Explanation of the interpretation of the saying of Allah the Exalted: The Bedouins said, “We have believed.” Say, “You have not believed, but say, ‘We have submitted’”
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Q99: A letter from the brother A.A.K. from Yemen, Sana'a, says in his question: Allah the Exalted says in the clear revelation: [Al-Hujurat 49:14], What is the interpretation of this verse? And is there a difference between faith and Islam?
A99: The religion has three levels: the first level is Islam. Higher than that is faith, and higher than that is excellence in worship.
As it came in the hadith of Jibril (peace be upon him) when he asked the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) about these levels, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) answered him about each level. And at the end of the hadith, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to his Companions:Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah 24:120. And he mentioned them in order, starting with the lowest, then the higher, then what is higher than that. So when the Bedouins came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) at the beginning of their entry into Islam, they claimed for themselves a level they had not reached; they came as Muslims and claimed the level of faith, which is a level they had not yet reached. For this reason, Allah responded to them by saying: [Al-Hujurat 49:14], so in the beginning of their affair, faith had not become established in their hearts; they have faith, but
weak faith, or little faith. This is inferred from the saying of Allah the Exalted:[Al-Hujurat 49:14], that it will enter in the future, and they are not disbelievers or hypocrites; rather, they are Muslims, and they have something of faith, but it is little, and they did not deserve to be called believers by it; but faith will become established in their hearts later, by His saying: [Al-Hujurat 49:14], and when Islam and faith are mentioned together, they differ; Islam has a specific meaning, and faith has a specific meaning. As in the hadith, where he asked the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and he said: Musnad Ahmad 367, 368Lts isnad is Sahih, Muslim (8) And when he asked him about faith, he said: Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2610Sahih (Darussalam).
So on this basis, Islam is: the outward action, and faith is: the inward belief. This is when they are mentioned together. But when Islam is mentioned alone, or faith is mentioned alone, one of them is included in the other. When Islam is mentioned only, faith is included in it, and when faith is mentioned only, Islam is included in it; therefore, the scholars said: when they are gathered, they differ, and when they differ, they are gathered. So faith, according to the people of the Sunnah, is: speech with the tongue, action with the limbs, and affirmation with the heart, meaning: with the heart. And with this definition, Islam is included in it. So when faith is mentioned alone, Islam is included in it, and it becomes speech with the tongue, action with the limbs, and affirmation with the heart.
The bedouins say, "We have believed." Say, "You have not [yet] believed; but say [instead], 'We have submitted,' for faith 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."
قَالَتِ الْأَعْرَابُ آمَنَّا قُلْ لَمْ تُؤْمِنُوا وَلَكِنْ قُولُوا أَسْلَمْنَا وَلَمَّا يَدْخُلِ الْإِيمَانُ فِي قُلُوبِكُمْ وَإِنْ تُطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ لاَ يَلِتْكُمْ مِنْ أَعْمَالِكُمْ شَيْئًا إِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌA99: The religion has three levels: the first level is Islam. Higher than that is faith, and higher than that is excellence in worship.
As it came in the hadith of Jibril (peace be upon him) when he asked the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) about these levels, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) answered him about each level. And at the end of the hadith, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to his Companions:
This is Jibril who has come to you to teach you the matters of your religion.
هذا جبريل أتاكم يعلمكم أمر دينكمThe bedouins say, "We have believed." Say, "You have not [yet] believed; but say [instead], 'We have submitted,' for faith has not yet entered your hearts.
قَالَتِ الْأَعْرَابُ آمَنَّا قُلْ لَمْ تُؤْمِنُوا وَلَكِنْ قُولُوا أَسْلَمْنَا وَلَمَّا يَدْخُلِ الْإِيمَانُ فِي قُلُوبِكُمْweak faith, or little faith. This is inferred from the saying of Allah the Exalted:
for faith has not yet entered your hearts
وَلَمَّا يَدْخُلِ الْإِيمَانُ فِي قُلُوبِكُمْfor faith has not yet entered your hearts
وَلَمَّا يَدْخُلِ الْإِيمَانُ فِي قُلُوبِكُمْwhat is Islam? The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: `Islam means to bear witness that there is no god except Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), to establish regular prayer, to pay zakali, to fast Ramadan and to perform pilgrimage to the House (the Ka`bah), if you have the means.`
ما الإسلام فقال الإسلام أن تشهد أن لا إله إلا الله وأن محمداً رسول الله وتقيم الصلاة وتؤتي الزكاة وتصوم رمضان وتحج البيت إن استطعت إليه سبيلاTo believe in Allah, His Angels, His, Books, His Messengers, the Day of Judgement, and Al-Qadar, the good of it and the bad of it.
الإيمان أن تؤمن بالله وملائكته وكتبه ورسله واليوم الآخر والقدر خيره وشرهSo on this basis, Islam is: the outward action, and faith is: the inward belief. This is when they are mentioned together. But when Islam is mentioned alone, or faith is mentioned alone, one of them is included in the other. When Islam is mentioned only, faith is included in it, and when faith is mentioned only, Islam is included in it; therefore, the scholars said: when they are gathered, they differ, and when they differ, they are gathered. So faith, according to the people of the Sunnah, is: speech with the tongue, action with the limbs, and affirmation with the heart, meaning: with the heart. And with this definition, Islam is included in it. So when faith is mentioned alone, Islam is included in it, and it becomes speech with the tongue, action with the limbs, and affirmation with the heart.
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.