Exegesis of the saying of Allah the Exalted: "O you who believe, when you stand to pray, wash your faces and your hands to the elbows, and wipe your heads and your feet"

The Shaykh : So let us now listen to the verse before us, which is to be the topic of our discussion tonight. What is meant by faith? Is faith merely the acknowledgment of the Lord, Mighty and Majestic? Or is it an acknowledgment that necessitates acceptance and submission? Pay attention: is it sufficient for a person to simply say, "I believe in the Lord who created the heavens and the earth, who manages affairs, and in whose hand is the dominion of the heavens and the earth"? Is this faith sufficient or not? No, this faith is not sufficient. There must be faith that necessitates acceptance and submission. Acceptance means that if Allah makes something obligatory, you accept that it is obligatory. Submission means you surrender and act, because there is a difference that a student of knowledge must know: the difference between acceptance and submission. For example, regarding prayer: I accept that it is obligatory. What is the submission? I pray. So in obeying a command, there must be acceptance and submission: acceptance of what the command indicates, whether it is a recommended practice or an obligation, and submission to executing that command. Likewise, if Allah forbids something, there must be acceptance—acceptance of what? Of its prohibition—and then submission to avoiding it. Do you understand the rule now? Good. Is mere belief that Allah exists, that He is the One who created the heavens and the earth, that He is the One who gives life and death, and that He is the One who manages affairs—does this constitute faith? How many said no? Four, five, from a large gathering!
Answer: No, and no, then no again. This does not constitute faith, because this was present among the Quraysh, those who lied to the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) . They believed in all of this; they believed that Allah exists, that He is the Lord, that He is the Manager, that He is the Creator, and that He is the Giver of life and the Bringer of death. And yet, they considered the blood and wealth of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) to be lawful, and they did not rule that they were believers. It is necessary that along with faith there be what? Acceptance and submission. If you say, "By Allah, I believe that Allah exists," and you claim that this is faith, it is not correct. You must accept and submit. For this reason, the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said: And he said regarding faith: And he said regarding excellence in worship: Then he said at the end of the hadith: So the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) made religion all of these things. It is not merely that you believe in Allah. If , what does that mean? What? "They believed" means they affirmed, accepted, submitted, and yielded to the command of Allah.