The Book of Faith
كتاب الإيمان
Chapter 1: Explaining Al-Iman (Faith), Al-Islam, and Al-Ihsan, and The Obligations of Al-Iman With Affirmation of The Qadar of Allah, Glorious And Most High is He. And Explaining The Evidence For Declaring One's Innocence Of One Who Does Not Believe In Al-Qadar, And Having A Harsh View Of His Case
We met Abdullah b. 'Umar and we discussed about the Divine Decree, and what they talked about it and he narrated the hadith that has been transmitted by 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) from the Apostle (ﷺ). There is a slight variation in that.
Chapter 2: What is Al-Iman (Faith)? Explaining Its Characteristics
This hadith is narrated to us on the authority of Muhammad b. 'Abdullah b. Numair, on the authority of Muhammad b. Bishr, on the authority of Abd Hayyan al-Taymi with the exception that in this narration (instead of the words (Iza Waladat al'amah rabbaha), the words are (Iza Waladat al'amah Ba'laha), i, e, when slave-girl gives birth to her master.
Chapter 6: Explaining the faith by means of which a person is admitted into paradise, and that the one who adheres to what is enjoined upon him will enter paradise
This hadith is transmitted by Muhammad b. Hatim on the authority of Abu Ayyub Ansari.
Direct me to a deed which draws me near to Paradise and takes me away from the Fire (of Hell). Upon this he (the Holy Prophet) said: You worship Allah and never associate anything with Him, establish prayer, and pay Zakat, and do good to your kin. When he turned his back, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) remarked: If he adheres to what he has been ordered to do, he would enter Paradise.
Chapter 7: Clarifying the pillars of Islam and its grand supports
(The superstructure of) al-Islam is raised on five (pillars), i. e. Allah (alone) should be worshipped, and (all other gods) beside Him should be (categorically) denied. Establishment of prayer, the payment of Zakat, Pilgrimage to the House, and the fast of Ramadan (are the other obligatory acts besides the belief in the oneness of Allah and denial of all other gods).
Chapter 1: Explaining Al-Iman (Faith), Al-Islam, and Al-Ihsan, and The Obligations of Al-Iman With Affirmation of The Qadar of Allah, Glorious And Most High is He. And Explaining The Evidence For Declaring One's Innocence Of One Who Does Not Believe In Al-Qadar, And Having A Harsh View Of His Case
Should it so happen that we come into contact with one of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) we shall ask him about what is talked about taqdir (Divine Decree). Accidentally we came across Abdullah ibn Umar ibn al-Khattab, while he was entering the mosque. My companion and I surrounded him. One of us (stood) on his right and the other stood on his left. I expected that my companion would authorize me to speak. I therefore said: Abu Abdur Rahman! There have appeared some people in our land who recite the Qur'an and pursue knowledge. And then after talking about their affairs, added: They (such people) claim that there is no such thing as Divine Decree and events are not predestined. He (Abdullah ibn Umar) said: When you happen to meet such people tell them that I have nothing to do with them and they have nothing to do with me. And verily they are in no way responsible for my (belief). Abdullah ibn Umar swore by Him (the Lord) (and said): If any one of them (who does not believe in the Divine Decree) had with him gold equal to the bulk of (the mountain) Uhud and spent it (in the way of Allah), Allah would not accept it unless he affirmed his faith in Divine Decree. He further said: My father, Umar ibn al-Khattab, told me: One day we were sitting in the company of Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him) when there appeared before us a man dressed in pure white clothes, his hair extraordinarily black. There were no signs of travel on him. None amongst us recognized him. At last he sat with the Apostle (peace be upon him) He knelt before him placed his palms on his thighs and said: Muhammad, inform me about al-Islam. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: Al-Islam implies that you testify that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah, and you establish prayer, pay Zakat, observe the fast of Ramadan, and perform pilgrimage to the (House) if you are solvent enough (to bear the expense of) the journey. He (the inquirer) said: You have told the truth. He (Umar ibn al-Khattab) said: It amazed us that he would put the question and then he would himself verify the truth. He (the inquirer) said: Inform me about Iman (faith). He (the Holy Prophet) replied: That you affirm your faith in Allah, in His angels, in His Books, in His Apostles, in the Day of Judgment, and you affirm your faith in the Divine Decree about good and evil. He (the inquirer) said: You have told the truth. He (the inquirer) again said: Inform me about al-Ihsan (performance of good deeds). He (the Holy Prophet) said: That you worship Allah as if you are seeing Him, for though you don't see Him, He, verily, sees you. He (the enquirer) again said: Inform me about the hour (of the Doom). He (the Holy Prophet) remarked: One who is asked knows no more than the one who is inquiring (about it). He (the inquirer) said: Tell me some of its indications. He (the Holy Prophet) said: That the slave-girl will give birth to her mistress and master, that you will find barefooted, destitute goat-herds vying with one another in the construction of magnificent buildings. He (the narrator, Umar ibn al-Khattab) said: Then he (the inquirer) went on his way but I stayed with him (the Holy Prophet) for a long while. He then, said to me: Umar, do you know who this inquirer was? I replied: Allah and His Apostle knows best. He (the Holy Prophet) remarked: He was Gabriel (the angel). He came to you in order to instruct you in matters of religion.
Chapter 6: Explaining the faith by means of which a person is admitted into paradise, and that the one who adheres to what is enjoined upon him will enter paradise
The Prophet (ﷺ) stopped for a while and cast a glance upon his companions and then said: He was afforded a good opportunity (or he had been guided well). He (the Holy Prophet) addressing the bedouin said: (Repeat) whatever you have uttered. He (the bedouin) repeated that. Upon this the Apostle (ﷺ) remarked: The deed which can draw you near to Paradise and take you away from Hell is, that you worship Allah and associate none with Him, and you establish prayer and pay Zakat, and do good to your kin. After having uttered these words, the Prophet asked the bedouin to release the nosestring of his she-camel.
Would I enter Paradise if I say the obligatory prayers and deny myself that which is forbidden and treat that as lawful what has been made permissible (by the Shari'ah)? The Prophet (ﷺ) replied in the affirmative.
Shall I enter Paradise in case I say the obligatory prayers, observe the (fasts) of Ramadan and treat that as lawful which has been made permissible (by the Shari'ah) and deny myself that what is forbidden, and make no addition to it? He (the Holy Prophet) replied in the affirmative. He (the inquirer) said: By Allah, I would add nothing to it.
Chapter 8: The command to believe in Allah and His Messenger (saws) and the laws of Islam, calling people to it, asking about it, memorizing it and conveying it to those who have not heard the message
I forbid you to prepare nabidh in a gourd, hollowed block of wood, a varnished jar or receptacle. Ibn Mu'adh made this addition on the authority of his father that the Messenger of Allah said to Ashajj, of the tribe of 'Abdul-Qais: You possess two qualities which are liked by Allah: insight and deliberateness.
Chapter 2: What is Al-Iman (Faith)? Explaining Its Characteristics
One day the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) appeared before the public so a man came to him and then said: Prophet of Allah, what is Iman? Upon this he (the Holy Prophet) replied: That you affirm your faith in Allah, His angels, His Books, His meeting, His Messengers and that you affirm your faith in the Resurrection hereafter. He said: Messenger of Allah, what is al-Islam? He replied: Al-Islam is that you worship Allah and do not associate anything with Him and you establish obligatory prayer and you pay the obligatory alms (Zakat) and you observe the fast of Ramadan. He said: Messenger of Allah, what is al-Ihsan? He replied: That you worship Allah as if you are seeing Him, and for if you fail to see Him. He said: Messenger of Allah, when is the Hour (of Doom)? He replied: The one who is asked about it is no better informed than the inquirer, however I will narrate some of its signs to you. When the slave-girl will give birth to her master, then that is from its signs. When the naked, barefooted would become the chiefs of the people, then that is from its signs. When the shepherds of the black (camels) would exult themselves in buildings, then that is from its signs. (The Hour is) Among one of the five which no one knows but Allah. Then he recited (the verse): "Verily Allah! with Him alone is the knowledge of the Hour and He it is Who sends down the rain and knows that which is in the wombs. And no soul knows what it shall earn tomorrow, and a soul knows not in what land it shall die. Verily Allah is Knowing, Aware." He (Abu Huraira) said: Then the person turned back and went away. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Bring that man back to me. They went to bring him back, but they saw nothing there. Upon this the Messenger of Allah remarked: he was Gabriel, who came to teach the people their religion.
Chapter 4: Explaining the prayers which are one of the pillars of Islam
Five prayers during the day and the night. (Upon this he said: Am I obliged to say any other (prayer) besides these? He (the Holy Prophet, ) said: No, but whatever you observe voluntarily, out of your own free will, and the fasts of Ramadan. The inquirer said: Am I obliged to do anything else besides this? He (the Holy Prophet) said: No, but whatever you do out of your own free will. And the Messenger of Allah told him about the Zakat (poor-rate). The inquirer said: Am I obliged to pay anything else besides this? He (the Holy Prophet) said: No, but whatever you pay voluntarily out of your own free will. The man turned back and was saying: I would neither make any addition to this, nor will decrease anything out of it. The Prophet remarked: He is successful, if he is true to what he affirms.
By his father, he shall succeed if he were true (to what he professed), or: By his father, he would enter heaven if he were true (to what he professed).
Chapter 6: Explaining the faith by means of which a person is admitted into paradise, and that the one who adheres to what is enjoined upon him will enter paradise
Messenger of Allah, direct me to a deed by which I may be entitled to enter Paradise. Upon this he (the Holy Prophet) remarked: You worship Allah and never associate anything with Him, establish the obligatory prayer, and pay the Zakat which is incumbent upon you, and observe the fast of Ramadan. He (the bedouin) said: By Him in Whose hand is my life, I will never add anything to it, nor will I diminish anything from it. When he (the bedouin) turned his back, the Prophet (ﷺ) said: He who is pleased to see a man from the dwellers of Paradise should catch a glimpse of him.
Chapter 7: Clarifying the pillars of Islam and its grand supports
(The superstructure of) al-Islam is raised on five (pillars), testifying (the fact) that there is no god but Allah, that Muhammad is His bondsman and messenger, and the establishment of prayer, payment of Zakat, Pilgrimage to the House (Ka'ba) and the fast of Ramadan.
Chapter 8: The command to believe in Allah and His Messenger (saws) and the laws of Islam, calling people to it, asking about it, memorizing it and conveying it to those who have not heard the message
I was an interpreter between Ibn Abbas and the people, that a woman happened to come there and asked about nabidh or the pitcher of wine. He replied: A delegation of the people of 'Abdul-Qais came to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). He (the Holy Prophet) asked the delegation or the people (of the delegation about their identity). They replied that they belonged to the tribe of Rabi'a. He (the Holy Prophet) welcomed the people or the delegation which were neither humiliated nor put to shame. They (the members of the delegation) said: Messenger of Allah, we come to you from a far-off distance and there lives between you and us a tribe of the unbelievers of Mudar and, therefore, it is not possible for us to come to you except in the sacred months. Thus direct us to a clear command, about which we should inform people beside us and by which we may enter heaven. He (the Holy Prophet) replied: I command you to do four deeds and forbid you to do four (acts), and added: I direct you to affirm belief in Allah alone, and then asked them: Do you know what belief in Allah really implies? They said: Allah and His Messenger know best. The Prophet said: It implies testimony to the fact that there is no god but Allah, and that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah, establishment of prayer, payment of Zakat, fast of Ramadan, that you pay one-fifth of the booty (fallen to your lot) and I forbid you to use gourd, wine jar, or a receptacle for wine. Shu'ba sometimes narrated the word naqir (wooden pot) and sometimes narrated it as muqayyar. The Prophet also said: Keep it in your mind and inform those who have been left behind.
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Chapter 1: Explaining Al-Iman (Faith), Al-Islam, and Al-Ihsan, and The Obligations of Al-Iman With Affirmation of The Qadar of Allah, Glorious And Most High is He. And Explaining The Evidence For Declaring One's Innocence Of One Who Does Not Believe In Al-Qadar, And Having A Harsh View Of His Case
I and Humaid b. Abdur-Rahman Himyari argued. And they carried on the conversation about the purport of the hadith related by Kahmas and its chain of transmission too, and there is some variation of words.
The same hadith is mentioned through a different chain.
Chapter 3: What is Islam? Explaining its characteristics.
Ask me (about religious matters), but they (the Companions) were in awe of asking him. Then came a man, and sat near his knees and said: O Messenger of Allah, what is al-Islam? So he (the Holy Prophet) replied: [That] you do not associate anything with Allah, and establish the prayer, pay the alms (Zakat) and fast Ramadan. He said: You (have) told the truth. He said: Messenger of Allah, what is al-Iman (Faith)? He said: That you affirm your faith in Allah, His angels, His Books, His meeting, His Apostles, and that you believe in Resurrection and that you believe in Qadr (Divine Decree) in all its entirety. He (the inquirer) said: You have told the truth. He said: Messenger of Allah, what is al-Ihsan? Upon this he said: that you fear Allah as if you are seeing Him, and though you see Him not, verily He is seeing you. He (the inquirer) said: You (have) told the truth. He (the inquirer) said: When will the Hour (of Doom) occur? He said: The one who is being asked about it is no better informed than the inquirer and I will narrate some of its signs to you. When you see a [slave] woman giving birth to her master - then that is [one] of its signs. And when you see barefooted, naked, deaf and dumb (ignorant and foolish persons) as the rulers of the earth - then that is [one] of its signs. And when you see the shepherds of black (camels) exult in buildings - then that is [one] of its signs. The (Hour) is one of the five things of the unseen. No one knows them except Allah. Then (the Holy Prophet) recited (the folowing verse):" Verily Allah! with Him alone is the knowledge of the Hour and He it is Who sends down the rain and knows that which is in the wombs. And no soul knows what it shall earn on the morrow and a soul knows not in what land it shall die. Verily Allah is Knowing, Aware." He (Abu Huraira) said: Then the person stood up (and made his way). Then the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Bring him back to me. He was searched for, but they could not find him. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) thereupon said: He was Gabriel and he wanted to teach you when you did not ask.