Is faith speech and action, or speech without action?
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The first question of Fatwa No. ( 8008 ):
Q1: The issue of uluhiyyah and what is meant by the testimony that there is no god but Allah One who looks into the books of some of our righteous predecessors, such as the book [Fath al-Majid Sharh Kitab al-Tawhid], [Majmu'at al-Tawhid] by the Shaykh of Islam Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab and the Shaykh of Islam Ahmad ibn 'Abd al-Halim ibn Taymiyyah and [Ma'arij al-Qubul fi Sharh Sulam al-Wusul] by the Shaykh Hafiz Hakim and others, will find the following: First, in [Fath al-Majid], the Shaykh (may Allah have mercy on him) said regarding the meaning of "there is no god but Allah," quoting from the Shaykh of Islam Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab (may Allah have mercy on him): that he did not consider the mere utterance of it to be sufficient, but rather that knowledge is necessary, and indeed that utterance, knowledge, and action are necessary, and he did not consider that sufficient either, but rather that disbelief in what is worshipped other than Allah is necessary. This was in his explanation of the hadith of Muslim (may Allah have mercy on him):Sahih Muslim 23a
It was narrated by Muslim. And this is at a time when we find in the book *Wulata la Qudat* that the man focuses on the concept of the testimony by utterance alone, without what the Shaykh of Islam (may Allah have mercy on him) and others mentioned. Likewise, one who looks into the statements of our righteous predecessors (Salaf) that faith is speech and action is perplexed when he finds in the statements of our contemporaries that it is speech without action. And when the Salaf spoke of the three elements of faith: speech with the tongue, action with the limbs, and affirmation with the heart, he finds confusion in that as well. So tell us the truth in this matter, after you have known what we have presented?
A1: The correct position in this is: the statement of the people of the Sunnah and the community that faith is speech with the tongue, action with the limbs, and affirmation with the heart. And mere utterance with the tongue is not sufficient in this, except in applying the rulings of this world, such as washing him if he dies, shrouding him, and burying him in the graves of Muslims, and the like of the rulings of this world, if nothing is known from him that necessitates his disbelief. As for the testimony that there is no god but Allah, its meaning is: (There is no true object of worship except Allah). And mere speech is not sufficient, but rather faith in the meaning and action in accordance with what is required are necessary. As Allah the Exalted said in Surat al-Hajj:[Al-Hajj 22:62], and He the Exalted said: [Al-Bayyinah 98:5]
, and the verses in this meaning are many. And success is from Allah. And may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Q1: The issue of uluhiyyah and what is meant by the testimony that there is no god but Allah One who looks into the books of some of our righteous predecessors, such as the book [Fath al-Majid Sharh Kitab al-Tawhid], [Majmu'at al-Tawhid] by the Shaykh of Islam Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab and the Shaykh of Islam Ahmad ibn 'Abd al-Halim ibn Taymiyyah and [Ma'arij al-Qubul fi Sharh Sulam al-Wusul] by the Shaykh Hafiz Hakim and others, will find the following: First, in [Fath al-Majid], the Shaykh (may Allah have mercy on him) said regarding the meaning of "there is no god but Allah," quoting from the Shaykh of Islam Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab (may Allah have mercy on him): that he did not consider the mere utterance of it to be sufficient, but rather that knowledge is necessary, and indeed that utterance, knowledge, and action are necessary, and he did not consider that sufficient either, but rather that disbelief in what is worshipped other than Allah is necessary. This was in his explanation of the hadith of Muslim (may Allah have mercy on him):
He who professed that there is no god but Allah and made a denial of everything which the people worship beside Allah, his property and blood became inviolable
من قال: لا إله إلاَّ الله وكفر بما يعبد من دون الله حرم ماله ودمهIt was narrated by Muslim. And this is at a time when we find in the book *Wulata la Qudat* that the man focuses on the concept of the testimony by utterance alone, without what the Shaykh of Islam (may Allah have mercy on him) and others mentioned. Likewise, one who looks into the statements of our righteous predecessors (Salaf) that faith is speech and action is perplexed when he finds in the statements of our contemporaries that it is speech without action. And when the Salaf spoke of the three elements of faith: speech with the tongue, action with the limbs, and affirmation with the heart, he finds confusion in that as well. So tell us the truth in this matter, after you have known what we have presented?
A1: The correct position in this is: the statement of the people of the Sunnah and the community that faith is speech with the tongue, action with the limbs, and affirmation with the heart. And mere utterance with the tongue is not sufficient in this, except in applying the rulings of this world, such as washing him if he dies, shrouding him, and burying him in the graves of Muslims, and the like of the rulings of this world, if nothing is known from him that necessitates his disbelief. As for the testimony that there is no god but Allah, its meaning is: (There is no true object of worship except Allah). And mere speech is not sufficient, but rather faith in the meaning and action in accordance with what is required are necessary. As Allah the Exalted said in Surat al-Hajj:
That is because Allah is the Truth, and that which they call upon other than Him is falsehood
ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ الْحَقُّ وَأَنَّ مَا يَدْعُونَ مِنْ دُونِهِ هُوَ الْبَاطِلُAnd they were not commanded except to worship Allah, [being] sincere to Him in religion
وَمَا أُمِرُوا إِلا لِيَعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ الدِّينَ, and the verses in this meaning are many. And success is from Allah. And may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.