كَتَبْتُ مَعَ عَبْدِ الْمَلِكِ بْنِ أَعْيَنَ إِلَى أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ( عليه السلام ) أَسْأَلُهُ عَنِ الْإِيمَانِ مَا هُوَ فَكَتَبَ إِلَيَّ مَعَ عَبْدِ الْمَلِكِ بْنِ أَعْيَنَ سَأَلْتَ رَحِمَكَ اللَّهُ عَنِ الْإِيمَانِ وَ الْإِيمَانُ هُوَ الْإِقْرَارُ بِاللِّسَانِ وَ عَقْدٌ فِي الْقَلْبِ وَ عَمَلٌ بِالْأَرْكَانِ وَ الْإِيمَانُ بَعْضُهُ مِنْ بَعْضٍ وَ هُوَ دَارٌ وَ كَذَلِكَ الْإِسْلَامُ دَارٌ وَ الْكُفْرُ دَارٌ فَقَدْ يَكُونُ الْعَبْدُ مُسْلِماً قَبْلَ أَنْ يَكُونَ مُؤْمِناً وَ لَا يَكُونُ مُؤْمِناً حَتَّى يَكُونَ مُسْلِماً فَالْإِسْلَامُ قَبْلَ الْإِيمَانِ وَ هُوَ يُشَارِكُ الْإِيمَانَ فَإِذَا أَتَى الْعَبْدُ كَبِيرَةً مِنْ كَبَائِرِ الْمَعَاصِي أَوْ صَغِيرَةً مِنْ صَغَائِرِ الْمَعَاصِي الَّتِي نَهَى اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ عَنْهَا كَانَ خَارِجاً مِنَ الْإِيمَانِ سَاقِطاً عَنْهُ اسْمُ الْإِيمَانِ وَ ثَابِتاً عَلَيْهِ اسْمُ الْإِسْلَامِ فَإِنْ تَابَ وَ اسْتَغْفَرَ عَادَ إِلَى دَارِ الْإِيمَانِ وَ لَا يُخْرِجُهُ إِلَى الْكُفْرِ إِلَّا الْجُحُودُ وَ الِاسْتِحْلَالُ أَنْ يَقُولَ لِلْحَلَالِ هَذَا حَرَامٌ وَ لِلْحَرَامِ هَذَا حَلَالٌ وَ دَانَ بِذَلِكَ فَعِنْدَهَا يَكُونُ خَارِجاً مِنَ الْإِسْلَامِ وَ الْإِيمَانِ دَاخِلًا فِي الْكُفْرِ وَ كَانَ بِمَنْزِلَةِ مَنْ دَخَلَ الْحَرَمَ ثُمَّ دَخَلَ الْكَعْبَةَ وَ أَحْدَثَ فِي الْكَعْبَةِ حَدَثاً فَأُخْرِجَ عَنِ الْكَعْبَةِ وَ عَنِ الْحَرَمِ فَضُرِبَتْ عُنُقُهُ وَ صَارَ إِلَى النَّارِ .
Translation
Ali Bin Ibrahim, from Al Abbas Bin Marouf, from Abdul Rahman Bin Abu Najran, from Hammad Bin Isman, from Abdul Rahman Al Qaseyr who said, ‘I wrote along with Abdul Malik Bin Ayn, to Abu Abdullah<sup>asws</sup>, asking him<sup>asws</sup> about the <span class="iTxt">Emān</span>, what it is. So he<sup>asws</sup> wrote to me (sending it across) with Abdul Malik Bin Ayn: ‘You asked, may Allah<sup>azwj</sup> have Mercy on you, about the <span class="iTxt">Emān</span>; and the <span class="iTxt">Emān</span>, it is the acknowledgement by the tongue, and established in the heart, and performance of the deeds with the body parts; and the <span class="iTxt">Emān</span>, some of it is from each others, and it is a house, and similar to that <span class="iTxt">Islām</span> is a house, and the disbelief is a house. So the servant would happen to be a Muslim before he can happen to be a <span class="iTxt">Momin</span> (Believer), and a <span class="iTxt">Momin</span> cannot happen to be until he happens to be a Muslim. So the <span class="iTxt">Islām</span> is before the <span class="iTxt">Emān</span>, and it is included in the <span class="iTxt">Emān</span>, So when the servant comes to a major one from the major disobediencies, or a small one from the small disobediencies which Allah<sup>azwj</sup> Mighty and Majestic has Forbidden from, he would exit from the <span class="iTxt">Emān</span>. The name ‘<span class="iTxt">Al Emān</span>’ would drop from him, and the name ‘Al <span class="iTxt">Islām</span>’ would be affirmed upon him. So if he were to repent and seek Forgiveness, would return to the house of <span class="iTxt">Al Emān</span>, and nothing would exit him to the disbelief except for the rejection and the ‘Istihlal’, i.e. he is saying for the Permissible, ‘This is Prohibited’, and for the Prohibition, ‘This is Permissible’, and makes a Religion with that. So during it, he would happen to have exited from the <span class="iTxt">Islām</span> and the <span class="iTxt">Emān</span>, having entered into the disbelief, and he would be at the status of the one who enters the <span class="iTxt">Harrum</span> (Sanctuary) then enters the Kabah, and he exrcetes in the Kabah with a urination/defecation, so he would be exited from the Kabah and from the <span class="iTxt">Harrum</span>, and his neck would be struck and he would go to the Fire’.
Compiled by Shaykh Muhammad ibn Ya'qub al-Kulayni
Source
License: Free for educational and research use (Thaqalayn Data API)
Provided for research and educational purposes. Original source: Thaqalayn Project. Open License.