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Iman (Islam)

Iman (Arabic: إِيمَان, romanized: ʾīmān, lit. 'faith' or 'belief', also 'recognition') in Islamic theology denotes a believer's recognition of faith and deeds in the religious aspects of Islam.[1][2] Its most simple definition is the belief in the six articles of faith, known as arkān al-īmān.

Not to be confused with Imam, a prayer leader in Islam.

The term iman has been delineated in both the Quran and hadith.[3] According to the Quran, iman must be accompanied by righteous deeds and the two together are necessary for entry into Paradise.[4] In the hadith, iman in addition to Islam and ihsan form the three dimensions of the Islamic religion.


There exists a debate both within and outside Islam on the link between faith and reason in religion, and the relative importance of either. Some scholars contend that faith and reason spring from the same source and must be harmonious.[5]

Etymology[edit]

In Arabic, iman (إِيمَان‎, ʾīmān) pronounced [ˈʔiː.maːn] means 'faith' or 'recognition'. It is the verbal noun of آمَنَ, 'to have faith' or 'to give recognition'.

said:

The people of jurisprudence and hadith are unanimous that Iman is speech and action, and there is no action except with the intention.

Ibn 'Abd al-Barr

said in Kitab al-Umm:

[A]nd the consensus was from the sahabas, and the Tabi'een. After them, we realized that Iman is saying and doing, and intention is one of the three, those are not sufficient alone without the others.

Al-Shafi'i

Muhammad bin Ismail bin Muhammad bin Al-Fadl Al-Taymi Al-Asbhani said:

And Iman in the language of the law is ratification with the heart, and action with the limbs.

said:

Iman is saying and deed, it increases and decreases.[9]

Sufyan ibn 'Uyaynah

said:

They are unanimously agreed that Iman (recognition) increases with obedience and decreases with sins, and its deficiency does not mean that we doubt about what we are commanded to believe in, nor our ignorance of it, because that is Kufr or rejection from the religion, instead it is a decrease in the rank of knowledge or mind and an increase in our sayings, similar to that, the weight of our obedience and the obedience of the Prophet (may God bless him and grant him peace) differs, even if we are all performing our duty.[10]

Al-Ash'ari

In a hadith, the Islamic prophet Muhammad defined iman as "an acknowledgement in the heart, a voicing with the tongue, and an activity with the limbs." Faith is confidence in a real truth. When people have confidence, they submit themselves to that truth. It is not sufficient just to know the truth, but the recognition of the heart should be expressed by the tongue which is the manifestation of intelligence and at last to reflect this confidence in their activities.[6]


Hamiduddin Farahi, while explaining the meaning of iman in his exegesis, wrote:


The definition of iman according to Ahl al-Sunnah wa'l-Jama'ah is:

Aqidah

Five Pillars of Islam

Al-Ikhlas

Taqwa

Six Kalimas

and Amina, names derivant of Iman

Amin

77 Branches of Iman (Faith)

Reality of Iman (Faith) – Meaning and Understanding

Archived 20 May 2018 at the Wayback Machine

Faith in Allah