Īmān and belief in the Qur’ān and the Sabīl library
What īmān believes in, as the Qur’ān and the ḥadīth of Jibrīl name it, who the believers are, and how faith increases, with every source listed.
Written by AI · scholarly review pending
The words of this article were written by AI from the Sabīl library and its sources, and checked by AI against them. No scholar has reviewed it yet. The Arabic texts, their meanings and their sources are the library’s and the Qur’ān’s own, shown exactly as they stand there. For a ruling on your own circumstances, ask a qualified scholar.
Published 21 October 202611 min read
The edition the app uses renders īmān as faith, and its verb as believe. In the verses below it is what a person believes in, and also something in the heart that can increase, which the Qur’ān names alongside prayer, spending and patience. This page follows both. It sets out what is believed in, as the Qur’ān names it and as the ḥadīth of Jibrīl lists it; then the verses that describe the believers; then the verses that speak of faith increasing. Every verse is shown with Tanzil’s Arabic and its meaning in the edition the app uses, and every narration is named by its collection and number at the end. Some verses are shown with the edition’s own notes beneath them; those are that edition’s words, not this page’s, some give the edition’s own teaching, and this page has not checked them. The page gives no ruling; for your own circumstances, ask a scholar.
What is believed in
The Qur’ān names the things believed in more than once. One verse says that the Messenger believes in what was sent down to him from his Lord, as do the believers, and that all of them believe in Allah, His angels, His Books and His messengers.
The Messenger believes in what has been sent down to him from his Lord, as do the believers. All of them believe in Allah, His angels, His Books, and His messengers, [saying], “We make no distinction between any of His messengers.” And they say, “We hear and obey. Grant us Your forgiveness, our Lord, and to You is the [final] destination.”
Another tells the believers to believe in Allah, His Messenger, the Book sent down to him and the Books sent down before, and says that whoever disbelieves in Allah, His angels, His Books, His messengers and the Last Day has gone far astray.
O you who believe, believe[1] in Allah, His Messenger, the Book which He has sent down to His Messenger, and the Books which He sent down before. Whoever disbelieves in Allah, His angels, His Books, His messengers, and the Last Day has indeed gone far astray.
[1] i.e., renew, confirm and adhere to your faith.
A third puts belief in Allah, the Last Day, the angels, the Scriptures and the prophets at the head of what righteousness is, before giving wealth, prayer, zakah, keeping pledges and patience.
It is not righteousness to turn your faces towards the east or the west, but righteousness is to believe in Allah, the Last Day, the angels, the Scriptures, and the prophets; and to give charity out of one’s cherished wealth to relatives, orphans, the needy, the wayfarer, beggars, and to free slaves; to establish prayer and give zakah; to fulfill the ratified pledges; to be patient at times of hardship, adversity, and during the battle. Such are the true believers, and such are the righteous.
The ḥadīth of Jibrīl: the six articles of faith
The six are listed together in the narration called the ḥadīth of Jibrīl. In Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb reports that a man came to the Prophet ﷺ and asked him about Islām, īmān and iḥsān. Asked about īmān, the Prophet ﷺ answered that it is to believe in Allah, His angels, His Books, His messengers and the Last Day, and to believe in the decree, its good and its evil. At the end the Prophet ﷺ told ʿUmar that the man was Jibrīl, who had come to teach them their religion. Al-Bukhārī has the same occasion from Abū Hurayrah, with a shorter answer about īmān that names Allah, His angels, the meeting with Him, His messengers and the resurrection.
The library’s First Forty Days path gives the same six in its third week: “Read about the six articles of faith. Allah, the angels, the books, the messengers, the Last Day, and the decree.” The library’s Forty Ḥadīth of an-Nawawī has a card on the ḥadīth of Jibrīl; it is not quoted here, because the library’s own checking has open questions about that title, among them how the card abridges the ḥadīth.
Who the believers are
The Qur’ān also describes the believers by what they are like. At the opening of al-Baqarah they are those who believe in the unseen, establish prayer and spend from what Allah has provided.
those who believe in the unseen, establish prayer[1], and spend out of what We[2] have provided for them,
[1] At its proper times and fulfill its all conditions.
[2] "We" in reference to Allah in the Qur’anic verses is necessarily understood to denote grandeur and power.
In al-Anfāl, three verses describe the true believers: their hearts are filled with awe when Allah is mentioned, their faith increases when His verses are recited to them, they put their trust only in their Lord, they establish prayer and spend from what He has provided; and they will have high ranks with their Lord, forgiveness and honourable provision.
The true believers are those whose hearts are filled with awe when Allah is mentioned, and their faith increases when His verses are recited to them, and they put their trust only in their Lord;
those who establish prayer and spend out of what We have provided for them.
Such are the true believers; they will have high ranks with their Lord, and forgiveness and honorable provision.
In al-Ḥujurāt, the believers are those who believe in Allah and His Messenger and then do not doubt, but fight with their wealth and their lives in the way of Allah; the verse calls them the truthful.
Indeed, the believers are those who believe in Allah and His Messenger, then they do not have doubt, but fight with their wealth and their lives in the way of Allah. It is they who are the truthful.
Belief and submission
The verse just before it draws a line between the two words. The Bedouins say that they have believed, and they are told to say instead that they have submitted, because faith has not yet entered their hearts; if they obey Allah and His Messenger, nothing of the reward of their deeds will be lost. The edition’s note under the verse links this distinction to the ḥadīth of Jibrīl. The page on Islām gathers the verses on submitting.
The Bedouins say, “We have believed.” Say, “You have not believed, but say, ‘We have submitted,’ for faith has not yet entered your hearts[1]. But if you obey Allah and His Messenger, He will not detract anything from the reward of your deeds. Indeed, Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”
[1] There is a distinction between Islam and Imān (faith). Imān is a higher degree than Islam. This distinction is mentioned in an authentic Hadīth of the Prophet (ﷺ), known as the Hadīth of Gabriel.
Faith that increases
Several verses speak of faith growing. One says that Allah sent down tranquillity into the hearts of the believers so that they might increase in faith along with their faith.
It is He Who sent down tranquility into the hearts of the believers so that they may increase in faith along with their faith. To Allah belong the soldiers of the heavens and earth. And Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise.
Another speaks of believers who were told that people had gathered against them, so they should fear them; it only increased them in faith, and they said that Allah was sufficient for them and the best Protector.
those[1] to whom people[2] said, “Indeed, the people have gathered against you, so fear them.” But it only increased them in faith, and they said, “Allah is Sufficient for us, and He is the best Protector[3].”
[1] The believers.
[2] The hypocrites.
[3] This is one of the greatest Dhikr (remembrance) during times of hardship. Ibn ‘Abbās (رضي الله عنهما) reported: “Hasbunā Allāh wa ni‘ma al-Wakīl (Allah suffices us, He is the best of Protectors), was said by Abraham (عليه السلام) when he was thrown in the fire and was said by Muhammad (ﷺ) when it was said: “People have regrouped for you, so fear them”, their belief grew firmer and they said: “Allah suffices us, He is the best of Protectors”.” [Al-Bukhārī: 4563]
And one joins faith to guidance: no calamity befalls except by Allah’s permission, and whoever believes in Allah, He guides his heart.
No calamity befalls except with Allah’s permission. Whoever believes in Allah, He will guide his heart. And Allah is All-Knowing of everything.
References
Verses of the Qur’ān, by sūrah and verse, shown above: 2:3; 2:177; 2:285; 3:173; 4:136; 8:2–4; 48:4; 49:14–15; 64:11.
Narrations, by collection and number as sunnah.com numbers them: al-Bukhārī by the numbering of Fatḥ al-Bārī; Muslim by Muḥammad Fuʾād ʿAbd al-Bāqī’s numbers, with the letter sunnah.com adds where it divides one.
- The ḥadīth of Jibrīl, as ʿUmar reports it, with the six articles of faith: Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 8a.
- The same occasion, as Abū Hurayrah reports it: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 50.
From the Sabīl library: First Forty Days, its third week, quoted; the Forty Ḥadīth of an-Nawawī, linked, not quoted.
Where to go next
- The Qur’ān has every verse above in its sūrah, with its meanings.
- Muslim in the ḥadīth reader has the collection’s text, with the dataset’s translation.
- Islām and submission in the Qur’ān and the Sabīl library is the companion page on Islām.
- Iḥsān and doing good in the Qur’ān and the Sabīl library is the companion page on iḥsān.
- The journey of the soul follows the Last Day, the fifth article, through the verses and narrations.
The mailbox for Sabīl is being set up. This article will give a way to send a correction or a comment as soon as someone is reading it.