What are the components of Emaan?
Faith (Emaan) with Ahlus-Sunnah Wal Jamaa'ah comprises of belief with the heart, statement of the tongue and action of the limbs. These three affairs with Ahlus-Sunnah all enter into what is specified and termed as Emaan. Allah the Mighty and the Majestic has said:
"The believers are only those who, when Allah is mentioned, feel a fear in their hearts and when His verses are recited unto them, they (the verses) increase their faith, and they put their trust in their Lord. [Those] Who perform the prayer and spend out of that which We have provided them. It is they who are the believers in truth, for them are grades of dignity with their Lord and forgiveness and a generous provision."[1]
So in these verses the actions of the hearts and the actions of the limbs enter into Emaan. Imam Muslim has narrated in his Saheeh from the Hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah (رضى الله عنه)- who said that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:
"Al-Emaan is seventy odd or sixty odd branches, the best of them is the statement: No one is worthy of worship except Allah and the lowest of them is removing something harmful from the path and Hayaa (shyness) is a branch of Emaan."[2]
So indeed this Hadeeth shows that what is established and founded with the heart, the tongue and the limbs is from Emaan. Ibn 'Abbas narrated that on receiving the delegates of the tribe of 'Abdul-Qays, The Prophet (ﷺ) ordered them to do four things. He ordered them to believe in Allah alone (Emaan), then asked them: "Do you know what Emaan in Allah alone means?" They replied: "Allah and His Messenger (ﷺ) know best." He said: "It is to testify that there is no god worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad is His Messenger, to establish the prayers, to pay the Zakat and to pay the Khumus (i.e. one-fifth) of the war booty to Allah."[3]
And so here again, the Prophet (peace and blessings upon him) explained Emaan as consisting of belief and action, not just belief on its own, without action.
References:
[1] (Al-Anfaal: 2-4)
[2] Shaih Muslim, Book 1, Hadith 56
[3] Sahih Al-Bukhari, Book 3,Hadith 29/ Sahih Muslim, Book 1,Hadith 22
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