All praise is due to Allah, exalted and glorified, and may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon his Messenger, Muhammad, and upon his pure household, his righteous companions, and his loyal followers.

In modern times, the word mu`min or believer is often used casually among the Muslims and non-Muslims alike.  But if we examine the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger, we find ample proof to suggest to us that, to be a believer is something sacred, honourable, and most importantly, rare.  Acceptance of Islam does not equal iman (belief), and it can even lead someone into the fire (naar), as in the case of a munafiq (hypocrite).

Allah ta’ala says in al-Qur’an:

The desert Arabs say: “We believe!” Say: “You do not believe, but rather you say, ‘We have submitted (in Islam)’ for belief has not yet entered your hearts.  
But if you obey Allah and His Messenger, He will not diminish aught of your deeds: 
for Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful."  (49:14Q)

So, one who accepts Islam by saying the shahada (testimony of faith) and outwardly performing the religious acts (i.e. prayer, charity, fasting, pilgrimage) can be called a Muslim, but he cannot necessarily be called a mu`min. 

Aga Pooya comments:

“Islam is the outer circle and iman is the inner core. Islam is submission and iman is the full realisation of the faith with complete conviction.”[1]

Many people make the claim of belief, but when their situation worsens, they often turn on their heels and show their true weakness of faith.  What then are the characteristics of believers that all of us should follow?  How can we achieve this station of iman so that we will not be only nominal Muslims on the Day of Judgment?

Allah has summed up the characteristics of believers in al-Qur’an in Surat al-Baqara in the first 5 ayaat (verses, signs).  He, Most High, says:

“Alif, Lam, Mim.  This is the book.  Without a doubt, in it is guidance for those who fear Allah; 
Who believe in the unseen, are steadfast in prayer, and spend out of what We have given them.  
And who believe in the revelation sent to you, and that sent before you, and of the hereafter, they are certain.  They are on true guidance from their Lord, and it is these who shall be successful.”
(2:1-5Q)

Someone who has taqwa (piety) is someone who believes in Allah because piety is a necessary characteristic of a believer. Whereas there are other characteristics for the different grades of believers, piety is found in all of them.

‘Allamah Tabataba`i mentions that there are 5 characteristics of piety mentioned in the four verses above:

1.) Ghayb is described in the dictionary as “absence, hidden, concealed, invisible, that which is hidden, the invisible, that which is transcendental, the supernatural; divine secret.” [3]

That which is ghayb cannot be perceived through the normal human senses.  Thus it does not lend itself to the rational mind.  Because one cannot perceive it, one can only come to know of its existence through revelation.  Allah ta’ala, however, has placed in the earth and in the heavens undisputable ayaat (signs) that point to the unseen.  Ultimately, this points to Allah, and any sign of Allah is a hujjat (proof ) that the rational mind can use to reach the conclusion that the ghayb is real.  It is a necessary belief, and it is therefore, mentioned here.

What is unique about the mu`min’s belief in the ghayb is that it is unquestionable.  When the mu`min comes to know that Allah is the Reality (al-haqq) and witnesses the ayaat for himself, he no longer feels any inclination towards doubt.  He does not then ask where Allah is, how Allah is, when Allah was, or any such question that would cause Allah to be limited in his understanding. 

Imam Ali ('a) referred to this when he mentioned the Angel of Death:

“Do you feel when the Angel of Death enters a house, or do you see him when he takes out life of anyone?  
How does he take out the life of anyone?  
How does he take out the life of an embryo in the womb of his mother?  
Does he reach it through any part of her body or the spirit responded to his call with the permission of Allah?  Or does he stay with him in the mother’s interior?  
How can he who is unable to describe a creature like this, describe Allah?[4]

2.) Salat is the pillar upon which al-Islam stands.  So often is it mentioned in the Qur’an that one might come to think that a Muslim is to be engaged in it constantly, and that one who is not is deficient in his worship of the Almighty. 

Although Allah ta’ala is certainly Merciful in only obligating Muslims to perform salat five times daily, the importance of it and its significance cannot be diminished.  When a believer engages in salat, the world around him no longer exists.  It is, as the word suggests, a form of “contact” with the Divine Presence.  It is a cosmological link between the physical, mental, and the metaphysical. 

Beyond what is understood from the rituals themselves, salat is an intrinsic uplink between the Divine Presence and His servant.  Throughout the course of any given day, a person can become disconnected and unaware of his Creator.  His belief in the unseen, however, reminds him of his duty to his Lord, and thus he returns to his Lord through this uplink.  Through this process, salat keeps a true believer away from the ills and misgivings of his society.  

As Allah ta’ala says:

Recite that which has been revealed to you of the Book and keep up prayer (salat); surely prayer keeps (one) away from indecency and evil, and certainly the remembrance (thikr) of Allah is the greatest, and Allah knows what you do. 
(29:45 Q)

For the believer, salat is the official uplink, and he also strives to maintain a spiritual connection with His Lord at all times. As this verse mentions, thikr or remembrance of Allah plays a crucial role in the life of a believer.  His days are passed in frequent remembrance of Allah.  And this remembrance is not only in reciting certain phrases of praise and glorification, but also it entails remembering Allah in all actions and being conscious of Him in every thought that passes his mind, in every place that he traverses, and in every deed that his hands bring forth.

Imam As-Sadiq ('a) said:

“Remembering Allah often is one of the most important acts that Allah has made incumbent upon His servants.”  He then added: “Beware that by this I do not mean just reciting, ‘Glory to Allah, Praise be to Allah, Allah is the Greatest!’ Rather I mean remembering what Allah has allowed and what He has forbidden, obeying Allah, and abandoning sins.”[5]

3.)  To spend, in Arabic, is called nafaqa.  This has both a positive connotation in the sense that it is used in the above mentioned ayat of Surat al-Baqara, and it also has a negative meaning which is actually the very root of hypocrisy (nifaaq). 

Allah elucidates the essence of spending in al-Qur’an:

"The parable of those who spend (yunfiqun) their substance in the way of Allah is that of a grain of corn: it grows seven ears, and each ear has a hundred grains. Allah gives manifold increase to whom He pleases: And Allah cares for all and He knows all things." 
(2:261 Q)

The believer gives completely for the sake of Allah seeking no worldly reward from it.  As a result, the blessings that manifest from that giving continuously multiply just as the parable explains.  It is this multiplicity of spending of a believer that makes his spending unique.  Anyone can give charity, and many non-Muslims and Muslims alike give in charity.  But their giving is to be seen of people who will be in awe of their generosity.  They do so only to profit themselves in this world. 

4.)  What is unique about the Qur’an in its presentation to humanity is that it does not condemn the books and prophets that came before it.  The Qur’an instead paints a portrait of unity and an immaculate chain of revelation from the first prophet, Adam (a) ending with the final prophet, Muhammad (s).

In between this beginning and completion is a plethora of cities, tribes, and nations in which these prophets lived and preached.  Despite this variety of language, custom, and tribal affiliation, the message was the same.  The divine unity was the principle motivation for every prophet and messenger whom Allah sent to humanity.

The believer not only professes this belief, but also implements it in his life.  It is beyond the scope of this discourse to expand on the depths of the believer’s relationship with each and every prophet, but it is sufficient to note that each prophet, especially those few mentioned in the Qur’an, left a lesson for the believer.  Each story that we have from each prophet is a reminder of what became of the nations before us.  Therefore, the true believer travels the world (either physically or through the books of history) and discovers what befell those who denied their prophets and what became of those who obeyed their prophets and heeded the divine call.

"Many were the Ways of Life that have passed away before you: 
travel through the earth, and see what was the end of those who rejected Truth." 
(3:137 Q)

The last revelation to humanity, al-Qur’an is the preserved confirmation of all the books that were revealed before it.  The believer is energized by the Qur’an as one’s body might become energized through nourishment.  His heart is replenished by its divine words, and his soul is resuscitated from its dormant state.  It is enough for the believer to hear the words of Allah recited from al-Qur’an to immediately change his state no matter where he is, as Allah says:

“For, Believers are those who, when Allah is mentioned, feel a tremor in their hearts, and when they hear His signs rehearsed, find their faith strengthened, and put (all) their trust in their Lord” 
(8:2 Q)

As if this were not enough of a blessing in itself, Allah has also made the Qur’an a guide for humanity, and the believers enjoin what it commands, keep away from what it forbids, and apply its precepts is all aspects of their terrestrial lives.

5.)  One belief in the Qur’an that is a common belief pervading all the teachings of all past prophets is that of the hereafter (al-akhirah).  Allah commanded His prophets and messengers to declare it obligatory for all people to believe in the hereafter.  It is this belief that motivates us to perform good actions and refrain from evil actions.  It is the knowledge of the hereafter, which is unseen (ghayb), that encourages us to please Allah and to worship only Him.  Through revelation people have come to know that all will stand before Allah on the Day of Resurrection and be judged according to their deeds.  If their good deeds outweigh their bad deeds, they will experience everlasting bliss in the gardens of Paradise.  If their bad deeds outweigh their good deeds, they will agonize in everlasting perdition in the fire of Hell.

What separates the true believer from the multitude of common people who believe in the hereafter is that the believer is certain of it.  Certainty is a degree above simple belief in something.  Many people claim to believe in the hereafter, but they still commit indecencies, atrocities, and even tyranny because they forget the hereafter and become entrenched in their own desires.  Certainty, however, debilitates a person’s inclination toward evil.  He becomes disgusted even at the thought of disobeying Allah, and if he does commit an offence, he is remorseful and strives to not repeat the sin.

The consequence of reaching the state of mind that Allah revealed in the above ayaat is that a believer achieves a sense of awe of Allah.  He cannot deny Allah even if his carnal desires indicated such, and he cannot escape Allah’s overpowering presence.  As such, he becomes paralysed by such a realization and cannot function except through Allah’s divine intervention.  He therefore no longer operates on his own accord, but is rather driven completely through Allah’s divine will.  His inward and outward essence is completely surrendered to Allah.  He recognizes that he, like all of creation, is powerless, and Allah is All-Powerful. 

He then enters into the realm of ihsan (striving towards perfection in all aspects of life), and is no longer driven by fear.  His fear of Allah is transformed into love until he no longer seeks any reward from Allah, but rather only desires to please Him and ultimately return to him.

Had Allah not given every person an appointed time and place to die, the true believer would perish immediately in order to seek nearness to His Lord and out of fear that if he stayed in this worldly life, he might slip from his plateau of realization into evil and illicitness.

It is not enough for us to be content with claiming Islam as our religion if we hope to be successful in the life to come.  We must rise up to the challenge that Allah has laid before us and accept His call wholeheartedly.  Then we will become true believers who seek His munificence in our lives and who seek His everlasting mercy in the hereafter.

The person of the Gnostic (‘arif) is with the people, while his heart is with Allah.  If his heart were to forget Allah for the time it takes to blink an eye, he would die of yearning for Him.  The ‘arif is the trustee over the happenings of Allah, the treasury of His secrets, the repository of his lights, the proof of His mercy to creation, the instrument of His sciences and the measure of His favour and justice.  He needs neither people, nor a goal, nor this world.  He has no intimate except Allah, nor any speech, gesture, or breath except by Allah, with Allah, and from Allah, for he frequents the garden of His sanctity and is enriched by His subtlest favours to him.  Gnosis (ma’rifah) is a root whose branch is belief.[6]

References

[1] The Holy Qur’an translated by S. V. Mir Ahmed Ali with commentary by Agha Mahdi Pooya

[2] Al-Mizan fi Tafseer al-Qur’an by al-‘Allamah as-Sayyid Muhammad Husayn at-Tabataba`i

[3] A Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic by Hans Wehr

[4] Nahj al-Balagha by Amirul-Mu`mineen Ali ibn Abi Talib (a)

[5] Mishkat al-Anwar fi ghurar al-Akhbar by Shaykh Hassan ibn Fazl ibn Hassan Tabarsi

[6] Misbah ash-Shari’ah wa miftah al-haqiqah by Imam Ja’far ibn Muhammad As-Sadiq (a)

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