THE BASIS OF IMAN

Rasulullah “Sall-Allahu’alaihi Wa Aslam” said, “The basis and the most dependable symptom of iman are to love Muslims and to dislike disbelievers.” Allahu ta’ala declared to Hadrat Isa (Jesus [’alaihi’s-salam]), “Even if you do acts of worship that equal those done by all creatures on the earth and in heavens, it will be of no value unless you love whom I love and unless you feel hostility towards My enemies.” Every Muslim should dislike the enemies of Allahu ta’ala. He should love those who obey the Shari’at [1]. He should make it evident in his words and, if possible, in his actions. He should not be friends with those who are disobedient and sinful, and should utterly keep away from those who habitually commit sins. He should all the more avoid the cruel, and those who persecute muslims. Yet he should forgive those who only torment him and should endure their torments; this is very useful. Some of our superiors used to treat sinners and the cruel very severely. And others used to show them only mercy and respect and used to advise them. That is, thinking that everything happens according to qada and qadar [2] they felt pity for sinners and the cruel. Their thought is great and valuable but idiots or those who are ignorant cannot understand it and may get the wrong idea. People with weak belief and who are neglectful in following the Shari’a, think that they are contented with Allahu ta’ala’s qada and qadar. However, there is evidence and proof for this state of contentment. If they beat a person, snatch away his property and insult him and he still doesn’t get angry, forgives them and pities them, it is understood that he is content with qada. But if he, while getting angry during such times, pities those who disobey Allahu ta’ala and says that it is their qadar (fate), he is irresponsible, a munafiq [3] and religiously ignorant. Thus, it is a symptom of not having strong iman for those who do not know qada and qadar to pity and love sinners and disbelievers. It is fard [4] to dislike and to be hostile towards those who stand against Islam or who are hostile towards Muslims. As well, it is fard to feel hostility towards those who do not accept to pay the jizya (taxes collected from non-muslims). Allahu ta’ala declares in the Qur’an, in the last ayat of Surat-ul-Mujadala: “Those who believe in Allahu ta’ala and the Day of Resurrection do not like the enemies of Allahu ta’ala. Even if those disbelievers and munafiqs are the fathers, mothers, sons, brothers and other close relatives of Muslims; they do not like them. I will put such mu’mins (believer) into Paradise.
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GLOSSARY
[1] Shari’at: i) rules and commandments as a whole of the religion. ii) religion.
[2] qada and qadar: of happening or creation of what is predestined;qadar, predestination of everything as Allahu ta’ala has decreed from eternity.
[3] munafiq: one in the disguise of a Muslim but disbelieves Islam, but believing in another religion; a hypocrite.
[4] fard: an act or thing that is commanded by Allahu ta’ala in the Qur’an al-kerim.