Islam's Reformers .pdf

They want deeds to be a part of îmân, but they cannot provideany naqlî (narrated, traditional) or ’aqlî (mental) document forthis. They only make statements having nothing to do withknowledge and reason but sensations fit for the understandingof the ignorant, such as, “What’s the use of îmân without a’mâl?By excluding a’mâl from îmân, the scholars of kalâm havereduced Islam to a theoretical religion, though it is a perfectsocial religion.” They rave these words among the smoke whichthe fire of their hostility against Islamic scholars heaps beforetheir reason. Because they know nothing about the books of thescholars of kalâm, they attack Islam under the pretext ofcriticizing the immoralities which they witness in those carryingthe Muslim names. In order to expose to view how much unrightand immoral they themselves are, the words of the Ahl as-Sunna scholars, especially of the specialists of kalâm, areexplained briefly in the following:According to the Ahl as-Sunna, he who commits a grave sindoes not lose his îmân, that is, he does not become adisbeliever. A Muslim who commits a sin is called “fâsiq”(sinner). Sinners with sound îmân or i’tiqâd may or may not besubjected to torture in Hell in the next world. If they aresubjected to torture later they will attain the Divine Mercy andwill go out of Hell. The basis of Islam is to believe in theOneness of Allâhu ta’âlâ and in all the rules, that is, thecommandments and prohibitions which were brought by Allâhuta’âlâ’s Prophet Muhammad (’alaihi ’s-salâm) certainly fromHim. Though it is not a condition of îmân to carry out thecommands and to abstain from prohibitions, belief in thenecessity of doing the commands and avoiding the prohibitionsis a condition of îmân. He who does not believe as such is not aMuslim and is called “kâfir”. However good work andinventions useful to humanity disbelievers may do, they will notescape punishment in the next world. ’Ibâdât and all gooddeeds, valuable as they are, remain secondary in comparisonwith belief in them. Îmân is essential and all good deeds areaccessory. Îmân and the deeds done by one who has îmân areuseful to him both in this world and in the next world. Theymake man attain salvation. Good deeds done without havingîmân may make one attain happiness only in this world but notin the next world. The religion reformers think of good deedsonly, probably because they do not believe in the next world.- 58 -