Part 22: The Murji’ah and Irjā – and the Saying of Ahlus-Sunnah that Imān is Belief, Statement and Action, it Increases and Decreases – The Foundations of the Sunnah of Imām Ahmad Ibn Hanbal

In the name of Allāh, Most Merciful, the Bestower of Mercy.

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With additional notes from Abu Khadeejah Abdul-Wāhid. Read and share.

Part 22: Belief that Īmān is Statement and Action, It Increases and Decreases

Imām Ahmad bin Hanbal (rahimahullāh) continued and said:

والايمان قول وعمل, يزيد وينقص, كما جاء في الخبر: { أكمل المؤمنين إيمانا أحسنهم خلقا } 

“Imān is speech and action, it increases and it decreases, just as it occurs in the narration: ‘The most perfect of the believers in their Imān are those who have the best manners.’”

Explanation

Here, speech and action refer to the speech of the heart and tongue, and actions of the heart and limbs. Speech of the heart is the knowledge in the heart about the Shariʿah: the belief in Allah, the angels, the Messengers, the Books, the Last Day and the Qadr, its good and its evil, as well as the rest of the beliefs and laws of the Shariʿah. As for the speech of the tongue, it is to speak, testify (and convey) that knowledge in the heart with the tongue. That includes the shahādatayn (without which a person cannot be a Muslim), also: recitation of the Qur’ān, enjoining the good, forbidding the evil, dhikr, du’ā, etc. Actions of the heart are those matters that cause the heart to tremble and move, such as fear, love, hope, terror, tawakkul, trusting in Allah, etc. All of these are referred to as actions of the heart. Actions of the limbs refer to acting upon the Shariʿah by performing actions such as the prayer, fasting, giving zakah, hajj, sajdah and jihād.

Imān with Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jamāʿah is, therefore, speech with the tongue, belief (iʿtiqād) with the heart, actions with the limbs – it increases with obedience [to Allāh and His Messenger] and decreases with disobedience [to Allāh and His Messenger].

Al-ʿAllāmah ʿUbaid al-Jābirī (rahimahullāh) said: “Imān increases with obedience and decreases with disobedience. Ahlus-Sunnah affirm that there is no imān except with actions, and that actions are from the reality (or actuality) of imān, and in its definition, actions are from imān. In explaining this matter in further detail, Ahlus-Sunnah affirm that the actions as they relate to imān fall into three categories:

  1. The action which, if abandoned, then imān is no longer present – imān is absent when the action is absent. So, the testimony of faith (Shahādatayn) by the agreement [of the scholars], if it is absent (or abandoned), then iman departs with it. And likewise, the Salāh, though this is something differed-over [between the scholars] as we shall mention later, inshā’-Allāh.
  2. The action, if abandoned, that makes a person sinful. So, its abandonment is a deficiency in the perfection of the obligatory imān (kamāl al-imān al-wājib). Examples include: neglecting to pay zakāt, not fasting in Ramadān, or failing to perform Hajj [while one is able]. So, these abandoned deeds do not take a person into disbelief (outside of Islam). Rather, the one who leaves these duties out of carelessness and laziness is sinful. As for the one who abandons them through denial and rejection [of their obligation], then he has disbelieved, if he knows their obligation.
  3. The optional/recommended deed that is abandoned: this negates the perfection of imān in that which is recommended [in the religion]. This is to abandon the nawāfil (optional acts of worship). So, whoever abandons the optional non-obligatory deeds, then he has negated from himself the perfection of the recommended imān (yunāfī kamāl al-imān al-mustahabb), losing out on its excellence.

And here there is a question: What was the purpose of Imām Ahmad and other scholars mentioning this affair [of imān]? They intended to refute the Murji’ah, whether it be the extreme Murji’ah who say: ‘Iman is merely Tasdeeq (belief in the heart)’; or the moderate Murji’ah who are the Murji’at al-Fuqahā who say: ‘Iman is speech and belief’ and they remove actions from the reality (or actuality) of imān.” (Al-Jāmiʿ li Shurooh Usoolis-Sunnah, Ubaid al-Jābirī, p. 108-109)

Imān increases and decreases: it increases with obedience to Allah and decreases with disobedience to Allah. The more you perform actions of the heart and the limbs, the stronger your imān. It is the knowledge that you have in your heart (speech of the heart) that leads to an increase in the actions of the heart, actions of the limbs, and speech of the tongue (through dhikr, duʿā, etc.), which in turn increases your imān. It is not conceivable that a person will have strong imān in the heart, but no outward actions! Rather, righteous acts are indicative of imān in the heart. The lack of outward actions indicates weak imān because all of these are connected and bound. This is why in the definition of imān, we have both speech and action. A person cannot claim to have strong imān in the heart while at the same time he’s not praying the five daily prayers or fasting or paying zakah or [in the case of a woman], she is not wearing hijāb, or [for a man], he is shaving his beard, or he is committing other sins, such lying, stealing gambling, listening to music etc. These ill-deeds prove the weakness of imān and its deficiency.

The hadeeth mentioned by Imām Ahmad (rahimahullāh) reported in the Sunan of Abu Dāwud, states that the most perfect of the believers in imān are those with the best manners, and good manners include actions of the limbs, speech of the tongue and how you behave and interact with others. When ʿA’ishah (radiyallāhu ‘anha) was asked about the manners of the Prophet (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam), she said his manners were the Qur’ān, meaning that he acted upon the injunctions of the Qur’ān, and his imān was the most complete.

Ibn Battah (rahimahullāh) said, “A man exits from the level of Imān to the level of Islam, but he does not exit Islam except by committing [major] shirk with Allah; or by outright rejection of an obligation commanded by Allah (juhūd). However, if he abandons the obligations out of neglect or laziness, then he is under the Will of Allah – if He Wills, He will punish him, and if He Wills, he will forgive him.” (See Ash-Sharh wal-Ibānah, p. 124-125) And similarly is reported from Imām Ahmad Ibn Hanbal in Tabaqāt Al-Hanābilah, 1/343.

Ibn Al-Bannā (rahimahullāh) said regarding the lengthy hadeeth of intercession wherein the Prophet (salallahu ‘alaihi was-sallam) will intercede for the major sinners among the Muslims, “Whoever enters the Fire as a punishment, then we hold that he will be taken out from it due to the intercession of the Messenger, or the intercession of someone else, or by the Mercy of Allah (the Mighty and Majestic) until not a single person at all remains in the Fire who uttered just once in this world, ‘Lā ilāha illallāh’ sincerely, and believed in it even if he did not act with obedience after that.” (Ar-Radd ‘alal-Mubtadi’ah, p.489)

Regarding the hadeeth of Abu Sa’īd (radiyallāhu ‘anhu) wherein the Prophet (salallahu ‘alaihi wa-sallam) said, “Allāh will then take a handful from the Fire and bring out from it, people who had never performed any good deeds at all and they had been turned into charcoal.” (Muslim, no. 183) Ibn Rajab (rahimahullāh) commented, “The intent of his saying, ‘people who never did any good deeds at all’ means: from actions of the limbs; so long as the origin of Tawhīd was present with them [they will be removed from Hell].” (At-Takhwīf min An-Nār, p. 259)

Imām Al-Barbahāri (rahimahullāh) said, “Whoever says, ‘Imān is speech and action, it increases and decreases.’ He has exited from [the innovation of] irjā’, its beginning and its end.” (See ‘Awnul-Bāri 2/926, Shaikh Rabee’s explanation of Sharhus-Sunnah)

mām Ibn Bāz (rahimahullāh) was asked, “Is a person who does not make takfir of the one who abandoned [outward] actions considered to be a Murji?” He responded, “No. He is from Ahlus-Sunnah.” (See Mujallatul-Furqān, issue no. 94, Shawwāl 1418H)

So, actions are certainly from imān, and the more one acts righteously, the more he increases in imān, and less he has of righteous actions, the weaker his imān – and the more sinful he is, the weaker his imān, the less obedient he is to Allah and His Messenger (salallāhu ʿalaihi wasallam), the weaker his imān.

Allah will take out from the Hellfire Sinful Muslims and those Muslims who Have Just a Mustard Seed of Imān in their Hearts

Abu Saʿeed Al-Khudri (radiyallāhu ʿanhu) narrated that the Messenger of Allāh (ʿalaihi salātu was-salām) said:

إِذَا خَلَّصَ اللَّهُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ مِنَ النَّارِ وَأَمِنُوا فَمَا مُجَادَلَةُ أَحَدِكُمْ لِصَاحِبِهِ فِي الْحَقِّ يَكُونُ لَهُ فِي الدُّنْيَا أَشَدَّ مُجَادَلَةً مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ لِرَبِّهِمْ فِي إِخْوَانِهِمُ الَّذِينَ أُدْخِلُوا النَّارَ ‏.‏ قَالَ يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَا إِخْوَانُنَا كَانُوا يُصَلُّونَ مَعَنَا وَيَصُومُونَ مَعَنَا وَيَحُجُّونَ مَعَنَا فَأَدْخَلْتَهُمُ النَّارَ ‏.‏ فَيَقُولُ اذْهَبُوا فَأَخْرِجُوا مَنْ عَرَفْتُمْ مِنْهُمْ فَيَأْتُونَهُمْ فَيَعْرِفُونَهُمْ بِصُوَرِهِمْ لاَ تَأْكُلُ النَّارُ صُوَرَهُمْ فَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ أَخَذَتْهُ النَّارُ إِلَى أَنْصَافِ سَاقَيْهِ وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ أَخَذَتْهُ إِلَى كَعْبَيْهِ فَيُخْرِجُونَهُمْ فَيَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَا أَخْرَجْنَا مَنْ قَدْ أَمَرْتَنَا ‏.‏ ثُمَّ يَقُولُ أَخْرِجُوا مَنْ كَانَ فِي قَلْبِهِ وَزْنُ دِينَارٍ مِنَ الإِيمَانِ ثُمَّ مَنْ كَانَ فِي قَلْبِهِ وَزْنُ نِصْفِ دِينَارٍ ثُمَّ مَنْ كَانَ فِي قَلْبِهِ مِثْقَالُ حَبَّةٍ مِنْ خَرْدَلٍ ‏”‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ أَبُو سَعِيدٍ فَمَنْ لَمْ يُصَدِّقْ هَذَا فَلْيَقْرَأْ {إِنَّ اللَّهَ لاَ يَظْلِمُ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ وَإِنْ تَكُ حَسَنَةً يُضَاعِفْهَا وَيُؤْتِ مِنْ لَدُنْهُ أَجْرًا عَظِيمًا}‏ ‏.‏

“After Allah saves the believers from the Fire and they are secure, none of you would have disputed with his companion more vehemently for his right in this world than the believers will dispute with their Lord on behalf of their brothers who were placed in the Fire.

They will say: ‘Our Lord! These are our brothers, they used to pray with us, fast with us, and make Hajj with us, yet you have placed them in the Fire.’

So, Allah will say: ‘Go and take out those whom you recognise among them.’ So, they will go to them and recognise them from their faces – for the Fire will not consume their faces. From them will be those who will be burned by the Fire to the middle of their shins; and from them those who will burned up to their ankles. So, they will take them out of the Fire.

Then they will say: ‘Our Lord! We have brought out those who commanded us to bring out.’

Then our Lord will say: ‘Take out the one who has [even] a Dinar’s weight of imān in his heart, then the one who has half a Dinar weight of imān in his heart, and then the one who has even a mustard seed’s weight of imān in his heart.'”

Abu Saʿeed Al-Khudri (radiyallāhu ʿanhu) said: “Whosoever does not believe this, let him recite, ‘Indeed Allāh does not commit injustice even to the weight of a mustard seed – and if there is any good deed, He multiplies it, and gives from Himself a great reward.’ (An-Nisā: 40)”

Reported by Ibn Mājah, no. 60 and the wording is his, also reported by al-Bukhāri, no. 7439, Muslim no. 302, An-Nasā’i 5010, and Ahmad 3/94.

The Deviant Beliefs of the Murji’ah as it Relates to Imān

Shaikhul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (died 728H) said:

ثُمَّ فِي أَوَاخِرِ عَصْرِ الصَّحَابَةِ حَدَثَتْ الْقَدَرِيَّةُ فِي آخِرِ عَصْرِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ وَابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ؛ وَجَابِرٍ؛ وَأَمْثَالِهِمْ مِنْ الصَّحَابَةِ ، وَحَدَثَتْ الْمُرْجِئَةُ قَرِيبًا مِنْ ذَلِكَ ، وَأَمَّا الْجَهْمِيَّة فَإِنَّمَا حَدَثُوا فِي أَوَاخِرِ عَصْرِ التَّابِعِينَ بَعْدَ مَوْتِ عُمَرَ بْنِ عَبْدِ الْعَزِيزِ

“Then at the end of the era of the Sahābah, the Qadariyyah came about – that was at the end of the lives of Ibn ʿUmar, Ibn ʿAbbās, Jābir and others like them from the Sahābah – and the Murji’ah appeared close to that time. As for the Jahmiyyah, they appeared at the end of the age of the Tābiʿeen after the death of ʿUmar Ibn ʿAbdul-ʿAzeez.” (Majmooʿ al-Fatāwā 20/301) Qatādah (rahimahullāh) said: “Irjā’ appeared after Hazeemah Ibn Al-Ashʿath.” (See As-Sunnah of ʿAbdullah Ibn Ahmad 1/319)

Al-ʿAllāmah Sālih Al-Fawzān said:

المرجئة طوائف ، ما هم بطائفة واحدة ، بعضهم يقول الإيمان هو المعرفة كما يقوله الجهم بن صفوان ، وهذا أخطر الأقوال ، هذا كفر؛ لأن فرعون يعرف في قرارة نفسه، قال له موسى: (لَقَدْ عَلِمْتَ مَا أَنْزَلَ هَؤُلَاءِ إِلَّا رَبُّ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ) الإسراء/ 102 ، فهو يعرف في قلبه ، فيكون مؤمناً؛ لأنه يعرف بقلبه!
ويقول الله -جلَّ وعلا- عن الكفار: ( فَإِنَّهُمْ لَا يُكَذِّبُونَكَ وَلَكِنَّ الظَّالِمِينَ بِآَيَاتِ اللَّهِ يَجْحَدُونَ) الأنعام/ 33 ، هم يعرفون بأن الرسول صادق ، فمعنى هذا أنهم كلهم مؤمنون ، على مذهب الجهم بن صفوان -قبَّحه الله-، هذا أخطر أنواع الإرجاء.
ومنهم من يقول الإيمان هو التصديق، ما هو بمجرد المعرفة ، بل التصديق بالقلب، ولا يلزم الإقرار والعمل ، هذا قول الأشاعرة ، وهذا قول باطل بلا شك، لكن ما هو بمثل مذهب الجهم .
ومنهم من يقول الإيمان هو الإقرار باللسان ولو لم يعتقد بقلبه -قول الكرّامية-، وهذا قول باطل؛ لأن المنافقين يقولون بألسنتهم، والله حكم أنهم في الدرك الأسفل من النار، معنى هذا أنهم مؤمنون.
وأخفّهم الذي يقول : إن الإيمان اعتقاد بالقلب ونطق باللسان، هذا أخفّ أنواع المرجئة، لكنهم يشتركون كلهم بعدم الاهتمام بالعمل، لكن بعضهم أخفّ من بعض

“The Murji’ah are various sects – they are not just one group. Some of them say: ‘Imān is just knowing [that Allah exists]’ as Jahm Ibn Safwān stated; and this is the most dangerous of sayings, it is disbelief. The Pharaoh knew this in himself; Moosā (peace be upon him) said to him: ‘You have already known that none has sent down these signs except the Lord of the heavens and the earth.’ (Al-Isrā’: 102) So he knew it in his heart – so now he is a believer because he knew it in his heart!?

Allah (the Mighty and Majestic) said: ‘And indeed, they do not call you untruthful, but it is the verses of Allāh that the wrongdoers reject.’ (Al-Anʿām: 33) They knew that the Messenger (salallāhu ʿalaihi wasallam) was truthful, so does that mean they were all believers?! That is the belief of Jahm Ibn Safwān, may Allah disfigure him! This is the most dangerous type of Irjā’.

From the Murji’ah are those who say that imān is tasdeeq (belief in the heart), so it is not just knowing that Allah exists, rather it is belief (tasdeeq) with the heart – so it does not require declaration [with the tongue] or actions of the limbs. This is the saying of the Ashʿaris. This is undoubtedly a false statement; however, it is not the same as the assertion of Jahm.

Then there are those among the Murji’ah who say that imān is merely affirmation with the tongue (i.e., speech) even if one does believe with his heart – this is the creed of the Karrāmiyyah – and it is a false creed because even the hypocrites claim they believe with their speech yet Allah has judged that they are in the lowliest of depths in the Fire; but, this [futile saying] would mean that they are believers!

The least deviated of the Murji’ah (i.e., Murji’at al-Fuqahā) say: Imān is belief in the heart and speech with the tongue. This is the least astray of the categories of the Murji’ah. However, all of them share a common belief, which is the absence of the importance of actions, but some are less misguided than others.” (Source: alfawzan.af.org.sa/ar/node/9529)

Ahlus-Sunnah say that imān is speech and action; it increases and it decreases, and this is in opposition to the Murji’ah, who say that imān does not increase or decrease, and they do not include actions of the limbs into the definition of imān. The Murji’ah appeared while the last of the Sahābah, such as Anas bin Mālik (radiyallāhu ‘anhu) were still alive. They believed that imān was at one level – if you have imān, you have it, and if it goes, it all goes. They do not believe that imān has various levels, or that it increases and decreases. They use the erroneous analogy that just as obedience does not benefit in the presence of kufr (unbelief), so Imān is not harmed by sin – and this is false and is against the belief of Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jamā’ah.

The Murji’ah split into eighteen sects, but they stem from three main sects. There are those among them who claim that Imān is merely speech of the tongue and belief in the heart, and that people are not given superiority over one another due to Imān. They also hold that the Imān of the sinners, the angels, and the prophets is the same and that it does not increase or decrease; they claim that it is not allowed to make istithnā (to say, ‘I am a believer, if Allāh wills.’). They assert that the one who merely professes imān with the tongue and performs no righteous deeds is rightfully a believer and is complete in imān. (See Ibn Abi Yaʿla in Tabaqāt al-Hanābilah).

So, as far as the Murji’ah are concerned, the Imān of the most evil Muslim who murders, fornicates, lies, steals, abandons giving zakāt, fasting and Hajj, is the same as the imān of Muhammad (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam), the rest of the Prophets and the angels as long as he has belief in the heart and he utters it upon the tongue! They believe that Imān is at one level and that it neither increases nor decreases.

Al-ʿAllāmah Rabeeʿ Ibn Hādī ʿUmayr Al-Madkhalī stated: “Imān is speech and action; speech of the heart and tongue, and action of the heart and limbs. Or you can say: Imān is speech, action and belief (iʿtiqād). It increases with obedience and decreases with disobedience. This is imān with Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jamāʿah.”

He continued: “For the Murji’ah: Imān is belief in the heart, just belief in the heart (tasdeeq), and according to the Jahmiyyah, it is merely affirmation of the existence of Allāh (maʿrifah) – or only belief in the heart (tasdeeq) in the view of the extreme Murji’ah.

According to Murji’at Al-Fuqahā, imān is belief in the heart and speech with the tongue – in their view, actions do not enter into the definition of imān. As for Ahlus-Sunnah, then the actions of the heart and the actions of the limbs enter into the definition of imān after tasdeeq (belief in the heart). So, imān encompasses the creed (iʿtiqād) and actions of the heart, such as fear (khawf) of Allah, and love for Him, hope in Him, desire for Him and reliance. All of these are from the actions of the heart, and are from the essence of imān – and imān cannot be established except with them, and it is not present except with them. Likewise, the actions of the limbs, such as fasting, prayer, zakāt, jihād and so on, from the legislated deeds to the extent that even removing an obstacle from the pathway is from imān. The Prophet (salallāhu ʿalaihi wasallam) said:

الإِيمَانُ بِضْعٌ وَسَبْعُونَ أَوْ بِضْعٌ وَسِتُّونَ شُعْبَةً فَأَفْضَلُهَا قَوْلُ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَأَدْنَاهَا إِمَاطَةُ الأَذَى عَنِ الطَّرِيقِ وَالْحَيَاءُ شُعْبَةٌ مِنَ الإِيمَانِ ‏

‘Imān has over seventy branches or over sixty branches, the most virtuous of which is the testimony that there no diety has the right to worship except Allah, and the least level of imān is the, removal of something harmful from the path – and modesty [too] is a branch of faith.’ (Muslim, no. 35)

This imān [according to Ahlus-Sunnah] increases with obedience, and decreases with disobedience. It can rise until it reaches the likes of mountains, and it can fall until it is like the smallest grain of corn.

The Murji’ah believe that imān does not increase or decrease because imān, according to them, is merely tasdeeq (belief in the heart), so it cannot decrease. If it undergoes any decrease, it is finished – and the person leaves the fold of imān [altogether]. Therefore [according to the Murji’ah], imān cannot decrease; it stays at one level, and is not of varying levels. The imān of the most wicked, foul and wretched of sinners is the same as the Prophets, the truthful believers and the angels! This is immense misguidance.” (See Sharh Usoolus-Sunnah of Shaikh Rabeeʿ Al-Madkhalī, p. 73-74)

The Main Groups of the Murji’ah

Shaikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (rahimahullāh) stated in Majmooʿ al-Fatāwa (7/194-195):

“The Murji’ah say: Iman is belief of the heart, speech of the tongue, and actions are not from imān. Among those who held this view were a group from the Fuqahā (jurists) of Kufah and its worshippers. Their view was not the same as Jahm Ibn Safwān. They knew that a person could not be a believer if he does not speak with imān while he has the ability to do so. They also knew that Iblees and Pharaoh and others are disbelievers, alongside the fact that they believed in Allah (tasdeeq) in their hearts. However, if they (these Fuqahā of Kufah) had not entered the actions of the heart [into imān], then that would make their view the same as Jahm [Ibn Safwan]. And if they entered actions [of the heart] into iman, it would necessitate upon them to enter the actions of the limbs into iman also, because one necessitates the other. However, these Murji’at [al-Fuqahā] have religious proofs they utilise that cause them ambiguity and doubt in the matter [of iman]. So, they hold that Allah in His Book separates between iman and deeds. Allah stated in more than one place: ‘Those who have imān and work righteous deeds.'”

He (rahimullāh) continued: “The Murji’ah are of three types: Those who say, ‘Iman is merely in the heart.’ Then there are those from them who enter into imān, actions of the heart – they are the majority of the sects of the Murji’ah, as stated by Abul-Hasan Al-Ashʿarī when citing their sayings in his book. He mentioned their numerous sects in some lengthy speech. However, we have cited just a few sentences of their sayings.

And from the Murji’ah are those who do not enter into imān the actions of the heart, such as Jahm [Ibn Safwan] and his followers, such as Aṣ-Ṣālihī – this is what he promulgated along with most of his followers.

The second of the sayings [of the Murji’ah] is, ‘Iman is merely speech of the tongue.’ This was not known from anyone before the Karrāmiyyah (a sect of the Murji’ah).

The third sect of the Murji’ah say: Iman is belief in the heart and speech of the tongue – and this is popular among the Fuqahā [who fell in Irjā’] and the general worshippers among them. All of them (the Murji’ah) are wrong from various angles.”

The Salaf of this Ummah considered the Murji’ah to be misguided Ahlul-Bidʿah wal-Ahwā (People of Innovation and Desires). They oppose the creed of Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jamāʿah, who are Ahlul-Hadeeth and the Salaf as-Sālih, because they (the least deviated of the Murji’ah) say that imān is belief and statement, it does not increase or decrease – and whether one is obedient or sinful, it does not enter into or affect his imān.

Shaikhul-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah (died 728H) said: “Hammād Ibn Abī Sulaimān and his followers would reject that imān is of different levels (increases and decreases in people); he would reject entering actions into imān; and he would reject the saying of a person, ‘I am a believer inshā’-Allāh‘ (al-istithnā).

So, they are the Murji’at al-Fuqahā’. And as for Ibrāheem An-Nakhaʿī, who was the Imām of Kufah [in Iraq] – and the Shaikh of Hammād Ibn Abī Sulaimān – and other scholars [of the time] and those who came before Ibrāheem from the students of Ibn Masʿood (radiyallāhu ʿanhu), such as ʿAlqamah and Al-Aswad, then they were from the severest of people in opposing the Muriji’ah. However, Hammād Ibn Abī Sulaimān opposed his Salaf, and whoever followed him ended up entering this sect of [the Murji’at al-Fuqahā] of Ahlul-Kufah, and those who came after them.

Thereafter, the Salaf and the scholars were severe in their rebuke of them and refutation of them – they declared them to be innovators, and spoke against them harshly. Yet, I do not know a single one of them who declared them (the Murji’at ul-Fuqahā) to be unbelievers. Rather, they were agreed upon the fact that takfeer is not to be made of them.”  (See Majmooʿ al-Fatāwā 7/507)

So, the Murji’at al-Fuqahā say that imān is belief in the heart and speech with the tongue. As for the outward actions of the limbs and inward actions of the heart, they are not from imān. Nevertheless, they do hold that the obligations are to be carried out, and the prohibitions mentioned in the Shareeʿah are to be avoided – and that abandonment of the obligations and falling into acts of disobedience lead to the punishments that Allah has threatened the sinners with. So, this distinguishes the Murji’at ul-Fuqahā from the other sects of the Murji’ah because the Murji’at ul-Fuqahā say that sins harm a person, whereas the extreme Murji’ah say: ‘Sins do not harm in the presence of imān just as acts of obedience do not benefit in the presence of kufr.’

Note that there were some from the Murji’at al-Fuqahā’ who held that actions of the heart are from imān as mentioned by Ibn Taymiyyah in his Kitāb al-Imān.

Al-Imām Ibn Bāz (Allah’s mercy be upon him) said: “The Murji’at ul-Fuqahā are those who say: Actions are not from imān. Instead, they say: Imān is speech, affirmation [with the tongue] and belief [in the heart] – that which is ascribed to Abu Haneefah and others.” (See Fatawa Ibn Bāz)

The Murji’ah arose in response to the Khawārij. Ibn Taymiyyah said: “A group appeared whose intent was to consider as believers all of the people of the Qiblah, and [to assert] that they are not unbelievers. They opposed the Khawārij and Muʿtazilah – and they themselves became another sect.” (Majmooʿ al-Fatāwa 17/446)

He also said: “So, the Murji’ah appeared and most of them were from the people of Kufah. The students of ʿAbdullāh Ibn Masʿood (radiyallāhu ʿanhu) were not Murji’ah, nor were Ibraheem An-Nakhaʿī and his likes. They became a counter group to the Khawārij and Muʿtazilah – and they said: ‘Actions are not from Imān.'” (Majmooʿ al-Fatāwa 13/38)

They were called Murji’at al-Fuqahā because it was said they were from the jurists (fuqahā) of Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jamāʿah but fell into deviation in this matter by considering actions to be outside of the definition of Imān and its terminology, and it began as something small. However, it became the starting point of the innovations of the other Murjī’ sects, making it from the most severe of innovations. (See Al-Imān of Ibn Taymiyyah, p. 155)

Ibn Taymiyyah said about the Murji’at al-Fuqahā: “Most of them were from the people of Kufah. They would say: ‘Actions are not from imān.’ This bidʿah was from the lightest of innovations. So, much of the difference surrounding it was in terminology and wording without ruling. Thus, the jurists to whom this statement is ascribed, such as Hammād Ibn Abī Sulaimān, Abu Haneefah and others, agreed with the rest of Ahlus-Sunnah that Allah will punish the major sinners with the Fire, then He will remove them from it due to intercession as occurs in the authentic narrations. And they held that it is a must concerning imān that one speaks with the tongue, and that which is obligated (farḍ) must be carried out – and whoever abandons the obligations is deserving of censure and punishment. As for the actions: whether they are from imān, the issue of al-istithnā (i.e., to say, ‘I am a believer, inshā’-Allāh.’), and other similar matters. In general, this is a dispute in the usage of words. However, when the term imān is mentioned, the actions do enter into it.” (Majmooʿ al-Fatāwa 13/38)

Ibn Taymiyyah continued: “For this reason, no one from the Salaf made takfeer on the Muri’at al-Fuqahā’. Rather, they consider [their Irjā’] from the innovations of speech and actions – not from the innovations in the ʿaqeedah, and much of the differing surrounding this matter was about the usage of words [and terms]. However, the word (or terminology) that agrees with the Book and Sunnah is what is correct – and it is not allowed for anyone to come along and say that which opposes the speech of Allah and His Messenger. And this is especially the case if that saying becomes a pathway to the bidʿah of Ahlul-Kalām (people of Theological Speculation) among the Murji’ah and others – and also leads to the appearance [and prevalence] of sins. So, this error of a seemingly insignificant word [and terminology] is a reason for a great and mighty error in ʿaqeedah and actions. Therefore, that explains the powerful rebuke against Irjā’.” (Majmooʿ al-Fatāwa 7/394)

Speech of the Scholars Regarding Imām Abu Haneefah (rahimahullah)

Imām Abu Haneefah An-Nuʿmān Ibn Thābit  of Kufah (died 150 AH, rahimahullāh) – well known as the first of the Imāms of the four madhhabs of Islamic Fiqh. He became known for falling into Irjā’. From his teachers was Hammād Ibn Abī Sulaimān (died 120 AH).

The scholar, Hammād Ibn Zayd (rahimahullāh) said:

 جلسْتُ إلى أبي حَنيفةَ بمكَّةَ، فذكَر سَعيدَ بنَ جُبَيرٍ، فانتحَله في الإرجاءِ ، فقلْتُ: مَن حدَّثك يا أبا حَنيفةَ؟ قال: سالِمٌ الأفطَسُ، فقلْتُ له: فإنَّ سالِمًا يرى رأيَ المُرجِئةِ

“I sat with Abu Haneefah in Makkah and he mentioned Saʿeed Ibn Jubayr and ascribed to him the belief of Irjā’. So I said: ‘Who narrated that to you, O Abu Haneefah?’ He replied: ‘Sālim Al-Afṭas.’ So, I said to him: ‘Indeed Sālim holds the views of the Murji’ah.'” (As-Sunnah of Abdullāh Ibn Ahmad Ibn Hanbal 1/202, 382, Al-Ibānah of Ibn Baṭṭah 2/452, 808, 897)

It is also said:

 إنَّ أوَّلَ مَن أحدَث الإرجاءَ: حمَّادُ بنُ أبي سُلَيمانَ؛ شيخُ أبي حَنيفةَ

“The first to speak with Irjā’ was Hammād Ibn Abī Sulaymān, the teacher of Abu Haneefah.” (See Taqreeb at-Tahdheeb of Ibn Hajr p. 178, and Majmooʿ Al-Fatawā of Ibn Taymiyyah 7/297, 311)

Ishāq Ibn ʿĪsā Aṭ-Ṭabāʿ said: I asked Hammād Ibn Zayd about Abu Haneefah, so he replied:

إنَّما ذاك يُعرَفُ بالخُصومةِ في الإرجاءِ

“He was known for arguing about Irjā’ (i.e., in its favour).” (As-Sunnah of ʿAbdullāh Ibn Ahmad, 1/203)

Yahyā Ibn Maʿeen (rahimahullāh) – who was from the companions of Imām Ahmad and the shaikh of Al-Bukhāri – said:

كان أبو حَنيفةَ مُرجِئًا، وكان مِن الدُّعاةِ

“Abu Haneefah was a Murjī’ and he was from the callers [to it].” (As-Sunnah of ʿAbdullāh Ibn Ahmad, 1/226)

ان مُرجِئًا، سكَتوا عنه وعن رأيِه وعن حديثِه

Imām Al-Bukhārī (rahimahullāh) said about Abu Haneefah: “He was a Murjī’ – the scholars refrain from him, his opinions and his hadeeth.” (Tāreekh Al-Kabeer of Al-Bukhārī 8/82)

Abul-Hasan Al-Ashʿarī when enumerating the sects of the Murji’ah, said:

الفِرقةُ التَّاسِعةُ مِن المُرجِئةِ: أبو حَنيفةَ وأصحابُه، يزعُمونَ أنَّ الإيمانَ المعرفةُ باللهِ، والإقرارُ باللهِ، والمعرفةُ بالرَّسولِ، والإقرارُ بما جاء مِن عندِ اللهِ في الجُملةِ دونَ التَّفسيرِ

“The ninth group of the Murji’ah: Abu Haneefah and his followers. They claim that Imān is to know Allah, and to attest to Allah; and it is to know the Messenger – and to attest to what he came with from Allah in general without detail.” (Maqālāt al-Islāmiyyeen of Al-Ashʿarī 1/119)

As for Hammād Ibn Abī Sulaimān, his origin was from Aṣbahān, he was from the lesser Tābiʿeen, and died in 120 AH. He narrated from Anas Ibn Mālik, Saʿeed Ibn al-Musayyib, Ibrāheem an-Nakhaʿī, among others. Those who took from him include ʿĀsim al-Ahwal, Shuʿbah, Hammād Ibn Salamah, Abu Haneefah and ath-Thawrī. However, he fell into Irjā’. Shuʿbah said: “I was with Zayd, and we passed by Hammād Ibn Abī Sulaimān. So Zayd said: ‘Avoid this one for he has innovated.” (Al-Kāmil fī Duʿafā’ ar-Rijāl of Ibn ʿAdiyy 3/4)

Imām Adh-Dhahabī said about Hammād Ibn Abī Sulaimān: “He was of Murji’ with the Irjā’ of the Fuqahā – they do not hold that Salāh and Zakāh are from imān, and they say that: ‘Imān is affirmation with the tongue, and certainty in the heart.’ This disagreement is in wording, if Allah wills. And those who went to extremes in Irjā’ are those who say: ‘The abandonment of the obligations does not harm in the presence of Tawheed.'” (See Siyar Aʿlām an-Nubalā of Adh-Dhahabī 5/231-233)

Proofs from the Qur’ān and Sunnah that Eemān is of Different Levels

So, the Murji’ah are the ones who claim that the imān of the fussāq (the open sinners) from amongst the muslims, and the imān of Jibreel (‘alihis-salām) is the same, and this is falsehood. The ayāt of the Qur’ān prove that imān increases. Allah (the Most High) said:

وَيَزْدَادَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِيمَانًا ۙ وَلَا يَرْتَابَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ

“And that the believers may increase in imān and that no doubt may be left for the People of the Book.” (Surah al-Muddathir 74:31)

In this noble āyah, Allah (the Most High) clearly states that the believers’ imān increases. He, (the Most High) also said:

وَيَزِيدُ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ اهْتَدَوْا هُدًى ۗ

“And Allah increases in guidance those who walk the straight path.” (Surah Maryam 19:76)

There are many ayāt in the Qur’ān which mention that imān rises. The Salaf used to say that whatever is liable to increase is also liable to decrease, so imān can increase until it reaches the level of the mountains, and it can decrease until it reaches the weight of an atom or a mustard seed. People are of different levels of imān, as is mentioned in the statement of the Prophet (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) collected by Bukhāri and Muslim:

“The people of Jannah will look at the people dwelling in the chambers above them just like people look at a bright star shining far away on the horizon in the East or the West, due to their superiority over them.” The Sahābah asked, ‘O Messenger of Allah! Are they the dwellings of the Prophets that no one else can attain?’ The Messenger (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) replied, “No! By the One in whose hands is my soul! They are for men who believed in Allah and affirmed the truthfulness of the messengers.”

This hadeeth proves that there will be differences between those people who believe in Allah and affirmed the truthfulness of the Messengers (peace be upon them) and followed them, such that some of them will be in one level of Jannah and will look up at those who are above them as if they are looking at the stars – all of this is due to their differing levels of imān.

The hadeeth of the Shafāʿah (intercession) also proves that people have different levels of imān, when Allah (the Most High) will say to the Angels. ‘Take out of the fire whoever has in his heart even a dinar’s weight of goodness, or even half a dinar’s weight of goodness,’ and in another narration, ‘Take out of the fire anyone who has even half a dinar’s weight of imān.’ Other narrations mention a ‘grain’s weight of imān,’ or a ‘mustard seed’s weight of imān,’ or even lesser than that, up to the weight of an atom’s worth of imān. So clearly, this tells us that imān can reach the weight of an atom, showing that imān can decrease until there is hardly anything remaining, and some of these people are in the Hellfire due to the weakness and deficiency in their imān.

Furthermore, we know from the hadeeth about those who will be burnt to ashes in the Hellfire and then taken out and placed in the River of Life, that they will have very weak imān, but it will still be sufficient to save them due to the mercy shown by Allah (the Most High).

All this proves that imān is of different levels. Likewise, in Paradise, there are different levels, where people will enter into different chambers and levels of Jannah due to their imān and piety.

This is why the Prophet (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) said: “The strong believer is better and more beloved to Allah than a weak believer, although in both there is good.” (Reported by Imām Muslim).

So, this is the belief of Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamāʿah regarding imān. We believe in the ahadeeth about the intercession, which clearly show that the major sinners will be taken out of the Fire – which is denied by the Muʿtazilah and the Khawārij, who say that all major sinners are in the Fire forever.

The Levels of Imān as it relates to the 5 Ahkām (Rulings) of the Shariʿah

The ahkām of Islām are five:

1) That which is mubāh: allowed, it does not matter if you do it or leave it.
2) That which is makruh: disliked, if you do it, there is no sin on you, but if you leave it, you are rewarded.
3) That which is mustahabb: recommended, if you do it, you are rewarded, but if you leave it, you are not sinful.
4) That which is wājib: obligated, if you do it, you are rewarded, and if you leave it, you are sinful.
5) That which is harām: prohibited, if you do it, you are sinful, but if you leave it, you are rewarded.

These five ahkām of the shar’iah are established upon three parts of the body:

1) The heart
2) The tongue
3) The limbs

This makes a total of 15: Five each upon the heart, the tongue and the limbs, and the Messenger of Allah (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) completed all 15 levels of Imān. ʿA’ishah (radiyallāhu ‘anha) was truthful when she said that the manners and character of the Prophet (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) was the Qur’ān.

The more righteous actions that we perform on each of the limbs and the more we abandon acts of disobedience for Allah’s sake, the more our Imān will increase. In an authentic narration, the Prophet (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) said:

نُ بِضْعٌ وَسَبْعُونَ أَوْ بِضْعٌ وَسِتُّونَ شُعْبَةً فَأَفْضَلُهَا قَوْلُ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَأَدْنَاهَا إِمَاطَةُ الأَذَى عَنِ الطَّرِيقِ وَالْحَيَاءُ شُعْبَةٌ مِنَ الإِيمَانِ

“Imān is 70 and odd or 60 and odd branches, the highest of which is the statement, lā ilāha illallāh, and the lowest of which is to remove an obstacle from the path, and modesty is from Imān.” (Muslim, no. 35) This hadeeth proves that Imān is of levels, and with the heart (modesty), with the limbs (removing an obstacle) and with speech (stating the shahādah).

The Correct Position Regarding al-Istithnā

The Murji’ah do not believe in istithnā, which is when a person says, ‘I am a believer, inshā’-Allāh’ (i.e., if Allah wills). They claim that saying ‘inshā’-Allāh’ introduces doubt into your imān. They believe that imān is at one level and does not increase or decrease. Therefore, how can you say inshā’-Allāh? The scholars of Ahlus-Sunnah hold that saying ‘I am a believer inshā’-Allāh’ is a must because it simply means that you are not sure whether you have perfected your imān [through plentiful worship and righteous deeds] such that it has reached the stage where you are a believer (mu’min) in truth, as opposed to just a Muslim who has submitted. To say ‘I am a believer inshā’-Allāh’ does not mean that a person is in doubt that Allah is his Lord, that Islam is his Deen and that Muhammad is the Messenger (salallāhu ʿalaihi wasallam).

(End)

والحمد لله رب العالمين وصلى الله على نبينا محمد وعلى آله وصحبه أجمعين.

سبحانك اللهم وبحمدك أشهد أن لا إله إلا أنت، أستغفرك وأتوب إليك

Abu Khadeejah Abdul-Wāhid.
Copyright 2025.

This article was transcribed by Umm Maryam (may Allah reward her) from the classes of Abu Khadeejah (SalafiSounds.com). Please share it with others.