al-Iman - Abu Ubayd
- Author died
- 224 AH
- Editions
- T al-Maktab al-Islami · T Muslim · +1
al-Iman (Kitab al-Iman wa-maʿalimihi wa-sunanihi wa-istikmalihi wa-darajatihi, "The Book of Faith, Its Characteristics, Traditions, Perfection, and Degrees") is a theological treatise on the definition and reality of faith by the hadith scholar and linguist Abu Ubayd al-Qasim ibn Sallam (d. 224 AH / 838 CE) . Written in the early third Islamic century, it is among the earliest standalone theological monographs dedicated to establishing the doctrine of faith according to Ahl al-Sunnah and refuting the opposing views of the Murji'ah and the Jahmiyyah .
Purpose and Composition
The book was composed in epistolary form in response to an inquiry sent to Abu Ubayd concerning the nature of faith, the disagreement over its completion, increase, and decrease, the position of Ahl al-Sunnah, and the scriptural arguments against those who deviated from it . According to a transmission preserved by Ibn al-Hattab, the inquirer was Abu Salih Raja ibn Abd Allah al-Saghani .
Content and Structure
The book is structured into thematic chapters addressing core theological questions regarding faith :
- The Description of Faith in Its Completion and Degrees (Bab naʿt al-iman fi istikmalihi wa-darajatihi): Defines faith as encompassing intention, speech, and physical actions, explaining that divine legislation descended gradually and that faith was incrementally augmented as new obligations were revealed .
- Exception in Faith (Bab al-istithnaʾ fi al-iman): Addresses the practice of qualifying one's faith by saying "if God wills" (in sha' Allah), presenting the narrations of early authorities such as Abd Allah ibn Mas'ud and explaining its theological justification to avoid self-praise (tazkiyah) .
- Increase and Decrease in Faith (Bab al-ziyadah fi al-iman wa-l-intiqas minhu): Details scriptural proofs affirming that faith increases with obedience and decreases with disobedience, countering the arguments of opposing factions .
- Designating Faith as Speech Without Action (Bab tasmiyat al-iman bi-l-qawl duna al-ʿamal): Refutes the position of Murji'at al-fuqaha who excluded bodily deeds from the definition of faith .
- Those Who Make Faith Merely Inner Knowledge (Bab man jaʿala al-iman al-maʿrifah bi-l-qalb wa-in lam yakun ʿamal): A direct critique of the Jahmiyyah, who defined faith solely as knowledge in the heart without requiring verbal confession or physical deeds .
- Scholarly Censure of Those Who Define Faith as Speech Without Action (Bab dhikr ma ʿabat bihi al-ʿulamaʾ man jaʿala al-iman qawlan bi-la ʿamal): Assembles statements from early scholars warning against Murji'ite views and prohibiting sitting in their gatherings .
- Exiting Faith Through Sins (Bab al-khuruj min al-iman bi-l-maʿasi): Analyzes hadiths that use stern phrasing such as the negation of faith, disavowal, or the terms kufr and shirk for perpetrators of major sins, clarifying their proper contextual interpretation according to Ahl al-Sunnah .
Method and Style
Unlike contemporaneous works on faith that primarily listed bare chains of transmission and narrations—such as the compilations of Ibn Abi Shaybah and Muhammad ibn Yahya al-Adani—Abu Ubayd adopted an analytical methodology . His approach integrates extensive theological commentary, textual evaluation, and critical debate . In addition to transmitting traditional proofs, he drew heavily on Arabic linguistic usage, analogical reasoning, and semantic nuances to support his conclusions .
Transmission and Reception
The work was transmitted from Abu Ubayd through his disciples, including Abu Ya'qub Ishaq ibn Ahmad al-Askari and Raja ibn Abd Allah al-Saghani . Later scholars frequently cited and relied on it, including Muhammad ibn Nasr al-Marwazi, Ibn Taymiyyah, and Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani .
In the modern period, the text was edited by Muhammad Nasir al-Din al-Albani and published in Damascus in 1385 AH as part of the compilation Min Kunuz al-Sunnah, relying on a manuscript transcribed in 488 AH from a copy belonging to the Damascene hadith transmitter Abd al-Rahman ibn Uthman ibn Abi Nasr (d. 420 AH) .
Answer updated