بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم و به نستعين ولا حول ولا قوة إلا بالله العظيم .
:أما بعد
Imaan with Ahlus-sunnah
Imaan with ahlus-sunah is in 3 parts
1) Belief in the heart
2) Actions of the limbs
3) Actions of the tongue
Ibn 'Abdil-Bar said
" The Scholars of fiqh and hadith are agreed that imaan is both words and deeds........"
(At-Tamheed)
Ahlus-Sunah belive that Imaan increases and decreases. It increases with good deeds and decreases with bad deeds.
Evidence from the Qur'an
إِنَّمَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ الَّذِينَ إِذَا ذُكِرَ اللّهُ وَجِلَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَإِذَا تُلِيَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتُهُ زَادَتْهُمْ إِيمَانًا وَعَلَى رَبِّهِمْ يَتَوَكَّلُونَ
The believers are only those who, when Allâh is mentioned, feel a fear in their hearts and when His Verses (this Qur'ân) are recited to them, it increase them in Faith; and they put their trust in their Lord (Alone); (Al-Anfal 8:2)
وَإِذَا مَا أُنزِلَتْ سُورَةٌ فَمِنْهُم مَّن يَقُولُ أَيُّكُمْ زَادَتْهُ هَـذِهِ إِيمَانًا فَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ فَزَادَتْهُمْ إِيمَانًا وَهُمْ يَسْتَبْشِرُونَ
And whenever there comes down a Surah , some of them (hypocrites) say: "Which of you has had his Faith increased by it?" As for those who believe, it has increased their Faith, and they rejoice. (At-Tawbah 9:124)
وَمَا جَعَلْنَاأَصْحَابَ النَّارِ إِلَّا مَلَائِكَةً وَمَا جَعَلْنَا عِدَّتَهُمْ إِلَّافِتْنَةً لِّلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لِيَسْتَيْقِنَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَوَيَزْدَادَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِيمَانًا
and We have set none but angels as guardians of the Fire, and We have fixed their number only as a trial for the disbelievers, in order that the people of the Scripture may arrive at a certainty and the believers may increase in Faith......
From the sunnah
Handhala Usayyidi, who was amongst the scribes of Allaah's Messenger (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam). reported: I met Abu Bakr. He said: Who are you? He (Handhala) said: Hanzala has turned to be a hypocrite. He (Abu Bakr) said: Hallowed be Allaah, what are you saying? Thereupon he said: I say that when we are in the company of Allaah's Messenger (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) we ponder over Hell-Fire and Paradise as if we are seeing them with our very eyes and when we are away from Allaah's Messenger (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) we attend to our wives, our children, our business; most of these things (pertaining to After-life) slip out of our minds. Abu Bakr said: By Allaah, I also experience the same. So I and Abu Bakr went to Allaah's Messenger (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) and said to him: Allaah's Messenger, Handhala has turned to be a hypocrite. Thereupon Allaah's Messenger (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) said: What has happened to you? I said: Allaah's Messenger, when we are in your company, we are reminded of Hell-Fire and Paradise as if we are seeing them with our own eyes, but whenever we go away from you and attend to our wives, children and business, much of these things go out of our minds. Thereupon Allaah's Messenger (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) said: By Him in Whose Hand is my life, if your state of mind remains the same as it is in my presence and you are always busy in remembrance (of Allaah), the Angels will shake hands with you in your beds and in your paths but, Handhala, time should be devoted (to the worldly affairs) and time (should be devoted to prayer and meditation). He (the Prophet) said this thrice.
(Sahih muslim No. 6623)
Evidence from the Salaf
Abdullah ibn Mas'ood said
" Oh Allah increase us in Imaan , cetain belif and understanding"
Abdullah ibn Abbaas , Abu Huraryrah and Abdu Ad-Drda used to say
" Imaan increases and decreases"
Ash-Shafi'ee said
" Imaan is words and deeds it increases and decreases , it increases by means of obedience and worship, and it decreases by means of disobedience and sin "
Ahmad bin Hanble said
" Imaan increases and decreases it increases by means of righteous deeds and decreases by means of failing to do righteous deeds."
(Sharh Usool 'itiqaad ahlus-sunnah wal-jama' )
Disbelif and Imaan
Ahlus-sunah believe that Imaan can increase to the point of Ihsaan(high level of faith) and like wise Imaan can drop to the level of kaafir.
Ahlus-sunah believe that Disbelief(kufr) can happen by
1) actions of the Heart e.g Hating the religion
2) Actions of the limbs e.g slaughtering to other than Allah
3) Actions of the tounges e.g Cursing Allah 'Azza wa jaal
Ahlus-Sunah do not believe that kufr can only happen by juhud(denial) or istihlaal(making things halal like alcohol) like the murji'a believe.
It is the belief of ahlus-sunah to hold tight to the madhab of the salaf in their statement
" Actions are conditions of the correctness of Imaan"
Meaning that whoever abandons all actions and just suffices himself with the shahada then he will not be a muslim.
It was narrated about Al-Awzaa'i , Ath-Thawri , Al-Humaydi that they and others said :
" There is no Imaan without Actions , and no word and no action without intention and no word,action or intention unless it is in accordance with the sunnah"
( Sharh Usool 'itiqaad ahlus-sunnah wal-jama')
And it is the position of ahlus-sunah to reject the innovated madhab of the murji'a who say
" Actions are only conditions of completeness of imaan"
which means to them that someone can be a muslim with correct imaan even if he abandons all obligatory acts or good deeds never made one sajda to Allah, never sat in one juma' prayer, never even said one salam to someone! etc etc .
