Defining Faith.

Jibril asked the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), "What is faith?" He said: "That you believe in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, the Last Day, and divine decree, its good and its evil." And Allah the Exalted said: So faith here includes believing in everything that one must believe in, and these are six types: belief in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, the Last Day, and divine decree, its good and its evil. Faith is not merely affirmation; it is not merely affirmation, because mere affirmation is not faith. This is why it is said, "We believed in Him," and it is said, "We believed in Him" (with the preposition *li*), and there is a difference between the two. It is also said, "He affirmed it," and there is a difference between that and faith as well. Therefore, faith must be accompanied by acceptance and submission; that is, one affirms, then accepts, then submits. This is faith. This is why it is said, "I believed in Him," and it is not said, "I believed Him."