❖𝑼𝑵𝑫𝑬𝑹𝑺𝑻𝑨𝑵𝑫𝑰𝑵𝑮 IMAAN | 𝑰𝑻𝑺 𝑴𝑬𝑨𝑵𝑰𝑵𝑮, 𝑰𝑵𝑪𝑹𝑬𝑨𝑺𝑬, 𝑫𝑬𝑪𝑹𝑬𝑨𝑺𝑬, 𝑩𝑬𝑳𝑰𝑬𝑭, 𝑺𝑷𝑬𝑬𝑪𝑯 & 𝑨𝑪𝑻𝑰𝑶𝑵 ❖
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🌿✦ 𝔸ℍ𝕄𝔸𝔻𝕋ℝ𝕀ℕ𝕀 • 𝕄𝔸𝔻ℝ𝔸𝕊𝔸 𝕀𝔹ℕ 𝔸𝔹𝔹𝔸𝕊 ✦ 🌿
“True īmān is not merely something we say; it is something believed, spoken and lived.”
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🌿══════ ❖ 𝐈̄𝐌Ā𝐍 — 𝐁𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐄𝐅, 𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐄𝐂𝐇 & 𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 ❖ ══════🌿
1. What Is Īmān?
The word **Īmān (الإِيمَان)** means faith, belief and affirmation.
When the scholars of ** Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jamāʿah ** discussed the reality of īmān, they explained that it is not simply a statement made by the tongue.
Rather, īmān has an ** inward reality ** and an **outward manifestation**.
A concise way of explaining it to students is:
**Īmān consists of:**
① Belief and affirmation of the heart
** اعتقادٌ و تَصْدِيقٌ بِالْقَلْبِ **
② Speech and confession of the tongue
** قَوْلٌ وَ إِقْرَارٌ بِاللِّسَانِ **
③ Actions of the limbs
** عَمَلٌ بِالْجَوَارِحِ وَ الأَرْكَانِ **
The scholars of the Salaf commonly expressed this with the famous statement:
الإِيمَانُ قَوْلٌ وَعَمَلٌ ، يَزِيدُ وَ يَنْقُصُ
“Īmān is speech and action; it increases and decreases.”
This short statement requires some explanation because the word **“speech”** and the word **“action”** can each include more than one category.
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🌿✦ 𝔸ℍ𝕄𝔸𝔻𝕋ℝ𝕀ℕ𝕀 • 𝕄𝔸𝔻ℝ𝔸𝕊𝔸 𝕀𝔹ℕ 𝔸𝔹𝔹𝔸𝕊 ✦ 🌿
“Learn the terms carefully before judging the differences between the scholars.”
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2. The Three Dimensions of Īmān
For students, it is useful to distinguish three areas.
❤️1. Actions & Beliefs of the Heart — أَعْمَالُ الْقُلُوبِ
✦ Belief in Allah — الإِيمَانُ بِاللَّهِ ✧ Belief in His
Angels — الإِيمَانُ بِالْمَلَائِكَةِ ❖ Belief in His
Books — الإِيمَانُ بِالْكُتُبِ ❈ Belief in His
Messengers — الإِيمَانُ بِالرُّسُلِ ◇ Belief in the
Last Day — الإِيمَانُ بِالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ ◆ Belief in al-
Qadar — الإِيمَانُ بِالْقَدَرِ ♡ Love of Allah — مَحَبَّةُ
اللَّهِ ☾ Fear of Allah — خَوْفُ اللَّهِ ☽ Hope in Allah
— الرَّجَاءُ فِي اللَّهِ ✿ Sincerity — الإِخْلَاصُ ⚘
Tawakkul — التَّوَكُّلُ ❀ Submission — الانْقِيَادُ
✺ Certainty — الْيَقِينُ
Thus, īmān is not merely intellectual information.
A person may know something without loving it, submitting to it or acting upon it.
Allah says:
وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَشَدُّ حُبًّا لِلَّهِ
“Those who believe are stronger in love for Allah.”
**Qur’an 2:165**
So the heart has both ** belief ** and **actions of the heart **.
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🗣️ 2 Actions of the Tongue — أَعْمَالُ اللِّسَانِ
✦ The Testimony of Faith — الشَّهَادَتَانِ
✧ Remembrance of Allah — ذِكْرُ اللَّهِ
❖ Recitation of the Qur’an — تِلَاوَةُ الْقُرْآنِ
❈ Duʿāʾ — الدُّعَاءُ
◇ Speaking the Truth — قَوْلُ الْحَقِّ
◆ Commanding Good — الأَمْرُ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ
❀ Forbidding Evil — النَّهْيُ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ
✿ Teaching Beneficial Knowledge — تَعْلِيمُ الْعِلْمِ النَّافِعِ
✺ Sending Ṣalāh upon the Prophet ﷺ — الصَّلَاةُ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ ﷺ
The **Shahādah** is especially important:
أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللهُ، وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ اللهِ
“I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.”
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👐3. Actions of the Limbs — أَعْمَالُ الْجَوَارِحِ
🌙 Performing Ṣalāh — إِقَامَةُ الصَّلَاةِ
🕊️ Fasting Ramaḍān — صِيَامُ رَمَضَانَ
💠 Giving Zakāh — إِيتَاءُ الزَّكَاةِ
🕋 Performing Ḥajj — أَدَاءُ الْحَجِّ
🤲 Helping the Needy — إِغَاثَةُ الْمُحْتَاجِينَ
🌿 Honouring Parents — بِرُّ الْوَالِدَيْنِ
🔗 Maintaining Family Ties — صِلَةُ الرَّحِمِ
🛤️ Removing Harm from the Road — إِمَاطَةُ الْأَذَى عَنِ الطَّرِيقِ
⚖️ Being Truthful — الصِّدْقُ
🚫 Avoiding Prohibited Actions — اجْتِنَابُ الْمُحَرَّمَاتِ
🛡️ Protecting the Eyes, Ears, Tongue & Hands from Sin — حِفْظُ الْعَيْنِ وَالأُذُنِ وَاللِّسَانِ وَالْيَدِ عَنِ الْمَعَاصِي
This is why the scholars did not treat outward actions as something completely separate from īmān.
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🌿 ✦ 𝔸ℍ𝕄𝔸𝔻𝕋ℝ𝕀ℕ𝕀 • 𝕄𝔸𝔻ℝ𝔸𝕊𝔸 𝕀𝔹ℕ 𝔸𝔹𝔹𝔸𝕊 ✦ 🌿
“The heart is the foundation; the tongue expresses it, and the limbs manifest it.”
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3. Why Do the Scholars Say “ Speech and Action” ?
A student may ask:
“If we say there are three parts — heart, tongue and limbs — why did many scholars simply say: ‘Īmān is speech and action’?”
The answer is that the Salaf used concise terminology.
When they said:
** قَوْلٌ وَ عَمَلٌ **
“ Speech and action,”
the word ** Qawl ** could encompass what is said by the tongue, while ** ʿamal ** could encompass actions of the heart and actions of the limbs.
Therefore, there is no contradiction between saying:
** Īmān = speech and action **
and explaining it for students as:
** Heart + Tongue + Limbs **
The detailed explanation helps beginners understand what the concise terminology means.
Ibn Ḥajar explains that when the Salaf described īmān as **“belief in the heart, speech of the tongue and action of the limbs,”** the word “action” was understood broadly enough to include the heart and the bodily limbs.
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🌿✦ 𝔸ℍ𝕄𝔸𝔻𝕋ℝ𝕀ℕ𝕀 • 𝕄𝔸𝔻ℝ𝔸𝕊𝔸 𝕀𝔹ℕ 𝔸𝔹𝔹𝔸𝕊 ✦ 🌿
“A short statement may contain a large meaning.”
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4. Evidence from the Sunnah: Īmān Has Branches
One of the clearest proofs is the famous ḥadīth of Abū Hurayrah رضي الله عنه.
The Prophet ﷺ said:
الإِيمَانُ بِضْعٌ وَسِتُّونَ شُعْبَةً، وَالْحَيَاءُ شُعْبَةٌ مِنَ الإِيمَانِ
“Īmān has more than sixty branches, and modesty is a branch of īmān.”
** Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 9 **
Another wording mentions that the highest branch is the statement of **Lā ilāha illā Allāh**, while one of the lowest branches is:
إِمَاطَةُ الْأَذَى عَنِ الطَّرِيقِ
“Removing something harmful from the road.”
** Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 35a **
Consider the structure carefully.
There are:
* words of the tongue
* beliefs and qualities of the heart
* outward actions of the body
All are described in connection with ** īmān **.
Therefore, outward obedience cannot simply be removed from the subject of īmān.
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🌿✦ 𝔸ℍ𝕄𝔸𝔻𝕋ℝ𝕀ℕ𝕀 • 𝕄𝔸𝔻ℝ𝔸𝕊𝔸 𝕀𝔹ℕ 𝔸𝔹𝔹𝔸𝕊 ✦ 🌿
“The Sunnah connects faith with real-life obedience.”
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5. Imām al-Bukhārī and the Meaning of Īmān
Imām Muḥammad ibn Ismāʿīl al-Bukhārī رحمه الله gave the subject of īmān considerable attention in his ** Ṣaḥīḥ **.
His **Kitāb al-Īmān — Book of Faith** contains chapters demonstrating the relationship between īmān and righteous actions.
The opening of the Book of Īmān includes the statement:
** وَهُوَ قَوْلٌ وَ فِعْلٌ ، وَ يَزِيدُ وَيَنْقُصُ **
In another transmission:
** قَوْلٌ وَ عَمَلٌ ، وَ يَزِيدُ وَ يَنْقُصُ **
“It is speech and action, and it increases and decreases.”
Al-Bukhārī also included a chapter:
** بَابُ مَنْ قَالَ إِنَّ الإِيمَانَ هُوَ الْعَمَلُ **
“Chapter: Whoever said that īmān is action.”
The purpose is to demonstrate that īmān is not something entirely disconnected from obedience.
He also brought numerous Qur’ānic verses and aḥādīth showing the relationship between faith and deeds.
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🌿 ✦ 𝔸ℍ𝕄𝔸𝔻𝕋ℝ𝕀ℕ𝕀 • 𝕄𝔸𝔻ℝ𝔸𝕊𝔸 𝕀𝔹ℕ 𝔸𝔹𝔹𝔸𝕊 ✦ 🌿
“The early imams taught īmān through revelation, not merely through terminology.”
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6. A Famous Statement of Imām al-Bukhārī
A well-known statement attributed to Imām al-Bukhārī رحمه الله is:
لَقِيتُ أَكْثَرَ مِنْ أَلْفِ رَجُلٍ مِنَ الْعُلَمَاءِ بِالْأَمْصَارِ، فَمَا
رَأَيْتُ أَحَدًا مِنْهُمْ يَخْتَلِفُ فِي أَنَّ الإِيمَانَ قَوْلٌ وَعَمَلٌ، وَيَزِيدُ
وَيَنْقُصُ
“I met more than one thousand scholars in the various regions, and I did not see any of them differing concerning the fact that īmān is speech and action, and that it increases and decreases.”
This statement is important because it shows how widespread this formulation was among many scholars of the early generations.
Among the imams reported with similar wording are:
* Mālik ibn Anas
* Al-Shāfiʿī
* Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal
* Isḥāq ibn Rāhawayh
* Sufyān al-Thawrī
* Al-Awzāʿī
* Abū ʿUbayd al-Qāsim ibn Sallām
The exact terminology used by individual scholars sometimes differed, but the general Salafī understanding connected īmān with belief, speech and righteous action.
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🌿 ✦ 𝔸ℍ𝕄𝔸𝔻𝕋ℝ𝕀ℕ𝕀 • 𝕄𝔸𝔻ℝ𝔸𝕊𝔸 𝕀𝔹ℕ 𝔸𝔹𝔹𝔸𝕊 ✦ 🌿
“The words of the imams are best understood through the Qur’an and Sunnah.”
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7. Īmān Increases and Decreases
Another important principle is:
**الإِيمَانُ يَزِيدُ وَ يَنْقُصُ **
“ Īmān increases and decreases. ”
Allah says:
وَيَزْدَادَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِيمَانًا
“So that those who believe may increase in faith.”
** Qur’an 74:31 **
And Allah says:
لِيَزْدَادُوا إِيمَانًا مَعَ إِيمَانِهِمْ
“So that they may increase in faith along with their faith.”
** Qur’an 48:4 **
📈 Things That Increase Īmān — أَسْبَابُ زِيَادَةِ الإِيمَانِ
✦ Obedience — الطَّاعَةُ ✦ Qur’an — الْقُرْآنُ
✦ Dhikr — الذِّكْرُ ✦ Knowledge — الْعِلْمُ ✦ Ṣalāh
— الصَّلَاةُ ✦ Sincerity — الإِخْلَاصُ ✦ Repentance
— التَّوْبَةُ ✦ Good Deeds — الأَعْمَالُ الصَّالِحَةُ
✦ Reflection upon Allah’s Signs — التَّفَكُّرُ فِي آيَاتِ اللَّهِ
📉 Things That Decrease Īmān — أَسْبَابُ نُقْصَانِ الإِيمَانِ
◇ Sins — الذُّنُوبُ ◇ Heedlessness — الْغَفْلَةُ
◇ Neglect — التَّفْرِيطُ ◇ Disobedience — الْمَعْصِيَةُ
◇ Weakness in Remembrance — ضَعْفُ الذِّكْرِ
◇ Attachment to Desires — التَّعَلُّقُ بِالشَّهَوَاتِ
This does not mean that every sin automatically makes a person a disbeliever.
Rather, the Ahl al-Sunnah position distinguishes between **decrease in īmān** and **complete departure from Islam**.
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🌿✦ 𝔸ℍ𝕄𝔸𝔻𝕋ℝ𝕀ℕ𝕀 • 𝕄𝔸𝔻ℝ𝔸𝕊𝔸 𝕀𝔹ℕ 𝔸𝔹𝔹𝔸𝕊 ✦ 🌿
“Protect your īmān as you protect something precious.”
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8. What Does “Heart and Tongue” Mean?
This question is especially important because some books of creed use the expression:
** الإِقْرَارُ بِاللِّسَانِ وَ التَّصْدِيقُ بِالْجَنَانِ **
“Affirmation with the tongue and confirmation with the heart.”
Here:
** التَّصْدِيقُ بِالْجَنَانِ **
means affirmation and confirmation in the heart.
** الإِقْرَارُ بِاللِّسَانِ **
means confession or declaration with the tongue.
Thus, “heart and tongue” is a genuine scholarly formulation.
However, the important question becomes:
** Are bodily actions included within the technical definition of īmān? **
This is where the historical theological discussion becomes more detailed.
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🌿 ✦ 𝔸ℍ𝕄𝔸𝔻𝕋ℝ𝕀ℕ𝕀 • 𝕄𝔸𝔻ℝ𝔸𝕊𝔸 𝕀𝔹ℕ 𝔸𝔹𝔹𝔸𝕊 ✦ 🌿
*“Understand the disagreement precisely; do not turn terminology into confusion.”*
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9. Who Were the Murjiʾah?
The word **Murjiʾah — الْمُرْجِئَة ** comes from the concept of ** irjāʾ **, meaning to defer or postpone.
The Murjiʾah were not one completely uniform group with one identical doctrine. Different groups associated with irjāʾ held different positions.
However, in the discussion of the **definition of īmān**, a well-known Murjiʾah position was that īmān consisted of:
** الاعْتِقَادُ وَالنُّطْقُ **
“Belief and speech.”
In other words:
* affirmation of the heart
* confession of the tongue
while bodily actions were not included in the technical definition of īmān.
This is why the scholars of ḥadīth strongly emphasized the statement:
** الإِيمَانُ قَوْلٌ وَعَمَلٌ **
because they wanted to make clear that righteous deeds are connected to the reality of īmān.
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🌿✦ 𝔸ℍ𝕄𝔸𝔻𝕋ℝ𝕀ℕ𝕀 • 𝕄𝔸𝔻ℝ𝔸𝕊𝔸 𝕀𝔹ℕ 𝔸𝔹𝔹𝔸𝕊 ✦ 🌿
“The purpose of knowledge is clarity, justice and understanding.”
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10. Why Is Abū Ḥanīfah Sometimes Called a Murjiʾ?
This subject requires fairness and precision.
Imām Abū Ḥanīfah رحمه الله and many early Ḥanafī scholars are sometimes described in classical theological literature as belonging to:
** مُرْجِئَةُ الْفُقَهَاءِ **
** Murjiʾat al-Fuqahāʾ ** “The Murjiʾah of the jurists.”
The reason is primarily connected to their **technical definition of īmān**.
A formulation associated with this school is:
** الإِيمَانُ إِقْرَارٌ بِاللِّسَانِ وَ تَصْدِيقٌ بِالْجَنَانِ **
“Īmān is affirmation with the tongue and confirmation with the heart.”
This does **not** mean that Abū Ḥanīfah taught Muslims to abandon righteous deeds.
That would be an inaccurate presentation.
The important point of disagreement was:
**Are bodily actions themselves part of the technical definition of īmān, or are they consequences, fruits and requirements of īmān without being part of its technical definition?**
The early Ḥanafī position differed from the terminology preferred by the scholars of ḥadīth and many other Salafī authorities.
Therefore, it is much more accurate to say:
“Abū Ḥanīfah was described by some later scholars as belonging to Murjiʾat al-Fuqahāʾ because of his definition of īmān,”
rather than simply saying:
“Abū Ḥanīfah was an extreme Murjiʾ.”
Those are not the same statement.
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🌿✦ 𝔸ℍ𝕄𝔸𝔻𝕋ℝ𝕀ℕ𝕀 • 𝕄𝔸𝔻ℝ𝔸𝕊𝔸 𝕀𝔹ℕ 𝔸𝔹𝔹𝔸𝕊 ✦ 🌿
*“Scholarly disagreement should be described with precision, not exaggeration.”*
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11. Imām al-Ṭaḥāwī and the Definition of Īmān
Imām Abū Jaʿfar al-Ṭaḥāwī رحمه الله stated in his famous creed:
وَالإِيمَانُ هُوَ الإِقْرَارُ بِاللِّسَانِ ، وَ التَّصْدِيقُ بِالْجَنَانِ
“Īmān is affirmation with the tongue and confirmation with the heart.”
He also states:
وَالإِيمَانُ وَاحِدٌ، وَأَهْلُهُ فِي أَصْلِهِ سَوَاءٌ، وَالتَّفَاضُلُ بَيْنَهُمْ
بِالْخَشْيَةِ وَالتُّقَى، وَمُخَالَفَةِ الْهَوَى، وَمُلَازَمَةِ الْأَوْلَى
“Īmān is one, and its people are equal with respect to its foundation. Their superiority is according to fear of Allah, piety, opposing desires and adhering to what is best.”
Al-Ṭaḥāwī's creed is associated with the creed transmitted from Imām Abū Ḥanīfah and his companions.
This is why students should learn to distinguish between:
**The definition of īmān**
and
** The fruits, consequences and requirements of īmān. **
A scholar may define īmān using a particular technical formulation while still emphasizing the importance of obedience and righteous conduct.
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🌿✦ 𝔸ℍ𝕄𝔸𝔻𝕋ℝ𝕀ℕ𝕀 • 𝕄𝔸𝔻ℝ𝔸𝕊𝔸 𝕀𝔹ℕ 𝔸𝔹𝔹𝔸𝕊 ✦ 🌿
“Different technical expressions must be understood within their scholarly context.”
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12. The Position of the Ahl al-Sunnah
The scholars of Ahl al-Sunnah commonly expressed īmān as:
** اعتقادٌ بالقلب ، و قولٌ باللسان، و عملٌ بالجوارح **
“ Belief in the heart, speech upon the tongue and action upon the limbs.”
And they also said:
** يَزِيدُ بِالطَّاعَةِ وَ يَنْقُصُ بِالْمَعْصِيَةِ **
**“It increases through obedience and decreases through disobedience.”**
This formulation is particularly important because it prevents two opposite extremes.
One extreme:
**“Deeds have nothing to do with īmān.”**
The other extreme:
**“Every person who commits a major sin leaves Islam.”**
Ahl al-Sunnah took a middle position concerning sinful believers.
A Muslim can have īmān while committing sins, yet those sins affect the perfection and strength of his īmān.
Thus:
**Sin does not automatically equal disbelief.**
And:
**Belief does not make righteous actions irrelevant.**
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🌿✦ 𝔸ℍ𝕄𝔸𝔻𝕋ℝ𝕀ℕ𝕀 • 𝕄𝔸𝔻ℝ𝔸𝕊𝔸 𝕀𝔹ℕ 𝔸𝔹𝔹𝔸𝕊 ✦ 🌿
“Ahl al-Sunnah sought the middle path between excess and negligence.”
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13. The Khawārij
The ** Khawārij — الخَوَارِج ** took an extreme position concerning major sins.
Among their doctrines was the belief that committing major sins could remove a person from Islam.
Their approach therefore differs greatly from the position of Ahl al-Sunnah.
Ahl al-Sunnah did not say that every major sin makes a Muslim a kāfir.
Instead, they distinguished between:
⚖️ Important Distinctions — فُرُوقٌ مُهِمَّةٌ
❖ Īmān and Kufr — الإِيمَانُ وَالْكُفْرُ
❖ Obedience and Disobedience — الطَّاعَةُ وَالْمَعْصِيَةُ
❖ Major Sins and Disbelief — الْكَبَائِرُ وَالْكُفْرُ
❖ Deficiency in Īmān and Complete Departure from Islam — نَقْصُ الإِيمَانِ وَالْخُرُوجُ مِنَ الإِسْلَامِ بالكليةِ
This distinction is essential when studying the subject.
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🌿 ✦ 𝔸ℍ𝕄𝔸𝔻𝕋ℝ𝕀ℕ𝕀 • 𝕄𝔸𝔻ℝ𝔸𝕊𝔸 𝕀𝔹ℕ 𝔸𝔹𝔹𝔸𝕊 ✦ 🌿
“Not every sin is kufr, and not every claim of faith excuses disobedience.”
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14. The Muʿtazilah
The ** Muʿtazilah — الْمُعْتَزِلَة ** also included belief, speech and action in their conception of īmān.
Ibn Ḥajar explains an important distinction between their approach and that of the Salaf.
The Muʿtazilah treated actions as a condition for the **validity** of īmān, whereas the Salaf treated righteous actions as connected to the **perfection** of īmān.
This distinction is important.
It helps explain why simply saying:
“Both groups mention heart, tongue and actions”
does not mean that they held exactly the same doctrine.
The terminology may overlap while the theological explanation differs.
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🌿 ✦ 𝔸ℍ𝕄𝔸𝔻𝕋ℝ𝕀ℕ𝕀 • 𝕄𝔸𝔻ℝ𝔸𝕊𝔸 𝕀𝔹ℕ 𝔸𝔹𝔹𝔸𝕊 ✦ 🌿
“Similar words do not always mean identical meanings.”
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15. Why Are the Actions of the Limbs Important?
The importance of bodily actions is clearly demonstrated throughout the Qur’an and Sunnah.
Allah repeatedly joins:
** آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ **
“Those who believe and perform righteous deeds.”
This expression occurs throughout the Qur’an.
For example:
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ
“Indeed, those who believe and perform righteous deeds…”
This repeated pairing demonstrates the close relationship between faith and righteous action.
Another powerful example is:
إِنَّمَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ الَّذِينَ إِذَا ذُكِرَ اللَّهُ وَجِلَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ
وَأَقَامُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَاهُمْ يُنْفِقُونَ أُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ
حَقًّا
“The believers are only those who, when Allah is mentioned, their hearts tremble… and they establish prayer and spend from what We have provided them. Those are the believers in truth.”
**Qur’an 8:2–4**
Notice the combination:
❤️ **Heart: ** their hearts tremble.
🕌 **Limbs: ** they establish Ṣalāh.
💰 **Actions: ** they spend from what Allah provided.
Then Allah says:
أُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ حَقًّا
“Those are the believers in truth.”
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🌿 ✦ 𝔸ℍ𝕄𝔸𝔻𝕋ℝ𝕀ℕ𝕀 • 𝕄𝔸𝔻ℝ𝔸𝕊𝔸 𝕀𝔹ℕ 𝔸𝔹𝔹𝔸𝕊 ✦ 🌿
“Faith should transform the believer from the inside and the outside.”
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16. Ṣalāh Is a Clear Example
Ṣalāh demonstrates why outward actions cannot simply be dismissed.
The believer:
❤️ believes in Allah, 🗣️ testifies to Allah's
oneness, 👄 recites the Qur’an,🧍 stands,
🤲 raises the hands, 🙇 bows, 🧎
prostrates,
and performs the prayer in obedience to Allah.
Ṣalāh therefore brings together:
heart + tongue + limbs.
The body performs what the heart believes and what the tongue declares.
This is one reason the scholars paid such attention to the relationship between faith and deeds.
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🌿 ✦ 𝔸ℍ𝕄𝔸𝔻𝕋ℝ𝕀ℕ𝕀 • 𝕄𝔸𝔻ℝ𝔸𝕊𝔸 𝕀𝔹ℕ 𝔸𝔹𝔹𝔸𝕊 ✦ 🌿
“The ṣalāh of the believer is a meeting point of belief, speech and action.”
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17. Are Actions More Important Than the Heart?
It would be incorrect to say simply:
“Actions are more important than the heart.”
The three areas should not be placed against one another.
❤️ The heart is the foundation.
Without sincere belief, outward actions do not have the same spiritual reality.
🗣️ The tongue expresses belief.
The Shahādah is the outward declaration of Islam.
👐 The limbs manifest obedience.
Righteous actions demonstrate submission and obedience.
Therefore, the better expression is:
Heart + Tongue + Limbs
rather than saying that one category is “more important” than the others.
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🌿✦ 𝔸ℍ𝕄𝔸𝔻𝕋ℝ𝕀ℕ𝕀 • 𝕄𝔸𝔻ℝ𝔸𝕊𝔸 𝕀𝔹ℕ 𝔸𝔹𝔹𝔸𝕊 ✦ 🌿
“A sound heart produces truthful words and obedient actions.”
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18. Actions of the Heart Are Also Important
Students sometimes hear “actions” and immediately think only about physical actions.
But the heart itself has actions.
Among them are:
❤️ Love — المحبة
Loving Allah and loving what Allah loves.
❤️ Fear — الخوف
Fearing Allah and His punishment.
❤️ Hope — الرجاء
Hoping for Allah's mercy and reward.
❤️ Sincerity — الإخلاص
Doing deeds for Allah alone.
❤️ Reliance — التوكل
Relying upon Allah.
❤️ Submission — الانقياد
Submitting to Allah's command.
Therefore, when scholars speak about:
** عمل القلب **
they are not necessarily speaking about physical movement.
They are referring to what the heart does.
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🌿 ✦ 𝔸ℍ𝕄𝔸𝔻𝕋ℝ𝕀ℕ𝕀 • 𝕄𝔸𝔻ℝ𝔸𝕊𝔸 𝕀𝔹ℕ 𝔸𝔹𝔹𝔸𝕊 ✦ 🌿
*“The greatest deeds may begin with an unseen movement of the heart.”*
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19. The Three-Part Student Formula
For a student who wants an easy formula to remember, the following is useful:
❤️ HEART ** اعتقاد و تصديق ** **Belief and affirmation **
❤️ Deeds of the Heart — أَعْمَالُ الْقَلْبِ
❖ Tawḥīd — التَّوْحِيدُ ❖ Certainty — الْيَقِينُ ❖ Love —
الْمَحَبَّةُ ❖ Fear — الْخَوْفُ ❖ Hope — الرَّجَاءُ ❖ Sincerity —
الإِخْلَاصُ ❖ Tawakkul — التَّوَكُّلُ
↓
🗣️ TONGUE ** قول وإقرار ** Speech and confession**
🗣️ Deeds of the Tongue — أَعْمَالُ اللِّسَانِ
❖ Shahādah — الشَّهَادَةُ ❖ Qur’an — الْقُرْآنُ ❖ Dhikr
— الذِّكْرُ ❖ Duʿāʾ — الدُّعَاءُ ❖ Truth — الصِّدْقُ
❖ Beneficial Speech — الْكَلَامُ النَّافِعُ
↓
👐 LIMBS ** عمل وطاعة ** Action and obedience
╰─❖ Shahādah — الشَّهَادَةُ
╰─❖ Qur’an — الْقُرْآنُ
╰─❖ Dhikr — الذِّكْرُ
╰─❖ Duʿāʾ — الدُّعَاءُ
╰─❖ Truth — الصِّدْقُ
╰─❖ Beneficial Speech — الْكَلَامُ النَّافِعُ
❖ Guard the tongue, and let every word carry benefit.
** All three are connected to the believer's īmān. **
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🌿✦ 𝔸ℍ𝕄𝔸𝔻𝕋ℝ𝕀ℕ𝕀 • 𝕄𝔸𝔻ℝ𝔸𝕊𝔸 𝕀𝔹ℕ 𝔸𝔹𝔹𝔸𝕊 ✦ 🌿
*“Remember the three: believe sincerely, speak truthfully, and obey Allah.”*
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20. Why Do Some Scholars Say “Two” and Others Explain “Three”?
This is one of the most important points for students.
When a scholar says:
** الإِيمَانُ قَوْلٌ وَعَمَلٌ **
he is not necessarily denying the heart.
Rather:
** Qawl ** may refer to the speech/confession of the tongue, while **ʿ Amal ** may encompass actions of the heart and limbs.
When another scholar explains:
** اعتقاد بالقلب، وقول باللسان، وعمل بالجوارح **
he is simply giving a more detailed breakdown.
Therefore:
Two ” — قول وعمل
and
“Three” — قلب و لسان و جوارح
should not automatically be treated as contradictory formulas.
The key is understanding what each scholar means by the words **qawl** and **ʿ amal **.
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🌿 ✦ 𝔸ℍ𝕄𝔸𝔻𝕋ℝ𝕀ℕ𝕀 • 𝕄𝔸𝔻ℝ𝔸𝕊𝔸 𝕀𝔹ℕ 𝔸𝔹𝔹𝔸𝕊 ✦ 🌿
“Before declaring two statements contradictory, understand how each scholar defines his terms.”
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21. The Danger of Saying: “I Believe, Therefore Actions Do Not Matter”
This idea conflicts with the numerous texts that connect īmān with obedience.
The Qur’an repeatedly speaks about:
🌿 Deeds of the Limbs — أَعْمَالُ الْجَوَارِحِ 🌿
❈ Ṣalāh — الصَّلَاةُ ❈ Zakāh — الزَّكَاةُ ❈ Fasting —
الصِّيَامُ ❈ Charity — الصَّدَقَةُ ❈ Patience — الصَّبْرُ
❈ Obedience — الطَّاعَةُ ❈ Jihād — الْجِهَادُ
❈ Kindness — الإِحْسَانُ ❈ Truthfulness —
الصِّدْقُ ❈ Avoiding Sins —اجْتِنَابُ الذُّنُوبِ
“Let righteous deeds be the reflection of sincere īmān.” 🌿
alongside īmān.
The Sunnah likewise describes outward actions as branches of īmān.
Therefore, the believer should never understand īmān as merely an intellectual statement.
Rather, genuine īmān should produce:
** knowledge → belief → speech →
action → obedience. **
The more a believer learns about Allah, the more that knowledge should affect the heart, tongue and limbs.
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🌿 ✦ 𝔸ℍ𝕄𝔸𝔻𝕋ℝ𝕀ℕ𝕀 • 𝕄𝔸𝔻ℝ𝔸𝕊𝔸 𝕀𝔹ℕ 𝔸𝔹𝔹𝔸𝕊 ✦ 🌿
“Knowledge is meant to lead the heart toward Allah and the limbs toward obedience.”
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22. A Balanced Understanding
A student should therefore avoid two extremes.
❌ Extreme One — Neglecting Actions
“Actions have nothing to do with īmān.”
This contradicts the many texts connecting īmān with righteous deeds and the terminology of many early scholars.
❌ Extreme Two — Declaring Every Major Sinner a Kāfir
“Anyone who commits a major sin has automatically left Islam.”
This is also not the position of Ahl al-Sunnah in general.
✅ The Middle Position
Ahl al-Sunnah affirmed that:
**Īmān includes belief, speech and action.**
**Īmān increases through obedience.**
**Īmān decreases through sin.**
A Muslim who sins does not automatically become a disbeliever because of that sin.
The detailed rulings concerning particular actions, especially abandonment of Ṣalāh, have their own extensive scholarly discussions and should not be reduced to a single sentence.
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🌿 ✦ 𝔸ℍ𝕄𝔸𝔻𝕋ℝ𝕀ℕ𝕀 • 𝕄𝔸𝔻ℝ𝔸𝕊𝔸 𝕀𝔹ℕ 𝔸𝔹𝔹𝔸𝕊 ✦ 🌿
“Balance is part of sound understanding.”
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23. A Simple Summary for Students
** What is** Īmān — الإِيمَان **
❤️ Heart **اعتقاد و تصديق**
Belief, certainty, love, fear, hope, sincerity and reliance.
🗣️ Tongue ** قول و إقرار **
Shahādah, Qur’an, dhikr, duʿāʾ and truthful speech.
👐 Limbs ** عمل بالجوارح **
Ṣalāh, fasting, Zakāh, charity, kindness and obedience.
📈 Īmān increases ** بالطاعة — through obedience **
📉 Īmān decreases ** بالمعصية — through disobedience **
And the famous wording of the Salaf:
** الإِيمَانُ قَوْلٌ وَ عَمَلٌ ، يَزِيدُ وَ يَنْقُصُ **
“Īmān is speech and action; it increases and decreases.”
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🌿 **AHMADTRINI • MADRASA IBN ABBAS** 🌿
“May Allah increase us in beneficial knowledge, sincere īmān and righteous action.”
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# 🌿 FINAL REFLECTION
Īmān is not merely a word upon the tongue.
It begins with **truth in the heart**, appears through **speech**, and is manifested through **obedience**.
The believer therefore continually asks:
**❤️ What does my heart believe?**
**🗣️ What does my tongue say?**
**👐 What do my limbs do?**
When these are brought together upon obedience to Allah, the believer understands more deeply the meaning of:
** الإِيمَانُ قَوْلٌ وَعَمَلٌ **
“Īmān is speech and action.”
May Allah grant us sincere īmān, increase us in obedience, protect us from sin and deviation, and allow our knowledge to become beneficial action.
آمِينَ يَا رَبَّ الْعَالَمِينَ
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🌿✦ 𝔸ℍ𝕄𝔸𝔻𝕋ℝ𝕀ℕ𝕀 • 𝕄𝔸𝔻ℝ𝔸𝕊𝔸 𝕀𝔹ℕ 𝔸𝔹𝔹𝔸𝕊 ✦ 🌿
“Learn it, understand it, live it — and pass on beneficial knowledge.”
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📚 Key References — الْمَرَاجِعُ الْمُهِمَّةُ
❖ The Qur’an: 2:165, 8:2–4, 48:4, 49:14–15, 74:31 and numerous other passages.
❖ Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: Kitāb al-Īmān, including Ḥadīth 9 and the chapters concerning the relationship between īmān and deeds.
❖ Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: Ḥadīth 35a concerning the branches of īmān.
❖ Fatḥ al-Bārī by Ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalānī, Kitāb al-Īmān.
❖ Fatḥ al-Bārī by Ibn Rajab al-Ḥanbalī, Kitāb al-Īmān.
❖ Al-ʿAqīdah al-Ṭaḥāwiyyah by Imām Abū Jaʿfar al-Ṭaḥāwī.
❖ Kitāb al-Īmān and related works of the early scholars concerning the definition, increase and decrease of īmān.
