الْإِسْلَامُ وَالْإِيمَانُ وَالْإِحْسَانُ

Hadith 2: the hadith of Jibriil From 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him): one day, while we were sitting with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, a man appeared, with very white clothes and very black hair; no trace of travel was on him, and none of us knew him. He sat facing the Prophet ﷺ, knee against knee, placed his hands on his thighs, and asked him about Islam, faith (al-iimaan), excellence (al-iḥsaan), the Hour and its signs. After he left, the Prophet ﷺ said: "That was Jibriil, who came to teach you your religion." (Full text too long here [À VÉRIFIER : texte arabe complet].) Extract on excellence: الْإِحْسَانُ أَنْ تَعْبُدَ اللَّهَ كَأَنَّكَ تَرَاهُ، فَإِنْ لَمْ تَكُنْ تَرَاهُ فَإِنَّهُ يَرَاكَ "Excellence is that you worship Allah as though you see Him; for though you do not see Him, He sees you." The answers: Islam is to testify that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is His Messenger, to establish prayer, give zakaat, fast Ramadan and make the pilgrimage if one is able. Faith is to believe in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, the Last Day, and in destiny, its good and its bad. The signs of the Hour: that the slave-woman gives birth to her mistress, and that barefoot, poor shepherds compete in building tall buildings. Source: Muslim 8, from 'Umar; a similar account from Abu Hurayra is in Bukhari 50 and Muslim 9.

The commentary • "Mother of the Sunna": some scholars called it this, as Al-Faatiḥa is the "mother of the Book", because it gathers the whole religion [À VÉRIFIER : qui l'a nommé ainsi]. Ibn Daqiiq al-'Iid notes that all the sciences of the religion are attached to it: law (Islam), creed (faith), purification of the heart (excellence). • Islam and faith: when both words are mentioned together, as here, Islam refers to the visible deeds and faith to the beliefs of the heart; when one is mentioned alone, it includes the other. Ibn Rajab develops this rule. • Two levels of iḥsaan: worshipping Allah as though one sees Him (the level of contemplation), or at least knowing that He sees us (the level of vigilance, al-muraaqaba). • The Hour: its time is known only to Allah; "the one asked knows no more about it than the one asking". • The student's manners: Jibriil comes clean, sits close to the teacher and asks useful questions; scholars draw from this the adab of study.

In daily life • Ask yourself where you stand on each level: your deeds, your beliefs, the presence of your heart. • Iḥsaan is practised in prayer: remind yourself, at the start, that Allah sees you.

Hadith 3: Islam is built on five From 'Abd Allah ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both): I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: بُنِيَ الْإِسْلَامُ عَلَى خَمْسٍ "Islam is built on five: testifying that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, establishing prayer, giving zakaat, the pilgrimage to the House and fasting Ramadan." Source: Bukhari 8 and Muslim 16.

The commentary • The image of the building: Ibn Rajab compares Islam to a structure whose five pillars are the columns; the rest of the deeds complete the building. Without columns, the building falls; with the columns alone, it remains incomplete. • The testimony is the base: it contains two things, the oneness of Allah in worship, and following the Prophet ﷺ. It is the door to all other deeds. • Prayer comes straight after: it is the most repeated pillar, five times a day. Many texts link it to faith itself. • The order pilgrimage / fasting: in Muslim's version, Ibn 'Umar corrects a man who reversed the order ("fasting Ramadan then the pilgrimage") [À VÉRIFIER : sens de la correction]. An-Nawawi explains that both orders are reported. • Ibn Daqiiq al-'Iid stresses that these pillars are obligatory for every responsible Muslim, and that whoever denies one of them leaves Islam; for one who neglects one out of negligence, scholars have discussed it in detail, especially for prayer.

In daily life • Review your five pillars: prayer on time, zakaat calculated every year, fasting, the plan for the pilgrimage. • The testimony is renewed: say it consciously in every prayer (at-tashahhud).

The text: Surah An-Nisaa' (4), verse 136 يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا آمِنُوا بِاللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ وَالْكِتَابِ الَّذِي نَزَّلَ عَلَىٰ رَسُولِهِ وَالْكِتَابِ الَّذِي أَنْزَلَ مِنْ قَبْلُ ۚ وَمَنْ يَكْفُرْ بِاللَّهِ وَمَلَائِكَتِهِ وَكُتُبِهِ وَرُسُلِهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ فَقَدْ ضَلَّ ضَلَالًا بَعِيدًا ﴿١٣٦﴾

Meaning: "O you who believe! Believe in Allah, in His Messenger, in the Book He sent down upon His Messenger and in the Book He sent down before. And whoever disbelieves in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers and the Last Day has gone far astray." This verse lists the pillars of faith that Jibriil asked about; the hadith adds destiny.

Arabic text: Tanzil Quran Text (Simple, version 1.0.2), © 2008-2010 Tanzil.net, Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 licence, reproduced without any change (http://tanzil.net). Each verse is on its own line, followed by its number; the basmala, which the Tanzil file places at the start of the first verse, is written on its own line.

Understanding the lesson

Explanation The hadith of Jibriil presents the religion as three circles: Islam, the visible deeds; faith, the beliefs of the heart; excellence, the inner quality of worship. Each level presupposes the previous one: one cannot reach iḥsaan without the pillars of Islam and faith. Hadith 3 details the first circle through the image of a building. It says the essential in few words: five columns, and the first is the testimony, which gives meaning to the other four. The way of teaching matters too: Jibriil asks questions whose answers he knows, so that the companions learn. Asking well is part of knowledge.

Lessons to draw from it • Check one's deeds (Islam), beliefs (faith) and the presence of one's heart (iḥsaan). • Begin every prayer by remembering that Allah sees you. • Hold the five pillars as the columns of your life, before voluntary deeds. • Do not speculate about the date of the Hour, but prepare for it. • Learn with good manners: cleanliness, attention, useful questions.

Key points to remember • Hadith 2 (Muslim 8): islaam, iimaan, iḥsaan, and the signs of the Hour. • Iḥsaan: worshipping Allah as though you see Him; otherwise, knowing that He sees you. • Six pillars of faith: Allah, the angels, the books, the messengers, the Last Day, destiny. • Hadith 3 (Bukhari 8, Muslim 16): بُنِيَ الْإِسْلَامُ عَلَى خَمْسٍ.

The main message The religion has a body, a heart and a soul: deeds, faith and excellence; build your life on the five pillars and seek to worship Allah as though you see Him.