Islaam & Eemaan
-Sheikh Saalih Al Uthaimeen(May Allah have mercy on Him)
[From the book: Explanation of a summary of Aqeedat Hamawiyyah]
Islaam linguistically means “obedience” and “submission.”In Islaamic terminology, it is when the servant submits and surrenders entirely to Allaah outwardly and inwardly, obeying His commands, andavoiding what He has forbidden. It includes all of the religion. Allaah (Swt) said,
وَرَضِيتُ لَكُمُ ٱلۡإِسۡلَـٰمَ دِينً۬اۚ
“And I am pleased for you Islaam as a religion.” [Sooratul‐Maaidah, 5:3]
And He said,
إِنَّ ٱلدِّينَ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ ٱلۡإِسۡلَـٰمُۗ
“Indeed, the religion in the sight of Allaah is Islaam.” [Soorah Aali‐ Imraan, 3:19]
And He ( SubhanahuWaTa’ala) said,
وَمَن يَبۡتَغِ غَيۡرَ ٱلۡإِسۡلَـٰمِ دِينً۬ا فَلَن يُقۡبَلَ مِنۡهُ وَهُوَ فِى ٱلۡأَخِرَةِ مِنَ ٱلۡخَـٰسِرِينَ
“Whoever desires other than Islaam as a religion, never will accepted from him.” [Soorah Aali‐Imraan, 3:85]
As for Eemaan, it linguistically means to “believe.” In this meaning,Allaah said,
وَمَآ أَنتَ بِمُؤۡمِنٍ۬
“But you would not believe (have Eemaan in) us.” [Soorah Yoosuf, 12:17]
Islaamically, Eemaan is acceptance of the heart, which necessitates acceptance in statement and action. It is a belief, a statement, and an action ‐ a belief of the heart, a statement of the tongue, and action of the heart and limbs.
The proof that all of this enters under the term Eemaan is the statement of the Prophet (SAW ),
“Eemaan is to believe in Allaah, His Angels, His Books, His Messengers, the Last Day, and pre‐decree ‐ the good and bad of it.[ See al‐Bukhaaree (50) and Muslim (9).]
And his statement:“Eemaan is made up of seventy‐something parts, the highest of which is
the statement, Laa ilaaha ilia Allaah. The lowest part is to remove something harmful from the path, and shyness is a part of Eemaan”
[ Recorded by al‐Bukhaaree (9) and Muslim (35).]
Eemaan in Allaah, His Angels, etc. is the belief of the heart. The statement, “Laa ilaaha ilia Allaah” is a statement of the tongue. Removing something harmful from the path is an action of the limbs. Shyness is an action of the heart. With this, it is known that Eemaan includes the entire religion. So, there isno difference between it and Islaam. In this way, each one means the same as the other when used separately.
However, when they appear together,
Islaam is explained as an outward submission of the tongue and actions of the limbs.
It occurs from both, a believer with complete Eemaan, and a believer with weak Eemaan.
Allaah (SubhanahuWaTa’ala) said:
قَالَتِ ٱلۡأَعۡرَابُ ءَامَنَّاۖ قُل لَّمۡ تُؤۡمِنُواْ وَلَـٰكِن قُولُوٓاْ أَسۡلَمۡنَا وَلَمَّا يَدۡخُلِ ٱلۡإِيمَـٰنُ فِى قُلُوبِكُمۡۖ وَإِن تُطِيعُواْ ٱللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ ۥ لَا يَلِتۡكُم مِّنۡ أَعۡمَـٰلِكُمۡ شَيۡـًٔاۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَفُورٌ۬ رَّحِيمٌ
“The Bedouins say, “We have believed (Eemaan).” Say, “You have not yet believed; but say (instead), We have submitted (Islaam), for faith (Eemaan) has not yet entered your hearts.” [Sooratul‐Hujuraat, 49:14]
Based upon this, even a hypocrite would be called a Muslim outwardly,yet remain a disbeliever inwardly.Eemaan (when it comes together with Islaam) is explained as inward submission, which is the belief and acceptance of the heart and its action. This occurs only with a true believer, as Allaah (Taalaa) said:
نَّمَا ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنُونَ ٱلَّذِينَ إِذَا ذُكِرَ ٱللَّهُ وَجِلَتۡ قُلُوبُہُمۡ وَإِذَا تُلِيَتۡ عَلَيۡہِمۡ ءَايَـٰتُهُ ۥ زَادَتۡہُمۡ إِيمَـٰنً۬ا وَعَلَىٰ رَبِّهِمۡ يَتَوَكَّلُونَ (٢) ٱلَّذِينَ يُقِيمُونَ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَمِمَّا رَزَقۡنَـٰهُمۡ يُنفِقُونَ (٣) أُوْلَـٰٓٮِٕكَ هُمُ ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنُونَ حَقًّ۬اۚ لَّهُمۡ دَرَجَـٰتٌ عِندَ رَبِّهِمۡ وَمَغۡفِرَةٌ۬ وَرِزۡقٌ۬ ڪَرِيمٌ۬ (٤)
“The believers are only those who, when Allaah is mentioned, their hearts become fearful, and when His verses are recited to them, it increases them in faith (Eemaan), and upon their Lord they rely ‐ the ones who establish prayer, and from what We have provided them, theyspend. Those are the true believers.”[Soorah al‐Anfaal, 8:2‐4]
With this meaning, Eemaan is a higher level. So every believer (with Eemaan) is a Muslim (with Islaam), yet the opposite is not the case .
'Ilm ul 'Arabiyyah 