Hadith 2

. The statement "On the authority of Umar, etc." refers to this hadith and the ones that follow, all of which address the concept that faith (iman) consists of both words and actions, that it increases and decreases, and that there is a distinction between faith (iman) and submission (islam), which is a matter of scholarly disagreement. The esteemed scholar Al-'Ayni said: The disagreement here is verbal because "faith" (iman) in the speech of the Prophet ﷺ has two meanings: Faith in its foundational sense: This refers to faith that is not necessarily accompanied by actions, as in the Prophet's ﷺ statement: "Faith is to believe in Allah, His angels, His meeting, His messengers, and to believe in the Resurrection," and submission (islam) is to worship Allah, not associate anything with Him, establish prayer, give the obligatory alms, and fast during Ramadan (the hadith). Here, faith refers to inner conviction. Complete faith: This refers to faith accompanied by actions, as in the hadith of the delegation of Abdul Qays: "Do you know what faith in Allah alone is?" They said, "Allah and His Messenger know best." He said, "It is to testify that there is no deity but Allah, and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, to establish prayer, to give alms, to fast during Ramadan, and to give one-fifth of the war booty." Faith in this sense is what is negated in the Prophet's ﷺ statement: "The adulterer does not commit adultery while he is a believer," and similar statements in other instances. The faith that prevents entry into Hell is the second type (complete faith), according to the consensus of all Muslims. However, the faith that prevents eternal damnation in Hell is the first type (foundational faith), according to the consensus of Ahl al-Sunnah. Evidence for this is found in the Prophet's ﷺ statement in the hadith of Abu Dharr: "There is no servant who says, 'There is no deity but Allah,' and then dies upon that, except that he enters Paradise." I asked, "Even if he commits adultery or steals?" He said, "Even if he commits adultery or steals." And in the Prophet's ﷺ statement: "Those who have an atom's weight of faith in their hearts will be taken out of Hell." In conclusion, the early generations (Salaf) and Imam Al-Shafi'i only considered actions as a pillar of faith (iman) in its second sense (complete faith), not its first sense (foundational faith). They ruled that, even with the absence of actions, foundational faith remains intact and ensures salvation from Hell due to its presence, even if the second sense (complete faith) is absent. If the intended meaning of faith is conviction (tasdiq), it does not accept increase or decrease. However, if it refers to acts of obedience, then it does accept increase and decrease. Acts of obedience are complementary to conviction. Thus, any evidence that indicates faith does not accept increase or decrease is directed towards foundational faith, which is conviction. On the other hand, any evidence that indicates faith does accept increase and decrease is directed towards complete faith, which is associated with actions. Then, the scholars disagreed on whether Islam is distinct from faith (iman) or whether they are unified. Ali al-Qari said: "The truth is that the disagreement is linguistic; the first is based on language, while the second is based on Sharia. It is also said that the reality is that they are different in concept but unified in reality." He also said in Hidayat al-Masalik fi Hall Tafseer al-Madarek: "Legal faith (iman) is simply belief with affirmation, and actions are not part of it; rather, they are external and a condition for its completeness. This is the predominant view among the Hanafis of the Maturidi school." As for the view of the scholars of truth (al-Muhaqqiqun), it is that faith is only belief (tasdiq) and this is the opinion of the Ash'aris. According to this view, if someone believes in their heart but does not affirm with their tongue without any excuse, they are not considered a believer by Allah, and according to those who say that affirmation is a pillar of faith, such a person would be among the people of Hell. This is the view of Fakhr al-Islam, Shams al-A'imma, and many jurists. As for those who hold that affirmation is not a pillar, they consider such a person to be a believer in their view, but in Allah's judgment, they would not be a believer in worldly rulings, just as a hypocrite's situation is the opposite. In Sharh al-Maqasid, it is mentioned that the disagreement is regarding whether the person was able to speak but chose not to, not out of refusal. As for someone who believes in their heart but did not have the opportunity to affirm verbally, they are considered a believer in accordance with what is understood from Sharh al-Maqasid. Additionally, Ali al-Qari mentioned in Sharh al-Shifa: "The view that someone who is unable to utter the testimony of faith, despite having true belief in their heart, is not a believer is weak." If they did have an opportunity to make the affirmation and were asked to do so but refused, they would not be considered a believer unanimously. Rather, they would be considered a disbeliever due to obstinacy. The conclusion is that affirmation (iqrar) is another essential pillar of faith, although the essence of faith is belief (tasdiq). However, since the tongue expresses what is in the heart, affirmation serves as proof of the belief, both in its presence and absence. Therefore, it is correct to consider affirmation a pillar that can be omitted, making it a significant part of faith in the case of free will, such that its absence in situations other than coercion indicates the absence of belief. In this context, the idea of a pillar does not contradict the fact that the essence of faith is belief. When someone says that affirmation is a pillar of faith, they mean this understanding. As for actions, they are considered a part of faith by the majority of the hadith scholars, much like how a hand is a part of the human body. Just as a human does not cease to be human when a hand is absent but is considered deficient, similarly, faith does not cease with the absence of actions, but is diminished. In essence, actions are a part of the completeness of faith. However, according to the Mu'tazilites and Khawarij, actions are considered an essential part, and faith would be nullified with their absence. If faith (iman) is defined as belief (tasdiq), then it neither increases nor decreases due to its simplicity. However, if faith is interpreted as a combination of belief, affirmation (iqrar), and actions (amal), it can increase or decrease based on the increase or decrease in actions. As for the increase or decrease of faith in the first case (where faith is understood as belief alone), it occurs through an increase or decrease in the object of belief. This allows for a reconciliation of the apparent contradictions in the texts of the Qur'an and Hadith that speak of the increase and decrease of faith. Thus, the disagreement becomes merely verbal, so reflect and understand this concept carefully.