(Series of Answers by the Scholar Ata Bin Khalil Abu Al-Rashtah, Ameer of Hizb ut-Tahrir, to the Questions of the Visitors to His Facebook Page)
Answer to Question: Does Iman Increase and Decrease?
To Al-Wathiq bi Nasr Allah
Question:
Assalamu Alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh... I hope you can answer my question: "Does Iman increase and decrease?" I would also like to add a related question: "Does Iman vary from one believer to another?"
Answer:
Walaikum Assalam wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
Iman is the decisive belief (at-tasdeeq al-jaazim) that conforms to reality based on evidence (daleel). Decisive belief means a definitive conviction that admits no doubt or suspicion. This is the linguistic meaning of Iman—decisive belief. "Conforming to reality" means that sensed facts confirm it rather than contradict it. For belief to be decisive and conforming to reality, it must be based on definitive evidence (daleel qat’i), whether this evidence is:
- Rational (‘aqli): Resulting from rational inquiry into sensed realities, such as observing created beings to deduce the existence of Allah, their Creator; or examining the revealed Word of Allah—the Noble Quran—to deduce that it is the Word of Allah and not the word of man, and consequently, that Muhammad (saw), who brought the Word of Allah, is a Messenger from Allah.
- Transmitted (naqli): Through definitive transmission from Allah the Almighty in His Noble Book or from His Messenger (saw) in his Mutawatir (extensively transmitted) Hadiths. This includes belief in the Unseen (al-mughayyabat), angels, previously revealed books, former prophets, the Last Day, and Al-Qadar (Divine Decree), its good and its bad. The Almighty says:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا آمِنُوا بِاللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ وَالْكِتَابِ الَّذِي نَزَّلَ عَلَى رَسُولِهِ وَالْكِتَابِ الَّذِي أَنْزَلَ مِنْ قَبْلُ وَمَنْ يَكْفُرْ بِاللَّهِ وَمَلَائِكَتِهِ وَكُتُبِهِ وَرُسُلِهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ فَقَدْ ضَلَّ ضَلَالًا بَعِيدًا
"O you who have believed, believe in Allah and His Messenger and the Book that He sent down upon His Messenger and the Book which He sent down before. And whoever disbelieves in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, and the Last Day has certainly gone far astray." (Surah An-Nisa [4]: 136)
And the Prophet (saw) said in the Hadith of Muslim, narrated by Abdullah bin Umar from his father Umar bin al-Khattab: "While we were one day sitting with the Messenger of Allah (saw), there appeared before us a man with very white clothing and very black hair... He said: 'O Muhammad... tell me about Iman.' He (the Prophet) said:
أَنْ تُؤْمِنَ بِاللهِ، وَمَلَائِكَتِهِ، وَكُتُبِهِ، وَرُسُلِهِ، وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ، وَتُؤْمِنَ بِالْقَدَرِ خَيْرِهِ وَشَرِّهِ
'It is to believe in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, the Last Day, and to believe in Al-Qadar, both its good and its bad.' ...Then he said to me: 'O Umar, do you know who the questioner was?' I said: 'Allah and His Messenger know best.' He said: 'That was Jibril; he came to teach you your religion.'"
This is Iman, and in this sense, it stands in contrast to kufr (disbelief). A non-believer is definitely a kafir (disbeliever), and there is no such thing as a "half-believer" and "half-disbeliever."
The Almighty says, contrasting Iman with kufr:
إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَسْتَحْيِي أَنْ يَضْرِبَ مَثَلًا مَا بَعُوضَةً فَمَا فَوْقَهَا فَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا فَيَعْلَمُونَ أَنَّهُ الْحَقُّ مِنْ رَبِّهِمْ وَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا فَيَقُولُونَ مَاذَا أَرَادَ اللَّهُ بِهَذَا مَثَلًا
"Indeed, Allah is not timid to present an example - that of a mosquito or what is smaller than it. And those who have believed know that it is the truth from their Lord. But as for those who disbelieve, they say, 'What did Allah intend by this as an example?'" (Surah Al-Baqarah [2]: 26)
And the Almighty says:
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ اشْتَرَوُا الْكُفْرَ بِالْإِيمَانِ لَنْ يَضُرُّوا اللَّهَ شَيْئًا وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ
"Indeed, those who purchase disbelief [in exchange] for faith will never harm Allah at all, and for them is a painful punishment." (Surah Al-Imran [3]: 177)
And He, the Exalted, says:
وَلَكِنِ اخْتَلَفُوا فَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ آمَنَ وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ كَفَرَ
"But they differed, and some of them believed and some of them disbelieved." (Surah Al-Baqarah [2]: 253)
There are many other verses that contrast Iman and kufr.
Iman, in the sense we mentioned (decisive belief conforming to reality based on evidence), does not increase or decrease because it is a "decisive" belief (jaazim). Decisiveness can only be complete. There is no such thing as Iman being at 90%, then increasing to 95% or 100%. Nor can there be Iman at 100% that then decreases to 95% or 90%, because such a decrease would mean the absence of decisiveness—meaning doubt and suspicion—and at that point, it would not be Iman, but kufr.
To make the picture clear, we say:
"Increase" and "decrease" are among the polysemous terms (al-alfadh al-mushtarakah) in the language. They can mean quantitative increase and decrease (in extent or volume), and they can mean strength and weakness. The context (qarinah) determines which meaning is intended. When "increase" and "decrease" are associated with Iman, the indication refers to strength and weakness. This is because decisive belief does not admit quantitative increase or decrease. It is in this light that the following verses are understood:
الَّذِينَ قَالَ لَهُمُ النَّاسُ إِنَّ النَّاسَ قَدْ جَمَعُوا لَكُمْ فَاخْشَوْهُمْ فَزَادَهُمْ إِيمَانًا وَقَالُوا حَسْبُنَا اللَّهُ وَنِعْمَ الْوَكِيلُ
"Those to whom people said, 'Indeed, the people have gathered against you, so fear them.' But it [merely] increased them in faith, and they said, 'Sufficient for us is Allah, and [He is] the best Disposer of affairs.'" (Surah Al-Imran [3]: 173)
إِنَّمَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ الَّذِينَ إِذَا ذُكِرَ اللَّهُ وَجِلَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَإِذَا تُلِيَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتُهُ زَادَتْهُمْ إِيمَانًا وَعَلَى رَبِّهِمْ يَتَوَكَّلُونَ
"The believers are only those who, when Allah is mentioned, their hearts become fearful, and when His verses are recited to them, it increases them in faith; and upon their Lord they rely." (Surah Al-Anfal [8]: 2)
وَلَمَّا رَأَى الْمُؤْمِنُونَ الْأَحْزَابَ قَالُوا هَذَا مَا وَعَدَنَا اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ وَصَدَقَ اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ وَمَا زَادَهُمْ إِلَّا إِيمَانًا وَتَسْلِيمًا
"And when the believers saw the companies, they said, 'This is what Allah and His Messenger had promised us, and Allah and His Messenger spoke the truth.' And it increased them only in faith and acceptance." (Surah Al-Ahzab [33]: 22)
This means the believers' faith grew stronger and more intense due to these matters mentioned by Allah in the previous verses. That is, Iman "increases and decreases" in terms of obedience, adherence to Shari’ah rulings, fear of Allah, and Jihad in His cause. All of this is because Iman, in the sense we explained (decisive belief conforming to reality based on evidence), cannot accept increase or decrease in a quantitative sense; otherwise, it would not be decisive, it would turn into doubt, and thus become kufr.
It is worth noting that whenever "Iman" appears without any specific context, its meaning is as mentioned above. If it appears with a different meaning, the context will clarify it. For example:
وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ لِيُضِيعَ إِيمَانَكُمْ
"And never would Allah have caused your faith to be lost." (Surah Al-Baqarah [2]: 143)
Here it means "your prayer," because after the Qiblah was changed, this verse was revealed:
وَمَا جَعَلْنَا الْقِبْلَةَ الَّتِي كُنْتَ عَلَيْهَا إِلَّا لِنَعْلَمَ مَنْ يَتَّبِعُ الرَّسُولَ مِمَّنْ يَنْقَلِبُ عَلَى عَقِبَيْهِ وَإِنْ كَانَتْ لَكَبِيرَةً إِلَّا عَلَى الَّذِينَ هَدَى اللَّهُ وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ لِيُضِيعَ إِيمَانَكُمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ بِالنَّاسِ لَرَءُوفٌ رَحِيمٌ
"And We did not make the qiblah which you used to face except that We might make evident who would follow the Messenger from who would turn back on his heels. And indeed, it is difficult except for those whom Allah has guided. And never would Allah have caused your faith to be lost. Indeed Allah is, to the people, Kind and Merciful." (Surah Al-Baqarah [2]: 143)
This was to reassure the Muslims that their previous prayers toward the first Qiblah were accepted and they would have their reward. Another example is the Hadith of the Messenger of Allah (saw) narrated by An-Nasa'i from Abu Hurayrah, who said: The Messenger of Allah (saw) said:
الْإِيمَانُ بِضْعٌ وَسَبْعُونَ شُعْبَةً، أَفْضَلُهَا لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ، وَأَوْضَعُهَا إِمَاطَةُ الْأَذَى عَنِ الطَّرِيقِ
"Faith has seventy-odd branches; the best of them is 'La ilaha illa Allah' (there is no god but Allah), and the lowest of them is removing a harmful object from the road."
It is well known that not removing a harmful object does not make a person a kafir; therefore, "Iman" here means acts of obedience to Allah in general.
We ask the Almighty that our hearts be tranquil with Iman, that we be committed in our words and actions to the rulings of Islam, and that Allah gathers us with those whom He has favored: the prophets, the truthful ones, the martyrs, and the righteous. And excellent are those as companions.
Your brother, Ata Bin Khalil Abu Al-Rashtah
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