What is Iman?
Allah created us to worship Him alone. He sent Prophets and Messengers to guide us and to teach us how Allah wants to be worshipped.
Some people obeyed the Messengers and worshipped Allah alone.
They are called MUSLIM
They are Believers – they believe in Allah.
Some people disobeyed the Messengers and they worshipped other things besides Allah.
They are called KUFFAR
They are Disbelievers – they disbelieve in Allah.
The Muslims and the Kuffaar are not the same.
We are Muslims الحمد لله
We are different from the disbelievers because we believe in something different than the Kuffaar.
This belief makes us do different actions than the disbelievers.
This belief in Arabic is called IMAN (الايمان)
If someone asks you ...
What does ‚Iman‛ mean in the Arabic Language?
You should say ...
It is ‘tasdeeq’ - to confirm and accept that something is the truth.
What is Iman?
If someone asks you ...
What does ‚Iman‛ mean in the Religion of Islam?
You should say ...
اإليمان قول القلب واللسان
وعمل القلب واللسان والجوارح
Iman is the speech of the heart and the tongue and the actions of the heart, the tongue and the limbs.
Iman is :
The speech of the heart.
The speech of the tongue.
The actions of the heart.
The actions of the tongue.
The actions of the limbs.
Remember: Our Iman is not complete if any of these five parts are missing.
The Speech of the Heart
Let’s give some examples, إن شاء الله
The Speech of the Heart includes believing in those things that are from the Unseen.
Allah
Angels
Jinns
Messengers
Revealed Books
Jannah
Jahannam
Qadr
The Last Day
The Speech of the Tongue
Let’s give some examples, inshaa’Allah
The Speech of the Tongue is to speak that which expresses and affirms what is in the heart.
For example: Saying the SHAHADAH
"أشهد أن لا إله إلا الله وأشهد أن محمدًا رسول الله"
Ash-hadu an la-illah ill-Allah wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan-Rasool-ullah
The Actions of the Heart
Let’s give some examples, إن شاء الله
The Actions of the Heart are the inward acts of Ibadah (worship)
Fear
Sincerity
Trust
Hope
Patience
Certainty
Gratitude
Love
Remorse
The Actions of the Tongue
Let’s give some examples, إن شاء الله
The Actions of the Tongue are the acts of Ibadah that are carried out through speech.
Praising Allah
Istighfaar
Enjoining good,
forbidding evil
Dhikr & Du’aa
Giving Advice
Truthful Speech
The Actions of the Limbs
Let’s give some examples, إن شاء الله
The Actions of the Limbs are the outward acts of Ibadah (worship)
Prayer Fasting
Charity Hajj / Umrah
Seeking Knowledge Keeping
Family Ties
Does Iman Increase?
We believe that Iman increases and decreases
Our Iman increases when we OBEY Allah. And it decreases when we DISOBEY Allah.
What is the Proof?
What is the proof that Iman increases and decreases?
Look up and copy out these ayat from your Mushaf.
Write some of the actions in your dairy that cause your Iman to increase or decrease إن شاء الله .
Actions are part of Iman
How do we know that actions are a part of Iman?
In the early days of Islam, the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم would lead the Muslim in prayer towards Baytul Maqdis in Jerusalem.
When Allah revealed for them to change the Qiblah towards thd Ka’bah at Makkah the Muslims were afraid that their prayers towards Jerusalem had not been accepted.
Then Allah revealed:
وَمَا كَانَ اللّٰهُ لِيُضِيْعَ اِيۡمَانَكُمۡ ؕ
And Allah would never cause your Iman to be lost ...
The word “Iman” in this ayah refers to the prayer. Prayer is an action from the acts of worship. From this we learn that actions are a part of Iman.
Iman has Branches
There are many actions from the branches of Iman.
Can you name some?
The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم informed us: “Iman is seventy-odd, or sixty-odd branches, the highest of them is (to say):
لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللهُ
“There is no diety worthy of worship except Allah”
And the lowest of them is to remove that which is harmful from the road, and Hayaa (modesty, shyness) is a branch of Iman.”
BENEFIT
Shaykh Ibn al-Uthaymeen هللا رحمه said:
So everything that harms should be removed from the street. You will be rewarded for that deed. Therefore, if removing harm from the street is an act of charity, then throwing harm in the street is a sin ...”
[Sharh Riyad as-Saliheen 1/290 no.248]
Iman has Branches
Let’s give some examples from the branches of Iman.
Tawheed
Spreading the Salaam
Good Character
Loving Allah’s Messenger
Jihaad
Honouring the Guest
Keeping Promises
Speaking good or
staying silent
Charity
Modesty
Being Fair and Just
Do not become Angry
Source: Mukhtasar Shu’ab al-Iman, al-Bayhaqi
What Nullifies Iman?
Did you know that some actions can nullify (cancel) your Iman?
SHIRK - Making partners
in worship along with Allah, such as offering a sacrifice to other than Allah, for example, to a Jinn or to a grave.
Placing intermediaries between oneself and Allah, calling upon them, asking for their intercession and relying upon them.
Believing that the Mushrikeen (those who do Shirk) are not disbelievers, doubting their disbelief and agreeing with them in their falsehood.
Believing that the guidance and rulings of someone else is better than the guidance and rulings
of the Prophet ﷺ.
Hating something from the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah.
Mocking or making jokes about the religion, about the Qur’an or about the Prophets and Messengers.
Practicing magic, going to someone to seek a magic spell, or being pleased with magic being performed.
Supporting the Mushrikeen and helping them against the Muslims.
Believing that it is permissible for some people to follow a religion other than Islam.
Turning away from the religion of Allah; not learning it and not acting upon it.
Nawaaqid-al-Islam Actions that will nullify Iman
Arabic Terminologies
In this unit, you will have come across some Arabic terms.
Do you know their meanings?
Tawheed – To single out Allah alone for worship.
Shirk – To make partners in worship along with Allah.
Kufr – To reject, to deny, to conceal, to disbelieve in the truth.
Ibadah – Worship, an act of worship
Muslim – One who believes in Allah and submits to Him in worship
Mushrik – One who commits shirk by worshipping others beside
Allah (plural: Mushrikeen)
Kaafir – One who disbelieves in Allah and rejects the truth (plural: Kuffaar)
جزاك الله خيرا!
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