Know the Qua’ran
Miracle of the Qur’an continued from page 22
The word ‘faith’ in this ayah substitutes for salat, which
is a component of Islam and an outward act. Using the
word iman for salat shows that the internal and external
are in fact an organic whole. Iman and Islam are sacred
terms that combine the two elements that compose the
framework of our Deen: Shari‘a and Tazkiyya.
In the time of Imam Abu Hanifa, many deviant sects
surfaced in Islam. People were judging others’ iman;
radical groups such as the Khawarij would execute people
after determining that their iman was deficient. The
Khawarij alone were initially divided into five major
branches: Sufris, Azariqa, Najdat, Adjarites, and Ibadis.
Then, we have other major groups such as the Shia,
Mu’tazilite, etc. Muslims, in general, disunited and became
critical of each other judging each other’s iman. To solve
the growing problem of groups and peoples condemning
the iman of each other based upon their perceived actions,
Imam Abu Hanifa combined his knowledge of the Quranic
relationship between iman and Islam to his background
as a jurist to say that iman does not increase or decrease is
to say that all Muslims are equal in the court of law. The
moment one converts to Islam, he/she becomes equal
to every other believer in the court of law. Thereafter, a
case will be judged based on external evidence only. This
clarification alone was enough to give Imam Abu Hanifa
the title, ‘The Father of Fiqh.’
Allah is All-Wise. He gave Islam and iman the same
antonym (kufr/kafir), which allowed the terms to be
used synonymously. This allowed the Muslims to give
iman a legal dimension, which is iqrarum bi al-lisan, the
verbal testimonial with ones’ lips, while simultaneously
maintaining the dynamic aspects of iman. Iman, in reality,
dwells in the hearts and influences our actions, such as
removing a harmful object from the pathway. Without a
demarcation of the legal definition of iman, the Umma
may have headed toward anarchy, with hair-splitting
debates over the definitions of iman and its characteristics;
as a result, many unconventional definitions of who is
and who is not a Muslim would have emerged. This was
already happening prior to Imam Abu Hanifa in the
Umma. The Khawarij killed a large swath of Muslims over
minor sins. Imam Abu Hanifa who in his historical verdict
seemed to contradict the sacred texts, in fact brought out
their true character. ‘Iman does not increase or decrease;’
once you proclaim the kalima (iqrar bi al-lisan), you are a
Muslim.
Kufa was a stronghold of the Khawarij, but after Imam Abu
Hanifa’s fatwa and the influence of Umar bin Abdul Aziz,
the caliph of the time, the power and sway of the Khawarij
diminished. Also, the usage of the terms Islam and iman
allowed a distinction between the states of the heart
(tazkiya), in which every person stands to different degrees
in their connection to Allah, and Shari‘a, which allows all
Muslims to be equal.
Allah is All-Wise. He gave
Islam and iman the same
antonym (kufr/kafir),
which allowed the terms
to be used synonymously.
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