The cornerstone of a believer's life is iman. Iman does not end at one "yes"; it is a structure built or worn each day by every deed. Allah has given the human being two witnesses: the heart and the tongue. This sermon explores the true definition of iman, its six pillars, its seventy-odd branches, and the rising-and-falling structure of faith.
What Is Iman? — A Three-Dimensional State
According to the majority of Islamic scholars, iman is a three-dimensional state:
1. The heart's acceptance: Recognizing Allah's existence, oneness, and attributes with the heart. This is iman's foundational ground.
2. The tongue's affirmation: Speaking this acceptance through the Shahadah. Ashhadu an la ilaha illa Allah wa ashhadu anna Muhammadan Rasulullah — this sentence is the flag of iman.
3. The actions that support this: Salah, sawm, honesty, adab — iman extending from the heart and tongue to the limbs.
In Surah al-Hujurat, Allah emphasizes how important it is for iman to settle into the heart:
— Al-Hujurat 49:14The Bedouins said: "We have believed." Say: "You have not believed; but say, 'We have submitted (become Muslim),' for iman has not yet entered your hearts…"
A word said only on the tongue is not iman; without settling into the heart, iman is not complete.
The Six Pillars of Iman
Jibril (peace be upon him) came to the Prophet one day, in the dress of a Bedouin, in the presence of the Companions, and asked: "What is iman?" The Messenger of Allah's answer became the classical definition:
— Sahih al-Bukhari, Iman, no. 50Iman is to believe in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, the Last Day, and divine decree — that good and evil are from Allah.
The six pillars:
- Belief in Allah: in His oneness, that He has no equal, that He is described by perfect attributes.
- Belief in the angels: Allah's servants assigned to duties — Jibril (revelation), Mika'il (sustenance), Israfil (the Trumpet), 'Azra'il (death), and others.
- Belief in the Books: the Tawrat (to Moses), the Injil (to Jesus), the Zabur (to David), and the Quran (to Muhammad, peace be upon him).
- Belief in the Messengers: from Adam to Muhammad (peace be upon him) — including the 25 prophets named in the Quran and every prophet.
- Belief in the Last Day: life after death, the Resurrection, the gathering, the reckoning, Paradise and Hell.
- Belief in Qadar: that everything that happens is by Allah's decree; that good and evil are known beforehand in His knowledge.
Doubt in any one of the six endangers the whole of iman.
The Seventy-Odd Branches of Iman
The Prophet (peace be upon him) explains that iman is not merely a matter of the heart but a structure spread across every domain of life:
— Sahih al-Bukhari, Iman, no. 9Iman has seventy or sixty-odd branches; the highest is the saying "La ilaha illa Allah," and the lowest is removing a harm from the road. Modesty too is a branch of iman.
The hadith is magnificent: the highest point of iman is the kalimah of tawhid — the deepest aqidah. The lowest point is removing a stone from the road — the smallest kindness of daily life. So iman is:
- Not littering on the street — iman.
- Holding the elevator door — iman.
- Welcoming guests — iman.
- Not letting the eye linger when speaking (modesty) — iman.
These seventy-odd branches test the believer in every corner of life.
Iman Increases and Decreases
Classical Islamic scholars say iman is not a fixed but a rising and falling quantity. This view is grounded in the Quran:
— Al-Anfal 8:2The believers are only those who, when Allah is mentioned, their hearts tremble; and when His verses are recited to them, their iman is increased…
It is clear from this verse: reciting the Quran increases iman. Salah, sawm, good deed, du'a, dhikr — all nourish iman. The opposite: committing sin, spending time with bad people, behaviors that distance one from Allah — these diminish iman.
The practical meaning is this: however pious a believer is, iman has strong times and weak times. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) declared:
— al-Hakim, Mustadrak, no. 5Iman wears out as a garment wears out. Ask Allah to renew the iman in your hearts.
Iman is a bond that requires maintenance. The days you do not recite the Quran, do not remember Allah, do not pray, iman wears out; with tawbah, worship, good, and gratitude it renews.
The Sweetness of Iman — A Sign from a Hadith
The Prophet (peace be upon him) also declares that iman is not only an aqidah but an experience to be tasted:
— Sahih al-Bukhari, Iman, no. 16Three qualities, whoever has them, will taste the sweetness of iman: that Allah and His Messenger be more beloved to him than anything else; that he loves a person only for the sake of Allah; that he hates to return to disbelief as he hates to be thrown into Hell.
The sweetness of iman — a special savor given to a heart that loves Allah, loves for the sake of Allah, and fears nothing besides Allah. When these three settle into the heart, the believer passes through the world's trial — not from within the world's trial.
Preserving Iman in Modern Times
In an age of science, social media, and many opinions bombarding the heart, some practical steps to preserve iman:
- A daily portion of the Quran: even one page. The word of Allah feeds the heart.
- Adhkar after every salah: 33+33+33 keeps the heart alive.
- Good friends: "A person is upon the religion of their friend." Let your circle be people who remind you of Allah.
- Distance from doubts: not chasing "content that may shake your faith" on social media. Especially not pursuing content that questions Allah's existence or mocks the Prophet.
- Regular istighfar: a measure of istighfar each night to renew iman.
Maintaining Iman With VAAZ
The VAAZ app's prayer times recall the iman-refreshing moments five times a day. The Quran reader, Verse of the Day, and Hadith of the Day deliver small doses that nourish iman each day. The 99 Names collection is the way of knowing Allah through 99 Names — the more names, the more iman.
For how iman manifests through deeds, see A Sermon on Salah; for the effect of belief in the afterlife on daily life, see A Sermon on Akhirah.
Iman is a banner — we must carry it our whole lives. Each day a little more solid, a little more settled in the heart, a little more supported by deeds; an iman that meets the believer with Allah is the only gift one carries before meeting Him. This gift can lessen by a minute of negligence in a day; it can grow by a minute of remembrance in a day.
References
- The Qur'an, Al-Hujurat 49:14, Diyanet translation.
- The Qur'an, Al-Anfal 8:2, Diyanet translation.
- Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Iman, Hadith No. 50.
- Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Iman, Hadith No. 9.
- al-Hakim, Kitab al-Mustadrak, Hadith No. 5.
- Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Iman, Hadith No. 16.