Superiority of Belief over Islam and Certainty over Belief

سُئِلَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ع عَنِ الْإِيمَانِ فَقَالَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ جَعَلَ الْإِيمَانَ عَلَى أَرْبَعِ دَعَائِمَ عَلَى الصَّبْرِ وَ الْيَقِينِ وَ الْعَدْلِ وَ الْجِهَادِ فَالصَّبْرُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ عَلَى أَرْبَعِ شُعَبٍ عَلَى الشَّوْقِ وَ الْإِشْفَاقِ‌[8] وَ الزُّهْدِ وَ التَّرَقُّبِ فَمَنِ اشْتَاقَ إِلَى الْجَنَّةِ سَلَا[9] عَنِ الشَّهَوَاتِ وَ مَنْ أَشْفَقَ مِنَ النَّارِ رَجَعَ عَنِ الْمُحَرَّمَاتِ‌[10

1. Through the same chain of narrators as the above Hadith it is narrated from ibn Mahbub from Ya’qub al-Sarraj from Jabir from abu Ja’far (a.s.) who has said the following: “Amir al-Mu’minin (Ali ibn abu Talib) (a.s.) was asked about belief and he said, ‘Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, made belief upon four p

قَالَ لِي أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع‌ يَا أَخَا جُعْفٍ إِنَّ الْإِيمَانَ أَفْضَلُ مِنَ الْإِسْلَامِ وَ إِنَّ الْيَقِينَ أَفْضَلُ مِنَ الْإِيمَانِ وَ مَا مِنْ شَيْ‌ءٍ أَعَزَّ مِنَ الْيَقِينِ.

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.) once said, ‘O brother from Ju’f (name of his tribe) belief is superior to Islam and certainty is superior to belief. Nothing there is dearer than certainty.”

سَمِعْتُهُ يَقُولُ‌ الْإِيمَانُ فَوْقَ الْإِسْلَامِ بِدَرَجَةٍ وَ التَّقْوَى فَوْقَ الْإِيمَانِ بِدَرَجَةٍ وَ الْيَقِينُ فَوْقَ التَّقْوَى بِدَرَجَةٍ وَ مَا قُسِمَ فِي النَّاسِ شَيْ‌ءٌ أَقَلُّ مِنَ الْيَقِينِ.

“I heard abu Al-Hassan (a.s.) saying, ‘Belief is above Islam by one degree. Piety is above belief by one degree. Certainty is above piety by one degree. Nothing is distributed so little among people as certainty is.’”

سَمِعْتُ أَبَا جَعْفَرٍ ع يَقُولُ‌ إِنَّ اللَّهَ فَضَّلَ الْإِيمَانَ عَلَى الْإِسْلَامِ بِدَرَجَةٍ كَمَا فَضَّلَ الْكَعْبَةَ عَلَى الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ.

“I heard abu Ja’far (a.s.) saying, ‘Allah has given superiority to belief over Islam by one degree just as He has given superiority to al-Ka’ba over the Sacred Mosque.’”

قَالَ لِي أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع‌ يَا أَبَا مُحَمَّدٍ الْإِسْلَامُ دَرَجَةٌ[1] قَالَ قُلْتُ نَعَمْ قَالَ وَ الْإِيمَانُ عَلَى الْإِسْلَامِ دَرَجَةٌ قَالَ قُلْتُ نَعَمْ قَالَ وَ التَّقْوَى عَلَى الْإِيمَانِ دَرَجَةٌ قَالَ قُلْتُ نَعَمْ قَالَ وَ الْيَقِينُ عَلَى التَّقْوَى دَرَجَةٌ قَالَ قُلْتُ نَعَمْ قَالَ فَمَا أُوتِيَ النَّاسُ أَقَلَّ مِنَ الْيَقِينِ وَ إِنَّمَا تَمَسَّكْتُمْ بِأَدْنَى الْإِسْلَامِ فَإِيَّاكُمْ أَنْ

“Once Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) said to me, ‘O abu Muhammad, Islam is a high status.’ I said, ‘Yes, indeed it is.’ The Imam said, ‘Belief is above Islam by one degree.’ I said, ‘Yes, it is.’ The Imam said, ‘Piety is above belief by one degree.’ I said, ‘Yes, it is.’ The Imam said, ‘Certainty is above piety by one degree.’ I

سَأَلْتُ أَبَا الْحَسَنِ الرِّضَا ع عَنِ الْإِيمَانِ وَ الْإِسْلَامِ فَقَالَ قَالَ أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ ع إِنَّمَا هُوَ[3] الْإِسْلَامُ وَ الْإِيمَانُ فَوْقَهُ بِدَرَجَةٍ وَ التَّقْوَى فَوْقَ الْإِيمَانِ بِدَرَجَةٍ وَ الْيَقِينُ فَوْقَ التَّقْوَى بِدَرَجَةٍ وَ لَمْ يُقْسَمْ بَيْنَ النَّاسِ شَيْ‌ءٌ أَقَلُّ مِنَ الْيَقِينِ قَالَ قُلْتُ فَأَيُّ شَيْ‌ءٍ الْيَقِينُ قَالَ التَّوَكُّلُ عَلَى اللَّهِ وَ التَّسْلِيمُ لِلَّهِ وَ الر

abu al-Hassan al-Rida (a.s.) about belief and Islam and he said, abu Ja’far (a.s.) has said the following: ‘There is Islam. Belief is one degree higher above Islam, and piety is one degree higher above belief. Certainty is by one degree higher above piety and nothing is distributed among people so little as certainty i

الْإِيمَانُ فَوْقَ الْإِسْلَامِ بِدَرَجَةٍ وَ التَّقْوَى فَوْقَ الْإِيمَانِ بِدَرَجَةٍ وَ الْيَقِينُ فَوْقَ التَّقْوَى بِدَرَجَةٍ وَ لَمْ يُقْسَمْ بَيْنَ الْعِبَادِ شَيْ‌ءٌ أَقَلُّ مِنَ الْيَقِينِ.

“Belief is one degree higher than Islam. Piety is one degree higher than belief. Certainty is one degree higher above piety. Nothing is distributed among people so little as certainty is.”