I’MAN, IMAN ايمان
“Faith, which according to the Muslim doctors, is the belief of the heart and the confession of the lips to the truth of the Muslim religion. Faith is of two kinds: I’man Mujmal, or the simple expression of faith in the teaching og the Qur’an and the Ahadis, or Traditions; and I’man Mufassal, or a formal declaration of belief in the six articles of the Muslim Creed: 1. in God; 2, the Angels of God,; 3. the Books of God; 4. the Prophets of God; 5. the Day of Judgment; 6. Predestination to good and evil. In the Traditions, I’man includes practice (‘Amal), and all that belongs to the religious life of the Muslim. It is related (Mishkat, book i. ch. i.) That Muhammad said, “That person has tasted the sweets of faith who is pleased with God as his Lord; with Islam as his religion, and with Muhammad as the Prophet of God. And again (ib.), “The most excellent faith is to love him who loves God, and to hate him who hates God, to keep the tongue employed in repeating the name of God [ZIKR.], and to do unto men as you would wish them to do unto you, and to reject for others what you would reject yourself.
Salvation by faith without works is clearly taught (Mishkat, book i. ch. i.) by Muhammad e.g “When anyone of you shall have believed truly and sincerely, then whatever good action that person may do will be rewarded from ten to seven hundred fold, and every sin he may commit will be expiated one by one before he dies.” Good works, however, are the test of faith. A man asked the Prophet what was the sign whereby he might know the reality of his faith. He said, “If thou dost derive pleasure from the good that thou hast done, and art grieved for the evil which thou hast committed, then thou art a true believer.” (Mishkat, book i. ch. i). Some of the Prophet’s friends came to him and said, “Verily, we find in our minds such wicked propensities, that we think it even a sin to speak of them.” The Prophet said, “Do you find them really bad?” They said, “Yes.” He said, “This is evidence of faith.” By which he meant, if the man had not faith, he would not have felt the wickedness of his heart.
“Faith, which according to the Muslim doctors, is the belief of the heart and the confession of the lips to the truth of the Muslim religion. Faith is of two kinds: I’man Mujmal, or the simple expression of faith in the teaching og the Qur’an and the Ahadis, or Traditions; and I’man Mufassal, or a formal declaration of belief in the six articles of the Muslim Creed: 1. in God; 2, the Angels of God,; 3. the Books of God; 4. the Prophets of God; 5. the Day of Judgment; 6. Predestination to good and evil. In the Traditions, I’man includes practice (‘Amal), and all that belongs to the religious life of the Muslim. It is related (Mishkat, book i. ch. i.) That Muhammad said, “That person has tasted the sweets of faith who is pleased with God as his Lord; with Islam as his religion, and with Muhammad as the Prophet of God. And again (ib.), “The most excellent faith is to love him who loves God, and to hate him who hates God, to keep the tongue employed in repeating the name of God [ZIKR.], and to do unto men as you would wish them to do unto you, and to reject for others what you would reject yourself.
Salvation by faith without works is clearly taught (Mishkat, book i. ch. i.) by Muhammad e.g “When anyone of you shall have believed truly and sincerely, then whatever good action that person may do will be rewarded from ten to seven hundred fold, and every sin he may commit will be expiated one by one before he dies.” Good works, however, are the test of faith. A man asked the Prophet what was the sign whereby he might know the reality of his faith. He said, “If thou dost derive pleasure from the good that thou hast done, and art grieved for the evil which thou hast committed, then thou art a true believer.” (Mishkat, book i. ch. i). Some of the Prophet’s friends came to him and said, “Verily, we find in our minds such wicked propensities, that we think it even a sin to speak of them.” The Prophet said, “Do you find them really bad?” They said, “Yes.” He said, “This is evidence of faith.” By which he meant, if the man had not faith, he would not have felt the wickedness of his heart.
Based on Hughes, Dictionary of Islam
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