Exegesis of the saying of Allah the Exalted: (The Bedouins said, "We have believed." Say, "You have not believed, but rather say, 'We have submitted'")
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
May Allah reward you. He also inquires about a noble verse in the saying of Allah the Exalted:[Al-Hujurat 49:14] and he asks which is more important, Islam or faith?
Answer:
Islam comes first, and it is entering into Islam by pronouncing the two testimonies of faith. Faith is above it, above Islam, and excellence in worship is above both. So the religion has levels: Islam, then faith, then excellence in worship, as in the hadith of Jibril. As for the Bedouins, Allah refuted them because they claimed to have complete faith,[Al-Hujurat 49:14] claiming for themselves complete faith, while they were new to Islam. Faith had not yet taken root in their hearts, and they had not learned faith, but it was not as they claimed, [Al-Hujurat 49:14], meaning they had not attained complete faith. However, they will attain it, because Allah said [Al-Hujurat 49:14], a word indicating a future condition. So Allah the Exalted did not despair them of the establishment of faith and its perfection in their hearts. Rather, He refuted them for claiming something they had not reached. Also, they claimed perfection for themselves, whereas the believer sees that he is deficient and that no matter what he does, he is deficient in the right of Allah Mighty and Majestic. He does not claim complete knowledge, for he is ignorant except for what Allah has taught him. He acknowledges his deficiency in order to strive for perfection. But if he considers himself perfect, he will be deficient and may rely on what he has, which is little and insufficient. It is obligatory for the student of knowledge to know his own worth. May Allah have mercy on the woman who knew her own worth. Yes.
May Allah reward you. He also inquires about a noble verse in the saying of Allah the Exalted:
The bedouins say, "We have believed." Say, "You have not [yet] believed; but say [instead], 'We have submitted,'
قَالَتِ الْأَعْرَابُ آمَنَّا قُل لَّمْ تُؤْمِنُوا وَلَٰكِن قُولُوا أَسْلَمْنَاAnswer:
Islam comes first, and it is entering into Islam by pronouncing the two testimonies of faith. Faith is above it, above Islam, and excellence in worship is above both. So the religion has levels: Islam, then faith, then excellence in worship, as in the hadith of Jibril. As for the Bedouins, Allah refuted them because they claimed to have complete faith,
The bedouins say, "We have believed."
قَالَتِ الْأَعْرَابُ آمَنَّاThe bedouins say, "We have believed." Say, "You have not [yet] believed
قَالَتِ الْأَعْرَابُ آمَنَّا قُل لَّمْ تُؤْمِنُواfor faith has not yet entered your hearts
وَلَمَّا يَدْخُلِ الْإِيمَانُ فِي قُلُوبِكُمْ
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، 7655- تفسير قوله تعالى: (قالت الأعراب آمنا قل لم تؤمنوا ولكن قولوا أسلمنا) - الشيخ صالح الفوزان — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.