1. Islam And Eman

But are we not all believers? Don’t we all have eman? Are we not Muslim, after all?

Allah swt makes a clear distinction in the Qur’an between Islam and eman.

When some of the nomads around Prophet Muhammad first embraced Islam, they quickly made the claim that they had become believers, to which Allah responded:

Some of the nomadic Arabs say, “We believe.” Say, O Prophet, “You have not believed. But say, “We have submitted, for faith has not yet entered your hearts. [Qur’an 49:14]

Eman is something that takes time, effort, and sacrifice. After we submit, there’s still work to do to go from a state of submission to a state of belief. The distance from the tongue to the heart may seem insignificant, but the effort to get there is no walk in the park It takes effort.

Those who believed, migrated and struggled in the cause of Allah and those who gave the migrating believers shelter and help are the true believers. They will have forgiveness and an honourable provision. [Qur’an 8:74]

This verse speaks to the effort required to fall into the category of a true believer. It is a lot of hard work: Migration, struggle, and sacrifice. To attain the highest level of success comes at a cost.

Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) re-ported. I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him saying. “He who is afraid of the pillage of the enemy, sets out in the early part of the night; and he who sets out early, reaches his destination. Be on your guard that the commodity of Allah is pre-cious. Verily, the commodity of Allah is Paradise Source: Al Tirmithi, who classified it as Hadith Hasan

In another verse in the Qur’an, Allah makes it clear that there is a level of eman that we have, and a certain level that is required by Allah

**O believers! Have faith in Allah, His Messenger, the Book He has revealed to His Messenger, and the Scriptures He revealed before. Indeed, whoever denies Allah, His angels, His Books, His messengers, and the Last Day has gone far astray. [Qur’an 4:136]