) is kufr. Practicing it is a sin. Doing it while
believing it is wrong makes them a faasiq. Having feelings and not acting upon (fighting
those feelings) is a sign of imn. Like the urge and temptation when women pass by you.
Feeling it is not sinful. To battle this is part of imn.

46

9.3 Forgiveness of Minor Sins vs. Major Sins
The only way a major sin is forgivable is a specific tawbah for that sin not a generic tawbah. Generic
istighfar/tawbah forgives minor sins. A specific tawbah is needed for a major sin. You need to repent to
Allaah specifically for that sin. Each major sin required its own repentance.
The traditions mention many specific good deeds that expiate minor sins, such as [partial list]:
1) The five prayers (hadith mentioned earlier)
2) Fasting Ramadan
3) Umrah
4) Hajj (of the most powerful, if not the most powerful deed) that is kaffarah for both major and
minor sins (the only thing that trumps this deed is a non muslim accepts Islaam). A proper
tawbah will forgive the major sins because of the tawbah associated with the hajj not because of
the hajj itself. Hajj is the # 1 deed that combines all of the good deeds including istighfar and
tawbah. So yes, hajj forgives major sins if done correctly.
5) Wudu
6) Fasting on Ashura
7) Fasting on the 9
th
of Dhul Hijjah

Each of these is just one way of removing the dirt of sins. You are constantly through these good
deeds trying to purify and cleanse yourself.

WARNING; Some people who are deceived and rely too much on things like fasting on Ashura or
the day of Arafah, to the extent that some of them say, Fasting on Ashura will expiate for the sins
of the whole year, and fasting on the day of Arafah will being extra rewards.

Ibn al-Qayyim said: This misguided person does not know that fasting in Ramadan
and praying five times a day are much more important fasting on the day of Arafah
and Ashura, and that they expiate for the sins between one Ramadan and the next,
or between one Friday and the next, so long as one avoids major sins. But they
cannot expiate for minor sins unless one also avoids major sins; when the two things
are put together, they have the strength to expiate for the minor sins. Among those
deceived people may be one who thinks that his good deeds are more than his sins,
because he does not pay attention to his bad deeds or put a check on his sins, but if
he does a good deed he remembers it and relies on it. This is like the one who seeks
Allaahs forgiveness with his tongue (i.e., by words only), and glorifies Allaah by
saying Subhan Allaah one hundred times a day, then he backbites about the
Muslims and slanders their honor, and speaks all day long about things that are not
pleasing to Allaah. This person is always thinking about the virtues of his tasbihat
(saying Subhan Allaah) and tahlilat (saying La ilaha illa-Allaah) but he pays no
attention to what has been reported concerning those who backbite, tell lies and
slander others, or commit other sins of the tongue. They are completely deceived.

47

Beware of the sins that are considered trivial, for they gather together around a person until they
destroy him. *Ahmad+
In another Hadith he compared minor sins to twigs; too many twigs light up a fire. Minor sins
are stepping stones that lead to the major. Know that decreasing our minor sins is also
perfection of our imn

Other ways of expiating sins:
Ibn Abbaas narrated that the Messenger of Allaah (pbuh) said that Allaah (swt) spoke to him in a dream
and said, "O Muhammad, do you know what al-mala al-alaa (the angels who are closest to Allaah) are
disputing about? about the things which expiate for sins. Things that expiate for sins are: staying in the
mosque after the prayers, walking to join congregational prayers and performing wudoo properly when
it is difficult to do so. Whoever does these things will have a good life and die a good death, and he will
be as free from sin as on the day his mother bore him." [Al-Tirmidhi]
9.4 The Effects of Sins
Ibn al-Qayyim listed many of the evil effects of committing sins [partial list]
1) Prevention of knowledge of entering the heart (Shafii and wakee poetry)
2) Prevention of rizq (just like taqwa increases your sustenance, sins decrease it)
3) Weakening of the heart, mind, and body (when we were young, we preserved our limbs for
the sake of Allaah. And when we grew older He preserved it for us.)
4) Reduces lifespan (barakah). When you obey Allaah you accomplish a lot in one day like the
one who reads Quran and prays at night and does so much vs. watching a movie
5) Contempt from Allaah (SWT)
6) Decrease of remorse
7) Increase of humiliation. Just like the one who obeys Allaah swt will be honored and raised
in ranks, the sinner will be humiliated.
8) Lack of intelligence. Corruption of intellect. Sinners show that they prefer the pleasures of
this world to that of the hereafter. Thats why each sinner is called a jaahil in the Quraan.
9) Sealing of the heart. Sinning is like taking poison inside of the body.
10) Spoiling the lands resources and destroys civilizations. Nations before us were destroyed
because of a particular sin.
11) Disappearance of modesty. Hayaa is from imn. All hayaa is good. Sinning kills ones hayaa
12) Becoming neglectful of Allaah (swt). Sins bring about ghaflah. Allaah (swt) does not like
those we are ghaafil. Whenever good happens the angels come. Shaytan flocks around evil.
13) Pain and suffering in this world and the next. Ibnul Qayyim: Every single trial/problem of
this world and the next is the result of a sin. Was not Adam kicked out of jannah and sent to
earth b/c of 1 morsel of food that he ate? Nowadays, many sins are becoming public. Never
has homosexuality become rampant in a society except that Allaah swt destroyed them.

48

9.5 The Expiation of Sins
Ibn al-Qayyim listed ten factors that forgive or expiate sins:
1. Tawbah (returning to Allaah)
2. Istighfar (asking forgiveness)
3. Good deeds The story of man who came seeking a way of repentance for
kissing/touching a woman. Allaah swt revealed the following ayah:
| ... >' _,>.`, ,!:,.l
Indeed, good deeds do away with misdeeds *Hd 11:114]
The man felt guilty and came seeking repentance and prayed jamaah with the prophet.
This ayah is for all the Muslims. You need to feel guilty for your minor sins.
4. Problems and grief of this world. Never does a thorn prick us except that sin is forgiven.
Every emotional loss and physical pain will be a cause for forgiveness. Every time they
happen, remember the reward. Pain is result of our sins. Every calamity causes
forgiveness for even more sins ONLY if it connects you back to Allaah swt again. One
should hope that this suffering will forgive much more than what caused it. When Allaah
swt loves someone He tests him.
5. Prayer of others for you (in life) and over you (after death). When you make duaa for
others, angels make duaa for you. Never do 40 ppl pray sincerely for a dead person
except that Allaah swt forgives you. (in another narrations 100).
6. Good deeds done on behalf of those who are deceased Like a child sending good deeds
to a parent. You hope that Allaah swt is generous with you and gives you reward for
being a good child. Examples include monetary deeds, sacrificial slaughter, physical
deeds can be given to dead other than salaah and fasting. Many scholars allowed gifting
the Quran to the dead.
7. Trials and punishments of the grave (backbiter, gossiper, not protecting from urine,
etc)
8. Affliction on the Day of Judgment (sirat, decrease of light, anxiety of waiting, sweating,
etc). The righteous will be safe from all of this
9. Intercession of the prophets and righteous on the day of judgment
10. Allaahs Mercy and Forgiveness Allaah will choose to forgive people out of His pure
forgiveness.

We want to restrict ourselves to the top 3. You dont want to get to 7! Any Muslim who is punished
in the grave, this punishment will reduce or eliminate later punishments. Any non-Muslim who is
punished in the grave, this is the beginning of something much worse.

49

FACTORS
THAT NEGATE
ONES IMN
(NAWQID AL-
IMN)

Chapter 10:
50
Factors that Negate Ones Imn

10. FACTORS THAT NEGATE ONES IMN (NAWQID AL-IMN)
10.1 Intro to the topic

Those who fulfill the Covenant of Allaah and break not the Mithaq (bond, treaty, covenant)
[Al-Raad 13:20]
NAQADA to rip off from the roots
Sins in general decrease a persons Imaan. However there are some sins which actually take a
person out of the fold of Islam.
Category of sins that cancel out, annul, abrogate the covenant of Islaam (2 categories):
1) Those who never entered Islaam (kufar asliyyun)
These people nullified their fitra or at the very least did not fulfill it by not entering into
Islam.
2) Those who entered Islaam and then left is (murtad)

And if any of you turn back their faith (yartadid) and die in unbelief, their works will bear no fruit in
this life and in the Hereafter; they will be the dwellers of the Fire and will abide therein forever.
[Al-Baqarah 2:217]

A Murtad is someone who negated his Islaam by a belief or statement or an action that expels one from
Islaam.

Major Kufr

Major
Shirk
Major
Nifaaq
51

The naqaqid are beliefs, statements, and actions that expel one from Islaam after having
entered it.

There are three matters that contradict Imn: kufr, shirk, and nifaq. All three are divided into
major and minor; it is the major that expels one from Islam.
Kufr
o Linguistically: From kafara, which mean to cover up
o Technically: The absence of Imn (antithesis)
- Kufr covers up the fitra and the truth.
- A kaafir is someone who does not have Imaan.
Shirk
o Linguistically: From the root word that signifies mixing, assimilation
Shareek is a business partner
o Technically: To give the rights of Allaah to other than Allaah (SWT)
Nifaq
o Linguistically: From the root word that is used for tunnel, burrow
o Technically: To pretend to be a Muslim while belying the message.

To be academically precise, there is only one thing that contradicts Imaan and that is kufr.
Therefore, kufr is the opposite of Imaan and some types of kufr are shirk and some types of kufr are
nifaaq.

Q: What is the relationship between these three terms?
o Nifaq and shirk are subsets of kufr. Kufr and nifaq are equal to shirk in their being
unforgivable but shirk is mentioned because of its most heinous and ugly nature.
All three are divided into major and minor, it is the major kufr/shirk/nifaq that expels one from
Islaam. Minor kufr/shirk/nifaq are major sins that a Muslim commits.
Therefore, every type of major shirk and nifaaq are types of kufr but not every kufr is shirk or
nifaaq.

Note: Fisq and dhulm are also major and minor.
- Major Fisq is synonymous to kufr and major dhulm is synonymous to shirk.
- All sins are minor fisq and minor dhulm is the oppression Muslims do to one another.

- Proof:
Major Fisq is synonymous to Kufr:

Allaah calls Iblees a faasiq but he is not just any faasiq. He is a kaafir.

And [mention] when We said to the angels, "Prostrate to Adam," and they prostrated, except for Iblees.
He was of the jinn and departed from the command of his Lord. Then will you take him and his
52

descendants as allies other than Me while they are enemies to you? Wretched it is for the wrongdoers
as an exchange.
[Al-Kahf 18:50]

Major Dhulm is synonymous to Shirk:

Indeed, association *with him+ is great injustice."

[Luqman 31:13]

10.2 The Reality of Kufr
- When we define Imaan as being believes in the heart, statements on the tongue and actions of the
limbs, it automatically means that Kufr is the opposite of this. Kufr, therefore occurs from the heart,
the tongue and the limbs.
1. From the Heart:
a. Lack of belief (qawl al-qalb - believing in everything that comes from Allah and His
messenger). This could be due to:
i. Ignorance.
Never heard of Islaam or the Prophet.
Of all the manifestations of Kufr, this is the only category of people who can
possibly be forgiven by Allaah.
ii. Incorrect information.
Some scholars have said that this category of people might have a chance of
being forgiven as well. However, it is not so simple. If a person watches Fox
News he is clearly receiving incorrect information. However, this same person
can discover the truth, if he/she chooses to do so, from other channels,
libraries, internet, etc.
Many Muslims are very easygoing in regards to this category. They believe
that Allaah will forgive those who only watch Fox News or get their
information from biased sources. However, guidance is a two way street. It is
our obligation to give Dawah. It is also the obligation of everyone to search
for guidance. If we dont knock on their doors, they have an obligation to
knock on ours. Allaah has instilled the Fitra in every one of us and
so no individual should be satisfied until they accept that which agrees with
that Fitra.
A every important and sensitive point is the status of Prophets parents in the
hereafter. He, himself has told us that they are in the hellfire. The reason for
this is that they actually had access to the knowledge and religion of Ibrahim.
If the Jaahiliyyah Arabs had access to correct information what about the
people in the west today with all their books and technologies?
What is truly meant by Incorrect Information is someone who heard
something wrong about Islam and never had an alternative or opportunity to
access the correct information. In this case, they might be considered to be
from the category above: those who are ignorant.
53

iii. Doubt (shakk)
A person who has doubt is someone who studies Islaam or knows enough
about Islaam but still does not think that it is the true religion.
He/she is not sure () and so they are noncommittal.
iv. Turning away (irad)
Out of these four, this category is the worst
This is the life of hedonism or animalistic pleasures where a person does not
even care to read or study the purpose of this life.
This is the bulk of humanity. They think only of carpe diem living in the
present moment. There is no thought of death or the hereafter.

b. Denial of belief (amal al-qalb)
There are many who have studied the religion and know the truth, like orientalists, but do
not have any emotions or attachment. These people are a million times worse because they
know the truth and still reject it. They are the lowest of the low. They are exactly like Iblees
and Firawn.
Of the acts of the heart that are lacking are:
Submission
Love
Fear
This could be due to:
i. Arrogance (istikbar)
Of those who have rejected because of arrogance are
Iblees

And [mention] when We said to the angels, "Prostrate before Adam"; so they prostrated, except for
Iblees. He refused and was arrogant and became of the disbelievers.
[Al-Baqarah 2:34]

Firawn

And he was arrogant, he and his soldiers, in the land, without right, and they thought that they would
not be returned to Us.
[Al-Qasas 28:39]

The Jews in the time of the Prophet
54

Those to whom We gave the Scripture know him as they know their own sons. But indeed, a party of
them conceal the truth while they know [it].
[Al-Baqarah 2:146]

ii. Outright rejection (juhud)
There is some overlap between those who are arrogant and those who outrightly
reject:
Firawn

And they rejected them, while their [inner] selves were convinced thereof, out of injustice and
haughtiness. So see how was the end of the corrupters.
[An-Naml 27:14]

c. Hypocrisy (nifaq)
They are those who pretend to be Muslims outwardly but do not really
consider their ownselves to be Muslims.
They are a strange hybridization, in that they have elements of a (qawl al-
qalb) and b (amal al-qalb), while at the same time lack elements of a and b.
We know this because Allah tells us that the Munafiqoon are
afraid that Allah will expose their inner thoughts. This shows that they believe
that Allah exists and that He knows their innermost thoughts.

They hypocrites are apprehensive lest a surah be revealed about them, informing them of what is in
their hearts. Say, "Mock [as you wish]; indeed, Allah will expose that which you fear."
[At-Tawbah 9:64]

2. From the tongue:
a. Outright rejection
Saying that you are not a Muslim or that you are a kaafir or a Christian or that
you belong to any faith other than Islam. To say any of this is Kufr.
A Muslim never utters these words, even as a joke.
55

Ibn hazm has said that there is ijmaa amongst all of the scholars that whoever
says he is a kaafir/Christian, etc, even jokingly, has committed an act of kufr and
needs to repent.
Religion is something that by definition is held sacred, with respect and honor. It
is not something that you can joke about. Our attitude to religion cannot be the
same as those without any religion. There are some things that you cannot
make fun of. Just as we would not joke about the chastity of our mothers, we
cannot possibly joke about our God or our Messenger or our Book or our
Religion.
b. A statement that necessitates rejection (ridicule, sarcasm, rejection of a fundamental
commandment)
To deny or reject any of the fundamentals of the religion knowingly and without
coercion.
This could be something such as the denial of Qadr, which is a fundamental part
of our religion. This is basically Istihlaal of the tongue.
This also includes mocking and sarcasm directed to any aspect of this religion.
Another manifestation is cursing Allah or His Messenger. To do this
is riddah! Any son who curses his own mother has no love/respect for her! If we
apply this concept to the religion we will see that anyone who dares to do
something like this does not have the necessary Islaam or submission required
to be a Muslim.

3. From the Body:
This includes doing anything that contradicts the fundamentals of submitting to Allah, any of the
fundamentals of Islaam and Imaan without coercion.
Examples:
o Willfully prostrating to idols this is blatant shirk,
o The most common example in books of fiqh is to show disrespect to Quraan. It is the
Ijma of the scholars that disrespecting the Quraan is an act of kufr.
Our theology is different from the others who would say that this act is not in
and of itself kufr but shows something in the heart that is kufr.
We claim that this is an act of kufr since actions are a part of Imaan.
These acts are not indications of kufr, they are in and of themselves kufr.

Sufyan b. Uyayna (d. 198) was asked about the murjia. He said: Imn consists of statements and
actions, and the murjia considered Jannah to be obligatory on those who testified the shahada even if
his heart was adamant at not doing the obligatory good deeds, and they considered this a sin, just like
incest. But they are not the same! Because incest, if it is still considered impermissible, is a sin, but
leaving the obligatory deeds intentionally, without ignorance or excuse, is kufr. And the example of this
is in Adam, Iblis, and the scholars of the Yahud. As for Adam, he was prohibited from eating from the
tree, but he ate intentionally, desiring power or eternal life. So he was called a sinner, without any kufr.
As for Iblis, he was told to prostrate once, but refused intentionally and rejected it, and so he was called
a kafir. And as for the scholars of the Yahud, they recognized the characteristic of the Prophet just as
they know their sons, and they admitted this with their tongues, but they did not follow his Shariah, so
they were called Kafir. *Dhahira al-Irja, p. 482]
56

- The example of Adam and Iblees:
Both commanded to do certain things and both disobeyed. One is a mighty prophet, and the other is
the leader for the inhabitants of fire. Why? It was because of the attitude. Adam recognized his sin,
acknowledged it as his own, repented right away, submitted to Allaah and sought forgiveness from
Him. Iblees on the other hand, did the exact opposite. He refused to acknowledge it as a sin, blamed
it on Allaah, showed arrogance, and distanced himself more from Allah. The difference between
Adam and Iblees is the difference between Imaan and Kufr. The Mumin wants to submit to Allah
internally and externally whereas the kaafir is not going to submit to Allah internally and externally.

Q What is the ruling of those who has never heard of Islaam?
This question is indicative of a problem in the questioner. This is because you are becoming
obsessive with a question that will not concern you or harm you or benefit you. This is not our
business. This is an issue that is up to Allah. The Prophet said, My ummah shall always be in
good until they start arguing about the children of the kaafirs (whether they are in heaven or
hell) Musnad Ahmed. The scholars have explained this hadith to mean that the ummah will
always be in good as long as they restrict themselves to beneficial knowledge. As soon as the
start to occupy themselves with hypothetical questions that have no relevance to their lives, the
goodness will be lost. Dont you believe that Allaah is just and wise? If we do, then we are sure
that Allah will do that which is wise and just.
With that being said, our scholars have actually discussed this issue and it is ironic that Ibn Hajar
has said that he found over 10 different opinions on this issue.
We discuss some of these opinions:
o The Mutazilah and the Maturdiyyah say that anyone such as this, who worshipped idols
is going to hell. Except if they practiced Tawheed, in which case they would be forgiven.
This is because they emphasized the intellect and so they say that the intellect should
have led them to Islaam.
o The Asharis reject the position of the mutazilah. They claim that all kaafirs who are
ignorant will go to Jannah.
Problem with this position: Why then should these people become Muslims?
Why should we give dawah to them? Let them just be ignorant! It would be
better for them since they would be guaranteed Jannah if they do not know
Islaam. In his book Faisal at-Tafriqah, one of the greatest proponents of the
Ashari theology claims that all of the Romans who have never heard of Islam are
going to Jannah. This is clearly incorrect.
o Our position, the position of Ibn Taymiyyah, is that all of the Kuffar, pagans and ahl-al-
kitaab, who were genuinely ignorant meaning that they had absolutely no access to
Islaam, will be tested on the Day of Judgment.
These people will complain to Allah that they did not have a messenger. Allah
will ask them what they would have done if He had sent them a messenger.
They will claim that they would most definitely have followed him. Allah will
therefore send an Angel to them in the form of a messenger and he will inform
them that he is the messenger to them from Allah with the command that they
jump into the fire. Whoever obeys and jumps into the fire, it will be converted
into Jannah for him and whoever refuses will actually enter the real fire.
This account is based on a hadith found in the Musnad of Imaam Ahmad where
four people will complain to Allah that they are being punished unjustly. Allah
57

will then test them as mentioned above. Ibn Taymiyyah uses analogy (qiyaas) to
include those people who were truly ignorant of the message.
There is therefore a possibility of forgiveness for those who were genuinely
ignorant but this is the exception and not the rule.

10.3 Minor Kufr, Shirk, and Nifaq
Q. Where is the evidence of these categories?
The Prophet explicitly called Riyaa (Showing off) minor shirk or shirk al-asghar. If there is a category
called minor shirk there must also be a category called major shirk. We can then extrapolate this to not
only shirk but kufr and nifaaq as well. After looking at the Quraan and the Sunnah we clearly see the
mention of certain acts that are declared as kufr and yet they do not take a person out of the fold of
Islaam. The same occurs for nifaaq. The Prophet declared certain acts as acts of hypocrisy but they do
not make a person a hypocrite. However, these acts are all stepping stones to major Kufr or Shirk or
Nifaaq.

Many traditions mention sins by calling them kufr
o For example: Cursing a Muslim is a sin, and fighting him is kufr *Bukhari, Sahih Al-
Bukhari]
o Yet, in the Quran, Allaah (SWT) says:

And if two parties or groups among the believers fall to fighting, Then make peace between them
both *Al-Hujurat :9]
o Many other examples of this were mentioned in the class Light of Guidance. Some of
these include:
o Wailing over the dead
o Denying others their lineage or your own lineage
o Denying ones father

Similarly, the Prophetic traditions mention certain acts as being shirk or nifaq, yet are clearly
sins
o Shirk:
The Prophet called Riyaa minor shirk
o Nifaaq:
Lying
Breaking promises
Betraying trusts
Using foul language when arguing
Being double faced

o All of the above prove the existence of some type of Kufr that is present amongst Muslims;
i.e., minor kufr (and minor shirk and minor nifaq)

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10.4 Issues of Ridda

Linguistically: To return from something
Technically: To return to kufr after having left it for Islaam.
o Or: coming forth with a belief, statement or action after entering Islaam that nullifies it.

Classically there has been Ijmaa of scholars, even of the Shia and the Khawarij, that whoever commits
riddah is to be executed. However, this rule only applies when there is a khaleefah and the person is in
dar-al-Islam. The person has to be taken to the court and a judge will then rule on his situation. Even in
dar-al-Islaam a person does not take this law into his own hand and execute his neighbor or anyone who
he believes to have become a murtad. The only responsibility one has is to make the situation known to
the authorities. If this is the case in a Muslim land then what about our situation here in a non-muslim
land? The most we can do to a murtad is to speak out against them, boycott them and ostracize them,
but we have absolutely no right to lift a finger to physically harm them or kill them. In a non-muslim land
the hudood cannot be implemented. This is the responsibility of the Khaleefah. While the Prophet was
alive, Ubaidullah ibn Jahsh committed ridda in Abyssinia and became a Christian. The Sahaabah knew
this and they did not do anything to him.

If a family member becomes a murtad there should be those in the family who ostracize him/her and
those who keep the door open for the person to return to Islaam.

10.4.1. Examples of beliefs, statements, and actions that constitute ridda

Heart:
o To ascribe divinity to other than Allaah (SWT)
o To believe something that contravenes the fundamentals of Islaam
o To consider something haram as halal when it is established otherwise
Tongue
o To utter statements of kufr without duress
o To ridicule Allaah or His Messenger
Body
o To perform any action that demonstrates a lack of Imn, such as disrespecting the
Quran, or prostrating to an idol, etc.

Note: Scholars have unanimously agreed that hadd punishments can only be applied by a
legitimate Caliph. Muslims living under non-Muslims rule can NEVER take the law into their own
hands. A Muslim who becomes a murtad may be socially ostracized, but nothing else.

10.4.2. Ruling by a Law other than the Shariah
This issue has become one of the most controversial issues of our times. It is exploited by extremist
groups to justify radical ideologies and militants actions.
This is the cornerstone of their rhetoric. All of their ideologies and actions are based upon this issue.
o Theoretical issues (different opinions)
The issue arises in the fact that actions are a part of Imaan and so a person needs to
abide by the rules of Islaam to be a Muslim. We have learnt that Istihlaal is kufr.
59

What then is the situation of a Muslim ruler who replaces the law of Allah with
something else?
Even in our own theology there is a spectrum or opinions. Some say that this is
minor kufr whilst others say that it is major kufr.
o Practical ramification (extremist groups ignore)
One of the differences between mainstream scholars and extremists is that
extremists completely ignore reality. They live in an imaginary utopia. They do not
take into account the practical ramifications of anything they do. It is just a matter
of emotions and rage and rhetoric without thinking through the steps and truly
planning ahead. Many of them only plan one step ahead.
The extremist group that planned and executed the assassination of Anwar Sadat,
because they claimed that he was not ruling by the law of Allah, planned only the
assassination. There was no thought of what to do after that. Instead of the change
that they hoped for, Sadat was replaced by a more oppressive dictator.
Before 9/11 Sh. Bin Baaz and Ibn Uthaymeen warned Bin Laden that he was going
down a very dangerous path.
The practical benefit that we can gain from this discussion is that it does not benefit
any one of us to pronounce a leader or a president of a country as a kaafir. We
cannot cause more bloodshed in the name of preventing bloodshed. If we do this,
we will become just like our Western governments who are practicing terror in the
name of getting rid of terror.
Sh. Ibn Uthaymeen held the view that a Muslim ruler who completely abandons the
Shariah is not a Muslim. However, he would always say that we do not open up the
door for civil war or bloodshed. By unsheathing the sword, you are never going to
sheath it until it is bloodied.
Sh. Bin Baaz disagreed with the position of Sh. Ibn Uthaymeen. He considered that
ruling by a law other than the law of Allah is minor kufr, a major sin but it does not
take one out of the fold of Islaam.
In our own lives we need to submit to the law of Allah. There are groups that are
trying to address the issues of interacting with the western courts and we hope that
these will be clarified in the near future.
Conclusion: Regardless of the theoretical factors, all major scholars the world over state that
making blanket takfir of societies, or politicians, leads to a far greater harm than any possible
good. It is for this reason that no senior scholar supports takfiri groups in either their theory or
their practices.

10.5 The Issue of Takfir
Rule: Whoever is a Muslim for certain cannot be considered a non-Muslim based on doubt

Hadith: Whoever calls his brother O kafir! it shall return to one of the two. So if the other was as he
said *it will go to him+, otherwise it shall return upon the one who said it. [Muslim, Sahih Muslim]

Ibn Taymiyyah: Ahlus-Sunnah are the farthest people from calling other Muslims Kafir.

Rule: Takifr of characteristics does not necessitate takfir of individuals with those
characteristics.
The different between takfir al-mutlaq and takfir al-muayyan
60

o We speak in generalities and not specifics.
o Anyone who curses Allaah and His messenger is kaafir. This is called takfir al-Mutlaq.
But, you do not have the right to call a specific person doing it kaafir. This is called
takfir al-muayyan and it is not your right.
o Anyone who abandons the salaah is a kaafir. This is again generic. However, we do not
have the right to go around calling individuals kaafirs based on this fact.
Ibn Taymiyyah writes:
o So it is possible that an action or statement be kufr, and one may generalize and say
that whoever is guilty of it is a kafir. However, it is not allowed to specify a particular
person who has done such a deed as being a kafir until sufficient proof is presented to
him (iqamat al-hujja) a proof that is so clear that one may consider the one who
opposes it to be kafir. And this is a matter that is clear in all of the texts that mention
punishments, and [one that] Ahl al-Sunnna affirms. So one does not testify regarding
specific person of this Umma that he shall be in the Fire, because there is a possibility he
shall not, due to an impeding factor or a lock of the necessary conditions. *Ibn
Taymiyyah, Majmu alFatawa] [M.F. 35/165]

There are steps that have to be followed before a general rule can be applied to a specific person. It is
only the scholars of Islaam who can implement these steps and not the regular person. Therefore, the
average Muslim never calls another Muslim a kaafir unless any of the following two scenarios exist:
1. The person calls himself a kaafir.
2. The person belongs to a group that the scholars have declared as outside the fold of Islam. For
us the main groups are:
a. Durooz
b. Nusairis and Alawis
c. Qadianis and Ahmadis of Pakistan and India
d. Those who still ascribe to the old Nation of Islaam ideology.

Excuses that prevent takfir:
1. Ignorance (jahl)

Hadith in Bukhari A man who lived before us asked his children, at his death bed, to cremate
his body and scatter his ashes. He did this out of fear of Allaahs punishment. Allaah forgave
him. This man tried to outsmart Allaah. This is an act of kufr. By his actions he denied that
Allaah is powerful, he partially denied the Day of Judgment, thinking that he will be exempt and
yet Allaah still forgave him due to his ignorance. He was a pure simpleton and his kufr was
overlooked because he was an utter jaahil.

o An uneducated man blindly following his leaders (taqlid)
o Calling out to the dead is the essence of shirk. If this is not shirk, then what is? Yet there are
hundreds of millions of Muslims who are doing this around the world. We do not call them
kaafirs? These people are simply following what their scholars have taught them. Those
scholars who propagate this are going to be held accountable for misguiding the people.
Perhaps Allaah will forgive the masses because of their ignorance. When you meet someone
with this ideology and practice it is your responsibility to teach and not to stamp them as
kaafirs.

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upon you is only the *duty of+ notification, and upon Us is the account.
[Ar-Rad 13:40+

o Not being capable of knowing or learning (ajz)
o Ignorance is relative (time, place, person)
o A person living in the west surround by non-muslims and their ideology is not like someone
living in Saudi Arabia surrounded with Muslims and great scholars of the Deen.
o A Muslim in the west who cracks a joke about Islaam or Allah should not be treated the
same as a Saudi who curses the Prophet.
o We take into account a persons cultural and social background.

No person can be called a kaafir until the evidence is presented to him or the proof is
established against him . This means that you prove to this person clearly that what
he/she is doing crosses the line. If he/she still continues to do this, then the scholar can declare
this as kufr.

2. Genuine mistake (khata).
o It is of the mercy of Allaah that a mistake is not even written down and held to account
o There might be a penalty in this dunya depending on whether the rights of others were violated
or not.
o An example of a mistake: You see a person making sajdah to a grave. After confronting him, he
is just as surprised as you are because he did not realize that it was a grave and was just using it
as a sutra.

Hadith: The Prophet said, My lord has overlooked from my ummah mistakes, forgetfulness and what
they were forced to do against their will. *Ibn Majah+

3. Being coerced (ikrah)
o Ikraah means to utter or do an act of kufr due to being under threat of severe bodily harm (not
just a slap on the face) to you or your loved ones, as long as your heart remains firm upon
Imaan.
o Ikraah can never occur to something in your heart.
o You can never kill another human while you are under compulsion. Your life is no more sacred
than another humans. You are allowed to infringe the rights of Allah under coercion and Allah
will forgive you, but you are never allowed to kill or harm someone else because of this.
o The story of Ammar ibn Yaasir he was made to say statements of kufr against the prophet. He
came to the Prophet weeping. The Prophet asked him what he really felt in his heart. He replied
that it was filled with Imaan. The Prophet told him that if they should ask him to repeat the
statements of kufr, he should repeat it.
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Whoever disbelieves in Allah after his belief... except for one who is forced [to renounce his religion]
while his heart is secure in faith. But those who [willingly] open their breasts to disbelief, upon them is
wrath from Allah , and for them is a great punishment;
[An-Nahl 16:106]

4. A genuine incorrect interpretation (tawil)
o This is a type of ignorance where a person thinks he has evidence but in reality he does not.
o Story of Haatib b. Abi Baltaah.
o He committed a genuine act of treason against the Prophet. When the Prophet was
ready to attack Makkah it was supposed to be a surprise attack. Haatib sent this
information with a woman who placed the letter inside her hair. Allah informed the
Prophet of this and he sent Ali to capture the woman and retrieve the letter. After
threatening to strip search her, the woman took out the letter from her hair and handed
it to Ali. Umar wanted to immediately execute Haatib for this act of treason. The
Prophet calmed him down and sent for Haatib. This is an act of kufr but the Prophet
gave him a chance to explain himself. He affirmed his Imaan but explained that he
wanted the Quraish to protect his family and not kill them since they would have been
indebted to him if they had received the letter from him. The Prophet confirmed his
truthfulness. Umar was not satisfied and asked permission again to execute Haatib. The
Prophet again refused saying that maybe Allah has looked at the people of Badr and told
them to do as they please for they have been forgiven. Haatib was a person who
participated in Badr. The scholars have said that the first request of Umar to execute
Haatib was because he considered him a Murtad and the second was because of the
treason.
o If this is the case for a Sahaabi then what about an ignorant Muslim of our times?

10.6 Sumary of Imn and Kufr
1. The essence (or base, or foundation) of kufr and Imn are mutually exclusive.
o The base of these tree is in the heart an there is only room for one of these in the heart.
The heart therefore has Imaan or it has Kufr.
2. Both have pillars and foundations, and also branches and subdivisions
o Both trees have roots, trunks and branches.
3. Both are composed of inner belief and outer actions
4. Some actions and beliefs are intrinsically linked to imn and kufr.
o Only a Muslim prays and only a kaafir worships idol.
o Believing in the Prophethood of Muhammad is intrinsically linked with Imaan
5. All good deeds exist as pillars or branches of Imn, and all evil are manifestations of the
branches of kufr.
o Even removing something from the road is a manifestation of Imaan.
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6. It is possible that a person has the foundation of Imn but some branches of kufr, and vice
versa.
o Even the kaafir has good qualities and every Muslim has some bad qualities.
o Good might exist in a Kaafir but it is not coming from his kufr because the tree of kufr
only gives evil.
o The bad qualities coming from a Muslim does not stem from his Imaan because only
good can come from Imaan.
o A Muslim might have huge branches of major sins weighing down his tree of Imaan but
he is still a Muslim.
o Small twigs of the tree of kufr residing in the tree of Imaan are minor sins.
o The good Muslim prunes and purifies his tree. Every time he fines a twig from the tree
of kufr he gets rid of it.
o The Muhsin therefore has a beautiful, perfect tree. He is ever vigilant in keeping the tree
pure.
o A Muslim can have a branch of minor kufr in his tree but he can never have a branch of
major kufr.
o Vice versa, you can have a kaafir who has good branches but the roots are that of kufr.
They are smelling the beauty of imn and are close to converting but the roots of Imaan
have not been planted as yet.
7. Having a branch of kufr does not necessitate becoming a kafir.
o A Muslim can commit kufr without being a kaafir
o A kaafir can do deeds of imn. Allaah will reward him in this dunya.
Only Ahlus Sunnah have this understanding of imn and kufr as their model. Other groups consider imn
a light switch: on or off.

THE TOPIC TO BE DISCUSSED LATER IN ANOTHER CLASS AL WALAA WAL BARAA
This topic deals directly with Imaan and Kufr but because of the times and places we live in this topic will
be given its own class. It is a topic that is very politically charged.

Walaa: having loyalty to the Muslims

Baraa: disconnecting from those who oppose Islaam; to cut off and be free off, have no connection
with;
To translate Baraa as hatred is incorrect.

Imn means that automatically you will have an appreciation for those who have this tree of imn. You
will have a love and care for them and feel connected to them. Those who dont have it, you dont have
the same ties with them. This is actually completely natural; people have ways of dividing the world into
groups of similar characteristics. Nowadays, it is the paradigm of the nation state. If an American is
abducted by pirates it automatically becomes national news here in the US. If someone of a different
nationality is abducted it is barely mentioned by the US media. There is a feeling of connection and care
and this is very natural from the paradigm of the nation-state. There is therefore nothing wrong with us
saying that we, as Muslims, have ties that bind to the entire Muslim Ummah; when one part hurts, the
whole Ummah hurts. Even the Christians have this. However, their loyalty is restricted to the local
church that they go to.
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To have no walaa is a sign of no Imaan.

Baraa is the opposite of Walaa and here is where it gets a bit politically incorrect and controversial. It
means that we cannot be supportive of those who try to harm our faith. If we do not have walaa it
means that we do not have any love for Allaah and His messenger. It is not possible to have walaa for
those who oppose Allaah and His messenger.

Your ally is none but Allah and His Messenger and those who have believed - those who establish prayer
and give zakah, and they bow [in worship].
[Al-Maaidah 5:55+

O you who have believed, do not take the Jews and the Christians as allies. They are [in fact] allies of one
another. And whoever is an ally to them among you - then indeed, he is [one] of them. Indeed, Allah
guides not the wrongdoing people.
[Al-Maaidah:51+

Sometimes the words awliyaa is translated incorrectly as friends. The word awliyaa actually means
those who you go to for support.
There was an interpretation for Walaa and Baraa that it means to love Muslims only and hate all
kaafirs. This is downright incorrect. There is nothing in the Quraan and the Sunnah that tells us we must
hate the kaafirs. In fact, there are multiple evidences that show that it is permissible to not only have
genuine friendship with them but to have actual love for some of them. However, this is the natural love
that a person has that is not related to the religion. As we covered in Light of Guidance, there is Natural
and Devotional love. If natural love does not oppose devotional love, then it is permissible.
So, a non-muslim can be beloved for many reasons. If you are a convert, of course you will still have love
for your mother and father. If a man marries a woman from ahl-al-kitaab, he has genuine love for her.

The Prophet loved his uncle, Abu Talib, and Allaah Himself declared this as love:

Indeed, [O Muhammad], you do not guide whom you like, but Allah guides whom He wills. And He is
most knowing of the [rightly] guided.
[Al-Qasas 28:56]

However, if someone curses or mocks Allaah and His messenger or is killing Muslims because they are
Muslims, then you are not allowed to show love to them, even natural love.
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You will not find a people who believe in Allah and the Last Day having affection for those who oppose
Allah and His Messenger, even if they were their fathers or their sons or their brothers or their kindred.
Those - He has decreed within their hearts faith and supported them with spirit from Him. And We will
admit them to gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein they abide eternally. Allah is pleased with
them, and they are pleased with Him - those are the party of Allah . Unquestionably, the party of Allah -
they are the successful.
[Al-Mujaadilah 58:22]

If someone insulted your mother, what would you do? There is no way that you could continue to be
friends. Allaah and His messenger deserve a higher rank in our hearts than our mothers. It is our God-
given and even American right to hate anyone we want to. If someone has the right to curse our
Prophet we have the right to curse him back. We do not have the right to physically harm him but we
have the right to cut ourselves off from him, make fun of him, and expose their ignorance in public and
also to hate him. This would be a sign of Imaan.

There are very serious issues being an American Muslim, but it is manageable. As of right now there is
no genuine conflict between being a practicing Muslim and an American citizen. If America remains loyal
to the ideals and values of the founding fathers, we can remain faithful and loyal to ours as well. But if it
becomes more fascist and demands from us what it has not demanded in the past 200 years and makes
undue demands to worship it, as the previous fascist states have done, then we will have to leave. We
are proud to be American, but our ultimate loyalty is to the God who created us. If being an American
means not being loyal to the God who created us then there is no question that we will chose loyalty to
our God over any nation-state.
Opposing foreign policy is not being a traitor. Criticizing the government and its policies is actually being
patriotic. Loyalty to America does not mean being jingoistic and waving a flag when they bomb other
countries. The biggest critics of America today are actually the right-wing Republicans. Democrats and
Republicans are more interested in killing each other than saving America. The quintessential American
spirit is that you do not have to toe the party line.

Bottom line: walaa and baraa should not make you a fanatic. There is nothing wrong with being a
proud American Muslim. Walaa and Baraa should make you stand up for the truth, criticize your
country where it needs to be criticized and also appreciate the truth.

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THE
OPPOSING
GROUPS

Chapter 11:
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The Opposing Groups

11. THE OPPOSING GROUPS
11.1. The History of the Conflict

The very first controversy in our deen was over imn what constitutes it and whether or not actions
part of imn. This started with the death of Umar b. al-Khattab. The Prophet predicted that he would
die a violent death and the ummah will be in a state of fitna divided, from that point on. Thats exactly
what happened and it was a very sad time for the ummah.

Who amongst you has heard the Prophet (pbuh) discuss fitnathe ones that are like the tidal waves of
the ocean? Hudhayfa responded, What do you have to do with those, O Commander of the Faithful,
for between you and it is a closed door. Will the door be broken or will it open? No, rather it will be
broken. Then it makes sense that it shall never be close after it. So we asked Hudhayfa if Umar
knew who that door was. He said, Yes, just like he knows that after today shall come tomorrow.
[Muslim]

During the time of Uthman, a group of people were discontent with his policies and eventually
succeeded in assassinating him in his house. This group was to be known later as the Kharijites.

During the time of Ali, 2 seroius battles took place between the sahabah, the Battle of the Camel vs.
Aishah and Battle of Siffn in 36 AH vs. Muawiyah. More muslims died fighting each other in Siffn
than in all previous battles fighting non-Muslims and conquering Islamic lands, combined. The famous
sahabi, Ammar b. Yasir was killed during that battle. The prophet (pbuh) predicted that he will be killed
by the rebellious party ( ). He was fighting with Ali against Muawiayh. It was a time of great
confusion and people broke up into 3 different groups:
1. The Abaadillah (Ibn Abbaas, Ibn Umar, and Ibn Amr b. Al-Aas) who cut off from all
fitnah and didnt choose sides. Ibn Abbaas was asked, are you with group of Ali or Muawiyah?
He said, Im neither with Ali nor with Muawiyyah. Im with the group of Muhammad (pbuh)!
This was the smallest group and they were the most correct according to Ibn Taymiyyah and
closest to the truth.
2. The group of Ali b. Abi Talib who had a more legitimate right to khilafah and Ammar was on his
side and many other famous sahabah.
3. The group of Muawiyah b. Abi Sufyan and on his side was Amr b. Al-Aas and other famous
sahabah. This group made an error in ijtihad and Allaah (swt) will forgive them InShaaAllaah.

Whats noteworthy here is that none of them differed on theology; they differed on principles of
politics. Politics and governance is an area with permissible ikhtilaaf. All the sahabah were sincere, and
we follow what Imam Ahmed has said, It was a time which Allaah has saved your swords from
participating in, so now let us save our tongues from participating in. They were all sahabah and ask
Allaah swt to be pleased with them all.

During the battle, as it appeared that Muawiyahs side was losing, they decided on a tactic. They said,
Instead of fighting, let us agree to a truce and let us decide and arbitrate by the Quran. Ali agreed to
this as he didnt want further bloodshed. Among those who were fighting on his side was that initial
group that killed Uthman. Upon hearing this, they broke away and seceded () saying: How would
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The Opposing Groups

you agree to an arbitration of men? Allaah says the judgment belongs to Allaah. You must judge by the
law of Allaah. Whoever doesnt do this is a kfir!
They pronounced kufr on Ali and Muawiayhs groups and declared themselves the only true Muslims

*This mentality is the essence of Kharijism; that the whole world is kfir or deviant and we are
the only true Muslims. This is very dangerous and we should be very careful of this.

As a reaction to them, another group went to another theological extreme and said that Ali is god-
incarnate; as if he is a walking god. This was the kernel of the many groups now known as Shiites and
were called as Sabaiyyah .

11.2. The Khawarij

The Khawarij said Ali and Muawiyah are both kfir because they agreed to arbitration. They then took
this further and said, Anyone who commits any sin has disobeyed Allaah and preferred his desires over
Allaah. And preferring anything over Allaah is shirk! So they declared that anyone who has commits a
sin is a kfir! This is ridiculous, a sin is a sin and shirk is shirk. They made the two equal.

So the Khawarij broke away and camped at a place called Harooraa. Another name given to them is
Harooriyyah ; in relation to that place. Bear in mind that they broke away theologically.

The prophet spoke a lot of Khawarij; they seem to be devout worshippers and deceive others by their
piety and eloquent speech. But in reality they are foolish and overzealous; they are murderers and blood
shedders. The prophet (pbuh) forewarned us about this group as evident in the following hadith:

Abu Salama related that Abu Said said, While the Prophet (pbuh) was distributing [zakat],
Abdullah ibn Dhil-Khuwaysira at-Tamimi came and said, O Messenger of Allaah, be just! He said
to him, Woe to you! Who will be just if I am not just? Umar ibn al-Khattab said, Give me
permission to cut off his head! He said, Leave him. He has companions whose prayer will make
yours seem paltry and whose fasting makes your seems paltry. They will pass through the deen like
the arrow passes through game. One looks at his arrowhead and there is nothing on it. Then he
looks at the mount of its head and there is nothing on it. He will look at its shaft and there is
nothing on it. Then he will look at its feather and there will be nothing on them, for it has been too
fast for excrement and blood. Their sign will be a dark man, one of whose arms is like a womans
breast, or a piece of meat palpitating. They will emerge when there are parties among the people.
[Bukhari]

Camped at a place called Harooraa (around 6 thousand). As mentioned above, the seceded
from Alis army and declared both sides kfir because they accepted arbitration; something that
they considered to be the rule of man and not the rule of Allaah (swt).
Ibn Abbas was sent to debate with them.
Ali was forced to fight them because they were causing mischief and spreading heresy.
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The Opposing Groups

Leaders:
Nafi b al-Azraq (founded the Azriqa)
Najda b. Amir
Abdullah b. Ib (found of Ibiyyah)

Beliefs
Imn consists of faith, statements, and actions, as an entire whole.
A person either has this entire whole, or he has nothing (binary system).
Therefore, if one essential action is missing (or a sin committed), the entire name of Imn
must be taken away (thus becoming a kafir).
Ahl al-Sunnah say that actions are part of imn but committing sin does not make you kafir;
imn is a dynamic state that increases with good deeds and decreases with bade deeds.
Any person who commits a sin will be treated as a murtad life, property and women will be
permissible.
All of the Companions who participated in the Arbitration have committed a sin, hence are
non-Muslims. They went to kill them.
The Khawarij plotted to kill Ali, Amr b. Al-Aas, and Muawiyah all on the same day. They killed
very famous sahabah including the son of Khabbaab b. Al-Aratt, his wife, and unborn fetus. After
doing that they passed by an orchard and one of them picked up a date and was about to eat it.
They rebuked him because he didnt pay for it and the orchard belonged to a Christian, so he
spit it out!

It is important to note here that there were no sahabah in their camp. The Khawarij broke into more
than 25 groups; each group calling the other kfir and fighting them. You can see here the psychology of
fanaticism. One group of them was in a state of ihram on its way to perform Hajj. Therefore they are not
allowed to hunt or kill animals. They went to Ibn Abbaas and asked if swatting a fly during ihram
constitutes hunting. He said, Subhaan Allaah! You kill the grandson of the prophet (pbuh) and shed his
blood without batting an eyelid, and then you come asking me about swatting a fly or a mosquito?
Such was their extremist mentality

*Some people nowadays might adopt elements of this; when the length of ones beard or thawb
becomes more important than the situation of the ummah and how to solve its problems. Be
careful not to fall into such trap. May Allaah (swt) protect us and the Muslims.

Most of the Kharijite groups were very violent and believed in bloodshed. The most pacificist group
among them were the Ibiyyah. Ibn Ib (founder) said that whoever commits a major sin is not a
kfir like Jews and Christians but a different type of kfir and thus should not be killed. A group among
them fled to the mountains of Algeria and some went to Oman. Omans population is mostly sunni but
the ruling party is Ibi. They are less than 1% of Muslim population.

Rule: Every time a group comes up with a bidah, another will respond with a counter bidah.

When Kharijites started calling everyone a kfir when they sinned, a counter group was formed.
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The Opposing Groups

11.3. The First Murjia

A huge controversy erupted what is the status of the Sahaba who participated in the conflict of Ali
and Muawiyah?
Al-Hasan b. Muhammad al-Hanafiyya (grandson of Ali) said we delay/suspend (irjaa) and stay away
from passing judgment.

*NOTE: Not related to Imn, but the term was coined.

11.4. The Murjia of the Jurists
Kharijism started in Iraq. As a reaction, some righteous and ascetic sunni scholars from Kufah attempted
to refute them with their little knowledge and slipped into some small errors. Later on this group was
called the Murjia.

Founded by: Dharr b. Abdullah al-Harawi (d. ~ 99 AH) or Hammad b. Abi Sulayman (d. 120 AH)
Beliefs:
Imn consists of belief and affirmation of the tongue
Actions are not a part of Imn, but an indication
To refute the Kharijite belief that actions are a whole part of imn
People are all the same in their base level of Imn, but not in their actions
Actual Imn does not increase or decrease, but some emotions of the heart and actions do
Did not allow istithn (i.e., saying InshaaAllaah when asked about ones Imn) since the
essence of Imn is the same, and to doubt it is kufr

This group didnt last for a long time, maybe about 150 years. Last of them is the famous At-Tahaawi.

11.5. The Jahmiyya
Founded by Jahm b. Safwan (d. 124 AH)
He adopted a more extreme view of Irj and said that:
Belief was only knowledge (marifa)
Actions do not form a part of Imn or kufr

Implications: Iblees is a muslim with complete imn! This is what happens when you define knowledge
as plain theory.

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The Opposing Groups

11.6. The Real Murjia
The linguistic meaning of the word is those who suspend. They were called so because they suspended
actions from belief. The term in its linguistic meaning was used in the Quran:
Many different founders of different groups (at least 15 different groups)
Imn consist of belief of the heart only
Actions are not a part of Imn completely independent of it
People are all the same in their level of Imn
Imn does not increase or decrease
The sinner is a mumin with full Imn and shall enter paradise
Most did not allow istithna

As a whole, they ceased to exist. However, their incorrect position regarding imn (that it is belief in the
heart only) has spread widely within the ummah.
The earlier murjiah got absorbed into other groups as discussed below.

11.7. The Asharites and Maturidites
Founded by Abu al-Hasan al-Ashari (d. 324) and Abu Mansur al-Maturidi (d. 333)

They adopted many of irj theology:

Imn is belief (tasdiq)
Agreed with the murjia on most of their premises

Abu al-Hasan al-Ashari added that that the sinner is under the threat of punishment.

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Evidences of Opposing Groups

11.8. The Evidences of the Opposing Groups

Ahl al-Sunnah believe that at least some actions are necessary for imn (5 pillars, etc). For Murjiah, no
actions are necessary. Kharijites say all actions are necessary.

As illustrated above, these groups differed with us on the definition of imn. Lets examine and respond
to their evidences:

The Murjia of the Jursists
They cite the very famous creed of al-Tahawi who was a great scholar. In reality, he is independent of
any of the existing schools of Sunnism. No group can claim Al-Tahawi completely yet his creed is part of
the curriculum of almost all major Islamic universities around the world. groups claim him. Generally it is
an excellent piece of work but we as Ahl Al-Sunnah have some reservations regarding some words
(underlined below). Our response is in purple:

Response of Ahl Al-Sunnah
57. We do not consider any of the people of our qibla to be
unbelievers because of any wrong action (here we have to add
other than kufr and shirk) they have done, as long as they do not
consider that action to have been lawful (istihlal).
We disagree because an action
can constitute kufr like making
duaa to the dead or disrespecting
the mushaf.
58. Nor do we say that the wrong action of a man who has belief
does not have a harmful effect on him.
Completely agree
59. We hope that Allaah will pardon the people of right action
among the believers and grant them entrance into the Garden
through His mercy, but we cannot be certain of this, and we
cannot bear witness that it will definitely happen and that they will
be in the Garden. We ask forgiveness for the people of wrong
action among the believers and, although we are afraid for them,
we are not in despair about them
Completely agree
61. A person does not step out of belief except by disavowing
(rejecting ) what brought him into it
Disavowing is rejecting in belief.
But we believe that kufr can also
be done through statements or
actions.
62. Belief consists of affirmation by the tongue and acceptance
by the heart.
We add actions of limbs he
doesnt have this)
64. Belief is, at base, the same for everyone, but the superiority
of some over others in it is due to their fear and awareness of
Allaah (SWT), their opposition to their desires, and their choosing
what is more pleasing to Allaah.
He says imn is the same for
everyone but taqwa is what
fluctuates. We say that iman and
taqwa both increase and decrease.

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The Murjia
Ibn Taymiyya mentions that the term Murjia was applied by the salaf to three groups:
1) Those who said that Imn exists only in the heart
a. And even excluded actions of the heart (such as the Jahmiyya)
For them imn is only to know that there is God. Accordingly for this understanding,
Iblees and Firawn are also Muslims.
b. But Included actions of the heart (most groups)
2) Those who said that it exists in the tongue only (the Karramiyya).
These no longer exist.
3) Those who said that it is the belief of the heart and the affirmation of the tongue.
(Murjiatul Fuqaha)
First Evidence: Fabricated Traditions
Whoever presumes that Imn increases and decreases then its increase is nifaq and
decrease is Kufr. They must repent or be killed; they are the enemies of al-Rahman;
they have left the religion of Allaah and accepted kufr
Does Imn increase and decrease? No, its increase is hypocrisy and its decrease is
disbelief.
Second Evidence: Linguistic Understandings
The Asharite definition of Imn is that it is synonymous with tasdiq, or merely affirming the
truth. They based this on two basic premises:
First Premise: Linguistically, Imn is completely synonymous with faith, or tasdiq
!. . _. ., !.l l ! . _,... _
And you will never be a mumin to us even if we are sadiqin (truthful) *Yusuf:17+

o They claimed that there is ijma regarding this.

Second Premise: Tasdiq is purely an action of the heart and exists only in the heart.
Ahl al-Sunnahs response:
Where did you get this unanimous consensus from?
Even if this definition were correct, it would only be defining the linguistic meaning of the
word, and not its technical, Islmic one.
Why restrict only imn with linguistic definition when you dont define salh and zakt
linguistically?
The two words are in fact not synonymous [Ibn Taymiyya views the word iqrar as being
linguistically closer to imn+.
There are clear Quranic examples of those who have tasdiq but are not believers
Like Firawn and Iblees. They knew the truth in their hearts but are clearly not believers.
74

The Quran and Sunnah used the term tasdiq for actions
_. _,.. .l _l> .. !. ..s < ,ls
Among the believers are men who have been true to their Covenant (sadaqu) with Allh *i.e.
they have gone out for Jihd, and showed not their backs to the disbelievers]...
[Al-Ahzb 33:23]

Third Evidence: Various Texts
1.
,.l` . _ ` ,l _..,
These are the ones whom Allaah has written imn in their hearts *Al-Mujdilah: 22].

Ahl al-Sunnahs response: The context is evidence against them; Imn settles in the heart.

2. The hadith of the slave girl, for the Prophet (pbuh) testified that she was a mumin just by her
shahdah.

Ahl al-Sunnahs response: The issue of the relationship between Islaam and imn; also the
context, for one must free a believing slave, so he is not testifying to her high faith but rather
that she is a believer.

3. The hadith of the people of hell
Then Allaah, Exalted and Great, would say: The angels have interceded, the apostles have
interceded and the believers have interceded, and no one remains (to grant pardon) but the
Most Merciful of the mercifuls. He will then take a handful from Fire and bring out from it
people who never did any good and who had been turned into charcoal, and will cast them into
a river called the river of life, on the outskirts of Paradise [Muslim]

The hadith is evidence against them in the issue of increase/decrease of imn
Allaahs taking out people in batches from the fire is proof that imn increases and
decreases because if all was one level then all should be taken out together.
Combining all of the versions
Other versions explain this further
Linguistically, it is allowed to say he does not have it if he does not have the
necessary and acceptable requirements, even if he has some parts of it.
Like the person who prayed hurriedly and the prophet (pbuh) told him Return and
pray, for you have not prayed.
There might very well be such people if the hadith is taken at its face value
completely literally and Allaah might forgive them for their ignorance.
This is the very last group of people, and no matter how one interprets it, it is not
precise to make definitions out of exceptions.
75

4. The entire Quran, from beginning to ending, always differentiates between Imn and actions.
In over seventy verses this phrase appears. This clearly shows that the two are not the same.
`.. , l.s .>l..l
Once again this is evidence against them
Allaah (swt) is emphasizing that actions are an essential part of imn
The conjunctive and does not necessarily imply difference
It is also used to emphasize a very important subset of the first reference. Allaah swt
says:
L.> _ls ,l .l :l .l _L`.'l
Maintain with care the *obligatory+ prayers and *in particular+ the middle prayer
[Al-Baqarah 2:238]
So the middle prayer here is part of the obligatory prayer but is mentioned after () to
emphasize it more.

_. l .s < .. .l. ..' _, > _.>, .
Whoever is an enemy to Allaah and His angels and His messengers and Gabriel and
Michael *Al-Baqarah 2:98]
Arent Gabriel and Michael angels? Yes, but they are mentioned again for emphasis and
to highlight the fact that they are a special subset of angels.
Context of the term
Even if you take the linguistic definition alone, the fact that they imn and actions are
paired together over 75 times in the Quran is enough evidence for its importance; that
you have to have actions to go along with imn.
People who believe yet are not Muslims
For us actions is part of imn. Whoever doesnt have actions that prove their belief, that
is a sign of the absence of imn. Just like Firawn and Iblees.

Furthermore, there are conditions to the testimony of faith (Shahadah). As mentioned in Light of
Guidance, those conditions are: Knowledge, Certainty, Acceptance, Submission, Truthfulness, Sincerity,
and Love. Submission and Truthfulness are direct proofs for actions.

76

The Khawarij and Mutazila
They claimed that all actions are part of imn. They cited the following evidences:

_. `l >> !., _ . < ,.l`! `> `.>l __

And whoever does not judge by the revelation of Allaah is a kfir *Al-Midah:44+

< _ls _!.l _> ,l _. _!L.`. ,l| ,,. _. | < _.s _s _,.l.-l __

And Allaah has obligated upon mankind the pilgrimage to the House, whoever can afford to do so. But
whoever does kufr then Allaah is not in need of the creation *l-Imrn:97]

_. .- , ,l: ,.l`! ` > 1..l __

So whoever does kufr after that is indeed amongst the fsiqs *Al-Nur:55]

Selection of some verses while ignoring many others
They are selectively choosing some verses to support their point while ignoring many
others that clarify the matter much better.
There are explicit references proving that imn is technically defined as:
Belief of the heart,
Statement of the tongue,
Action of the limbs,
Increases with good deeds,
And decreases with bad deeds.

77
Conclusion

CONCLUSION

Some of the Characteristics of the People of Imn in the Quraan:

. _l `.. .l _.] > _ :. `-:.> _ _.] > _s -ll _ . -`.
_ _.] > : ll l-. _ _.] > >`l L .> _ | _ls > !.
>l. ... , .| ,s _,.l. _ _. _-., , ,l: ,.l`! `> :!-l _
_. ] > ..... >.s `s _ _.] _`= _ls :l. L!> _ ,.l` `>
.l _.] . , _:l > !, ..>

Certainly will the believers have succeeded: They who are during their prayer humbly submissive. And
they who turn away from ill speech. And they who are observant of zakah. And they who guard their
private parts. Except from their wives or those their right hands possess, for indeed, they will not be
blamed But whoever seeks beyond that, then those are the transgressors. And they who are to their
trusts and their promises attentive. And they who carefully maintain their prayers. Those are the
inheritors Who will inherit al-Firdaus. They will abide therein eternally.
[Al-Muminun: 1-11]

!..| _`...l _.] :| : < l> ',l :| ,l. ,ls ...,, :: !...,| _ls
`, l., _ _ .] _.,1`, :l.l !.. .. 1.`, _ ,.l` `>
`.. .l !1> > .> : ..s `, : - . _ ', _

The believers are only those who, when Allaah is mentioned, their hearts become fearful, and when His
verses are recited to them, it increases them in faith; and upon their lord they rely The ones who
establish prayer, and from what We have provided them, they spend. Those are the believers, truly.
For them are degrees [of high position] with their Lord and forgiveness and noble provision.
[Al-Anfal: 2-4]

78
Conclusion

!. .| _`... l _.] `.. , <!, .]. . l ,!. , ..> l.!, `.. _
_,,. < , .l` `> _...l _
The believers are only the ones who have believed in Allaah and His Messenger and then doubt not but
strive with their properties and their lives in the cause of Allaah. It is those who are the truthful.
[Al-Hujurat: 15]

`.. .l ....l .-, ',!,l _- , _' .!, .`- .l! , ., _s >. .l
_.,1`, : l.l _. `, : l _`-,L`, < .`]. ,.l` `.-,. < | <
, s ',>> _
The believing men and believing women are allies of one another. They enjoin what is right and forbid
what is wrong and establish prayer and give zakah and obey Allaah and His Messenger. Those Allaah
will have mercy upon them. Indeed, Allaah is Exhalted in Might and Wise.
[At-Tawbah: 71]

_, .`.l _.,.-l _...> ' _>. .l _` -l _.>. .l `.
.` - .l!, _>!.l _s ..l L.>l : .>' < :, _,...l _

*Such believers are+ the repentant, the worshippers, the praisers *of Allaah], the travelers [for His
cause], those who bow and prostrate [in prayer], those who enjoin what is right and forbid what is
wrong, and those who observe the limits *set by+ Allaah. And give good tidings to the believers.
[At-Tawbah:112]

,, _`..`, _ .> .>>`, !., > : `. , . .> _ .. l>> !..
,. .l. !.,l`. __
But no, by your Lord, they will not *truly+ believe until they make you, *O Muhammad+, judge
concerning that over which they dispute among themselves and then find within themselves no
discomfort form what you have judged and submit in [full, willing] submission.
[Al-Nisa: 65]

79
Conclusion

_, l l l. > >`>` _, _ :.l ,- .l _>.l l _. _. , < !, ,,l >
.l.l ..>l _.,,.l _. , _!. l _ls .,`> _: _ 1l _...,l _,>.. .l
_ _,,.l _ !.l _ !l ,! :l .l _. , :l _.l >.-, :|
..s _ ..l _ ,!. !,l ,.l _,> _!, l ,.l` _. ] . . , .l` `>
1`.. l __

Righteousness is not that you turn your faces toward the east or west, but *true+ righteousness is *in+
one who believes in Allaah, Last Day, the angels, the Book, and the prophets and gives wealth, in spite of
love for it, to relatives, orphans, the needy, the traveler, those who ask [for help], and for freeing slaves;
[and who] establishes prayer and gives zakah; [those who] fulfill their promise when they promise; and
[those who] are patient in poverty and hardship and during battle. Those are the ones who have been
true, and it is those who are the righteous.
[Al-Baqarah: 177]

_l ..1. ! . .>. `..., .> _ >|, _.l > ',., . :.
`.:> <! _> ::> | .. _,... _

Do you fear them? But Allaah has more right that you should fear Him, if you are *truly+ believers.
[Al-Tawbah: 13]

_. _,.. .l _l> .. !. ..s < ,ls .. _. _. .,> .. _. `L.., !.
l., ,.,. __

Among the believers are men true to what they promised Allaah. Among them is he who has fulfilled
his vow [to the death], and among them is he who awaits [his chance]. And they did not alter [the terms
of their commitment] by any alteration.
[Al-Ahzab: 23]

80
Conclusion

Some of the Characteristics of the People of Imn in the Sunnah:

None of you has Imn until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself. *Al-Bukhari]

None of you has Imn until I am more beloved to him than his father, son and indeed all of
mankind. *Al-Bukhari]

Whoever truly believes in Allaah and the last Day let him say well, or else be silent! And whoever
believes in Allaah and the Last Day let him not harm his neighbor! And whoever believes in Allaah
and the Last Day let him be generous with his guest. *Al-Bukhari]

The most perfect of believers in his Imn is the one with the most beautiful manners.
[Abu Dawud]

What some Predecessors said about the Characteristics of the People of Imn:

Abdullah b. Masud said: A believer can have any characteristic, except for treachery and lying.

Ubay b. Kaab said, The believer is in one of four scenarios: if he is tested, he is patient, and if he is
given, he is thankful, and if he speaks, he tells the truth, and if he judges, he is just.

Hasan al-Basri said, Being in-between a state of fear and hoe is a constant matter for the believer.

Fudayl b. Iyad said, The believer speaks little, but does much. And the hypocrite talks a lot, but
does little. The believers speech is wisdom, his silence is contemplation, his gaze is pondering, and
his actions are righteous. So if this is your state, you shall perpetually be in worship.

Malik b. Dinar said, The believer is like a pearl; wherever he goes, his beauty is ever with him.

81
Conclusion

Final Words:
Dont just be like a donkey laden with a load of books. We need to seek beneficial knowledge and
increase our imn. Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah said, Our entire religion is based on worshipping
Allaah (swt) through knowledge.

Let not your tomorrow be the same like today. Imn increases and decreases and life is a slippery slope,
so beware of all the downfalls. All good actions increase imn. Some are more powerful and efficacious.
The #1 action that raises your imn is reading the Quran. Allaah (swt) says,

!. .| _`...l _.] :| : < l> ',l :| ,l. ,ls ..., , :: !..., |
The believers are only those who, when Allaah is mentioned, their hearts become fearful, and when His
verses are recited to them, it increases them in faith *Al-Anfal:2]

Next time you feel spiritually low, open up the book of Allaah (swt) and start reciting.

Other ways to increase imn
1. Recite Quraan
2. Dhikr of Allaah especially duaa
3. Study aqeedah and Allaahs Names and Attributes
4. Pious company
5. Studying the Seerah, stories of Prophets, Companions, and Scholars
6. Tadabbur (contemplation) over the creation
7. Giving out sadaqah
8. Good deeds in general
9. Conscious of death and
10. Thinking of the hereafter

Let not this class be mere academics check list the
verses of the characteristics of the believers and look
in the mirror are you that person???

82

24-D2L - Doctrines of Faith IV - SH Yasir Qadhi

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Sh. Yasir Qadhi

Indeed, association *with him+ is great injustice."

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