Tawhid & Belief

عَنِ الْعَبَّاسِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الْمُطَّلِبِ رضي الله عنه أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ رَسُولَ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، يَقُولُ: «ذَاقَ طَعْمَ الْإِيمَانِ مَنْ رَضِيَ بِاللهِ رَبًّا، وَبِالْإِسْلَامِ دِينًا، وَبِمُحَمَّدٍ رَسُولًا».

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) informs that a believer who has true Imān (faith) and whose heart is reassured by it will find and perceive in his heart expansion, spaciousness, joy, sweetness, and pleasure of being close to Allah Almighty - if he is pleased with three things: First: He is pleased with Allah as Lord. This is when his heart is in relief about what comes to him from Allah in accordance with Lordship, like the division of sustenance and circumstances. So, he finds no discontentment in his heart with any of that and does not seek a lord other than Allah Almighty. Second: He is pleased with Islam as a religion, by being content with the duties and obligations ordained by Islam and not seeking a path other than Islam. Third: He is pleased with Muhammad (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) as a Messenger, by being happy and pleased with everything he brought, without hesitation or doubt. He does not follow any course unless it is consistent with the guidance of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him).

• Imān has a sweetness and taste that is felt by the heart, just as the sweetness of food and drink is tasted by the mouth.
• The body does not taste the sweetness of food and drink except when it is healthy, and so is the heart; if it is free from the disease of misleading desires and forbidden lusts, it tastes the sweetness of Imān. But when it becomes sick and ill, it does not find the sweetness of Imān; rather, it may find sweetness in such desires and sins that lead to its destruction.
• When a person is pleased with something and approves of it, it becomes easy for him and he finds no difficulty in anything of it. He rejoices in everything that comes with it and his heart is filled with joy. Likewise, when Imān enters the heart of a believer, obedience to his Lord becomes easy for him and his soul becomes pleasant to him and he finds no hardship in its suffering.
• Ibn al-Qayyim said: This Hadīth includes contentment with Allah's Lordship and Divinity, contentment with His Messenger and obedience to him, and contentment with His religion and submission to it.

صحيح مسلم (1/ 62) (34)، البحر المحيط الثجاج في شرح صحيح الإمام مسلم بن الحجاج (2/ 11)، إكمال المعلم بفوائد مسلم (1/ 270).

عن أنس رضي الله عنه قال: قال النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم: «لَا يُؤْمِنُ أَحَدُكُمْ حَتَّى أَكُونَ أَحَبَّ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ وَالِدِهِ وَوَلَدِهِ وَالنَّاسِ أَجْمَعِينَ».

The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) informs us that a Muslim cannot attain complete faith until he gives precedence to the love of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) over the love of his mother, father, son, daughter, and all people. This love entails obeying and supporting him and refraining from disobedience to him.

• It is obligatory to love the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and give precedence to his love over the love for all other created beings.
• A sign of complete love is to support the Prophet's Sunnah and sacrifice one's life and wealth for this purpose.
• Love for the Messenger (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) entails obeying his commands, believing what he said, avoiding what he prohibited and forbade, and following him and abandoning religious innovations.
• The Prophet's right is greater and more emphatic than all other people, for he was a reason for guiding us, saving us from Hellfire, and making us win Paradise.

صحيح البخاري (1/ 12) (15). صحيح مسلم (1/ 67) (44). فتح الباري لابن رجب (1/ 48). الجديد في شرح كتاب التوحيد، للقرعاوي (ص281). الملخص في شرح كتاب التوحيد، للفوزان (ص252). القول المفيد على كتاب التوحيد، لابن عثيمين (2/ 50).

عن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه مرفوعاً: «الإيمانُ بِضْعٌ وَسَبْعُونَ أو بِضْعٌ وسِتُّونَ شُعْبَةً: فَأَفْضَلُهَا قَوْلُ: لا إله إلا الله، وَأَدْنَاهَا إِمَاطَةُ الأَذَى عَنِ الطَّرِيقِ، وَالحَيَاءُ شُعْبَةٌ مِنَ الإِيمَانِ».

Faith is not one aspect or one part. Rather, it consists of many branches, more than sixty or seventy. The best of these, however, is one single statement: "There is no god but Allah." And the simplest of them is removing anything harmful to passersby, be it a stone, a thorn, or anything else. And modesty is a branch of faith. So righteous deeds are part of faith, as held by Ahl As-Sunnah Wa al-Jamā‘ah and proven true by the Shar‘i proofs, including this Hadīth.

- صحيح البخاري، للإمام أبي عبد الله محمد بن إسماعيل البخاري، عناية محمد زهير الناصر، دار طوق النجاة، الطبعة الأولى، 1422هـ. - صحيح مسلم، للإمام مسلم بن الحجاج، حققه ورقمه محمد فؤاد عبد الباقي، دار عالم الكتب، الرياض، الطبعة الأولى، 1417هـ. - شرح رياض الصالحين، للشيخ محمد بن صالح العثيمين، مدار الوطن، الرياض، 1426هـ. - نزهة المتقين بشرح رياض الصالحين، تأليف مصطفى سعيد الخن، مصطفى البغا، محي الدين مستو، علي الشربجي، محمد أمين لطفي، مؤسسة الرسالة، بيروت، لبنان، الطبعة الرابعة عشر، 1407ه. - بهجة الناظرين شرح رياض الصالحين، لسليم بن عيد الهلالي، دار ابن الجوزي، الطبعة الأولى، 1418ه. - دليل الفالحين لطرق رياض الصالحين، المؤلف: محمد علي بن محمد بن علان الصديقي، اعتنى بها: خليل مأمون شيحا، دار المعرفة للطباعة والنشر والتوزيع، بيروت، لبنان، الطبعة: الرابعة، 1425هـ - 2004م. - تطريز رياض الصالحين، تأليف فيصل آل مبارك، تحقيق د. عبد العزيز آل حمد، دار العاصمة، الرياض، الطبعة الأولى، 1423هـ.