Iman, or faith, refers to belief in God and obedience to his commands. Iman has three components and over seventy branches. It increases and decreases based on one's actions. When mentioned, believers feel fearful of God and striving to obey him strengthens their faith. Weak iman is shown through disobeying God and being swayed by desires instead of rejecting wrongdoing. Maintaining strong faith requires guarding one's heart from temptations.

1. Strengthening the Īmān
AbuSamihah Sirajul-Islam
Saturday, December 24, 2016

2. What is Īmān [‫]إيمان‬
• Word “Iman” (‫)إيمان‬ is literally translated as Faith
or belief, means “to know”, “to believe” and “to
be convinced beyond the least shadow of doubt”.
Faith, thus, is firm belief arising out of knowledge
and conviction. And the person who knows and
reposes unshakable belief in the unity of God, in
His Attributes, in His Law and the Revealed
Guidance, and in the Divine code of Reward and
punishment is called Mu’min – (‫)مؤمن‬ faithful. [1]

3. Definition of Īmān [‫]إيمان‬
• The definition of Iman is that to testify all the
news brought by the Messenger (pbuh) about the
unseen God (Allah) and His attributes (as in َ‫ين‬ِ‫ذ‬َّ‫ال‬
ِ‫ب‬ْ‫ي‬َ‫غ‬ْ‫ال‬ِ‫ب‬ َ‫ون‬ُ‫ن‬ِ‫م‬ْ‫ؤ‬ُ‫ي‬
[) al-baqara 2:3], and complete
obedience to the Shariah He (pbuh) brought.

4. Articles of Īmān
[‫]إيمان‬
• These are mentioned in
the famous hadith of
Jibreel as narrated by
Umar ibn al-khattab

5. What are the
components
of Iman?
• Iman has three components

6. What are the
components of
Iman?
• Iman has three components

7. What are the Branches of Iman?
• The Prophet (SAAS) defined
Iman as: “Faith (‫اإليمان‬ ) has
over seventy branches or
over sixty branches, the most
excellent of which is the
declaration that there is no
god but Allah, and the
humblest of which is the,
removal of what is injurious
from the path: and modesty
is the branch of faith.”

8. Does Iman Increase or Decrese?
• Iman increases and decreases
•
‫ي‬ِ‫ك‬َّ‫س‬‫ال‬ َ‫ل‬ َ‫نز‬َ‫أ‬ ‫ِي‬‫ذ‬َّ‫ال‬ َ‫و‬ُ‫ه‬
ِ‫ب‬‫و‬ُ‫ل‬ُ‫ق‬ ‫ي‬ِ‫ف‬ َ‫ة‬َ‫ن‬
ِ‫إ‬ ‫ُوا‬‫د‬‫ا‬َ‫د‬ ْ‫ز‬َ‫ي‬ِ‫ل‬ َ‫ين‬ِ‫ن‬ِ‫م‬ْ‫ؤ‬ُ‫م‬ْ‫ال‬
ِ‫ن‬‫ا‬َ‫م‬‫ي‬ِ‫إ‬ َََّ‫م‬ ‫ا‬‫ا‬‫ن‬‫ا‬َ‫م‬‫ي‬
ِْْ‫ِه‬
• It is He who sent down
tranquility into the hearts of
the believers that they would
increase in faith along with
their [present] faith. 48:4
•
ِ‫ذ‬َّ‫ال‬ َ‫ون‬ُ‫ن‬ِ‫م‬ْ‫ؤ‬ُ‫م‬ْ‫ال‬ ‫ا‬َ‫م‬َّ‫ن‬ِ‫إ‬
ُ ّ
‫للا‬ َ‫ر‬ِ‫ك‬ُ‫ذ‬ ‫ا‬َ‫ذ‬ِ‫إ‬ َ‫ين‬
ْ‫ت‬َ‫ل‬ ِ‫ج‬ َ‫و‬
ْ‫ت‬َ‫ي‬ِ‫ل‬ُ‫ت‬ ‫ا‬َ‫ذ‬ِ‫إ‬ َ‫و‬ ُْْ‫ِه‬ُ‫ب‬‫و‬ُ‫ل‬ُ‫ق‬
َ‫ز‬ ُ‫ه‬ُ‫ت‬‫ا‬َ‫ي‬‫آ‬ ِْْ‫ِه‬ْ‫ي‬َ‫ل‬َ‫ع‬
ُْْ‫ِه‬ْ‫ت‬َ‫د‬‫ا‬
َ‫ي‬ ِْْ‫ِه‬ِّ‫ب‬ َ‫ر‬ ‫ى‬َ‫ل‬َ‫ع‬ َ‫و‬ ‫ا‬‫ا‬‫ن‬‫ا‬َ‫م‬‫ي‬ِ‫إ‬
َ‫ون‬ُ‫ل‬َّ‫ك‬ َ‫و‬َ‫ت‬
• The believers are only those
who, when Allah is
mentioned, their hearts
become fearful, and when His
verses are recited to them, it
increases them in faith; and
upon their Lord they rely. 8:2

9. Does Iman Increase or Decrese?
• Iman increases and decreases
•
ُ‫اس‬َّ‫ن‬‫ال‬ ُُْ‫ِه‬َ‫ل‬ َ‫ل‬‫ا‬َ‫ق‬ َ‫ِين‬‫ذ‬َّ‫ال‬
ْ‫د‬َ‫ق‬ َ
‫اس‬َّ‫ن‬‫ال‬ َّ‫ن‬ِ‫إ‬
‫وا‬ُ‫ع‬َ‫م‬َ‫ج‬
َ‫د‬‫ا‬ َ‫ز‬َ‫ف‬ ُْْ‫ه‬ ْ‫َو‬‫ش‬ْ‫اخ‬َ‫ف‬ ُْْ‫ك‬َ‫ل‬
‫و‬ُ‫ل‬‫ا‬َ‫ق‬ َ‫و‬ ‫ا‬‫ا‬‫ن‬‫ا‬َ‫م‬‫ي‬ِ‫إ‬ ُْْ‫ه‬
‫ا‬
‫ا‬ َْْ‫ع‬ِ‫ن‬ َ‫و‬ ُ‫ه‬‫ـ‬َّ‫الل‬ ‫َا‬‫ن‬ُ‫ب‬ْ‫س‬َ‫ح‬
ُ‫ل‬‫ي‬ِ‫ك‬ َ‫و‬ْ‫ل‬
• Those to whom hypocrites
said, "Indeed, the people
have gathered against you, so
fear them." But it [merely]
increased them in faith, and
they said, "Sufficient for us is
Allah, and [He is] the best
Disposer of affairs." (3:173)
•
َّ‫ن‬‫ال‬ َ‫اب‬َ‫ح‬ْ‫ص‬َ‫أ‬ ‫َا‬‫ن‬ْ‫ل‬َ‫ع‬َ‫ج‬ ‫ا‬َ‫م‬ َ‫و‬
‫ا‬‫ة‬َ‫ك‬ِ‫ئ‬ َ
‫َل‬َ‫م‬ َّ
‫َّل‬ِ‫إ‬ ِ
‫ار‬
‫ا‬َ‫م‬ َ‫و‬ ۙ
ِ‫ف‬ َّ
‫َّل‬ِ‫إ‬ ُْْ‫ِه‬َ‫ت‬َّ‫د‬ِ‫ع‬ ‫َا‬‫ن‬ْ‫ل‬َ‫ع‬َ‫ج‬
َ‫ف‬َ‫ك‬ َ‫ِين‬‫ذ‬َّ‫ل‬ِّ‫ل‬ ‫ا‬‫ة‬َ‫ن‬ْ‫ت‬
َ‫ن‬ِ‫ق‬ْ‫ي‬َ‫ت‬ْ‫س‬َ‫ي‬ِ‫ل‬ ‫وا‬ُ‫ر‬
َ‫ي‬ َ‫و‬ َ‫اب‬َ‫ت‬ِ‫ك‬ْ‫ال‬ ‫وا‬ُ‫ت‬‫و‬ُ‫أ‬ َ‫ِين‬‫ذ‬َّ‫ل‬‫ا‬
َ‫م‬‫آ‬ َ‫ِين‬‫ذ‬َّ‫ل‬‫ا‬ َ‫د‬‫ا‬َ‫د‬ ْ‫ز‬
‫وا‬ُ‫ن‬
‫ا‬‫ا‬‫ن‬‫ا‬َ‫م‬‫ي‬ِ‫إ‬
• And We have not made the
keepers of the Fire except
angels. And We have not made
their number except as a trial for
those who disbelieve - that
those who were given the
Scripture will be convinced and
those who have believed will
increase in faith [74:31]

11. Does Iman Strengthen and Weaken?
• Yes Iman has strength and weakness.
•
‫هللا‬ ‫رسول‬ ‫سمعت‬
‫وسلم‬ ‫عليه‬ ‫هللا‬ ‫صىل‬
‫يقول‬
‫منك‬ ‫أى‬‫ر‬ ‫من‬
‫ا‬‫ر‬‫منك‬ ‫م‬
‫يستط‬ ‫لم‬ ‫فإن‬ ‫فبلسانه‬ ‫يستطع‬ ‫لم‬ ‫فإن‬ ‫بيده‬ ‫ه‬ ‫ر‬
‫فليغي‬
‫وذلك‬ ‫فبقلبه‬ ‫ع‬
‫اإليمان‬ ‫أضعف‬
• The Prophet said: “He who amongst you sees something
abominable should modify it with the help of his hand; and if
he has not strength enough to do it, then he should do it with
his tongue, and if he has not strength enough to do it, (even)
then he should (abhor it) from his heart, and that is the least of
faith.” (Sahih Muslim, Book 1 Iman, #79)

12. Signs of Weak Iman
Our weak iman causes us to disobey Allah kills our
heart.
Hudhaifa said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (may
peace be, upon him ) observing: Temptations will be
presented to men's hearts as reed mat is woven stick
by stick and any heart which is impregnated by them
will have a black mark put into it, but any heart which
rejects them will have a white mark put in it. The
result is that there will become two types of hearts:
one white like a white stone which will not be
harmed by any turmoil or temptation, so long as the
heavens and the earth endure; and the other black
and dust-coloured like a vessel which is upset, not
recognizing what is good or rejecting what is
abominable, but being impregnated with passion.
ُ‫س‬ َ‫ر‬ ُ‫ت‬ْ‫ع‬ِ‫م‬َ‫س‬ ُ‫ة‬َ‫ف‬ْ‫ي‬َ‫ذ‬ُ‫ح‬ َ‫ل‬‫ا‬َ‫ق‬
‫هللا‬ ‫صلى‬ ِ َّ
‫للا‬ َ‫ل‬‫و‬
‫عليه‬
ُ‫ل‬‫و‬ُ‫ق‬َ‫ي‬ ْ‫وسل‬
"
ِ‫ف‬ْ‫ال‬ ُ‫ض‬ َ‫ر‬ْ‫ع‬ُ‫ت‬
ُ‫ق‬ْ‫ال‬ ‫ى‬َ‫ل‬َ‫ع‬ ُ‫ن‬َ‫ت‬
ِ‫ب‬‫و‬ُ‫ل‬
‫اا‬‫د‬‫و‬ُ‫ع‬ ِ
‫ير‬ ِ
‫ص‬َ‫ح‬ْ‫ال‬َ‫ك‬
‫اا‬‫د‬‫و‬ُ‫ع‬
َ‫أ‬َ‫ف‬
‫ى‬
َ‫ب‬ ِ
‫ر‬ْ‫ش‬ُ‫أ‬ ٍ‫ب‬ْ‫ل‬َ‫ق‬
‫ا‬َ‫ِه‬
َ‫د‬ ْ‫و‬َ‫س‬ ٌ‫ة‬َ‫ت‬ْ‫ك‬ُ‫ن‬ ِ‫ه‬‫ي‬ِ‫ف‬ َ‫ت‬ِ‫ك‬ُ‫ن‬
ُ‫ء‬‫ا‬
‫ى‬َ‫أ‬ َ‫و‬
ْ‫ن‬َ‫أ‬ ٍ‫ب‬ْ‫ل‬َ‫ق‬
َ‫ت‬ِ‫ك‬ُ‫ن‬ ‫َا‬‫ه‬َ‫ر‬َ‫ك‬
َّ‫ت‬َ‫ح‬ ُ‫ء‬‫ا‬َ‫ض‬ْ‫ي‬َ‫ب‬ ٌ‫ة‬َ‫ت‬ْ‫ك‬ُ‫ن‬ ِ‫ه‬‫ي‬ِ‫ف‬
َ‫ق‬ ‫ى‬َ‫ل‬َ‫ع‬ َ‫ير‬ ِ
‫ص‬َ‫ت‬ ‫ى‬
ِ‫ْن‬‫ي‬َ‫ب‬ْ‫ل‬
َّ‫ص‬‫ال‬ ِ‫ل‬ْ‫ث‬ِ‫م‬ َ
‫ض‬َ‫ي‬ْ‫ب‬َ‫أ‬ ‫ى‬َ‫ل‬َ‫ع‬
ُ‫ه‬‫ر‬ُ‫ض‬َ‫ت‬ َ‫َل‬َ‫ف‬ ‫ا‬َ‫ف‬
‫ا‬َ‫م‬ ٌ‫َة‬‫ن‬ْ‫ت‬ِ‫ف‬
ُ‫ض‬ ْ‫ر‬َ‫أل‬‫ا‬ َ‫و‬ ُ‫ات‬ َ‫و‬َ‫م‬َّ‫س‬‫ال‬ ِ‫ت‬َ‫م‬‫ا‬َ‫د‬
ُ‫د‬ َ‫و‬ْ‫س‬َ‫أ‬ ُ‫َر‬‫خ‬‫اآل‬ َ‫و‬
‫ا‬ًّ‫د‬‫ا‬َ‫ب‬ ْ‫ر‬ُ‫م‬
ِ
‫وز‬ُ‫ك‬ْ‫ال‬َ‫ك‬
‫ا‬‫ي‬ ِّ‫خ‬َ‫ج‬ُ‫م‬
‫ا‬
ُ‫ر‬ْ‫ع‬َ‫م‬ ُ‫ف‬ ِ
‫ر‬ْ‫ع‬َ‫ي‬ َ‫َّل‬
‫ا‬‫ا‬‫ف‬‫و‬
َّ‫َّل‬ِ‫إ‬ ‫ا‬‫ا‬‫ر‬َ‫ك‬ْ‫ن‬ُ‫م‬ ُ‫ر‬ِ‫ك‬ْ‫ن‬ُ‫ي‬ َ‫َّل‬ َ‫و‬
‫ا‬ َ‫َو‬‫ه‬ ْ‫ن‬ِ‫م‬ َ‫ب‬ ِ
‫ر‬ْ‫ش‬ُ‫أ‬ ‫ا‬َ‫م‬
ُ‫ه‬
"

13. Signs of Weak Iman
• Not doing acts of worship properly
• Not being moved by the verses of the Quran
• Not practicing what one preaches
• Trying to find shortcuts by treading close to ‘makrooh’ and haram
• Excessive arguing and disputing
• Taking sins lightly
• Feeling that one’s heart is hard and rough
• Being stingy and miserly
• Feeling envious and jealous of others’ blessings
• Going to extremes in demanding luxury
• Lack of concern about other Muslims’ affairs
• 1 – Ignorance of the names and attributes of Allaah leads to weakness of faith because if a person is lacking
in knowledge of the names and attributes of Allaah, his faith will be imcomplete.
• 2 – Neglecting to think of the signs of Allaah in the universe and to ponder His commands and prohibitions.
This causes a lack of faith or at the very least it makes faith stagnant and prevents it from growing.

15. Signs of Weak Iman
• Signs of weak Faith:
• Committing sins and not feeling any guilt.
• Having a hard heart and no desire to read the
Quran.
• Feeling too lazy to do good deeds, e.g. being late
for salat
• Neglecting the Sunnah.
• Having mood swings, for instance being upset
about petty things and bothered and irritated most
of the time.
• Not feeling anything when hearing verses from the
Quran, for example when Allah warns us of
punishments and His promise of glad tidings.
• Finding difficulty in remembering Allah and making
dhikr.
• Not feeling bad when things are done against the
Shariah.
• Desiring status and wealth.
• Being mean and miserly, i.e. not wanting to part
with wealth.
• Ordering others to do good deeds when not
practising them ourselves.
• Feeling pleased when things are not progressing
for others.
• Being concerned with whether something is haram
or halal only; and not avoiding makroo (not
recommended) things.
• Making fun of people who do simple good deeds,
like cleaning the mosque.
• Not feeling concerned about the situation of
Muslims.
• Not feeling the responsibility to do something to
promote Islam.
• Liking to argue just for the sake of arguing without
any proof.
• Becoming engrossed and very involved with dunya,
worldly things, i.e. feeling bad only when losing
something in terms of material wealth.
• Becoming engrossed and obsessive about
ourselves.

17. Ways to Strengthen Iman
• Have the will to start again
– Remember Allah does not change the fate of a
nation unless they change themselves. [8:53 &
13:11]
– "and that man shall have nothing but what he has
striven for” [53:39]

18. Ways to Strengthen Iman
• Talk to a religious and knowledgeable person be
friended to him
– It always better to talk to one who is knowledgeable
– “Ask those people of knowledge if you do not know.”
[16:43]
– “The people are in the religion of their closest
friends.”

19. Ways to Strengthen Iman
• Do not neglect your salah
– Hypocrites are the ones that forget about their salah
or neglect them. [4:142]
– “No prayer is more burdensome to the hypocrites
than the Fajr (dawn) prayer and the ‘Isha’ (night)
prayer; and if they knew their merits, they would
come to them even if they had to crawl to do so.”
[Bukhari and Muslim]

20. Ways to Strengthen Iman
• Do voluntary fasting.

21. Ways to Strengthen Iman
• Randomly read the Qur’an and see if there is anything
for you.
– Remember the story of Ahnaf ibn Qays (Rahimahullah)
– al-Ahnaf kept turning the pages of the Qur’an searching
for the group that he belonged to until he came across
this verse, “And there are others who admitted their sins
who had mixed a good action with another that is evil. It
is likely that Allah will relent towards them. Surely, Allah
is Most-Forgiving, Very-Merciful” (9:102). Thereupon, Al-
Ahnaf said “I am of these people”.

22. Ways to Strengthen Iman
• Recite Qur’ān regularly.
– Recite, reflect, ponder and contemplate
• Allah says: "(This is) a book (the Qur’an) which We have
sent down to you, full of blessings that they may ponder
over its verses, and that men of understanding may
remember." (Qur'an, Saad:29)
"Do they not then think deeply in the Qur’an, or are their
hearts locked up (from understanding)?" (Qur'an,
Muhammad:24)
– Try to act upon the verses as much as you can

23. Ways to Strengthen Iman
• Repent frequently for your mistakes.
– Remember, “Allāh loves those who repent often.”
– You must be sincere in repentance, which include the
following:
• discontinuing the sin.
• regretting over its occurrence.
• To determine never to go back to that sin again.
• Compensating those who have been wronged or obtaining
their forgiveness.

24. Ways to Strengthen Iman
• Engage in Dhikr often.
– Remember, “the hearts find tranquility in Allāh’s
remembrance”

25. Ways to Strengthen Iman
• Give Sadaqah.
– Remember, “the hearts find tranquility in Allāh’s
remembrance”

26. Ways to Strengthen Iman
• Lower Your Gaze.
– Remember, “the hearts find tranquility in Allāh’s
remembrance”

27. Ways to Strengthen Iman
• Reelect upon the punishment of Hell.
– Remember, “the hearts find tranquility in Allāh’s
remembrance”

28. Ways to Strengthen Iman
• Reflect upon the blessings of Paradise.
– Remember,

29. Ways to Strengthen Iman
• Remember Death.

30. Ways to Strengthen Iman
• Lower your desires from this world.