Iman (Islam)

[citation needed] 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.

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 root of imān isinn.

Hence the certitude which exists with humility, trust and all the conditions and corollaries of adherence to a view is called imān and he who professes faith in Allah, in His signs and His directives and submits himself to Him and is pleased with all His decisions is a mu'min.

[1]The definition of iman according to Ahl al-Sunnah wa'l-Jama'ah is: Giving recognition with the heart, saying with the tongue, and doing with the limbs; it increases with obedience and decreases with sins.

[3] All six appear in the first hadith of the collection Sahih Muslim, where the angel Gabriel asks to be told of iman and Muhammad replies: 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.

[17] Al-‘Abbas reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “He has tasted the sweetness of faith who is content with Allah as a Lord, Islam as a religion, and Muhammad as a messenger.” Source: Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 34 [18] He also said that no one can be a true believer unless he loves phrophet Muhammad peace be up on him more than his children, parents and relatives.

[19][20] At another instance, he remarked that it is this love with Allah and Muhammad after which a person can be aware of the real taste of faith.

Thus, the Quran is effectively comparing faith to a tree whose roots are deep in the soil and branches spread in the vastness of the sky.

[26]"The Seventy-Seven Branches of Faith" is a collection compiled by the Shafi'i imam al-Bayhaqi in his work Shu'ab al-Iman.

In it, he explains the essential virtues that reflect true iman (faith and recognition) through related Quranic verses and prophetic sayings.

[27][28] This is based on the following Hadith ascribed to Muhammad: Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Prophet said: "Iman has more than 70 branches.