Iman (Faith)
Belief in Allah's oneness, His angels, books, messengers, the Day of Judgment, and divine predestination.
Iman (faith) is the inner foundation of all Islamic worship, including prayer. In Sunni Islam, iman is traditionally defined as believing with the heart, professing with the tongue, and acting with the limbs. The Prophet (peace be upon him) defined iman in the famous Jibril hadith: "That you believe in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, the Last Day, and divine predestination — its good and its evil" (Sahih Muslim).
Imam Abu Hanifah authored "al-Fiqh al-Akbar" (The Greatest Understanding), one of the earliest Sunni theological works that systematically defines the articles of iman. Iman is closely connected with prayer — the Quran calls prayer "iman": "And Allah would not let your iman (i.e., prayers) be lost" (2:143).
Sunni scholars discuss whether iman increases and decreases. The majority, including Imam al-Shafi'i and Imam Ahmad, hold that iman rises with obedience and falls with sin, while the Hanafi school traditionally considers the core of iman to be unchangeable. All, however, agree that prayer is the most important manifestation of iman after the declaration of faith.
Related terms
Rak'ah (Prayer Cycle)
A single cycle of movements and recitations in the Islamic prayer.
Wajib (Obligatory)
Actions that are obligatory in Islamic law, including the five daily prayers.
Nafilah (Voluntary Prayer)
Voluntary extra prayers beyond the five obligatory daily prayers.
Salat al-Qada (Makeup Prayer)
Prayers that are made up after their time has expired.
Mab'ath (The Prophet's Calling)
The day when Prophet Muhammad received the first revelation and was called to prophethood.
Salat al-Ayat (Prayer of the Signs)
An obligatory prayer performed during natural phenomena such as solar and lunar eclipses.