المعنى الاصطلاحي

Statement by the tongue, belief in the heart, and action by the body parts.

الشرح المختصر

"Iman" (faith/believing) is absolute belief in all that Allah and His Messenger, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, said. This belief entails actions of the heart followed by actions of the body parts. Another definition is that "iman" is the statement of the tongue, the conviction of the heart, and the physical actions of the body. The term "statement" means what both the heart and the tongue say. The statement of the heart is the true, sound belief derived from the Book of Allah, the Exalted, and the Sunnah of His Messenger, may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him. The statement of the tongue is to pronounce the "shahādah" (the testimony of faith). Wherever the term "statement" is mentioned in religious texts, it includes both what the heart says, which is conviction, and what the tongue says, which is the actual words spoken by the tongue. "Actions" include the actions of the heart, tongue and body parts. Examples of the actions of the heart are bashfulness, reliance on Allah, hope in Him, fear of Him, repentance, etc. Examples of the actions of the tongue are glorifying Allah with "tasbeeh" (saying "subhān Allah" [glory to Allah]), "takbeer" (saying "Allahu Akbar" [Allah is Most Great]), reciting the Qur’an, enjoining good and forbidding evil, etc. As for the actions of the body parts, they include prayer, fasting, pilgrimage, jihad, and similar acts of worship.

التعريف اللغوي المختصر

"Iman": faith, believing, affirmation of something out of true conviction. Opposite: "kufr" (disbelief). Other meanings: granting security, safety, reassurance.

التعريف

A state that combines mental belief with verbal declaration and physical action. It increases as one obeys God’s commandments and decreases with disobedience.