Issues of Iman Sheikh Dr Hani Sibai Al-Maqreze Center For Historical Studies 1 Preface In the Name of Allah, Ar-Rahman, Ar-Raheem. All Praise is for Allah. We Praise Him and Seek His Help and Forgiveness. We turn to Him in repentance and seek refuge in Allah from the evil of our selves and the evil of our own deeds. Whomsoever Allah guides, cannot be led astray and whomsoever Allah misguides, none can guide him. I bear witness that none has the right to be worshipped except Allah alone without any partner. I bear witness that Muhammad is His Slave and Messenger. To proceed: This Book is written on the subject Iman (Islamic Faith) authored by our beloved Shaykh Dr Hani Sibai May Allah preserve Him. The sheikh was asked by some students to write on some Issues of Iman were a lot of sects have gone astray upon, so after suggesting to the sheikh he wrote this book which is based upon the book by Sheikhul Islam Ibn Taymiyyah named ‘Kitab Al-Iman’ to show the belief of Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jama’ah in regards to Issues of Iman and he also clarified some of the deviant ideas and misinterpretations of Iman by the deviant sects. 2 I ask Allah to Reward those who have helped in this work and to make it a means of benefit for myself, those who have assisted in this work, our sheikh and the Readers. Content Page Biography of Sheikh Dr Hani Sibai Page ............................................................................. 5 Introduction Page .............................................................................. 6  Iman According to the Ahlus Sunnah and the other Islamic groups Chapter 1: Categories of the People in the era of the Prophet Page ..................................................................... 8  The Differences in the Explanation of Faith (Iman) Chapter 2: Definition of Iman According to Ahlus Sunnah Page ............................................................................. 12  The Creed of Abu Bakr al-Ismaa’lee and refutation of the Ash’ariyyah and Jahmiyyah Chapter 3: 3 The Definition of Iman According to the Murji’ah Page ............................................................................. 21  The definition of Irja’a  Categories of the Murji’ah  The Errors of the Murji’ah in understanding Iman  The Murji’ah were of three views  Debate of Imam Abu Thawr (240 A.H) Chapter 4: Iman either Increases or Decreases ............................. Page ............................................................................. 32 Chapter 5: The connection between Islam, Iman and Ihsan .......... Page ............................................................................. 36  Hadith Jibreel Chapter 6: Exception in Iman ......................................................... Page ............................................................................. 39 Chapter 7: The Nullifiers of Iman (Islam) ........................................ Page ............................................................................. 41 Conclusion ................................................................... Page ............................................................................. 47 4 Biography of Sheikh Dr. Hani al-Sibai  Doctor of Philosophy in Comparative Criminal Jurisprudence.  Master of Philosophy in Comparative Criminal Jurisprudence.  He has a degree in reciting the Holy Quran Hafs from Asim of Shatebeya three ways assigned to the Messenger of Allah He has a degree in reciting the Holy Quran Bazzi and Qonbol from Ibn Kathir of Mecca assigned to the prophet and to the Messenger of Allah  He has given over five hundred sermons in the Islamic faith and the interpretation of the Quran and the Prophet's biography.  He has dozens of articles on various topics.  He has written several books as follows:  A book entitled "Prove the Crime of Murder in Islamic law and Codified law: A Comparative Study".  Book: "The Role Of Sheikh Tahtawi in Sabotaging the Islamic Identity"  Book: "Retaliation in Islamic law: a comparative study".  Book of "The Conflict between Religious Institutions and Regimes". 5  Book under printing entitled: "Reading In The Sources Of the Biography Of The Prophet "  Has dozens of television interviews on Islam and Islamic movements.  He has specialized courses in Arabic in the Biography of the Prophet, jurisprudence, history and to respond to the secularists.  Also lessons in English about “Issues of Faith (Iman)” Issues in Iman Iman according to the Sunnis and other Islamic Sects By Sheikh Dr. Hani Sibai Introduction All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger, may Allah exalt his mention as well as that of his family and all his companions. In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful 6 ۚ ۚ "O mankind! Be dutiful to your Lord, Who created you from a single person (Adam), and from him (Adam) He created his wife [Hawwa (Eve)], and from them both He created many men and women; and fear Allah through Whom you demand (your mutual rights), and (do not cut the relations of) the wombs (kinship). Surely, Allah is Ever an All-Watcher over you." "O you who believe! Fear Allah (by doing all that He has ordered and by abstaining from all that He has forbidden) as He should be feared. [Obey Him, be thankful to Him, and remember Him always], and die not except in a state of Islam [as Muslims (with complete submission to Allah)]". 7 ۗ "O you who believe! Keep your duty to Allah and fear Him, and speak (always) the truth. He will direct you to do righteous good deeds and will forgive you your sins. And whosoever obeys Allah and His Messenger ( ) he has indeed achieved a great achievement (i.e. he will be saved from the Hell-fire and will be admitted to Paradise)". Uncovering the fault from every liar is from the religion And [likewise] from every innovator that brought calamities And had it not been for the Sunni men, then certainly, destroyed Would have been the strongholds of Allah's Deen from every direction Sheikh Dr. Hani Sibai 09 Sha’baan 1432 A.H 10 July 2011 www.almaqreze.net 8 Chapter 1 Categories of people in the era of the Prophet People were divided in the era of Prophet Muhammad into three categories:  Muslims (Believers)  Kafiroon (Unbelievers)  Munafiqeen (Hypocrites) The first two groups appeared in Mecca and the third category has appeared in Medina. The Differences in the Explanation of Faith (Iman) Sheikh Ibn Abi al Izz Hanafi said: "Opinions differ as to what Iman means. Imam Malik, ash-Shafi, Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Ibn Rahawayah, the scholars of ahl al-hadith, the scholars of ahl al Madinah, as well as the Zahiriyyah believe that Iman is to Affirm (tasdiq) in the heart, to declare with the tongue and to act with the body. Many Hanafi’s on the other hand, believe what Imam at-Tahawi said, namely that iman is to declare with the tongue and affirm in the heart. Some even say that oral declaration does not form part of the essence of iman, only an extra pillar of iman. This is the view of Abu Mansur al Matrudi. The Karamiyyah believe that Iman is simply a declaration by the tongue; so according to their view the hypocrites 9 are perfect believers. However they still believe that hypocrites will suffer the punishment of Allah, thus contradicting them selves. Al-Jahm ibn Safwaan and Abu Al- Hussayn As-Salihi believed that Iman is a kind of knowledge in the heart. This view is worse than the one just stated, because it implies that the pharaoh and his followers were believers since they knew that Musa and Harun were true prophets even though they denied them. This is clear from what Musa said to the pharaoh, "[Musa (Moses)] said: "Verily, you know that these signs have been sent down by none but the Lord of the heavens and the earth (as clear evidences i.e. proofs of Allah's Oneness and His Omnipotence). And I think you are, indeed, O Fir'aun (Pharaoh) doomed to destruction (away from all good)!" " ۚ "And they belied them (those Ayat) wrongfully and arrogantly, though their own selves were convinced thereof [i.e. those (Ayat) are from Allah, and Musa 10