Iman vs. Islam: The Quran’s Distinction
“The Bedouins say: ‘We have believed.’ Say: ‘You have not [yet] believed; rather say: We have submitted (aslama), for faith has not yet entered your hearts. And if you obey Allah and His Messenger, He will not deprive you from your deeds of anything. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.’” (49:14)
This verse establishes a sharp distinction:
- Islam (aslama): outward submission — the act of pronouncing the shahada, performing the rites
- Iman: the inward conviction that has “entered the heart” — deeper, experiential, transformative
The Prophetic teaching: Gabriel’s definition of iman (from the famous Hadith of Jibril): “Iman is to believe in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, the Last Day, and to believe in qadar — its good and its evil.” — Muslim. Six objects of iman, all concerning the unseen (ghayb).
See also: Iman And Islam, Aqida Islamic Creed, Al Qadar, Five Pillars Of Islam
The Degrees of Iman
The Quran’s statements on iman increasing/decreasing:
- “And the believers increased in faith.” (33:22)
- “It is He who sent down tranquility into the hearts of the believers that they would increase in faith.” (48:4)
- “And which of you has it increased in faith?” (9:124) — A question that presupposes variation
The classical Sunni position (Ash’ari/Maturidi): Iman (as belief/conviction) is singular; what increases is the branches of iman, the quality of its expression, the fruits it produces. The Salafi/Hanbali position: iman itself increases by obedience and decreases by disobedience.
The Sufi levels: Different Sufi schools developed schemas of spiritual stations — maqamat — through which faith deepens. The general movement: from outward Islam, to genuine repentance (tawba), to reliance (tawakkul), to love (mahabbah), to absorption (fana’).
See also: Tawil Esoteric Interpretation, Tawba Repentance, Tasawwuf
The Ismaili Schema of Seven Degrees
The Ismaili tradition systematizes the degrees of iman into seven levels corresponding to the da’wa’s structure:
Level 1 — Al-Mu’alim (the Outer): Has heard the zahir; does not yet know the batin. Practices the five pillars but without inner understanding. This is aslama in the Quranic sense.
Level 2 — Al-Musta’jib (the Respondent): Has heard the da’i’s call; their heart has responded; they are moving toward initiation.
Level 3 — Al-Mu’min al-Mutlaq (the Unconditional Believer): Has taken the misaq; knows the zahir and the first levels of batin; is within the circle of walayah.
Level 4 — Al-Mukhlis (the Sincere): Has deepened their practice of walayah; sincerity has moved from action to disposition.
Level 5 — Al-Muqarrab (the Drawn Near): Is in proximity to the Da’i or Imam’s circle; receives more of the ta’wil.
Level 6 — Al-Siddiq (the Utterly Truthful): The station of Abu Bakr in Sunni tradition — but in Ismaili ta’wil, the siddiq is the one who has verified the Imam’s truth through their own spiritual experience.
Level 7 — Al-Mu’min al-Kamil (the Complete Believer): Has integrated zahir and batin into a seamless unity; lives walayah not as a duty but as their nature. This is the station from which one enters the da’wa’s hierarchy as a ma’dhun or mukasir.
See also: Imamah, Wali Al Asr, Bayah And Walayah, Misaq The Covenant, Understanding Walayah, Ismaili Philosophy
See also: Iman And Islam, Aqida Islamic Creed, Al Qadar, Five Pillars Of Islam, Tawil Esoteric Interpretation, Tawba Repentance, Tasawwuf, Imamah, Wali Al Asr, Bayah And Walayah, Misaq The Covenant, Understanding Walayah, Ismaili Philosophy