Ḥadīth of Islām, Īmān and Iḥsān1

‫اب‬ ِ َ‫اض ال ِّثي‬ ِ َ‫ات يَ ْو ٍم إِ ْذ َط َل َع عَ َل ْينَا َر ُج ٌل َش ِديدُ بَي‬ َ ‫اهلل عَ َل ْي ِه َو َس َّل َم َذ‬ ُ ‫ول اهللِ َص َّلى‬ ِ ‫ال بَ ْينَ َما نَ ْح ُن ِع ْن َد َر ُس‬ َ ‫اب َق‬ ِ ‫ال َّط‬ َ ْ ‫عن عُ َمر ْبن‬
‫اهلل عَ َل ْي ِه َو َس َّل َم َفأَ ْسنَ َد ُر ْكبَتَ ْي ِه إِلَى‬
ُ ‫س إِلَى ال َّنبِ ِّي َص َّلى‬ َ ‫الس َف ِر َو َل يَ ْع ِر ُف ُه ِمنَّا أَ َحدٌ َحتَّى َج َل‬ َّ ‫الش َع ِر َل ُي َرى عَ َل ْي ِه أَثَ ُر‬ َّ ‫َش ِديدُ َس َوا ِد‬
َ‫اهلل عَ َل ْي ِه َو َس َّل َم ْال ِْس َل ُم أ ْن‬ ُ ‫اللِ َص َّلى‬ َّ ‫ول‬ ُ ‫ال َر ُس‬ َ ‫ال يَا ُم َح َّمدُ أَخْ بِ ْرنِي عَ ْن ْال ِْس َل ِم َف َق‬ َ ‫ُر ْكبَتَ ْي ِه َو َو َض َع َك َّف ْي ِه عَ َلى َف ِخ َذ ْي ِه َو َق‬
‫ان َو َ ُت َّج ا ْلبَ ْي َت‬ َ ‫الص َل َة َو ُتؤْ تِ َي ال َّز َكا َة َوتَ ُصو َم َر َم َض‬ َّ ‫يم‬ ُ ‫ول اهللِ َص َّلى‬
َ ‫اهلل عَ َل ْي ِه َو َس َّل َم َو ُت ِق‬ ُ ‫اهلل َوأَ َّن ُم َح َّمدً ا َر ُس‬ ُ ‫تَشْ َه َد أَ ْن َل إِلَ َه إِ َّل‬
‫اللِ َو َم َلئِ َكتِ ِه‬ َّ ِ‫ال أَ ْن ُتؤْ ِم َن ب‬ َ ‫َان َق‬ ِ ْ ‫ال َفأَخْ بِ ْرنِي عَ ْن‬
ِ ‫المي‬ َ ‫ال َف َع ِج ْبنَا لَ ُه يَ ْسأَ ُل ُه َو ُي َصدِّ ُق ُه َق‬
َ ‫ال َص َد ْق َت َق‬ َ ‫إِ ْن ْاست ََط ْع َت إِلَ ْي ِه َسبِ ًيل َق‬
‫ال أَ ْن تَ ْع ُب َد اهللَ َكأَ َّن َك تَ َرا ُه‬ َ ‫ان َق‬ ِ ‫ال َفأَخْ بِ ْرنِي عَ ْن ْال ِْح َس‬ َ ‫ال َص َد ْق َت َق‬ َ ‫َو ُك ُتبِ ِه َو ُر ُس ِل ِه َوا ْليَ ْو ِم ْال ِخ ِر َو ُتؤْ ِم َن بِا ْل َق َد ِر خَ ْي ِر ِه َو َش ِّر ِه َق‬
‫ال أَ ْن‬ َ ‫ال َفأَخْ بِ ْرنِي عَ ْن أَ َما َرتِ َها َق‬ َ ‫السائِلِ َق‬ َّ ‫ُول عَ ْن َها بِأَ ْع َل َم ِم ْن‬ ُ ‫ال َما ْال َ ْسئ‬ َ ‫الساعَ ِة َق‬ َّ ‫ال َفأَخْ بِ ْرنِي عَ ْن‬ َ ‫اك َق‬ َ ‫َفإ ِْن لَ ْم تَ ُك ْن تَ َرا ُه َفإِ َّن ُه يَ َر‬
‫ال لِي يَا عُ َم ُر‬ َ ‫ان َق‬
َ ‫ال ُث َّم ان َْط َلقَ َف َلبِث ُْت َم ِل ًّيا ُث َّم َق‬ ِ َ‫ون ِف ا ْل ُب ْني‬ َ ‫الشا ِء يَت ََطا َو ُل‬ َّ ‫ال َفا َة ا ْل ُع َرا َة ا ْل َعالَ َة ِرعَا َء‬ ُ ْ ‫ال َم ُة َر َّبتَ َها َوأَ ْن تَ َرى‬ َ ْ ‫تَ ِل َد‬
‫ِيل أَتَ ُاك ْم ُي َع ِّل ُم ُك ْم ِدين َُك ْم‬ ُ ‫ال َفإِ َّن ُه ِج ْبر‬ َ ‫الل َو َر ُسو ُل ُه أَ ْع َل ُم َق‬ ُ َّ ‫السائِ ُل ُق ْل ُت‬ َّ ‫أَتَدْ ِري َم ْن‬

ʿUmar b. al-Khaṭṭāb g narrates,

“As we sat with the Messenger of Allah s one day, all of a sudden a man came up
to us. He wore exceedingly white clothes. His hair was jet-black. There was no sign
of travel on his person. None of us knew him. He went to sit near the Prophet s,
leaning his knees against his and placing his hands on his thighs. He said: ‘O
Muhammad! tell me about submission (islām).’ The Messenger of Allah s said:
‘Submission is that you bear witness that there is no God but Allah and that
Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah; accomplish the prayer; remit the
purification-tax; fast during Ramaḍān; and make the pilgrimage to the House if
you are able to go there.’ The man said: ‘You have spoken the truth!’ We wondered
at him: how could he be asking the Prophet s and confirming him at the same
time? Then he said: ‘Tell me about belief (īmān)! The Prophet s said: ‘Belief is
that you believe in Allah, His angels, His books, His Messengers, and the Last Day;
and to believe in foreordained destiny, for better or worse.’ The man said; ‘You
have spoken the truth! Now tell me about excellence (iḥsān).’ The Prophet s
replied: ‘Excellence is that you worship Allah as if you were seeing Him; for if you
do not see Him, He certainly sees you.’ The man said: ‘Now tell me about the
Final Hour.’ The Prophet s replied: ‘The one who is questioned about it is no
more informed at all than the questioner.’ He said: ‘Then tell me about its portent
(amāratihā).’ He replied: ‘The slave girl shall give birth to her mistress and you shall
1
Famously known as the: Ḥadīth of Jibrīl.
 see the barefoot, naked, indigent (al-ʿāla) shepherds compete in building tall
structures.’ Then he left and a long time passed. Later the Prophet s said to me:
‘O ʿUmar, do you know who the questioner was?’ I said: ‘Allah and His Messenger
know best.’ He said: ‘That questioner was none other than Gibril. He came to you
to teach you your Religion.’”2

Ḥadīth of Jibrīl

Īmān Iḥsān
Islam
(“faith”) (“excellence”)

“...that you worship Allah

The five pillars of
Belief in Allah, the as if you were seeing
Islam (arkān al-Islam;
Angels, the Books, the Him; for if you do not see
also arkān al-dīn,
Messengers, the Last Him, He certainly sees
“pillars of religion”).
Day and Destiny. you.”
The five pillars are the
shahādah (testimony of
faith), regular
observance of the five
prescribed daily
prayers (ṣalāt), paying
zakāh (“almsgiving”),
fasting (ṣawm; ṣiyyām)
during the month of
Ramaḍān, and
performance of the
ḥajj (pilgrimage during
the prescribed month)
at least once in a
lifetime.

2
Muslim, Ṣaḥīḥ, Book of Īmān, ḥadīth §8.