Welcome back to The Deep Dive. We've got a really
interesting stack of research today because we
are looking at a word that I think most people
think they know, that the mechanics of it, the
actual engine under the hood are surprisingly
complex. The word we're unpacking today is iman.
It's a massive topic. And you're right. If you
grab a standard dictionary or just ask a random
person, they're going to translate iman simply
as faith. Yeah, just faith. But looking at these
theological texts, the articles, and the linguistic
breakdowns we're going through today, translating
Ema as just faith is, well, it's a bit like calling
a skyscraper a hut. You miss the structural integrity
of the thing. That's exactly the angle I want
to take today, the structure. Because the sources
we're covering, they don't describe Ema as this
fluffy abstract feeling that just floats around
in the ether somewhere. No, not at all. They
describe it like a piece of architecture. Or
actually, the most common metaphor in the texts
is a tree. Roots deep in the ground, branches
reaching up to the sky. Right, it's depicted
as a system. It's an engine that drives behavior.
And what's really fascinating about the material
for me is how numerical it gets. Oh, the lists.
Yeah, the lists. You have the six pillars that
hold the structure up, and then you have the
77 branches that dictate everything from how
you pray to, well, literally removing a stone
from the road. That specific example that's sewn
in the road is probably my absolute favorite
takeaway from this whole stack of research. It's
such a vivid image. It really is. But before
we get to the branches, we kind of have to start
with the root definition, because the texts make
a really hard distinction between iman and Islam.
And I think for a lot of people, those words
are totally interchangeable. They aren't in this
context. And this is where the linguistics get
really cool. To understand iman, you have to
look at the root word. It comes from a mana,
which actually means Security or safety? Safety?
In what sense? Like physical safety? Because
usually when people talk about faith, it sounds
like a risk. You know, you take a leap of faith.
That's the Western connotation for sure. But
here, the linguistic root implies existential
safety. It implies a certitude that brings you
peace. Oh, wow. Yeah, it's not. I hope this is
true, fingers crossed. It is confidence in a
real truth. When you have that level of confidence,
you feel secure. You aren't anxious about the
unknown because you trust the source. So it's
the exact opposite of blind hope. It's a settled,
grounded state. Exactly. And this is where the
distinction with Islam gets really sharp. So
if you're following along with us, the sources
describe Islam as submission. Its seat, its location
in the human being is the intellect or the exterior.
The outside stuff. Right, you follow the rules,
you pray, you fast, you give charity. When you
submit to those practices, you become a Muslim.
One who submits. Okay, so Islam is sort of like
the contract. You sign it, you follow the terms,
you are a participating member of the community.
Correct. But iman is defined as faith or recognition.
Its seat isn't just the intellect or the limbs,
it's the heart. It creates the mumin or the believer.
So technically, based on these theological texts,
you can be a Muslim without fully being a Moomin
yet. Precisely. And the sources cite this famous
anecdote involving Bedouins in the Quran. They
came to the Prophet and claimed to believe to
have Iman. Right. But the response they got was
essentially, no, say instead that you have submitted,
say you have Islam because faith Iman has not
yet fully settled in your hearts. That's a pretty
sick burn, actually, just like. You're following
the rules, but you don't really get it yet. It's
not necessarily an insult though. It's a classification.
It suggests that Iman is a higher tier of internalization.
Think of it like it's the difference between
following the speed limit because you don't want
to tick it, and following it because you genuinely
believe it's the safe and right thing to do.
That is a great way to put it. Now the sources
also mention a third dimension here, right? Isan.
Yes. The religion is often mapped out in three
dimensions. You have Islam, which is the practice,
Iman, which is the faith, and Isan, which is
excellence or deep spirituality. But for our
deep dive today, we are zooming in squarely.
on Iman, and the Prophet Muhammad gave a very
rigid three -part definition for it. It's not
just a feeling. No, it's very structured. I have
that breakdown right here in the notes. It's
acknowledgement in the heart, voicing with the
tongue, and activity with the limbs. And the
text emphasized that you need all three. Yeah.
It's not enough to just know the truth privately
in your heart. You have to express it. That's
the tongue, and then reflect that confidence
in your physical actions. That's the limbs. If
any piece is missing, the Iman is incomplete.
So let's look at the acknowledgement in the heart
part. If iman is a structure, what is the foundation?
The sources call these the arkhan al -iman, right?
The pillars of faith. Right. Just as a building
needs a solid foundation, iman has six non -negotiable
articles of belief. If you pull one of these
out, the whole thing collapses. OK, let's run
through the list because some of these are standard
for monotheistic religions, but a few really
surprise me with their nuance. So number one
is tahid. Belief in the oneness of God. That
is the absolute core. Without that, nothing else
stands. Makes sense. Number two is angels. Specifically
their existence. The source has mentioned Gibral
or Gabriel, Mikhail, Iserfil. It's accepting
that there is a reality beyond the visible spectrum.
It's acknowledging that the universe is just
much busier than what we can see with our eyes.
Number three is where I think people from other
traditions might get tripped up. Belief in the
books, and it's not just the Quran. No, and that's
a very common misconception. To have Iman, you
must believe in the original scriptures authored
by God. This includes the Injil, which is the
gospel given to Jesus, the Torah given to Moses,
the Zabur, or Psalms, given to David, even the
Scrolls of Abraham. So it validates the previous
revelations. It's not saying everything before
this was wrong. Quite the opposite. It acknowledges
a continuity of divine communication throughout
history. It says we are part of the exact same
story, which actually leads directly to pillar
number four, belief in the prophets. Right. Again,
from Adam all the way to Muhammad, it includes
Jesus, Moses, David, Joseph, Jacob. It's a belief
in the unbroken lineage of messengers. Then number
five is the day of judgment. This is the accountability
mechanism. Resurrection, the division of humanity
into paradise or hell, and the scales, the mizan,
the wadibs. It's the core belief that your actions
have consequences that outlast a human lifetime.
And finally, number six, this is the philosophically
heavy one, predestination or qadar. The divine
decree. This is the belief that God knows and
allows all outcomes. And the text is very specific
here, whether those outcomes are perceived by
us as good or bad. It's an acceptance that absolutely
nothing happens outside of God's knowledge or
permission. See, that seems like the hardest
one to truly internalize. It requires accepting
a total lack of control. It does. But remember
the root word we talked about, safety. The theological
argument here is that accepting God is in control
actually provides that safety. Because someone
else is driving. Exactly. If you believe the
one in control is perfectly merciful and wise,
you don't panic when things go wrong. You have
that certitude. But those are the roots. That's
the internal stuff. Right. But a tree isn't just
roots. If you have roots but no branches, you
just have a stump. And this is where the source
material gets incredibly granular. We move from
the pillars to the branches. The Shu 'ab al -Iman.
This concept is wild to me. It comes from a hadith
stating that faith has 70 odd branches. And later,
a scholar named al -Bahaki, who is an absolute
heavy hitter in this field, compiled them into
a definitive collection. And the spectrum of
this list is huge. It's almost confusingly wide.
At the very top, the highest branch, is the declaration,
La ilaha illallah mufaha. There is no true God
but Allah. High theology, the biggest concept
possible. Correct. The ultimate metaphysical
truth. And the lowest branch. For moving an obstacle
like a stone, thorns, or trash from the road.
See, that connection fascinates me. You have
the ultimate truth of the universe at the top
and picking up a rock so someone doesn't trip
at the bottom. And they are both considered faith.
They're both imam. It connects high theology
directly to civic duty. It implies that your
internal belief in God should literally make
the world physically safer for the people walking
down your street. If your faith doesn't result
in you being a considerate neighbor, the texts
argue your faith is deficient. So al -Bahaki
breaks these 77 branches down into three categories,
heart, tongue, and body. Let's look at the heart
first. There are 30 branches here. These are
mostly about emotional regulation and internal
states, love for God, obviously, but also remorse
for sins, humility, and really interesting ones
like the absence of jealousy or not having a
love for the world. Meaning materialism. Exactly.
It's about orienting your internal compass. Yeah.
If you are consumed by jealousy or greed, that
is considered a broken branch of your faith.
It's an internal malfunction of your emma. Then
you have the actions of the tongue. Seven of
them. Reciting scripture, gaining knowledge,
teaching, and this one, refraining from lying
or backbiting. And there's a really specific
social one in here too. Replying to a sneeze.
Yes. Saying bless you or your Hamakala is a branch
of faith. It's not just good manners. It's elevated
way beyond manners. In this framework, it's a
branch of Ivan. It's a recognition of the other
person's existence and a prayer for mercy upon
them. It turns a basic biological reflex into
a spiritual interaction. It builds community
cohesion. That is such a cool reframe. OK, so
heart, tongue. But the biggest category is the
actions of the body. There are 40 branches here.
And this list is surprisingly practical. It's
almost a manual for being a good citizen. I was
reading through these. It covers personal hygiene,
keeping your clothes clean, covering yourself
properly. It includes financial ethics, too.
Paying debts is a branch of faith. Ensuring your
income is pure is a branch of faith. That's a
big one. It means business isn't just business.
It's theology. Exactly. And it includes social
responsibility, repaying loans, making peace
between warring factions. It even includes family
duties like comforting your parents and raising
your children well. There's one term emphasized
here regarding the body higher, modesty. Yes,
Hia is highlighted as a crucial branch. But look
at the breadth of this. If you look at these
40 branches, you realize that iman isn't just
what you think about on a prayer mat. It's whether
you pay your employees on time. It's whether
you clean up your trash. It's whether you visit
your sick neighbor. It bridges the gap between
the spiritual and the mundane perfectly. But...
You know, this raises a question about mechanics.
If faith requires all these actions, does that
mean faith is dynamic? Can it change? Or is it
just like a light switch, you know, on or off?
That is a classic debate in the history of Islamic
theology. But the Sunni view presented in our
sources uses that tree analogy for a very specific
reason. A tree grows. It can wither. It can lose
branches in a winter storm and grow them back
in the spring. So faith fluctuates. Yes. The
standard formula given is it increases with obedience
and good deeds. and it decreases with sin. So
deeds aren't just extra credit for believers?
No, not at all. A scholar mentioned in our texts,
Hamiduddin Farahi, argues that deeds are the
actual proof of faith. Since words can be cheap
and thoughts are completely invisible to us,
deeds testify to the reality of the faith in
a person's heart. So a person who claims to believe
but acts terribly is like a person who claims
to have a healthy tree but points to a stump
with dead branches. The branches prove the roots
are alive. If there are no branches, you really
have to question if the root is actually down
there in the dirt. That makes a lot of sense.
Now, I want to touch on the relationship between
faith and reason. Because there is often this
assumption, especially from the outside looking
in, that faith means turning off your critical
thinking. You know, don't ask questions, just
blindly believe. The sources we have today heavily
dispute that. Ismail Raji al -Farouqi, a really
prominent scholar, is quoted here. And he argues
that Islam presents its principles Rationally.
Rationally. How so? He says, it expects acceptance
based on logical arguments. It's not about blind
submission. It's about critical thinking. The
Quran appeals to the intellect constantly with
phrases like, do you not think or do you not
reason? It tells people to look at the stars,
look at the camels, look at the rain. It treats
the natural world as data to be analyzed to prove
the creator exists. So it's actively asking you
to look at the evidence. Exactly. And the Shia
view, which we're going to get to in a second,
doubles down on this even more. They argue that
you cannot imitate someone else in the fundamentals
of faith. You have to reason your way there yourself.
Before we get into the Shia view, there's a concept
here in the notes called the sweetness of faith.
which sounds very poetic, but they describe it
as a tangible, lived state. It is poetic, but
the commentary clarifies it really well. It's
described as an experience. You taste the sweetness
when you love God and the messenger more than
anything else, even more than yourself. That
sounds intense. It is intense. But Amin Asan
Islahi, another scholar we're looking at, explains
that this isn't just emotional hysteria. It's
a love based on intellect and core principles.
It means you prioritize this viewpoint over your
own worldly desires. It's an intellectual conviction
that evolves into an emotional state. It starts
in the head, settles in the heart, and becomes
sweet or easy to follow. We've been looking at
this pretty broadly, but we need to pivot to
a specific perspective mentioned in the source
material, the Shia view of iman, because there's
a distinction there that changes the definition
slightly. Right. If we look at 12 Rashi 'a Islam,
the definition of ihan has an additional very
specific pillar. Which is? Belief in the imas.
This is the leadership of the twelve infallible
Imams, starting with Ali ibn Abi Talib. So for
Shia theologian, true iman requires monotheism,
prophethood, divine justice, resurrection, and
the iman. So does that change who is officially
considered a believer? Technically, within that
specific theological framework, yes. In this
view, every believer is a Muslim, but not every
Muslim is a believer, or mu'min. Unpack that
a bit for us. So Islam gives you legal status.
Yeah, you're part of the community You can marry
other Muslims you inherit you're protected by
the law But Iman which includes that specific
belief in the Imams is considered the prerequisite
for the higher spiritual acceptance and the full
guarantee of paradise. It's like a tighter circle
within the larger circle. Exactly. And there's
a note here about imitative faith that I found
really interesting in the context of Shia theology
and the Mutazilites. Yeah, I saw that too. Tackled.
Right. They argue that faith cannot be merely
imitative. Meaning you can't just believe because
your parents believed. Exactly. You cannot just
copy the people around you. You have to reach
conviction through your own understanding and
reasoning. If you just follow the crowd, that
isn't considered true iman regarding the fundamental
beliefs. You have to do the intellectual work
yourself. That goes right back to the idea of
faith and reason being linked. You have to own
it. You can't just lease it from your dad. You
really do. Whether you look at the Sunni perspective
emphasizing deeds as the proof of faith or the
Shia perspective emphasizing the necessity of
independent reasoning, the common thread is active
participation. You can't be a passive passenger
in your own belief system. It really does seem
like Iman is portrayed as a living organism.
It's not a badge you wear. It is. It resides
in the heart, it's spoken by the tongue, and
it's proved by the limbs. It's a total comprehensive
system. And I think that's the big takeaway for
me. If you think about it, we usually keep the
metaphysical stuff, the angels, judgment day,
the heavy theology in one box. And then we keep
the mundane stuff, cleaning the street, paying
back a loan, being nice to your parents in a
completely separate box. And Iman smashes those
boxes together. It says that your belief in the
angels is directly linked to whether or not you
remove a thorn from the path. It demands that
internal belief results in external good. It's
a remarkably high standard. It basically says,
don't tell me what you believe, show me how you
live. It is. It's not a membership card you just
carry in your wallet and forget about. It's a
state of being you have to maintain every single
day. I want to leave you, our listeners, with
that thought about the stone in the road. Because
we mentioned earlier, the sources say that the
lowest branch of faith is removing an obstacle
from the path. The absolute minimum requirement.
The floor of faith. Right. So if removing a stone
is the minimum proof that faith exists, what
does it say about the state of faith in a society
where we are constantly creating obstacles for
others rather than removing them? That is a very
heavy question to end on. Something for you to
mull over. That's it for this deep dive into
the architecture of belief. Thanks for listening.