Islām, Īmān, I . hsān
To understand the hierarchical structure of the Islamic
tradition better, we turn to the terms islām, īmān , and i .h sān ,
all of which are used in the text of the Quran and the .H adīth .
The fi rst means “surrender,” the second, “faith,” and the
third, “virtue” or “beauty.” All those who accept the Quranic
revelation and surrender themselves to God are muslim; that
is, they possess islām . Those who with intense faith in God
and the hereafter are often referred to in the Quran as
mu’min , that is, persons possessing faith, or īmān . Not every
muslim is mu’min , and to this day in the Islamic world this
distinction is kept clearly in mind. Those whom the Quran
calls mu .h sin are those who possess i .h sān , which, as mentioned
already, implies a high level of spiritual perfection,
the attainment of which allows human beings to live constantly
with the awareness of being in God’s presence; i .h sān is none other than that spiritual
teaching that has been preserved, transmitted, and promulgated
in Sufi sm.
A famous .h adīth known as the .h adīth of Gabriel gives a
defi nition of all these terms. The .h adīth , as transmitted by
‘Umar, is as follows:
One day when we were sitting with the Messenger of God
there came unto us a man whose clothes were of exceeding
whiteness and whose hair was of exceeding blackness;
nor were there any signs of travel upon him, although
none of us knew him. He sat down knee unto knee opposite
the Prophet, upon whose thighs he placed the palms
of his hands saying: “O Mu .h ammad, tell me what is the
surrender (islām).” The Messenger of God answered him
saying: “The surrender is to testify that there is no god but
God and that Mu .h ammad is God’s Messenger, to perform
the prayer, bestow the alms, fast Rama .d ān and make, if
thou canst, the pilgrimage to the Holy House.” He said:
“Thou hast spoken truly,” and we were amazed that, having
questioned him, he should corroborate him. Then he
said: “Tell me what is faith (īmān).” He answered: “To
believe in God and His Angels and His Books and His
Messengers and the Last Day, and to believe that no good
or evil cometh but by His Providence.” “Thou hast spoken
truly,” he said, and then: “Tell me what is excellence
(ih. sān).” H e answered: “To worship God as if thou sawest
Him, for if thou seest Him not, yet seeth He thee.” “Thou
hast spoken truly,” he said, and then: “Tell me of the
Hour.” He answered: “The questioned thereof knoweth
no better than the questioner.” He said: “Then tell me of
its signs.” He answered: “That the slave-girl shall give
birth to her mistress; and that those who were but barefoot
naked needy herdsmen shall build buildings ever higher
and higher.” Then the stranger went away, and I stayed a
while after he had gone; and the Prophet said to me: “O
‘Umar, knowest thou the questioner, who he was?” I said:
“God and His Messenger know best.” He said: “It was
Gabriel. He came unto you to teach you your religion .” 9
