From "Sharh al-'Aqidah al-Tahawiyyah," the issue of faith and what branches from it.

The Shaykh : This is a chapter from the book "Sharh al-Tahawiyyah." The text, which is famous as "al-'Aqidah al-Tahawiyyah," is named after Abu Ja'far al-Tahawi. In reality, this text is among the most important works composed on tawhid (the oneness of Allah) according to the methodology of the righteous Salaf, in a concise, brief, and comprehensive manner. I said that it was composed according to the methodology of the righteous Salaf, but an exception must be made to this generalization: he did not deviate from the way of the righteous Salaf in anything he mentioned in this creed except in the issue of faith and what branches from it. The righteous Salaf are all in agreement that faith increases and decreases, and this is explicit in the Book and the Sunnah. How many verses in the Qur'an are there in which our Lord (Mighty and Majestic) explicitly states that faith increases? "So it did not increase them."

Eid Abbasi : No, .

The Shaykh This is an explicit text that the faith of the Muslim increases. Therefore, from this verse and its like, and from the saying of the Prophet (peace be upon him): , this hadith has two narrations. From this hadith, its like, the aforementioned verse, and similar texts, the Salaf agreed in their statement and belief that faith increases and decreases. As for our author, Abu Ja'far al-Tahawi (may Allah have mercy on him), he differed in this issue, and in reality, this is merely following the methodology of Imam Abu Hanifah (may Allah have mercy on him), because he, among the four Imams, uniquely held the view that faith does not increase or decrease.
And I said that he differed in this issue and what branches from it. The following disagreement branches from the view that faith increases and decreases, or does not increase or decrease: Is it permissible for a Muslim to say, "I am a believer, if Allah wills," or is it not permissible?
Whoever follows the methodology of the righteous Salaf that faith increases and decreases permits saying, "I am a believer, if Allah wills." Because in this state, he is not certain that his faith is the faith that is pleasing to the Lord of the Worlds. So he says, "If Allah wills," hoping from Allah that his faith is complete faith. As for those who hold that faith does not accept increase, they do not permit this statement. It is not permissible for them to say, "I am a believer, if Allah wills." Rather, they say, "I am a believer, truly." This is what branches from the disagreement in that great principle, which is that faith increases and decreases. So whoever says it does not increase or decrease consequently says: It is not permissible to say, "I am a believer, if Allah wills."
Another issue branches from this disagreement, more dangerous than everything mentioned before: that whoever says faith does not increase or decrease, and therefore it is not permissible to say, "I am a believer, if Allah wills," says: Whoever says, "I am a believer, if Allah wills," has doubted in his faith, and whoever doubts in his faith has committed disbelief.
So those who say, "I am a believer, if Allah wills," are doubters in their faith, and whoever doubts in his faith has committed disbelief. This is declaring the majority of the righteous Salaf as disbelievers. However, this declaration is a necessary consequence of the school of thought, and a necessary consequence of a school of thought is not itself a school of thought. But, unfortunately, some of the fanatical Hanafis adhered to this and derived a jurisprudential ruling from it: Whoever says, "I am a believer, if Allah wills," has committed disbelief. They derived from this that it is not permissible for a Hanafi to marry a Shafi'i woman. Why? Because she doubts in her faith; she says, "I am a believer, if Allah wills," and whoever doubts in his faith has committed disbelief!
Therefore, in reality, this research is among the studies by which we argue against those who make general statements without careful consideration and deep thought. They say that the disagreement among Muslims is only in branches and not in principles. Yet faith is the foundation of principles, and they disagreed on it to the extent that the Hanafis said that whoever says, "I am a believer, if Allah wills," has committed disbelief. They mentioned this in a study on apostasy and derived from it that it is not permissible for a Hanafi to marry a Shafi'i woman because she doubts in her faith. Until some of their later scholars permitted a Hanafi to marry a Shafi'i woman, but at the time of his statement of permissibility, he widened the breach beyond the patch. Because he explicitly declared them disbelievers; he said: It is permissible for a Hanafi to marry a Shafi'i woman by placing her in the position of the People of the Book!

Those present: Allah is the Greatest!

The Shaykh : Placing her in the position of the People of the Book is like what is said: Initially, they said, "Whoever says, 'I am a believer, if Allah wills,' has committed disbelief." This is a binding and general text. But here he says: "By placing her in the position of the People of the Book." And this means that it is permissible for a Hanafi to marry a Shafi'i woman, but it is not permissible for a Shafi'i to marry a Hanafi woman; by placing her in the position of the People of the Book. So we take from the People of the Book, but we do not give to them. Similarly, this speaker says: We take the daughters of the Shafi'is, but we do not give our daughters to them!
This resulted from this disagreement that occurred between the Salaf and the three Imams and Abu Hanifah (may Allah have mercy on him). Abu Ja'far adopted this school of thought, and unfortunately, if it were not for this point, the book would have been Salafi one hundred percent. Therefore, I wanted to remind of the importance of this creed, the Tahawiyyah creed, from one aspect, and I exclude from it his statement following his Imam that faith does not increase or decrease.
This faith is based on tawhid = -- And upon you be peace, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings. And upon you be peace, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings -- = The foundation of this faith is faith in Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He), as He described Himself. And this faith in Allah (Mighty and Majestic), as He described Himself, has been neglected by many Muslims, their scholars, let alone their common people. Therefore, the commentator of al-'Aqidah al-Tahawiyyah addressed this tawhid with a sound and very great treatment. The faith and tawhid of the Muslim are not complete unless he understands this tawhid in its three known types: tawhid al-rububiyyah (oneness of lordship), tawhid al-'ibadah (oneness of worship), and tawhid al-asma' wa al-sifat (oneness of the names and attributes). And that is the statement of the commentator (may Allah have mercy on him):