The Book of Eemaan
Creator: Abu Ubaid al-Qaasim bin Sallaam
Date: 2007-07-07
Format: text
Identifier: http://www.islamworld.net/docs/faith.htm
Language: en
Subject: iman
Title: The Book of Eemaan
Created on: Mon Mar 17 13:09:03 -0400 2008
Updated on: Sat Jul 07 13:25:31 -0400 2007
Version: 1
Abstract: ... ed to you, their entering faith and their acceptance and belief in what had been revealed from it at that time. And indeed it was revealed in stages, just as the Qur`aan was revealed in stages. And the witness and evidence for what we say is the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allaah (SAW). So from the Book of Allaah is His Saying, "And whenever there comes down a chapter (of the Qur’aan) some of them (the hypocrites) say: ‘Which of you has had his faith increased by it?’ As for those that believe, it has increased their faith, and they rejoice." [9:124] "The believers are those who, when Allaah is mentioned, feel a fear in their hearts and when His verses are recited unto them, they increase their faith, and they put their trust in their Lord." [8:2] And other places in the Qur`aan similar to this. Do you not see that Allaah, the Blessed and Exalted, did not reveal faith as one entity, just as he did not reveal the Qur`aan as one entity? So this is the proof from the Book - that if faith were complete with the affirmation of the shahaadah, then there would be no meaning to ‘increasing faith’ and no need to mention this. As for the proof from the Sunnah and narrations then they are mutawaatir giving this meaning of increase in the tenants of faith. So in the following hadeeth four (articles of faith) are mentioned, in the next five, in the third nine, and in the fourth even more. 1. As for the hadeeth in which four are mentioned is the hadeeth of ibn Abbaas from the Prophet (SAW) that an envoy from Abd al-Qais came to him and said, "O Messenger of Allaah indeed we are tribe from Rabee’ah and between us and you are the unbelievers of Madr who prevent us from coming to you, so we are unable to come to you except in the Sanctified Month, so command us with something that we may perform and call those that we have left behind to." So he said, "I command you with 4, and I forbid you from 4. Faith - then he explained this for them - to testify that none has the right to be worshipped except for Allaah, and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah, to establish the prayer, to give the zakaah, and that you give a fifth of the war-booty. I forbid you from 4:…" {4a} 2. As for the hadeeth in which five are mentioned then it is the hadeeth of ibn Umar that he heard the Messenger of Allaah (SAW) saying, "Islaam is built upon 5 (pillars): the testimony that none had the right to be worshipped except Allaah, and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah, establishing the prayer, giving the zakaah, fasting in Ramadaan, and making pilgrimage to the House." {5} 3. As for the hadeeth in which nine are mentioned then it is the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah from the Prophet (SAW) that he said, "indeed Islaam has landmarks and lights as does a road. From them are: that you believe in Allaah and do not commit shirk with him, establish the prayer, give the zakaah, fast in Ramadaan, make pilgrimage to the House, enjoin the good, forbid the evil, that you give the salaam to your family when you enter amongst them, and that you give salaam to the people as you pass by them. So the one who leaves any of this [then he has left a portion of Islaam, and the one who leaves all of them] has thrown Islaam behind his back." {6} 4. So the ignorant people thought that all these ahaadeeth were self contradicting due to the variation of numbers in them, but they are, and all praise is due to Allaah, by His Mercy far from contradiction. For their difference lies in the fact that the obligations of Faith were revealed in stages. So each time Allaah revealed a new obligation of faith, it increased the number (of tenants of faith) until they reached seventy tenants as occurs in the hadeeth that is established from him (SAW) that he said, "faith is seventy and odd branches, it’s most excellent is the testimony that none has the right to be worshipped except for Allah, and it’s lowest is removing the harmful thing from the road." {7} So even if the number mentioned is greater they still do not contradict those ahaadeeth that came before it for those refer to the foundations of faith whereas these refer to the branches of faith. So we believe, and Allaah knows best, that this is the last statement with which the Messenger of Allaah (SAW) depicted Faith because the number finished at this, and with it the characteristics of faith were completed as is testified to by the saying of Allaah, "This day have I completed your religion for you, and perfected my favour upon you" (5:3). 5. Taariq bin Shihaab reported that, "the Jews said to Umar bin al-Khattaab, may Allaah have mercy upon him, ‘indeed you recite a verse which had it been revealed amongst us we would have taken that day as an Eed,’ and this verse was mentioned. So Umar said, ‘indeed I know when it was revealed and on what day it was revealed. [It was revealed] on the Day of Arafah and the Messenger (SAW) was standing on Arafah’". Sufyaan said, "I do not know whether he said ‘on the Day of Jumu`ah’ or not" {8} 6. From ibn Abee Ammaar who said, "ibn Abbaas recited this verse while there was a Jew in his presence. So the Jew said, ‘if this verse had been revealed amongst us we would have taken that day as an Eed.’ Ibn Abbaas replied, ‘it was revealed on the day of Eed, the day of Jumu`ah, the day of Arafah.’" {9} 7. From Sha`bee who said, "it was revealed upon him (SAW) while he was standing on Arafah when shirk had vanished, and the sign posts of the Jaahiliyyah had been destroyed, and not a statute remained hanging in the house" {10} 8. So Allaah, Exalted is He, mentioned the completion of the religion in this verse, and it was revealed eighty one days before the death of the Prophet (SAW) as is reported from ibn Juraij. So if faith was complete by mere affirmation while the Messenger (SAW) was in Mecca as stated by these people then there would be no meaning to completion (of the religion), for how can something be completed that is already complete and come in its final form?! Abu Ubaid (the author) said: so if someone were to ask you, 'so what are these seventy branches branches?' It would be said to him: these have not been named for us collectively so that we may mention them, but knowledge does allow us to say that they are from the actions of obedience to Allaah and taqwa But even though they may not have been mentioned in any specific hadeeth, if you were to scrutinise the various narrations you would find them dispersed throughout them, did you not hear his saying concerning removing the harmful thing and that it was a branch of faith? And likewise his saying in another hadeeth, "modesty is a branch of faith" {11), and in a third, "shame is branch of faith" {12}, and in a fourth, "ascetism is from faith" {13}, and in a fifth, "fulfilling contracts/promises is from faith" {14} So all of these are from the branches of faith, and from them is the hadeeth of Ammaar, "three (characteristics) are from faith: giving in charity freely, being just even at the expense of yourself, and spreading the salaam amongst the people" {15} Then there are the well-known ahaadeeth mentioning the completeness of faith wherein he (SAW) asked, "which creation is the greatest with respect to faith?" It was said: the Angels. Then it was said: us O Messenger of Allaah. So he said, "rather a nation that will come after you" {16}and he mentioned their characteristics. And from these is his saying, "indeed the believer with the most complete faith is the best of them in character." {17} And likewise his saying, "a man will not have complete faith until he leaves lying in jest, and arguing even if he be in the truth." {18} And a similar hadeeth is reported from Umar bin al-Khattaab and ibn Umar. And more clear than this is the hadeeth of the Prophet (SAW) pertaining to the intercession wherein he said, "so the one whose heart contains a barley grains weight, and a wheat grains weight, and an atoms weight of faith will be removed from Hell." {19} And from them is the hadeeth when he was asked about whispe... [Full Article...]
