Grain of Imaan
Now let us
study closely the text of the second hadith:
Abdullah Ibn Mas’ud (RAA) says that Allah’s Messenger (SAW) said: There was never a prophet sent before me by Allah (SWT) to his nation who had not among his people (his) disciples and companions, who followed his ways and obeyed his commands. Then there came after them their successors who said what they did not practise and did what they were not commanded to do. He who struggles against them with his hand (i.e., physically), he is the believer; and he who struggles against them with his tongue, he is the believer; and he who struggles against them with his heart, he is also the believer: but beyond that there is not even a grain of Iman.
In this long hadith the Holy Prophet (SAW) starts by mentioning the fact that whenever Allah (SWT) sent a messenger to a people, he would get from amongst them some disciples or companions who truly acted upon God’s commandments and followed the messenger’s example. This would continue for a few generations and then religious fervor would gradually start diminishing. Moral purity preached by the prophet and his companions gradually declines and gives place to degeneration and innovation. (And, as a matter of truth, each innovative addition to Islam replaces an action enunciated by the Qur’an and Sunnah.) The later generations of so-called believers have been very aptly described by the Prophet (SAW) thus: “…people who say what they do not practice and do what they have not been commanded to do.” And this is all the more true about we Muslims living in the 15th century after Hijrah. Temporally, we are so far removed from the times of the Holy Prophet (SAW) and the Companions (RAA) that there is tremendous deviation from ideal Islam as projected by the teachings of the Qur’an and the Prophet (SAW). And the present hadith is a darion call for changing and stopping all that is disliked and disapproved by the Creator of the universe.
This hadith too is a pointer to three levels of nahee anil-munkar, exactly in the same manner and order of priority as were delineated by the hadith discussed earlier. The three levels are:
- Struggling against evil
and un-Islamic actions with hand;
- struggling against them
with tongue; and
- struggling against them
with heart.
The first two
have already been explained in the above paragraphs. Some additional points
with respect to the third level should be noted here. Disliking the evil
inwardly and struggling against it with one’s heart necessarily implies that a
true and committed Muslim will not develop warm and close relationship with
those indulging in un-Islamic practices. But if he does not do that, he will be
generally taken to endorse or accept the un-Islamic practices and thus lose the
whole point of his protest against them. Indeed, according to another hadith of
the Prophet (SAW), such a complacent and “liberal” Muslim gradually ceases to
have even passive inward disapprobation of evil practices, and himself starts
indulging in them openly. Serious notice of this point should be taken by all
of us. The criterion and the norm for all our likes and dislikes and for all
our social relations and friendships should be Islam, and nothing else.
The last assertion of the Prophet (SAW) in the above mentioned hadith is particularly noteworthy. The words “…beyond that there is not even a grain of Iman” should provide an impetus to all God-fearing Muslims for deep thinking and soul¬searching. They should assess their own Iman in the light of this hadith and should refrain from making a judgment about others. Earlier, in this essay, we have endeavored to state clearly the distinction between Islam and Iman and so we can, at this juncture, very well appreciate the point that the Iman that is being negated here is the true faith and Iman of the heart or inner self. A man failing in the said requirements or performatives would not cease to be a Muslim in the strict legal sense of the term. However, on the Day of Judgment only true inner conviction and Iman would be of significance in winning a man his salvation and felicity. It will be the real basis of final loss or gain as we read in Surah Al-Taghabun:
The Day that He assembles you (all) for a day of
Assembly — that will be the day of mutual loss and gain (among you); and those
who believe in God and work righteously, He will remove from them their sins
and admit them to gardens beneath which rivers flow to dwell therein forever;
that will be the supreme achievement (Al¬Taghabun 64:9).
to be continued....
No comments:
Post a Comment