Aspects of Increasing Iman

Imam Ibn Taymiyyah

Kitab al-Iman
© 1999 Iman Publishing House

Increasing the Iman which Allah commands us to have, and which is a trait of His believing
worshipers, can be achieved through different means. The first aspect in increasing Iman is
through practicing ijmaal, total, observance and tafseel, detailed, observance of Allah's
commands, for it is the obligation of all mankind to believe in Allah and His Messenger, and of
every community to commit itself to all that the Messenger (sallallahu `alayhe wa sallam) has
ordered. It is well known that what was obligatory at first differs from what was required after
the revelation of the whole Qur'an. Hence, unlike one who does not know about Islam, he who
knows the Qur'an, the Sunnah, and their meanings is obliged to have a detailed Iman. That is, if a
man, inwardly as well as outwardly, believed in Allah and the Messenger (pbuh) and died before
he knew the laws of religion, he would die as a believer. His obligation and what he did are
different from the Iman of the one who knew the Islaimic laws and who believed in them and
worked to fulfill them. The Iman of such a person is more complete, in accordance with the
obligatory and the actual deeds. Indeed, of what he performed in accordance with the obligation
is of a more complete Iman and what he did is also considered more complete.

Allah says: "… This day I have perfected your religion for you …" (5:3). In this verse, the
word "religion" refers to the legislation of commanded and forbidden actions, but does not mean
that everybody is obliged to do what the whole community is ordered to do. It is recorded both in
Sahih Muslim and Sahih al-Bukhari that the Prophet (pbuh) described women as diminished in
intellect and religion. This diminution in intellect made the witness of two women equal in that
of one man; the diminution in her religion is due to the fact that she does not pray and fast when
she is menstruating. Indeed, this diminution is not a diminution of what she is commanded to do
and so she will not be punished because of it. However, if someone is commanded to pray and
fast and does so, his religion is complete compared to the one of diminished religion.

The second aspect [of increasing one's Iman] is the total and detailed acts of people. To
illustrate this, let us compare the Iman of the following three men. The first absolutely believed
in what the Messenger (pbuh) came with and asked for, but was neither concerned about what
the Messenger (pbuh) commanded and prohibited nor sought the required knowledge of religion
so as to act accordingly. The second sought and obtained this knowledge and acted on it. The
third man acquired knowledge, became well acquainted with it, and believed in it but did not act
accordingly. These three men shared the same obligation, but the one who looked for detailed
knowledge and acted on it had a more complete Iman than the one who knew and believed but
did not practice his knowledge. Likewise, he who believed in the message, confessed his sins,
and feared punishment was a better believer than the one who did not seek to understand what he
was asked to do, and did not fear punishment; on the contrary, he later was negligent and
careless, although [overtly as well as covertly] he believed in Muhammad (pbuh) as the
Messenger of Allah.
Accordingly, the more the heart knows, believes in, and practices [what Allah and His
Messenger have ordered], the more a person's Iman increases even if that person has a general
adherence and general verbal confession.

Similarly, if someone knows Allah's Names as well as their meanings and believes in them, his
Iman is more perfect than that of someone who does not know but believes in them generally, or
someone who knows only some of them. Hence, the more one knows Allah's Names, Attributes,
and Verses, the more perfect his Iman.

The third aspect is that knowledge and assent are differentiated among people. That is, some
people have stronger, more enduring Iman and assent than others whose Iman is subject to doubt.
Indeed, this is something experienced by each one of us. For example, people differ in the way
they see the new moon, hear the same sound, smell the same smell, and taste the same food. So it
is with the heart's knowledge and assent. People differ widely in their belief in the meanings of
Allah's Names and His Words.

The fourth aspect is that the assent which requires the work of the heart is more complete than
that which does not. So, knowledge which is accompanied by works is better than that which is
not. Suppose that two men knew that Allah, the Messenger (pbuh), Paradise, and Hell are true.
The knowledge of the first man obliged him to love and fear Allah, wish for Paradise, and avoid
Hell. However, the knowledge of the second man did not lead him to do so. Thus, we can say
that the knowledge of the first is more complete than that of the second. For the strength of the
result signals the strength of the cause, and all these matters stem from knowledge. So
knowledge of the "beloved" requires one to seek him; and knowledge of the "frightened"
requires one to flee from him. However, absence of the required results signals the weakness of
the cause or prerequisite. That is why the Prophet (pbuh) said: "One who is informed [indirectly]
of something is not like the one who sees it for himself." To illustrate this, when Allah told
Moses that his community worshiped the calf, he did not throw the al-Alwah, Tablets; but when
he himself saw them practicing that, he did. This is not because Moses doubted Allah's words but
because the man who is told something, although he does not report the news of the teller, does
not perceive the situation in the same way he does if he sees it for himself. Since his mind is
occupied with something else, other than what the informer said, he still believes him. Certainly
seeing something will give one a clearer understanding of the situation and this assent is better
than the other.

The fifth aspect is that works of the heart, such as love for Allah and His Messenger and fear
and expectations from Allah, are part of Iman, as proven by the Qur'an, the Sunnah, and the
consensus of the pious ancestors. And people differ widely in their performance of these works.

The sixth aspect is that overt works, as well as covert works, are part of Iman; and people also
vary widely with respect to these works.

The seventh aspect is the importance of holding Allah in remembrance and not being
inattentive, since the latter opposes perfection of knowledge and acceptance. 'Umar Ibn Habib,
one of the Companions, said: "If we thank and praise Allah, our Iman increases. However, if we
neglect and forget Him, our Iman decreases." And Mu'adh Ibn Jabal used to say to his
companions: "Let us sit still for an hour so as to strengthen our belief." Allah says: "… Nor
obey any whose heart We have permitted to neglect the remembrance of Us, one who
follows his own desires…" (18:28); and "And remind for indeed, reminding profits the
believers" (51:55); and "The admonition will be received by those who fear [Allah]: But it
will be avoided by those most unfortunate ones" (87:10-11). Hence, it is evident that the more
a man remembers what he already knows, and practices his knowledge, he will come to
understand something he has never known, such as Allah's Names and Verses. This is supported
by the following tradition: "Whoever practices what he knows, Allah will provide him with
understanding of what he did not know." This is a matter that every believer will realize by
himself.

It was recorded in Sahih al-Bukhari that the Prophet (pbuh) said: "The one who holds Allah in
remembrance as compared to one who does not, is like a living man as compared to one who has
died." Allah says: "And when they hear His Verses rehearsed, find their belief
strengthened." (8:2). That is, hearing of Allah's Verses increases their knowledge with what
they did not know, it encourages their practice of the new knowledge, and it reminds them of
things they have forgotten. Allah says: "Soon will We show them Our Signs in the [furthest]
regions [of the earth], and in their own souls, until it becomes manifest to them that this
(the Qur'dn] is the Truth…" (41:53). That is, the Qur'an is the truth. Allah also says: "…Is it
not enough that your Lord does witness all things?" (41:53). So in the Qur'an Allah is witness
to what He reported. Consequently, believers believed in this and then He showed them His
Signs in the furthest regions of the earth and in themselves, all of which confirms what the
Qur'an says. Therefore, these Signs indicate that the Qur'an is the Truth.

Allah says: "Do they not look at the sky above them? How We have made it and adorned it,
and there are no flaws in it? And the earth, We have spread it out, and set thereon
mountains standing firm, and produced therein every kind of beautiful growth [in pairs] to
be observed and commemorated by every devotee turning [to Allah]" (50:6-8). So the
created signs should be observed and commemorated in order to prevent one from blindness and
inattention. To illustrate, a man recites a Surah (e.g., al-Fatihah) many times; and each time he
recites it, he gains new knowledge, which in turn increases his acceptance and Iman as if the
Surah was revealed at that moment. Thus, he believes in these meanings and his knowledge and
work increases. This is to be realized by everyone who reads the Qur'an attentively, in contrast
with the one who reads it absentmindedly. Thus, whenever one does what he is commanded to
do, he becomes aware of these commands and, as a result, he affirms his belief. Consequently, at
that moment his affirmation in his heart establishes what he was unaware of even when he is
truthful.

The eighth aspect is that man may deny or disbelieve things, for he does not know that the
Messenger (pbuh) has spoken and ordered them. And if one knew that, he would neither deny
nor disbelieve. For his heart strongly affirms that he [the Prophet] told and commanded only the
truth. It may happen that when one hears a verse or a hadith or thinks about it or someone
interprets its meaning for him or it becomes clear to him what is forbidden, then he will enter a
state of new affirmation and new belief. This increases his Iman since before this stage he is not
considered as an unbeliever but simply as ignorant. This happens in the case of many believers
who ignorantly think that an affirmation or a deed is not required for Iman but when they know
the truth, they believe. Many people, including those who are conscious about religious matters,
may have, in their hearts, many detailed matters that may contradict what the Messenger brought
forward. Yet, they do not know that they are contradictory matters and, when they become aware
of this, they reverse their opinions. Thus, anyone who introduces an innovation or a saying [to
the religion of Islam] or performs a wrong act, and he is a believer in the Messenger or is aware
of what the Messenger said and believes in them and does not reverse his beliefs, he is
considered ignorant but not an unbeliever. It follows then that every innovator with good
intentions of following what the Messenger brought forward is of this category. Thus, he who
has knowledge of what the Messenger brought forward and acts accordingly, is better than he
who commits an error concerning this, and anyone who becomes aware of the truth after
realizing his own error and acts on it, he will be in a more preferable position than before.

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