Hadith: Islam, Iman, Ihsan and Qadar

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Background

Al-Imam Muslim says: Towards the end of his life, Abdullah bin 'Umar (the son of 'Umar bin al-Khattab) was told by two people that a new Islamic sect had emerged from Iraq. They were called Al-Qadariah and they denied al-qadar (fate). Thus Abdullah bin 'Umar narrated this hadith which mentions qadar as one of the pillars of Iman (belief) to refute the misconception of this sect.

Lessons

This hadith teaches the adab (ethics) of seeking knowledge:

• We should be clean and wear clean clothes.
• We should sit properly and closer to the speaker.
• Asking questions for better understanding.
• Seek knowledge from the right source/authority.

In the above hadith the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, defines Al-Islam, i.e. the five pillars, as the outward actions of the limbs, Al-Iman as being associated with belief - the inner actions of the heart, and Al-Ihsan as the highest level to attain.

The Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, mentions at the end of this hadith that the deen consists of these three things. Also, if the Iman is weak it will affect Al-Islam (good deeds/actions). According to al-Imam Abu Hanifa: Even though Al-Iman and Al-Islam are different, Al-Iman necessitates the actions (Al-Islam).

Al-Ihsan (the highest level of Iman where we worship Allah as if we see Him or if we don't see Him we know He sees us) is about fearing Allah and glorifying Him. This will lead us to strive for our best in performing our ibadah (worship) - we will be more sincere in our ibadah. Thus Al-Ihsan is also about the best actions of the heart. The actions that will lead to Al-Ihsan: to love Allah the most, to fear Allah the most, to seek the help of Allah, to have hope in Allah that He will give us mercy and guide us, to trust Allah wholly.

When Jibril, aliyyhi as-Salam, asks the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, about the Hour (the Day of Judgement), the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, replies that neither he nor Jibril knows the answer. This is an example set by the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, where even someone with vast knowledge like himself does not know everything and admits so.

The signs of Akhirah mentioned in this hadith are minor signs, as opposed to major ones. We believe in these signs but we should not worry about them too much - we should not worry about when these signs will occur. We should actually be careful as some of these signs are bad deeds and we must steer away from these bad deeds.

When Ibn Abbas, one of the greatest Scholars among the Sahabahs, was asked how he obtained all his knowledge, he replied: "with an inquisitive tongue (i.e. he always asked questions) and a contemplating heart".

In the Quran itself there are more than 1,200 questions - to serve different purposes - to provoke the mind of the reader and force it to indulge in thinking about what he/she reads.

Qadar

Scholars say that qadar can be seen at two levels:

1. We believe that Allah knew, with His ultimate knowledge, what all His creations will do, even before the creations took place. Allah recorded all this knowledge in Al-Lauhulmahfudz - the preserved tablet.
2. We believe that it is the will of Allah that these things will take place, whether they are good or bad. Allah created our willingness and our ability of doing things - we can only do something if we are willing and able to do it. However, we are responsible for the choices we make.

Misconceptions about Qadar

Many Muslims believe that what they are going to do is caused by what has already been written for us. What we do is not caused by what is written by Allah. Allah with His ultimate knowledge knew what we are going to do. He could easily have put the good-doers into Jannah and the evil-doers into the Hellfire. But Allah is Adil (Just) so He created us in this life as to test us which way to go. What we are going to do will match what has already been written. What we do is out of our own willingness and ability and we do have full responsibility on whatever choice we make.

There are certain situations where we can do something about our qadar. For example:

• Illness/sickness is qadar - but we have been commanded by the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, to look for a cure should we become ill. Finding a cure is also qadar. Thus, a qadar could be dealt with through another qadar.
• If something unfortunate happens to us, e.g. if we lost our job, we don't just say that it's qadar and do nothing about it. We look for another job, the consequence of which is another qadar.

'Umar bin al-Khattab was traveling with a group of companions during his Khilafah (leadership). They were coming to a town when they heard that it had a contagious/infectious disease, i.e. cholera. 'Umar asked his group whether they should proceed or go back (to Madinah). The majority of the companions said they should go back but some said they should proceed. Then one companion said he knew a hadith where the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, said, "If you hear that this disease exists in a country, don't travel to that country." So 'Umar decided that they should go back. Another companion (it seems from the second group) asked him whether he was running away from a qadar. 'Umar replied that they were moving away from one qadar to another qadar.

Thus, whenever there is a problem, a challenge or any hardship which we can remove, overcome, solve or minimize, it is a must that we do so. In one hadith, the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, said, "Be keen for whatever is beneficial for you. Seek the help of Allah. And don't be reckless." This hadith implies we must make the effort. The right concept of qadar is: we are responsible for whatever we do. When it comes to religious obligations, the matter is the same. We cannot blame qadar for committing sins as some Muslims might do. We have to know that we are responsible.

Conclusion

This hadith contains everything about Islam: the five pillars of Islam, the beliefs that make up Iman (including the belief of fate or qadar), the attainment of the highest level of Iman which is Ihsan, the adab of seeking knowledge and of teaching.