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The Reality of Faith (Al-Iman)
Author : Dr. Hassan Abu_Arqoub
Date Added : 30-03-2026

The Reality of Faith (Al-Iman)

 

Allah the Almighty sent the Archangel Gabriel (Jibril) to ask the Prophet ﷺ essential questions as a means of teaching the Ummah. Among these was the pivotal question: "What is Iman (Faith)?" To understand our religion, we must take a focused look at the meaning of faith and the scholarly nuances surrounding it.

In essence, Iman is the heart’s internal conviction (Tasdiq) in everything brought by our Master Muhammad ﷺ that is "necessarily known to be part of the religion" (Ma’lum min al-din bi al-darurah). These are matters so fundamental that they require no complex deduction, such as the obligation of Prayer, Fasting, Zakat, and Hajj, or the prohibition of usury, adultery, gambling, injustice, and alcohol.

Iman is the very first obligation upon a morally and legally responsible person (Mukallaf). Its foundation is the heart’s affirmation, free from doubt or hesitation, coupled with "submission and compliance" (Idh’an) to the truth of the Prophet’s message.

The primary evidence that faith is an act of the heart is Allah’s statement: "Those—He has written faith in their hearts." [Al-Mujadilah/22]. This verse, among many other textual proofs, demonstrates that the true location of faith is the heart.

One might ask: What about the famous definition by some scholars that faith is "speech by the tongue, conviction by the heart, and action by the limbs"?

The answer is that this is a description of the perfection of faith (Kamal al-Iman), not its minimum requirement for validity (Asl al-Iman). While the heart’s conviction is the root, the declaration of the Two Testimonies (Shahadatayn) and the performance of good deeds are the fruits that complete and perfect it.

Pronouncing the Shahadah is a condition for applying worldly legal rulings to a person (such as marriage, inheritance, and burial in Muslim cemeteries). It is not technically a "part" or "pillar" of the internal reality of faith itself.

The Mute or Incapable: If someone truly believes in their heart but is physically unable to speak (due to a condition like being mute), they are saved in the sight of Allah.

The Silent Believer: If a person recognizes the truth and submits in their heart but passes away before anyone asks them to testify—provided they weren't stubborn or refusing—they are a believer before Allah, though they were not treated as Muslims in this life because they never voiced their belief.

The Stubborn Refuser: If someone is asked to testify and refuses out of arrogance or spite (without a valid excuse like fear), they are considered a disbeliever, as their refusal indicates a lack of internal submission.

Born Muslims: A person born to Muslim parents who believes in their heart but neglects to verbally recite the Shahadah is a "sinful Muslim" because they neglected a secondary obligation, but they remain within the fold of Islam.

As Imam Ibn Hajar al-Haytami explained in Al-Tuhfah: "Faith, according to the theologians, has two perspectives: salvation in the Hereafter—which depends solely on internal conviction—and the application of worldly rulings—which depends on the verbal testimony."

Good deeds are not a pillar of faith's existence, but they are the cause of its increase and strength. Faith is dynamic; it increases with obedience and decreases with sin, but the "root" (the conviction in the heart) does not vanish simply due to a sin. Allah says: "The believers are only those who, when Allah is mentioned, their hearts become fearful, and when His verses are recited to them, it increases them in faith..." [Al-Anfal/2].

Based on this understanding, a person who falls short in their religious duties (like someone who misses prayer out of laziness) is not a disbeliever as long as they do not deny that the prayer is obligatory. Similarly, someone who commits a sin (like drinking alcohol out of weakness) is not a disbeliever as long as they do not claim that the sin is "permissible" (Halal). They remain a believer, though their faith is deficient and they are in need of repentance.

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Summarized Fatawaa

What is the ruling on eating or drinking during the first Adhan?

It is permissible to eat and drink during the first Adhan because it takes place before the break of dawn. The purpose of this Adhan is to notify Muslims of the approaching dawn so they can prepare to stop eating when they hear the second Adhan.

What is the ruling of Islamic Law on the prayer of zawal?

 

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
It is recommended (sunnah) to pray four rakʿāt — either with a single tasleem or as two separate sets of two rakʿāt — immediately following the sun's decline from its zenith (zawāl). This prayer is distinct from the regular Sunnah prayer of Ẓuhr (sunnat al-ẓuhr al-rātibah), as explicitly stated by the Shāfiʿī jurists.
It is mentioned in Nihāyat al-Muḥtāj: "The prayer of zawāl is offered after the sun's decline — so were one to perform it before that, it would not count. It consists of two or four rakʿāt and is distinct from the Sunnah of Ẓuhr, as is evident from the fact that it is mentioned separately after the regular Sunnah prayers, and it becomes a make-up prayer (qaḍāʾ) if a long period of time passes by customary reckoning... Al-ʿAlqamī stated: 'Scholars refer to this as the Sunnah of Zawāl, and it is distinct from the four rakʿāt that constitute the Sunnah of Ẓuhr.' Our shaykh said: Al-Ḥāfiẓ al-ʿIrāqī stated that among those who explicitly affirmed its recommendation was al-Ghazālī in al-Iḥyāʾ, in the chapter on devotional litanies, noting that there is no tasleem between them — meaning there is no break between each pair of rakʿāt."
The time of the sun's decline (zawāl) marks the very beginning of the time for the Ẓuhr prayer.
And Allah the Almighty knows best.

What is the ruling on performing the Duha (forenoon) prayer before its time has begun, because I go to school early in the morning?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
The Duha (forenoon) prayer is not valid if performed before its time has begun. Its time starts when the sun has risen to a noticeable height, that is, approximately fifteen minutes after sunrise, and it ends when the sun reaches its zenith (zawāl), shortly before the Dhuhr (noon) prayer. It is stated in Mughni al-Muhtaj (Vol.1/p.455): “Its time is from the rising of the sun [to a spear’s height] until the zenith.”
Accordingly, the Duha prayer is not valid if offered before the sun has risen, and its time remains open until just before Dhuhr. It may be performed at any time at school, during the break between classes or during recess. And Allah Almighty knows best.

What is the ruling on forgiving a tenant next month's rent, with the intention of counting it toward zakāh al-māl?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
It does not fulfill the obligation to count the rent owed on a house, or a portion of it, in lieu of zakāh. Rather, it is necessary to first transfer ownership of the zakāh amount to the poor person directly; only afterward may he be asked to pay the rent [from that money].
It is stated in ‘Umdat as-Sālik (p. 112): "If someone gives [money] to a poor person, stipulating that the recipient return it to him in payment of a debt owed to him, or says, 'I am making what you owe me into zakāh, so take it [as such]' — this is not valid. But if he gives it to him with the [unstated] intention that the recipient will use it to repay him, or says, 'Repay what you owe me, so that I may [then separately] give it to you as zakāh,' or the debtor himself says, 'Give it to me, so that I may [then] repay you with it' — this is valid, and there is no binding obligation for the recipient to actually fulfill this [informal understanding]."
We would also remind [the reader] of the ḥadīth of the Prophet ﷺ: "The Muslim is the brother of the Muslim: he does not wrong him, nor does he abandon him [to harm]. Whoever attends to the needs of his brother, Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, will attend to his needs. Whoever relieves a Muslim of a hardship, Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, will relieve him of one of the hardships of the Day of Resurrection. And whoever conceals [the faults of] a Muslim, Allah will conceal him on the Day of Resurrection." (Agreed upon). And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

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