سورة الحجرات

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Jamil ibn Darraj said: I asked Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) about the interpretation of this verse: قالَتِ الْأَعْرابُ آمَنَّا قُلْ لَمْ تُؤْمِنُوا وَ لکِنْ قُولُوا أَسْلَمْنا وَ لَمَّا یَدْخُلِ الْإِیمانُ فِی قُلُوبِکُمْ [The desert Arabs say: We have believed. Say: You have not believed, but say: We have submitted, and faith has not yet entered your hearts]. He said: "Do you not see that faith is other than Islam?"

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Hamran said: I heard Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) say: "Faith is that which settles in the heart and guides one toward Allah, and deeds bear witness to it, and one obeys Allah and submits to His commands. But Islam is that which becomes manifest in speech and action. Islam is that which the community believes in and which all sects accept; by it their lives are preserved, inheritance is distributed according to it, and marriage contracts are conducted upon it, and by it they take part in the prayers, give zakat, fast, and perform hajj. By these acts they leave disbelief and come toward faith. Islam does not share in faith, but faith does share in Islam, and the two come together in speech and action, just as the Ka'bah shares in the Masjid al-Haram but the mosque does not share in the Ka'bah. Allah the Exalted says: قالَتِ الْأَعْرابُ آمَنَّا قُلْ لَمْ تُؤْمِنُوا وَ لکِنْ قُولُوا أَسْلَمْنا وَ لَمَّا یَدْخُلِ الْإِیمانُ فِی قُلُوبِکُمْ [The desert Arabs say: We believe. Say: You do not believe, but rather say: We have submitted, for faith has not yet entered your hearts]; the words of Allah here are the clearest and most truthful of all." I said: "Does the believer have superiority over the Muslim, and do they differ in rulings, legal limits, and virtues?" He said: "No! They are equal in such matters, but the believer has superiority over the Muslim in the deeds he performs and the acts of worship he carries out; in these he has virtue over the Muslim." I said: "Has Allah the Exalted not said: 'Whoever does a good deed, Allah gives him tenfold' (An'am/160)? I suppose that they are equal with the believer in prayer, zakat, fasting, and hajj." He said: "Do you not see that Allah has said: 'Allah multiplies for the believers the good deeds they have performed manifold' (Baqarah/245)? For every good deed He grants seventy times its reward, and this is a virtue for the believer, and the stronger and truer the believer's faith is, the more Allah gives him, and He bestows good upon the believers." I said: "Is your view that whoever has embraced Islam is not included among the believers?" He said: "No! I say that whoever has become a Muslim has been drawn toward faith and has left disbelief. I will now give you an example so that the matter becomes clear to you and you may know the virtue of faith over Islam: if you were to see a man in the mosque, would you bear witness that you had seen him in the Ka'bah?" I said: "Such a thing would not be so." He said: "If you saw a man in the Ka'bah, could you say that you had seen him in the Masjid al-Haram?" I said: "Yes, I accept that." He said: "How so?" I said: "Because the way of entering the Ka'bah is through the mosque." He said: "Indeed, faith and Islam are likewise."

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Abu Basir said: I heard Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) say regarding the verse قالَتِ الْأَعْرابُ آمَنَّا قُلْ لَمْ تُؤْمِنُوا وَ لکِنْ قُولُوا أَسْلَمْنا [The dwellers of the desert say: We believe. Say: You do not believe, but say: We submit]: Whoever claims that they have believed, or claims that they have not submitted, has lied.

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Islam is not a partner in iman (faith), but iman is a partner in Islam, and both come together in speech (the two testimonies) and deed (acting on the ordinances of the religion) — meaning such a person is both a believer and a Muslim — just as the Kaaba is within al-Masjid al-Haram, but al-Masjid al-Haram is not within the Kaaba. Likewise, iman is a partner in Islam, but Islam is not a partner in iman. And Allah the Mighty and Majestic says: قالَتِ الْأَعْرابُ آمَنَّا قُلْ لَمْ تُؤْمِنُوا وَ لکِنْ قُولُوا أَسْلَمْنا وَ لَمَّا یَدْخُلِ الْإِیمانُ فِی قُلُوبِکُمْ [The dwellers of the desert say: We believe. Say: You do not believe, but say: We submit; and faith has not yet entered into your hearts], and the word of Allah the Mighty and Majestic is the truest of words.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Abu al-Sabbah al-Kinani said: I asked Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): "Which of the two is superior, iman or Islam? For the people around us say that Islam is superior to iman." He said: "Iman is superior to Islam." I said: "Make this clear to me." He said: "What do you say about someone who deliberately commits a hadath (impurity, such as urinating) in al-Masjid al-Haram?" I said: "He is beaten severely." He said: "You are right. What do you say about someone who deliberately commits a hadath inside the Kaaba?" I said: "He must be killed." He said: "You are right. Do you not see that the Kaaba is more excellent than the mosque, and that the Kaaba is a partner in the mosque but the mosque is not a partner in the Kaaba? (For the punishment for defiling the Kaaba is not applied for the mosque.) Likewise, iman is a partner in Islam, but Islam is not a partner in iman."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Fudayl said: I heard Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) say: "Iman is a partner in Islam, but Islam is not a partner in it. Iman is that which settles in the heart, and Islam is that upon which marriages, inheritances and the protection of blood rest; and iman shares in Islam, but Islam is not a partner in iman."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Sama'ah ibn Mihran said: I asked the Imam (peace be upon him), "Is there a difference between Islam and iman (faith)?" He said, "Shall I strike a parable for you?" I said, "Please explain." He said, "The likeness of iman and Islam is like the likeness of the Ka'bah to the Haram (sacred precinct) of Makkah. Sometimes a person is in the Haram but not in the Ka'bah, but he cannot be in the Ka'bah unless he is in the Haram. Likewise, sometimes a person is a Muslim but not a mu'min (believer), but he cannot be a mu'min unless he is a Muslim." I said, "Is there anything that takes a person out of iman?" He said, "Yes." I said, "Where does it take him [who has left iman]?" He said, "To Islam or to kufr (disbelief)." And he said, "If a man enters the Ka'bah and his urine suddenly escapes from him, he is taken out of the Ka'bah, but he is not taken out of the Haram; he washes his garment and purifies himself, and then there is nothing to prevent him from entering the Ka'bah again. But if a man enters the Ka'bah and urinates there out of defiance and obstinacy, he is expelled from the Ka'bah and from the Haram, and his neck is struck."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Sama'ah said: I said to Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him), "Inform me about Islam and iman (faith) — are the two different?" He said, "Iman shares in Islam and walks step by step with it, but Islam does not share in iman." I said, "Please explain." He said, "Islam is the testimony to the oneness of Allah and the affirmation of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family); by this much, blood is protected and the laws of marriage and inheritance take effect, and most people have taken hold of this outward form. But iman is guidance, and what enters the heart from the qualities of Islam and is acted upon accordingly. Iman is one degree above Islam, for iman outwardly shares in Islam, but Islam inwardly does not share in iman, though the two come together in speech and description."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Sufyan ibn al-Simt said: A man asked the Imam (peace be upon him) about Islam and iman (faith), what the difference between the two is. The Imam did not answer him. He asked again and received no reply. (The man left and) then one day he met the Imam on the road while he was preparing to depart on a journey. The Imam said to him, "It seems you are ready for a journey?" He said, "Yes." The Imam said, "Then meet me at al-Masjid al-Haram!" The man came to the Imam at the appointed place and again asked, "What is the difference between Islam and iman?" He said, "Islam is the outward program which people follow: the testimony to the oneness of Allah and to the prophethood of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), the establishment of prayer, the giving of zakat, the Hajj of the House of Allah, and fasting the month of Ramadan — this is Islam. But iman is the recognition of this matter (Imamah); with this in view, if someone acknowledges these things but does not recognize this matter, he is a Muslim but he is astray."

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Abu Basir said: I was with Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) when a man said to him: 'May Allah keep you well, in Kufa there is a group who attribute a saying to you.' He said: 'What is that saying?' He said: 'They say that iman (faith) is other than islam (submission).' The Imam (peace be upon him) said: 'Yes, that is correct.' The man said: 'Explain this matter to me.' He said: 'Whoever affirms the oneness of Allah and believes in the messengership of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), and adheres to all that has been sent down from Allah the Exalted, performs the prayer, gives zakat, fasts, and performs the Hajj — he is a Muslim.' I said: 'Then what is iman (faith)?' The Imam (peace be upon him) said: 'Whoever knows Allah in His oneness and Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) in his messengership, and affirms what has come from Allah, and performs the prayer, and gives zakat, and fasts, and performs the Hajj of the House, and comes before Allah without a sin that would cause his entry into the Fire — he is a mu'min (believer).' Abu Basir said: 'I said: May I be your ransom, all of us have committed sins and deserve punishment.' The Imam (peace be upon him) said: 'It is not as you say; what is meant is the one who commits a sin and becomes deserving [of the Fire], but departs from the world without repentance.'

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Sulayman ibn Khalid said: Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) said: 'O Sulayman! Do you know who a Muslim is?' I said: 'May I be your ransom! You know better.' He said: 'A Muslim is one from whose tongue and hand the Muslims are safe.' Then he said: 'Do you know who a mu'min (believer) is?' I said: 'You know better.' He said: 'A mu'min is one whom the believers and Muslims trust with their wealth, and to whom they entrust their lives and property. And it is haram (forbidden) for a Muslim to wrong another Muslim, or to cause him hardship and harm, or to push him away and deprive him from his door.'

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Islam comes before iman (faith); through islam they inherit from one another and marry, and through iman they earn reward.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Abd al-Rahim al-Qasir said: I wrote a letter to Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) in which I had asked, "What is iman (faith)?" and I sent it through Abd al-Malik ibn A'yan. The Imam (peace be upon him) wrote back and sent it through Abd al-Malik: "You asked about iman, may Allah have mercy on you. Iman is affirmation with the tongue, resolve in the heart, and action with the limbs. Iman has parts joined to one another and is like a house (whose roof, door and walls are joined together). Likewise Islam is like a house, and kufr (disbelief) too is like a house. Sometimes a servant is a Muslim before he is a believer (he is a Muslim and has not yet become a believer), but he does not become a believer unless he is a Muslim. So Islam comes before iman and shares with iman. When the servant commits one of the major sins or one of the minor sins that Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, has forbidden, he goes out of iman, the name of iman is removed from him, and the name of Islam is placed upon him. Then if he repents and seeks forgiveness, he returns to the house of iman. Nothing takes him out to kufr except denial and istihlal (declaring the forbidden lawful). Istihlal is that he says of a lawful thing, 'This is unlawful,' and of an unlawful thing, 'This is lawful,' and holds this as his creed. At that point he has gone out of Islam and iman and entered into kufr, and he is like one who entered the Haram (Masjid al-Haram), then entered the Ka'bah, and committed a defilement in the Ka'bah — so he is expelled from the Ka'bah and from the Haram, his neck is struck, and he goes to the Fire."

Imam Rida (peace be upon him): Iman (faith) is recognition with the heart, affirmation with the tongue, and action with the limbs.

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): Islam is outward, and iman (faith) is in the heart — and with this statement he pointed to his chest.

Imam Rida (peace be upon him): Aba Salt al-Harawi said: I asked Imam Rida (peace be upon him), "What is iman (faith)?" He said, "Iman is conviction in the heart, affirmation with the tongue, and action with the limbs, and iman is not realised except in this way."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): These are the matters of the laws and customs of the religion. Islam is other than iman (faith); every believer is a Muslim, but not every Muslim is a believer.

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) and Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Iman (faith) is affirmation and action, but Islam is affirmation without action.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Islam preserves itself, and returns the trust, and makes women lawful [in marriage], but reward and recompense follow upon iman (faith).

Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): Iman (faith) is word and deed.

Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): وَ لکِنْ قُولُوا أَسْلَمْنا [But say: We submit] — meaning, you submitted by the sword, وَ لَمَّا یَدْخُلِ الْإِیمانُ فِی قُلُوبِکُمْ [and faith has not yet entered your hearts]; meaning, nothing is diminished from you.

Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): لا یَلِتْکُمْ مِنْ أَعْمالِکُمْ شَیْئاً [He will not diminish aught of your deeds]; meaning, He does not diminish anything from the reward of your deeds.

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): وَ إِنْ تُطِیعُوا اللهَ وَ رَسُولَهُ لا یَلِتْکُمْ مِنْ أَعْمالِکُمْ شَیْئاً [And if you obey Allah and His Messenger, He will not diminish anything from your deeds]; that is, He will not reduce anything from the reward of your deeds.