What is Eeman?
Eemaan is conviction, sayings and actions
How to judge if a person is Muslim or Kaafir…
The outer (apparent) of every person is his sayings and actions, and the inner (what is not apparent) is what is in the heart. Only Allaah (swt) knows what is in the heart of every single person but Allaah enables us to have a slight insight into a person’s intentions and character via their actions, as actions are the manifestation of what is concealed in the heart.
Before we discuss how to judge if a person is Muslim or not and the importance of doing so, lets first of all define Eemaan. According to the understanding of the saviour sect Ahl us-Sunnah wal-Jamaa’ah (the messenger Muhammad (saw) and his companions), Eemaan is to believe in the heart, to testify by the tongue and to willingly implement this conviction and testimony by the limbs. It therefore goes without saying that any other understanding of the term Eemaan is a false and deviant understanding.
Eemaan is to believe in the heart
“When the hypocrites come to you they say: ‘We bear witness that you are indeed the Messenger of Allaah.’ Allaah knows that you are indeed His Messenger and Allaah bears witness that the hypocrites are liars indeed.
They have made their oaths a screen (for their hypocrisy). Thus they hinder (men) from the Path of Allaah. Verily, evil is what they used to do.
That is because they believed, then disbelieved, therefore their hearts are sealed, so they understand not.” (EMQ al-Munaafiqoun, 63: 1-3)
In the above verses Allaah (swt) states that the Munaafiqoun (hypocrites) pretend to have Eemaan and Islaam in their actions but they disbelieve in their heart. Therefore it is not enough just to testify by your tongue and perform good deeds…you MUST also believe in the heart. Furthermore, Allaah (swt) says in the Qur’aan:
“And of mankind, there are some (hypocrites) who say: "We believe in Allaah and the Last Day" while in fact they believe not.
They (think to) deceive Allaah and those who believe, while they only deceive themselves, and perceive (it) not!” (EMQ al-Baqarah, 2: 8-9)
The hypocrites will always claim to be believers and publicly show Islaam but in their inner (baatin) they conceal kufr and hatred for Islamic laws. Imaam al-Qurtubie said in his tafseer (explanation) about these aayaat: ‘they (the hypocrites) try to deceive Allaah and the believers but they deceive none but themselves.’
Because of their false impressions and lies, Allaah (swt) informs us that the Munaafiqeen will be in the bottom of Hell-fire, simply because they testify that which they do not believe in:
“Verily, the hypocrites will be in the lowest depths (grade) of the Fire; no helper will you find for them.” (EMQ an-Nisaa’, 4: 145)
Also in the most famous hadeeth, quoted even in Imaam Nawawie’s forty ahaadeeth, the messenger Muhammad (saw) said:
‘Every action is done by intention...’ (Saheeh al-Bukhaarie, book of revelation #1)
Again this hadeeth confirms the simple principle ‘action is the manifestation of intention.’ Therefore when a person commits that which is kufr, it is not our duty to check his heart and his intention, we leave this to Allaah. Our duty is to judge the action not the intention, and this famous hadeeth states that the intention behind every action is apparent in the action.
When a person fornicates and there are a sufficient number of witnesses, that person will be lashed, regardless of his intention! If we judged by intention, what if the intention of a fornicator is to have children and bring them up as ‘Ulamaa (scholars)? Would he then be pardoned from the punishment? Likewise a thief may have the intention of steeling in order to support the Mujaahideen! Do we judge his intention or action? Allaah (swt) and the messenger Muhammad (saw) never instructed us to judge by intention as only almighty Allaah knows that which is in the heart. Therefore we are obliged to judge the action of mankind, not their heart.
And it is has also been narrated by Abou Hurairah (ra) that the messenger Muhammad (saw) said:
‘The one who testifies that ‘there is none truly worthy of worship but Allaah and Muhammad is the messenger of Allaah’ sincerely from his heart, Allaah will forbid upon him hell-fire.’ (Saheeh al-Bukhaarie, book of knowledge #128)
Therefore it is beyond doubt that one of the pillars of Eemaan is to believe in the heart. The only people who say that Eemaan is only to testify by the tongue are a sect called al-Karamiyyah who are from the Mu’tazilah (rationalists). They believe that if you say something and do not fulfil it you are a Munaafiq (hypocrite). The Karamiyyah do not believe anything is settled in the heart as they interpret qalb (heart) to mean ‘mind’. However, the Karamiyyah generally do not exist today but can be found in some remote parts of the world (they are very rare to find).
Eemaan is to testify by the tongue
It has been narrated by ‘Abdullaah bin ‘Umar that the messenger Muhammad said to his uncle Abou Taalib (on his death bed): "Say: ‘Laa ilaaha illaa Allaah’ and I will testify for you on the day of judgement that you are a believer.’
(Saheeh Muslim, book of Eemaan #24)
His uncle then said: ‘…it is only because my people may think that I have turned my back on them, otherwise you would see tears of happiness.’ In other narrations he said: ‘nobody is more trustworthy than Allaah and there is no Deen (what you believe in, live by and die for) like the Deen of Islaam, but I will never like what my people dislike.’ His uncle Abou Taalib rejected to testify the kalimah, though he believed in his heart. Allaah then informed his messenger that he does not have the power of guidance and it is only Allaah (swt) that guides (al-Qasas, 28: 56).
Imaam Nawawie also said: ‘The condition of Eemaan is to testify (the kalimah) verbally, believing in it and all what the prophet (saw) gave.’
And Ibn Taymiyyah said in his book al-Fataawa: ‘the one who does not testify and is capable of doing so is a kaafir (disbeliever) by the consent of the Muslims and the four Imaams.’
Eemaan is to practice willingly by the limbs
“And Allaah would never make your Eemaan (prayers) to be lost (i.e. your prayers offered towards Jerusalem). Truly, Allaah is full of kindness, the Most Merciful towards mankind.” (EMQ al-Baqarah, 2: 143)
Imaam al-Qurtubie said in his tafseer of this verse: ‘Eemaan is salaah as it requires niyyah (intention), sayings and action. People used to pray towards Jerusalem but then Allaah changed the Qiblah (direction of prayer) and they thought that their salaah before was wasted (invalid).’
Imaam Maalik also said: ‘the saying ‘Salaah is not Eemaan’ is the saying of the Murji-ah (those who separate Eemaan from action i.e. they are misguided).’
The messenger Muhammad (saw) was also once asked:
‘‘What is the best action?’ He (saw) replied: ‘to believe in Allaah and his messenger.’’ (Saheeh al-Bukhaarie, book of Hajj #1447)
The messenger Muhammad (saw) was asked in the above hadeeth ‘what is the best action?’ He replied ‘to believe in Allaah and his messenger.’ Hence Eemaan is action.
It is also narrated that the messenger Muhammad (saw) said:
‘Eemaan is over 70 branches. The highest is to say Laa ilaaha illaa Allaah…and the lowest is to remove harm from street.’ (Saheeh Muslim, book of Eemaan #35)
This hadeeth again indicates that Eemaan is action as he said the lowest form of Eemaan is to remove harm from the street - which is an action. Imaam Bukhaarie even said himself that: ‘Eemaan is sayings and actions that increases (by good deeds) and decreases (by bad deeds).’
We judge the apparent (actions) in matters of Eemaan and Kufr
Usaamah bin Zayd (a great companion of the messenger Muhammad (saw)) was once sent on an expedition towards al-Hurqah (a place of the tribe Juhaina) and he killed a man after he testified the kalimah of Tawheed. When the prophet (saw) heard about this he said:
‘O Usaamah! Did you kill him?’ Usaamah said: ‘Yes! He said it only to save himself from me.’ The prophet (saw) replied: ‘Did you open up his heart and check his intention? What will you do when Laa ilaaha illaa Allaah comes to you on the Day of Judgement?’ Usaamah (ra) said: ‘The prophet (saw) kept repeating that so often that I wished I had not embraced Islaam before that day.’ (Saheeh Muslim, book of Eemaan, chapter 41 hadeeth #96)
This hadeeth shows clearly how we should only judge people by their apparent i.e. their sayings and actions. Usaamah bin Zayd, may Allaah be pleased with him, was dispraised for killing this Mushrik (non-Muslim) due to the fact that he tried to judge his heart. If somebody testifies the kalimah, we must accept it and not judge his intention as that is for Allaah to judge. Likewise, if a person commits an action that is kufr or shirk akbar (takes you outside the fold of Islaam), such as to bow down to an idol or rule by kufr law, it is not our job to judge the person’s heart or intention, rather we judge his action. When a person commits kufr akbar and has no preventions of Takfeer, that person will become an apostate and his intention will be left for Allaah to judge.
Another example of judging a person’s actions is when a Sahaabie (companion of the messenger Muhammad (saw)) Haatib ibn Abee Balta’ah was exposed by Allaah (al-Anfaal, 8: 27) for giving information about the Muslim army to the Quraish, which is an act of apostasy, though it was only through sign language i.e. he signalled to them that the army of Muhammad (saw) was going to slaughter them. When the other companions heard about this they rose immediately to kill him. ‘Umar bin Khattaab declared him an apostate and said to the messenger of Allaah (saw) ‘let me kill that kaafir!’ The messenger of Allaah (saw) never told his companions not to call him kaafir, rather he consented to their takfeer. However, Allaah revealed the verses in the Qur’aan (al-Anfaal, 8: 28-29) explaining that what Haatib did was not kufr akbar (great kufr) but rather kufr asghar (minor kufr) as he did it in order to protect his family. This incident is narrated in Saheeh Muslim, chapter 36 hadeeth #2494.
This scenario shows us that when a person commits kufr akbar we do not judge their intention but their actions, as the Sahaabah did so. However, only Haatib ibn Abee Balta’ah was excused as Allaah revealed a verse for him and he was also a man who fought in the battle of Badr. If the verse was not revealed then he would have been killed as an apostate.
Eemaan does not mean ‘faith’ or ‘belief’
One of the greatest mistakes in translation is the term Eemaan. Many people translate Eemaan to mean faith or belief. The greatest scholars, as-well as Ahl us-Sunnah wal-Jamaa’ah understood Eemaan to be 3 pillars which can never be separated - conviction, sayings and actions. This great mistake of translating Eemaan as ‘faith’ will open up the doors of Irjaa’ (separating Eemaan from actions) - one of the greatest diseases in the Muslim Ummah today. This is because the term faith is restricted to the heart and not associated to any actions of the limbs. Therefore, as followers of Ahl us-Sunnah wal-Jamaa’ah, we should never use the terminology of the deviants and misguided.
It is vital for us to understand Eemaan the way Ahl us-Sunnah wal-Jamaa’ah do. Firstly because Allaah (swt) obliges upon us to follow them and believe in what they believe in and secondly because the understanding of Eemaan will greatly effect all other actions. The reason why people insist on digging and trying to justify Eemaan is only in the heart is simply because they want to close their eyes to the great possibilities of becoming kaafir or an apostate. By believing Eemaan is in the heart alone implies that you can do whatever you want and never leave the fold of Islaam - this suits the hypocrites and the rebellious sinners.
Whereas if you believe like the Messenger Muhammad (saw) and his companions (raa) i.e. that Eemaan is sayings and actions as-well as believing in the heart; one will always be cautious of his/hers actions in order to make sure they do not commit any actions which negate their Eemaan and Tawheed.
How to judge if a person is Muslim or Kaafir…
The outer (apparent) of every person is his sayings and actions, and the inner (what is not apparent) is what is in the heart. Only Allaah (swt) knows what is in the heart of every single person but Allaah enables us to have a slight insight into a person’s intentions and character via their actions, as actions are the manifestation of what is concealed in the heart.
Before we discuss how to judge if a person is Muslim or not and the importance of doing so, lets first of all define Eemaan. According to the understanding of the saviour sect Ahl us-Sunnah wal-Jamaa’ah (the messenger Muhammad (saw) and his companions), Eemaan is to believe in the heart, to testify by the tongue and to willingly implement this conviction and testimony by the limbs. It therefore goes without saying that any other understanding of the term Eemaan is a false and deviant understanding.
Eemaan is to believe in the heart
“When the hypocrites come to you they say: ‘We bear witness that you are indeed the Messenger of Allaah.’ Allaah knows that you are indeed His Messenger and Allaah bears witness that the hypocrites are liars indeed.
They have made their oaths a screen (for their hypocrisy). Thus they hinder (men) from the Path of Allaah. Verily, evil is what they used to do.
That is because they believed, then disbelieved, therefore their hearts are sealed, so they understand not.” (EMQ al-Munaafiqoun, 63: 1-3)
In the above verses Allaah (swt) states that the Munaafiqoun (hypocrites) pretend to have Eemaan and Islaam in their actions but they disbelieve in their heart. Therefore it is not enough just to testify by your tongue and perform good deeds…you MUST also believe in the heart. Furthermore, Allaah (swt) says in the Qur’aan:
“And of mankind, there are some (hypocrites) who say: "We believe in Allaah and the Last Day" while in fact they believe not.
They (think to) deceive Allaah and those who believe, while they only deceive themselves, and perceive (it) not!” (EMQ al-Baqarah, 2: 8-9)
The hypocrites will always claim to be believers and publicly show Islaam but in their inner (baatin) they conceal kufr and hatred for Islamic laws. Imaam al-Qurtubie said in his tafseer (explanation) about these aayaat: ‘they (the hypocrites) try to deceive Allaah and the believers but they deceive none but themselves.’
Because of their false impressions and lies, Allaah (swt) informs us that the Munaafiqeen will be in the bottom of Hell-fire, simply because they testify that which they do not believe in:
“Verily, the hypocrites will be in the lowest depths (grade) of the Fire; no helper will you find for them.” (EMQ an-Nisaa’, 4: 145)
Also in the most famous hadeeth, quoted even in Imaam Nawawie’s forty ahaadeeth, the messenger Muhammad (saw) said:
‘Every action is done by intention...’ (Saheeh al-Bukhaarie, book of revelation #1)
Again this hadeeth confirms the simple principle ‘action is the manifestation of intention.’ Therefore when a person commits that which is kufr, it is not our duty to check his heart and his intention, we leave this to Allaah. Our duty is to judge the action not the intention, and this famous hadeeth states that the intention behind every action is apparent in the action.
When a person fornicates and there are a sufficient number of witnesses, that person will be lashed, regardless of his intention! If we judged by intention, what if the intention of a fornicator is to have children and bring them up as ‘Ulamaa (scholars)? Would he then be pardoned from the punishment? Likewise a thief may have the intention of steeling in order to support the Mujaahideen! Do we judge his intention or action? Allaah (swt) and the messenger Muhammad (saw) never instructed us to judge by intention as only almighty Allaah knows that which is in the heart. Therefore we are obliged to judge the action of mankind, not their heart.
And it is has also been narrated by Abou Hurairah (ra) that the messenger Muhammad (saw) said:
‘The one who testifies that ‘there is none truly worthy of worship but Allaah and Muhammad is the messenger of Allaah’ sincerely from his heart, Allaah will forbid upon him hell-fire.’ (Saheeh al-Bukhaarie, book of knowledge #128)
Therefore it is beyond doubt that one of the pillars of Eemaan is to believe in the heart. The only people who say that Eemaan is only to testify by the tongue are a sect called al-Karamiyyah who are from the Mu’tazilah (rationalists). They believe that if you say something and do not fulfil it you are a Munaafiq (hypocrite). The Karamiyyah do not believe anything is settled in the heart as they interpret qalb (heart) to mean ‘mind’. However, the Karamiyyah generally do not exist today but can be found in some remote parts of the world (they are very rare to find).
Eemaan is to testify by the tongue
It has been narrated by ‘Abdullaah bin ‘Umar that the messenger Muhammad said to his uncle Abou Taalib (on his death bed): "Say: ‘Laa ilaaha illaa Allaah’ and I will testify for you on the day of judgement that you are a believer.’
(Saheeh Muslim, book of Eemaan #24)
His uncle then said: ‘…it is only because my people may think that I have turned my back on them, otherwise you would see tears of happiness.’ In other narrations he said: ‘nobody is more trustworthy than Allaah and there is no Deen (what you believe in, live by and die for) like the Deen of Islaam, but I will never like what my people dislike.’ His uncle Abou Taalib rejected to testify the kalimah, though he believed in his heart. Allaah then informed his messenger that he does not have the power of guidance and it is only Allaah (swt) that guides (al-Qasas, 28: 56).
Imaam Nawawie also said: ‘The condition of Eemaan is to testify (the kalimah) verbally, believing in it and all what the prophet (saw) gave.’
And Ibn Taymiyyah said in his book al-Fataawa: ‘the one who does not testify and is capable of doing so is a kaafir (disbeliever) by the consent of the Muslims and the four Imaams.’
Eemaan is to practice willingly by the limbs
“And Allaah would never make your Eemaan (prayers) to be lost (i.e. your prayers offered towards Jerusalem). Truly, Allaah is full of kindness, the Most Merciful towards mankind.” (EMQ al-Baqarah, 2: 143)
Imaam al-Qurtubie said in his tafseer of this verse: ‘Eemaan is salaah as it requires niyyah (intention), sayings and action. People used to pray towards Jerusalem but then Allaah changed the Qiblah (direction of prayer) and they thought that their salaah before was wasted (invalid).’
Imaam Maalik also said: ‘the saying ‘Salaah is not Eemaan’ is the saying of the Murji-ah (those who separate Eemaan from action i.e. they are misguided).’
The messenger Muhammad (saw) was also once asked:
‘‘What is the best action?’ He (saw) replied: ‘to believe in Allaah and his messenger.’’ (Saheeh al-Bukhaarie, book of Hajj #1447)
The messenger Muhammad (saw) was asked in the above hadeeth ‘what is the best action?’ He replied ‘to believe in Allaah and his messenger.’ Hence Eemaan is action.
It is also narrated that the messenger Muhammad (saw) said:
‘Eemaan is over 70 branches. The highest is to say Laa ilaaha illaa Allaah…and the lowest is to remove harm from street.’ (Saheeh Muslim, book of Eemaan #35)
This hadeeth again indicates that Eemaan is action as he said the lowest form of Eemaan is to remove harm from the street - which is an action. Imaam Bukhaarie even said himself that: ‘Eemaan is sayings and actions that increases (by good deeds) and decreases (by bad deeds).’
We judge the apparent (actions) in matters of Eemaan and Kufr
Usaamah bin Zayd (a great companion of the messenger Muhammad (saw)) was once sent on an expedition towards al-Hurqah (a place of the tribe Juhaina) and he killed a man after he testified the kalimah of Tawheed. When the prophet (saw) heard about this he said:
‘O Usaamah! Did you kill him?’ Usaamah said: ‘Yes! He said it only to save himself from me.’ The prophet (saw) replied: ‘Did you open up his heart and check his intention? What will you do when Laa ilaaha illaa Allaah comes to you on the Day of Judgement?’ Usaamah (ra) said: ‘The prophet (saw) kept repeating that so often that I wished I had not embraced Islaam before that day.’ (Saheeh Muslim, book of Eemaan, chapter 41 hadeeth #96)
This hadeeth shows clearly how we should only judge people by their apparent i.e. their sayings and actions. Usaamah bin Zayd, may Allaah be pleased with him, was dispraised for killing this Mushrik (non-Muslim) due to the fact that he tried to judge his heart. If somebody testifies the kalimah, we must accept it and not judge his intention as that is for Allaah to judge. Likewise, if a person commits an action that is kufr or shirk akbar (takes you outside the fold of Islaam), such as to bow down to an idol or rule by kufr law, it is not our job to judge the person’s heart or intention, rather we judge his action. When a person commits kufr akbar and has no preventions of Takfeer, that person will become an apostate and his intention will be left for Allaah to judge.
Another example of judging a person’s actions is when a Sahaabie (companion of the messenger Muhammad (saw)) Haatib ibn Abee Balta’ah was exposed by Allaah (al-Anfaal, 8: 27) for giving information about the Muslim army to the Quraish, which is an act of apostasy, though it was only through sign language i.e. he signalled to them that the army of Muhammad (saw) was going to slaughter them. When the other companions heard about this they rose immediately to kill him. ‘Umar bin Khattaab declared him an apostate and said to the messenger of Allaah (saw) ‘let me kill that kaafir!’ The messenger of Allaah (saw) never told his companions not to call him kaafir, rather he consented to their takfeer. However, Allaah revealed the verses in the Qur’aan (al-Anfaal, 8: 28-29) explaining that what Haatib did was not kufr akbar (great kufr) but rather kufr asghar (minor kufr) as he did it in order to protect his family. This incident is narrated in Saheeh Muslim, chapter 36 hadeeth #2494.
This scenario shows us that when a person commits kufr akbar we do not judge their intention but their actions, as the Sahaabah did so. However, only Haatib ibn Abee Balta’ah was excused as Allaah revealed a verse for him and he was also a man who fought in the battle of Badr. If the verse was not revealed then he would have been killed as an apostate.
Eemaan does not mean ‘faith’ or ‘belief’
One of the greatest mistakes in translation is the term Eemaan. Many people translate Eemaan to mean faith or belief. The greatest scholars, as-well as Ahl us-Sunnah wal-Jamaa’ah understood Eemaan to be 3 pillars which can never be separated - conviction, sayings and actions. This great mistake of translating Eemaan as ‘faith’ will open up the doors of Irjaa’ (separating Eemaan from actions) - one of the greatest diseases in the Muslim Ummah today. This is because the term faith is restricted to the heart and not associated to any actions of the limbs. Therefore, as followers of Ahl us-Sunnah wal-Jamaa’ah, we should never use the terminology of the deviants and misguided.
It is vital for us to understand Eemaan the way Ahl us-Sunnah wal-Jamaa’ah do. Firstly because Allaah (swt) obliges upon us to follow them and believe in what they believe in and secondly because the understanding of Eemaan will greatly effect all other actions. The reason why people insist on digging and trying to justify Eemaan is only in the heart is simply because they want to close their eyes to the great possibilities of becoming kaafir or an apostate. By believing Eemaan is in the heart alone implies that you can do whatever you want and never leave the fold of Islaam - this suits the hypocrites and the rebellious sinners.
Whereas if you believe like the Messenger Muhammad (saw) and his companions (raa) i.e. that Eemaan is sayings and actions as-well as believing in the heart; one will always be cautious of his/hers actions in order to make sure they do not commit any actions which negate their Eemaan and Tawheed.