Selected Quotations

Islam and Faith (Iman)

People today lack the capability to meticulously distinguish between Islam and Faith (Iman). They tend to believe that Faith (Iman) ranks superior to Islam. They are plunged into this misapprehension due to their inability to comprehend the rule of time, as the time when this believe held valid had already lapsed. A new time has emerged in which understanding of religion has progressed from the level of faith to the level of Islam. This matter can be explained as follows:
Islam is an ideology in which the ascender ascends upwards on a ladder of seven steps as follows: firstly Islam, secondly Faith (Iman), thirdly Excellence (Ihsan), fourthly the Science of Certitude (Ilm–ul–Yaqeen), fifthly the Science of Definite Certitude (Ilm Ain–ul–Yaqeen), sixthly the Science of True Certitude (Ilm Haq–ul–Yaqeen), seventhly Islam once again. In the last step, Islam differs quantitatively from the first step. In the first step it is only the outward surrender, whilst in the last step it is both the outward and inward surrender. In the first step it is a saying by tongue and a deed by limbs, but in the last step it is the covert and overt surrender, submission and reconciliation to Allah. In the first step it is inferior to Faith (Iman), whilst in the last step it is superior to Faith (Iman). The scholars whom we know are unable to discern this distinction.

Mahmoud Muhammad Taha
The Second Message of Islam
Translated by Saad Abunoura