Bismillah-ir-Rahman-ir-Raheem

Answer to a Question

Question:

Is the definition of Iman a Shari'ah definition or a rational one? Could the communist, the actual Christian and the Hindu be described as Mu’mineen (believers) in what they embrace in terms of doctrines or in terms of what they follow as religions and schools of thoughts despite the non conformity of their doctrines to reality? Answer:

The definition of Iman as being “The decisive assent that conforms with reality and based on an evidence.” , is in fact a definition specific to the Islamic Aqeedah, and it is in fact a Shari'ah definition and not a rational definition. The scholars of Tawheed (monotheism) stated it and derived the wording of Iman and its meaning from the language and from the Shari'ah texts. They were also careful in distinguishing between the Jazim (decisive) and the strong doubt and below it, for he who carries it is Kafir, and they were also careful to distinguish between “the conformity with reality” and the decisiveness that is not factual, such as the decisiveness of the deviant sects: the Jews, the Christians and the polytheists who advocate the multiplicity of God. Hence, the indecisiveness and the non-conformity with reality is deemed as Kufr by agreement.

The scholars have also been careful in distinguishing between the Iman must be based on an aDalil (evidence) and the assent by way of Taqleed (imitation), because imitation in Aqeedah is sinful and some deemed it as Kufr. The Dalil to them is the conclusive evidence that entail decisive knowledge, even if it were a general evidence, such as the indication of the creatures about the existence of Allah (swt). When the Party listed this definition in the adopted Dossier on page 1 and in the Islamic Personality Volume I page 19, it was in explanation of the Islamic Aqeedah.

The Party mentioned also in “Warm Call to the Muslims” page 54: “Hence, since the thoughts that are Aqa’ed (doctrines) were to the Muslim the basis upon which Islam is built and the basis upon which Islam is built in life, Islam has made it an obligation to take the Aqa’ed in a decisive and conclusive manner, and it made it an obligation for its proof to be also conclusive and decisive.

Hence, the Aqeedah in Islam is the decisive assent that conforms with reality and based on evidence. The indecisive assent is not deemed from the Islamic Aqeedah, and the decisive assent that does not conform with reality is also not deemed from the Islamic Aqeedah. Rather two matters must be combined and fulfilled by the thought: the decisiveness in the assent and the conformity with reality based on evidence, so that the thought can be deemed from the Islamic Aqeedah.

As for the reality of Aqeedah to humans, it is what the heart has knotted itself around. The meaning of "the heart knotted around it" is that the heart has contained it and embodied it fully and decisively with ease and tranquillity. This means that the "Wijdan" takes this idea and pulls it towards itself, and at the same time reason consents and agrees upon this, even if it were an agreement of admission and acknowledgement. Therefore, the origin of "I'tiqad"(decisive belief) would be the knotting of the heart around an idea, provided that reason consents to it. In other words, the origin of "I'tiqad" is the decisive belief by the “Wijdan” i.e. the heart, provided that reason agrees to it.

If these two matters occurred: The decisive belief by the heart i.e. the Wijdan, and the agreement of the mind to this belief, this means that the knotting of the heart has happened i.e. the Aqeedah has been established, meaning the I'tiqad has taken place. Hence, the I’tiqad, i.e. the decisive assent could occur to the communist, the Christian, the Hindu and others from among the Kuffar, despite the non conformity of what they believe in with reality. The conformity with reality is not a condition for the I’tiqad to occur but it is a condition for its soundness. As for the Dalil (evidence), its presence is a fundamental condition for the Iman to exist, for decisiveness does not occur unless there were an evidence, regardless of whether the evidence were sound or corrupt.
                        
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