Karim Abuzaid – Know Your Lord Audio Book 02 01 – The Reality of Faith Iman
AI: Summary ©
The speakers discuss the importance of faith in Islam, including affirmations and actions. They stress the need for a clear understanding of the heart's actions to avoid falsy affirmations and doubts. They also emphasize the importance of learning the names and attributes of the creator to strengthen one's faith.
AI: Summary ©
Part 2
Dimensions
of Faith
iman.
Chapter 1
the reality
of faith iman.
In the previous two chapters of part 1
we presented why we must know our Lord
and the methods to acquire knowledge
of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala
Especially
the 3 effective methods
observation,
logic, and revelation.
In this chapter we need to bring into
light
the relevant subject
that is nature and reality of faith.
However
we need to emphasize
that the manifestation
of the intended sound knowledge of Allah
is that it must lead to faith, Iman,
certainty,
Yaqeen
and conviction.
The verb know in know your Lord
must reflect
that the purpose of acquiring knowledge of Allah
is not just to develop recognition
instead
knowledge
must lead
to unshakable certainty
Yaqeen
about Allah's divine existence
and absolute affirmation
through our actions.
Consequently
we will strive to always display our hearts
inner attestation
in actions and sayings
because faith
must manifest virtuous actions.
The nature
and reality
of the increase in faith
Iman
is a process that brings with the heart
followed by the tongue and then the limbs.
Therefore
it is essential to understand faith. Iman
as a concept
before developing an action plan
to draw nearer to our Lord. Just to
reiterate
we are not discussing the 6 articles of
faith. Arkanal Iman but instead
we are explaining the nature and reality of
faith.
As a path to establish perfect certainty,
Yaqeen
and submission
to our Lord.
The first condition
of the Universal
Declaration of Faith Shahada
is awareness of our Lord
with basic knowledge.
Affirming his role in our lives
negates ignorance and begins the path to certainty
Yaqeen
then to acceptance and compliance.
We must carry out
our submission
and compliance
with certainty,
truthfulness
and love.
The process begins with knowledge
and follows with action.
Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala said
'So be firm in your knowledge, O Muhammad,
that none has the right to be worshipped
except Allah alone
and seek forgiveness
for your sin
and for the sin of the believing men
and women.
And Allah knows of your movement
during the daytime or in this world and
your resting place
during the night
or in the hereafter.
In this statement
faith,
iman
is portrayed
with awareness of the most basic knowledge
of our Lord.
Know that there is no God worthy of
worship but Allah.
Action
follows
in seeking forgiveness
which is an action of the heart
and disavowal
of ignorance
by changing the action of the limbs.
Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala also said
and those they invoke besides Him
do not possess power of intercession,
Safa,
but only those who testify to the truth
can benefit and they know.
This verse
aya
refers in part to angels who may intercede
with Allah
and mention to Allah
the merits of believers
while he already has knowledge of them.
The believers are described as those who testify
to monotheism,
tawhid,
the unique divinity of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala
while they know with their hearts
and finally
they pronounce its meaning
with their tongues.
Hence faith
iman
is not a mere justification in the heart
but is a process
that entails many aspects of securing certainty
Yaqeen.
Not every Muslim who submits to Allah
always has strong faith. Iman.
Yet there
are still Muslims under the fold of Islam.
This is explained
by understanding
that Islam and faith
have subtle differences.
We hope that knowing our Lord goes beyond
recognizing him and becomes knowing
with a certainty
Yaqeen of faith.
The relationship
between Islam and faith.
The true meaning of Islam
is to submit to Allah,
obey his commands
and perform outward actions as a Muslim.
Hence
Islam is associated
with external symbols,
actions
or deeds of the limbs.
Faith
Iman
is a set of beliefs instilled in the
hearts
manifested by Islam as an active submission.
Faith
Iman
is a panorama
of beliefs
revealed in the implementation
of Islam.
Several pieces of evidence emphasize the vital distinctions
between Islam and faith
if they are cited in the same context.
Allah
said:
the Bedouins say, we have believed.'
Say, you have not yet believed, but say
instead,
we have submitted.'
For Iman
has not yet entered your hearts, and if
you obey
Allah and His Messenger,
He will not deprive you from your deeds
of anything. Indeed
Allah is forgiving
and merciful.
The Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam also differentiated between
Islam
and faith,
Iman
as is reported
in a well known narration Hadith
called
the Hadith of Jibril
Gabriel.
The Angel Jibril
appeared in the guise of a traveler
and asked the prophet
what is Islam?
The prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam replied, to worship
Allah alone
and none else,
to perform the prayers
salah, to pay the obligatory charity
zakah
and to observe sown
according to Islamic teachings
during the month of Ramadan.
Jibril
Gabriel
alaihis salam also asked, O Messenger of Allah
what is faith? Iman
peace Allahu alaihi wasallam replied,
Faith is to believe in Allah, His angels,
the meeting with Him, His messengers
and books
and to believe in resurrection.
Faith,
Iman
has inherent qualities of certainty,
yaqeen and conviction
in the heart which guard and protect the
Muslims.
Having submitted in Islam
does not necessitate
the deep germination of faith. Iman that secures
one's heart.
Amir bin Saad
bin Abu Waqqas
reported from his father
that the messenger of Allah salallahu alaihi wasallam
distributed some wealth
among some people and Saad radiallahu anhu was
sitting among them.
Sad
said, the messenger of Allah
left out some of them and did not
give them anything
although they were better more deserving in my
view.
I said,
oh messenger of Allah What about so and
so? For by Allah I think he is
a believer. The messenger of Allah Sallallahu Alaihi
Wasallam said, or a Muslim.
I kept quiet for a while then what
I knew
got the better of me and I said
oh messenger of Allah
what about so and so? For by Allah
I think that he is a believer. The
messenger of Allah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam said or
a Muslim.
I kept quiet for a while then what
I knew got the better of me and
said. 'O Messenger of Allah what about so
and so? For by Allah I think that
he is a believer.
The messenger of Allah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam said,
or a Muslim
I may give to 1 man
although someone else is more beloved to me
for fear lest he be thrown on his
face into the fire.
This narration
hadith tells us that the prophet
made a distinction
between Islam and faith.
Iman as it related
to conviction in the heart.
Secondly
the narration
hadith
tells us that
the trials of wealth
may be
unmitigated in the heart of a Muslim,
while the individual with faith iman
can manage their affairs
with dignity
and moderation
even amongst the temptations
of excess wealth. This material world
has many tests
which the believer is empowered to endure
if they have knowledge of their Lord who
guides their actions.
Among the scholars of Alama
in the chain of narrators
of the above narration
hadith
is Imam Zuhri
He explained,
You have not yet believed
but say instead
we have submitted.
We think that Islam is the uttering
of the universal declaration of faith, shahada or
kalima,
and faith iman is the action.
Definition of Faith
The value
of faith iman
and its significance
as a benchmark
for spiritual health is apparent from many statements
of the companions
Sahaba
of the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam.
These statements also reflect their vigilant
and careful treatment of their faith. Iman
They would learn faith Iman
from remembering Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala in good
company. They understood
that they might increase in faith, Iman,
by sitting with those who would increase them
in knowledge
or remembrance of Allah.
Umar
ibn Al Khattab radiAllahu Anhu
and Abdullah ibn Masood
radiAllahu Anhu used to invite the noble companions
Sahaba
to sit together to increase their faith. Iman.
Mu'adh
said to Aswad bin Hilal
radiAllahu anhu, one of his companions,
Let us sit for a while so that
we may dedicate that period of time to
faith. Iman.
We must also tend to our faith
and we should begin with the correct concept
of faith, iman, and then strive to hold
it in our hearts.
Faith
as understood
by the 3 praised generations,
as salafasalih
is further discussed here. Faith, Iman
is to attest, make and
affirm,
make
something
which leads
to having the concrete belief
Al Itiqad
Al Jazm.
The mark
of having such firmness in the heart
upon a belief is to comply and submit
and then engage in actions
to attest to that faith
such as actively submitting
to fulfill
the commands of Allah in the 5 pillars
of Islam.
Furthermore
we must protect our attestation
tasdikh from doubts
and suspicions
through the fidelity
of intention
niya
before each action Amal.
Actions
that immediately follow the firmness of the heart
are the statements of the tongue or the
articulation of concrete belief
by uttering the universal declaration of faith shahada
with the tongue. The actions upon attestation
extend beyond that of the tongue to fingers,
limbs
and the entire body.
Bodily actions begin with sincere intention
near in the heart
followed by utterances
of the tongue and the actions of the
rest of the body are facilitated
by the mercy of Allah
Faith
increases
through compliance and submission
and decreases
due to not complying.
This is the definition
that was known by the 4 Imams
Abu Hanifa
Rahimahullah,
Malik Rahimahullah,
Ashaifa
Rahimahullah,
and Ahmed
Rahimahullah.
And the scholars of the sunnah Prophetic tradition
before and after them. Abdurazak
as Sanani. 3.8.
Said I met 62 shayuk religious
leaders,
amongst
them were
Hamad ibn Zayed.
Sufyan
ibn Uyayina.
Shoaib
ibn Hara.
Ibn
Muslim and those I have not named. All
of them said
faith
consists of speech and action.
It increases and decreases.
Muhammad ibn Abi Hatim Rahimahullah
The Scribe
of Imam Al Bukhari Rahimullah said,
a month before his death, I heard Al
Bukhari say,
I have written narrations
a hadith
from a 1,080
men. All of them reported narrations a hadith
they all used to say faith.
Imaan
is statement an action.
It increases
and decreases.
Ibn Taymiyyah
Rahimahullah
brought the principle of the people of the
sunnah, prophetic tradition
and the community
that the religion and faith, Iman
consist of sayings and actions.
The sayings of the heart and the tongue
and the actions of the heart, tongue and
limbs. Sheikh Alfazan
have further Allah said belief requires confirming
that was preceded with the tongue in being
totally sincere
in every act of worship
whether it is a physical action,
a verbal one or a matter of belief.
Ibn Abi Allah 'iz Al Hanafi Rahim Allah
said.
Malik
Al Shaffai
Al Shafi'i, Alawza'i,
Ishaq,
Ibn Rahawi,
the scholars
of Ahlul Hadith, and the scholars in Madinah.
May Allah bless them as well as the
Taheris
and a faction of theologians
think that faith, Iman is to affirm,
to make tasdikh in the heart, profess with
the tongue and to act with the body.
Proceeding towards faith
Iman.
The caller to Islam
called Da'i
calling for dawah
must identify
and understand
the stages of awakening
which an individual will move through from the
place of ignorance
until the place of concrete belief.
Altaqad
Aljazm.
Stages
of awakening the heart.
The heart
must wake up from its state of heedlessness
since the heart is the first seat where
faith Iman
begins.
Faith in Allah
begins
with attestation
Tasdeelq
which evolves into
definite affirmation
Iqraar
which we call the heart's concrete belief
which together
make the statement of the heart.
1.
To know Allah
is the first step that triggers.
The heart typically
develops attestation
thus leading to affirmation
when knowledge of the subject is made available.
Hence the first step towards the complete faith
is to know Allah
and to approach that knowledge
ideally
through learning his names and attributes.
2,
we may first acquire
the necessary knowledge to instill in the hearts
the attestation
and definite affirmation
by employing
our intellectual faculties
to reflect upon Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala's creation.
3.
By reflecting upon the signs of Allah Subhanahu
Wa Ta'ala in creation
we will conclude
2 key principles.
The first is there must be creator
and the second
is that the creator's attributes and qualities
must be superior to his creation.
4. The next step is to learn about
the creator
through his revelation
and to formalize a means of following and
organizing the heart, tongue and limbs
according to the revelation.
5.
1 believes in a statement of the heart
without any shadow of doubt,
suspicion
or uncertainty.
1 believes in the 6 articles of faith.
Arkanal Iman.
1 believes
that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala exists as the
Lord who created everything.
The sovereign,
the provider
and the ruler. Our Lord has no equal
or similitude
to his divine essence,
names
and attributes.
He is the one to be worshipped and
obeyed without any partners
and the only religion who will accept
is submission to him alone.
This statement of the heart with attestation
is a foundation of belief or faith.
6
the heart's definite affirmation
may read as follows:
Allah created me to worship and comply with
his commands
by implementing the 5 pillars of Islam
based on my firm belief in the 6
articles of faith.
The statement of tongue.
Iqraar
al Lisan
This is the articulation
by the tongue of the universal declaration of
faith.
For the one who wishes to embrace islam
and can speak. It is one of the
conditions
for the correctness
and validity of faith.
1
after developing the statement of the heart
through the employment of the intellectual capacity,
one must turn to Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala's
revelation and signs
to learn about the creator,
his names,
attributes,
actions,
angels,
jinn, books,
messengers,
the day of
judgment,
and the predestination.
2, one begins recognizing
that Allah
did not create the heavens,
the earth and the servant aimlessly
instead
one becomes sure
that there is a purpose left behind
in this world
dunya and there will be consequences
to how they conduct their lives.
3.
He begins to say to himself the following:
I am in this world for a short
while
and after I die
there will be paradise
or *
What does it take to save me from
*
and be admitted into paradise?
4) 1 responds
to this query by turning to the commands
of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala into the first
of 5 pillars of Islam.
Arkanal Islam.
This stage
is a definitive affirmation
of the tongue upon the universal declaration
of faith.
The action of the heart, tongue and limbs.
1. In the next step, once the heart
which is the king of the body is
incited and mobilized to act, one will strive
to become a good Muslim in this world,
dunya,
since it is the path to paradise.
2,
one recognizes
the compliance and submission
to the commands of Allah. Make him or
her a true believer.
3, the heart begins to be sincere
and truthful in adhering to the commands
until
it adheres
due to love.
4. Once the heart is full of Allah
Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala's love, fear and hope, it
will mobilize the rest of the limbs to
act and the tongue
will begin imploring and glorifying Allah.
The rest of the bodily parts will comply
as well.
Protecting the stature of the heart.
The statue of the heart is regarded as
the foundation of our faith.
One who believes must protect the heart from
3 defects.
1,
Delusion.
It is the state of the heart oppressed
by falsehood.
Delusion
or an incomplete acceptance
of the articles of faith.
Illusion
is the inability
to distinguish between what is real and what
only seems to be real
often
as a result
of a disordered state of mind.
In some cases
the heart completely lacks the knowledge of faith.
Iman
which is the requisite for attestation
and affirmation.
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala tells the Jews utter
the following statements
without any basis
and they say
none will enter paradise
Jannah
except one who is a Jew or a
Christian
that is merely their wishful thinking.
Say,
produce your proof if you should be truthful.
Allah
also said: 'But
the Jews and Christians say,
we are the children of Allah and His
beloved.
Say, 'Then why does he punish you for
your sins?'
Rather,
you are human beings
from among those he has created.
He forgives whom He wills
and He punishes whom He wills.
And to Allah belongs the dominion of the
heavens and the earth
and whatever is in between them and to
him is the final destination.
These qualities of self praise are hindrances
from developing true faith
because they are an ignorance of the articles
of faith.
These are statements
that deny the justice of Allah Subhanahu Wa
Ta'ala
and belie knowledge
of one of the articles of faith which
is the accountability
on the day of judgment.
2 Doubt
a shak.
It is a state when the heart harbors
attestation
mixed with ignorance.
An individual will question the articles of faith
out of a disorderly
understanding
by the use of rhetoric,
philosophy
and conjecture.
This is not a foundation
that will reach affirmation
or concrete belief.
Doubt
is the mental confusion
that occupies the heart.
About the articles of faith
this can be in the form of partial
rejection
or intellectual critical doubts and pillars
such as belief in the existence of Allah
Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala,
the day of
judgment or the predestination.
Doubt
can result
in a denial
if it proceeds untreated.
The devastating danger of doubt is that it
easily leads to sin and the normalization
of prohibited
haram
actions. In the state of doubt the heart
lacks the part
which perfects
attestation
and establishes definite affirmation.
Instead
the heart entertains doubts
that hinder its ability to evolve
to affirmation in Al Ittihad Aljazm.
The origin of doubt in a Muslim heart
stems from learning monotheism.
Tawhid
from deviant sects
that emphasize philosophical thoughts
and have strayed from the Quran and Sunnah.
To save the heart from doubts
one must acquire knowledge of monotheism
through trustworthy sources.
The Quran and Sunnah and the explanation
tafsir
of these pieces of evidence
by the righteous predecessors of the muslim community
Ummah.
There are many Quranic verses Ayat
stating
that believers
should abstain from doubt. Allah
said,
'Say, O Muhammad,
shall I seek a judge
other than Allah?
While it is He who has sent down
unto you the book,
the Quran
explained in detail.
Those unto whom we gave the scripture, the
Tawrat
and the Injeel,
know that it is revealed from your Lord
in truth.
So be not you of those who doubt.
Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala also said, if you
people
have any doubt
about what we have revealed to you about
the day of judgment
and other matters of belief,
Ask those who read the book that was
revealed to the prophets
who lived before you. The truth has certainly
come to you from your Lord.
Thus do not doubt it in your hearts.
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala also said,
the believers are only the ones who have
believed in Allah and his messengers
and then doubt not but strive
with their properties
and their lives in the cause of Allah.
It is those who are the truthful.
The essential knowledge
of the religion is knowable
and those aspects of the articles of faith
arkhanal iman
which are unseen and unknowable
are not essential to the state of heart
in which one recognizes
the concrete belief.
Those who accept the article of faith
but have uncertainty
with conjecture
have fallen into an error of the heart
involving the mixing of truth with falsehood.
One still
does not have firm convincing beliefs regarding the
articles of faith.
His definite affirmation
iqra
in the articles of faith may range
from falling short of certainty
to an almost complete lack of conviction or
knowledge.
An example
of this is one says
I do believe in the articles of faith
but still have some reservations.
The individual then rationalizes
missing components
to resolve his doubts. This can have devastating
consequences
because conjecture
is a deviant methodology
not based on revealed evidence.
The method
and the conclusion based on conjecture
may both be in opposition to the Quran
and sunnah
even if it arrives at some aspects of
reality.
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala said,
verily
those who believe
not in the hereafter
name the angels with female names
while they have no knowledge thereof
they follow but to guess
and verily
guess is no substitute for the truth.
Allah also said
and when it is said lo
Allah's promise is the truth
and there is no doubt of the hours
coming.
He said,
we know not
what the hour is,
We deem it not but a conjecture
and we are by no means convinced.