The Characteristics of the True Believer

Archived under Knowledge .

Excerpted from: Essential Q&As about Eemaan (p.45-48) by Imam Abdur Rahmaan ibn Naasir as-Sa'dee:

Know that the true believer is the one who believes in Allaah and all of his Names and Attributes that are found in the Book and the Sunnah, upon their proper understandings. They must be fully acknowledged. Furthermore, the believer exalts Allaah, declaring Him free of anything that contradicts the perfection of His Names and Attributes. Thus, his heart becomes full of Eemaan, knowledge, conviction, serenity, and becomes totally concerned with Allaah.

The believer repents to Allaah alone, performing acts of worship for Him that He has legislated upon the tongue of his Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam), with sincerity to Allaah, hoping for His Reward and fearing His Punishment.

The believer is thankful to Allaah in his heart, with his tongue, and with the actions of his limbs. He is thankful for Allah's Blessings and the great amount of goodness that Allaah has given him, those that he enjoys at all hours of the day. The believer is thankful and utters phrases of Allah's remembrance, and he does not see any blessing greater than what Allaah has given him, nor any token of generosity greater than what has come from Allaah.

By contenting himself in this way and hoping for the reward from Allaah, the believer fulfils his desires, his heart rests peacefully, and he finds tranquillity. He does not become saddened if some affairs reach him that he does not like. With this, Allaah has combined for him the happiness of this worldly life and the happiness of the Hereafter.

As for the heedless disbeliever, then his affair is not like this. He denies the presence and perfection of His Great Lord, that which is established by way of both intellectual and textual proofs, as well as scientific facts and findings. He does not pay any mind to these things.

As he cuts himself off from Allaah by not acknowledging Him and not worshipping Him, the disbeliever attaches his self to things found in nature and worships them. Thus, his heart becomes similar to the hearts of grazing animals.

The disbeliever has no concern other than gathering and enjoying material things. His heart is always in a state of unrest, afraid that he may lose the things he loves, afraid that affairs he does not like will reach him. He does not have the Eemaan that makes facing difficult things easy and lightens the weight of calamities.