What is meant by the negation of faith in a hadith like that of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): “By Allah, he does not believe, by Allah, he does not believe . . .
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The Shaykh: . . . The additions and omissions are from the famous hadiths regarding this matter, which emphasize the hadith of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), as is well known Sahih al-Bukhari 6016 . They said: Who is he, O Messenger of Allah? He said: . . . It is not permissible for us to understand that . . . and faith is absolute faith . . . because he spent the night and his neighbor next to him was hungry, unless that is accompanied by . . . From here, the scholars mentioned . . . that disbelief is divided into two categories: doctrinal disbelief and practical disbelief, and likewise . . . regarding open sinfulness and oppression, and that is accompanied either by actions, limbs, and the heart, or by limbs and the heart, according to this correct concept . . . many and very many, like the famous hadith about him mentioned earlier. This is all I have.
The questioner: Yes, O Shaykh . . . .
The Shaykh: . . . Does it mean that he exits from faith . . . and that if he dies at that moment, he dies as an apostate?
The questioner: He dies a Muslim.
The Shaykh: So this is what we are circling around, but I will tell you something else: he may die an apostate, ah . . . the previous detail, so the previous detail is necessary, is it clear and does it need anything but clarification?
The questioner : Is that clear?
The Shaykh: All right.
The questioner: . . . He exits from faith and remains in Islam, is this interpretation correct? Especially . . .
The Shaykh: This is not correct, for Islam, may Allah bless you . . .
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh: It is acting according to the rulings of the Shari'ah.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh: As for faith, it is what is settled in the heart, okay, and they may meet, as is known to the knowledgeable, faith and Islam, and they may differ, is this not known to you?
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh: If that is the case, then if it is said that faith has exited, and the abode of faith is the heart, then at that time, either we say that some of the faith has exited, as we detailed earlier, or all of the faith has exited. And this person, whom we have hypothesized died while committing that grave sin, here is one of two states: if he is committing it while considering it permissible, not just with his limbs but also with his heart, then he died an apostate. Therefore, it is not correct to say . . . so the word of Ibn Mandah must be interpreted in light of what I mentioned earlier. As for his exiting from Islam, he has exited from the ruling of . . .
The questioner: Yes, what led me to this issue was that I read the words of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah regarding the issue of faith, where he mentioned a narration from Imam Ahmad when he was asked about this hadith. He said: If he commits these four mentioned, he exits from faith and remains in Islam. He mentioned this in more than one place . . . the question to Imam Ahmad about this . . .
The Shaykh: The same question returns . . . , the same question returns: did he exit from all of faith?
The questioner: . . . May Allah bless you . . .
The Shaykh: But there is no doubt that every time he commits a sin, his faith decreases. Perhaps he fears that nothing of his faith will remain. But if we say he did such and such, meaning . . . the four grave sins are outside of faith, add a fifth, subtract the fourth, the previous question will return and is necessary, I think it is clear.
The student: Our Shaykh, you said a very beautiful phrase in this hadith.
The Shaykh: Go ahead.
The student: And that this exiting is most like the existence of a connection . . . as mentioned in some hadiths, and you mentioned His saying (Glorified and Exalted is He):[Az-Zumar 39:42] , so the soul is taken, and at the same time has a connection with the body, and so is faith. This has been repeated by our Shaykh for years.
The Shaykh: Yes, may Allah reward you with good, meaning faith remains attached to the heart, not separated from it. If it is separated from it, he exits from . . . Yes.
The questioner: Question.
The Shaykh: Go ahead.
By Allah, he does not believe! By Allah, he does not believe! By Allah, he does not believe!
والله لا يؤمن ، والله لا يؤمن ، والله لا يؤمنHe who spends the night and his neighbor is hungry
مَن بات وجاره جائعThe questioner: Yes, O Shaykh . . . .
The Shaykh: . . . Does it mean that he exits from faith . . . and that if he dies at that moment, he dies as an apostate?
The questioner: He dies a Muslim.
The Shaykh: So this is what we are circling around, but I will tell you something else: he may die an apostate, ah . . . the previous detail, so the previous detail is necessary, is it clear and does it need anything but clarification?
The questioner : Is that clear?
The Shaykh: All right.
The questioner: . . . He exits from faith and remains in Islam, is this interpretation correct? Especially . . .
The Shaykh: This is not correct, for Islam, may Allah bless you . . .
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh: It is acting according to the rulings of the Shari'ah.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh: As for faith, it is what is settled in the heart, okay, and they may meet, as is known to the knowledgeable, faith and Islam, and they may differ, is this not known to you?
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh: If that is the case, then if it is said that faith has exited, and the abode of faith is the heart, then at that time, either we say that some of the faith has exited, as we detailed earlier, or all of the faith has exited. And this person, whom we have hypothesized died while committing that grave sin, here is one of two states: if he is committing it while considering it permissible, not just with his limbs but also with his heart, then he died an apostate. Therefore, it is not correct to say . . . so the word of Ibn Mandah must be interpreted in light of what I mentioned earlier. As for his exiting from Islam, he has exited from the ruling of . . .
The questioner: Yes, what led me to this issue was that I read the words of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah regarding the issue of faith, where he mentioned a narration from Imam Ahmad when he was asked about this hadith. He said: If he commits these four mentioned, he exits from faith and remains in Islam. He mentioned this in more than one place . . . the question to Imam Ahmad about this . . .
The Shaykh: The same question returns . . . , the same question returns: did he exit from all of faith?
The questioner: . . . May Allah bless you . . .
The Shaykh: But there is no doubt that every time he commits a sin, his faith decreases. Perhaps he fears that nothing of his faith will remain. But if we say he did such and such, meaning . . . the four grave sins are outside of faith, add a fifth, subtract the fourth, the previous question will return and is necessary, I think it is clear.
The student: Our Shaykh, you said a very beautiful phrase in this hadith.
The Shaykh: Go ahead.
The student: And that this exiting is most like the existence of a connection . . . as mentioned in some hadiths, and you mentioned His saying (Glorified and Exalted is He):
Allah takes the souls at the time of their death, and those that do not die [He takes] during their sleep
اللَّهُ يَتَوَفَّى الْأَنْفُسَ حِينَ مَوْتِهَا وَالَّتِي لَمْ تَمُتْ فِي مَنَامِهَاThe Shaykh: Yes, may Allah reward you with good, meaning faith remains attached to the heart, not separated from it. If it is separated from it, he exits from . . . Yes.
The questioner: Question.
The Shaykh: Go ahead.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.