8/7/2019 Aspects of Increasing Iman

1/4

Aspects of Increasing Iman

Imam Ibn TaymiyyahKitab al-Iman

1999 Iman Publishing House

Increasing the Iman which Allah commands us to have, and which is a trait of His believing

worshipers, can be achieved through different means. The first aspect in increasing Iman isthrough practicing ijmaal, total, observance and tafseel, detailed, observance of Allah's

commands, for it is the obligation of all mankind to believe in Allah and His Messenger, and ofevery community to commit itself to all that the Messenger (sallallahu `alayhe wa sallam) has

ordered. It is well known that what was obligatory at first differs from what was required afterthe revelation of the whole Qur'an. Hence, unlike one who does not know about Islam, he who

knows the Qur'an, the Sunnah, and their meanings is obliged to have a detailed Iman. That is, if aman, inwardly as well as outwardly, believed in Allah and the Messenger (pbuh) and died before

he knew the laws of religion, he would die as a believer. His obligation and what he did are

different from the Iman of the one who knew the Islaimic laws and who believed in them andworked to fulfill them. The Iman of such a person is more complete, in accordance with theobligatory and the actual deeds. Indeed, of what he performed in accordance with the obligation

is of a more complete Iman and what he did is also considered more complete.

Allah says: " This day I have perfected your religion for you " (5:3). In this verse, theword "religion" refers to the legislation of commanded and forbidden actions, but does not mean

that everybody is obliged to do what the whole community is ordered to do. It is recorded both inSahih Muslim and Sahih al-Bukhari that the Prophet (pbuh) described women as diminished in

intellect and religion. This diminution in intellect made the witness of two women equal in thatof one man; the diminution in her religion is due to the fact that she does not pray and fast when

she is menstruating. Indeed, this diminution is not a diminution of what she is commanded to doand so she will not be punished because of it. However, if someone is commanded to pray and

fast and does so, his religion is complete compared to the one of diminished religion.

The second aspect [of increasing one's Iman] is the total and detailed acts of people. To

illustrate this, let us compare the Iman of the following three men. The first absolutely believedin what the Messenger (pbuh) came with and asked for, but was neither concerned about what

the Messenger (pbuh) commanded and prohibited nor sought the required knowledge of religionso as to act accordingly. The second sought and obtained this knowledge and acted on it. The

third man acquired knowledge, became well acquainted with it, and believed in it but did not actaccordingly. These three men shared the same obligation, but the one who looked for detailed

knowledge and acted on it had a more complete Iman than the one who knew and believed butdid not practice his knowledge. Likewise, he who believed in the message, confessed his sins,

and feared punishment was a better believer than the one who did not seek to understand what hewas asked to do, and did not fear punishment; on the contrary, he later was negligent and

careless, although [overtly as well as covertly] he believed in Muhammad (pbuh) as theMessenger of Allah.

8/7/2019 Aspects of Increasing Iman

2/4

Accordingly, the more the heart knows, believes in, and practices [what Allah and HisMessenger have ordered], the more a person's Iman increases even if that person has a general

adherence and general verbal confession.

Similarly, if someone knows Allah's Names as well as their meanings and believes in them, his

Iman is more perfect than that of someone who does not know but believes in them generally, orsomeone who knows only some of them. Hence, the more one knows Allah's Names, Attributes,and Verses, the more perfect his Iman.

The third aspect is that knowledge and assent are differentiated among people. That is, some

people have stronger, more enduring Iman and assent than others whose Iman is subject to doubt.Indeed, this is something experienced by each one of us. For example, people differ in the way

they see the new moon, hear the same sound, smell the same smell, and taste the same food. So itis with the heart's knowledge and assent. People differ widely in their belief in the meanings of

Allah's Names and His Words.

The fourth aspect is that the assent which requires the work of the heart is more complete thanthat which does not. So, knowledge which is accompanied by works is better than that which isnot. Suppose that two men knew that Allah, the Messenger (pbuh), Paradise, and Hell are true.

The knowledge of the first man obliged him to love and fear Allah, wish for Paradise, and avoidHell. However, the knowledge of the second man did not lead him to do so. Thus, we can say

that the knowledge of the first is more complete than that of the second. For the strength of theresult signals the strength of the cause, and all these matters stem from knowledge. So

knowledge of the "beloved" requires one to seek him; and knowledge of the "frightened"requires one to flee from him. However, absence of the required results signals the weakness of

the cause or prerequisite. That is why the Prophet (pbuh) said: "One who is informed [indirectly]of something is not like the one who sees it for himself." To illustrate this, when Allah told

Moses that his community worshiped the calf, he did not throw the al-Alwah, Tablets; but whenhe himself saw them practicing that, he did. This is not because Moses doubted Allah's words but

because the man who is told something, although he does not report the news of the teller, doesnot perceive the situation in the same way he does if he sees it for himself. Since his mind is

occupied with something else, other than what the informer said, he still believes him. Certainlyseeing something will give one a clearer understanding of the situation and this assent is better

than the other.

The fifth aspect is that works of the heart, such as love for Allah and His Messenger and fearand expectations from Allah, are part of Iman, as proven by the Qur'an, the Sunnah, and the

consensus of the pious ancestors. And people differ widely in their performance of these works.

The sixth aspect is that overt works, as well as covert works, are part of Iman; and people alsovary widely with respect to these works.

The seventh aspect is the importance of holding Allah in remembrance and not beinginattentive, since the latter opposes perfection of knowledge and acceptance. 'Umar Ibn Habib,

one of the Companions, said: "If we thank and praise Allah, our Iman increases. However, if weneglect and forget Him, our Iman decreases." And Mu'adh Ibn Jabal used to say to his

8/7/2019 Aspects of Increasing Iman

3/4

8/7/2019 Aspects of Increasing Iman

4/4

considered as an unbeliever but simply as ignorant. This happens in the case of many believerswho ignorantly think that an affirmation or a deed is not required for Iman but when they know

the truth, they believe. Many people, including those who are conscious about religious matters,may have, in their hearts, many detailed matters that may contradict what the Messenger brought

forward. Yet, they do not know that they are contradictory matters and, when they become aware

of this, they reverse their opinions. Thus, anyone who introduces an innovation or a saying [tothe religion of Islam] or performs a wrong act, and he is a believer in the Messenger or is awareof what the Messenger said and believes in them and does not reverse his beliefs, he is

considered ignorant but not an unbeliever. It follows then that every innovator with goodintentions of following what the Messenger brought forward is of this category. Thus, he who

has knowledge of what the Messenger brought forward and acts accordingly, is better than hewho commits an error concerning this, and anyone who becomes aware of the truth after

realizing his own error and acts on it, he will be in a more preferable position than before.

http://www.kalamullah.com/Books/Bidah.pdf