He avoids (dangerous thoughts and) actions of this kind. This is the iman (faith) that preserves observation (mushāhada) and the secret (sirr).
Islam is to use the nafs (the lower self) in acts of goodness on the path of Allah, such as gratitude, uprightness, submitting rubūbiyya (divine lordship) to Him, avoiding the audacity to comprehend the secret, turning towards ʿubūdiyya (servitude), and persisting in deeds that bring one closer to Allah. For the rulings of Islam are only fulfilled through the nafs. Yet the nafs is blind to seeing and observing the truth. A person is not held responsible for comprehending ḥaqīqa (inner realities) that are beyond the scope of perception. Do you not see that the servant is commanded to have iman with the qalb (the heart), but is not held responsible for comprehending the modality (quality and quantity) of what he believes in? What is incumbent upon the servant is to obey the command and avoid innovations. For the nafs, mere submission is sufficient. (Bayān, 39)
Islam is a general term that encompasses iman with the qalb, verbal affirmation, and action with the limbs. (Bayān, 43)
Islam is to submit to the Truth (al-Ḥaqq) with both qalb and nafs, to turn towards the Truth, to remain upright with the Truth, and to avoid everything contrary to the Truth. (Bayān, 44)
Islam is a name that includes both the fundamentals and the branches (furūʿ) of the religion. Surely Allah completed this religion, with its branches and rulings, over more than twenty years. However, some rulings were abrogated (naskh) and replaced with new ones. But in matters of iman, maʿrifa (gnosis), and tawhid (the oneness of God), abrogation is not permissible, nor can any of these be altered. (Bayān, 61)
The boundaries of the light of iman end with tawakkul (reliance upon God) and tafwīḍ (entrusting affairs to Allah).
The boundaries of the light of Islam end with striving against the nafs and making deeds righteous. The people of Islam differ in rank; some are superior to others. (Bayān, 84)
Ihsan (spiritual excellence) is to worship Allah as if you see Him, for even if you do not see Him, He sees you. (Bukhari, Iman, 37; Muslim, Iman, 1) (Luma, 22)
Iman consists of four pillars: belief in qadar (divine decree), belief in qudra (divine power), turning away from all power and might that belongs to others (especially oppressors), and seeking help from Allah alone in all affairs. (Lumaʿ, 390)
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According to the majority of Sufis, iman is comprised of affirmation, action, and intention. (Taʿarruf, 51)
Some have said: The essence and root of iman is verbal affirmation of what is in the qalb, and its branches are the performance of obligatory acts. Others have said: Iman exists both outwardly and inwardly. The inward is a single thing, which is the qalb; the outward consists of various things. (Taʿarruf, 52)
The pillars of iman are four: boundless tawhid, unceasing dhikr (remembrance of God), a quality-less ḥāl (spiritual state), and timeless ecstasy (wajd). The meaning of a quality-less ḥāl is that the Sufi's attribute is his own state; none of the lofty states he describes is absent from him. The meaning of timeless ecstasy is to observe the Truth at every moment. (Taʿarruf, 54)
Abu'l-Qasim al-Baghdadi said: Iman is that which directs you to Allah and unites you with Allah. The Truth is one, and the muʾmin (believer) is aligned with unity. Whoever follows matter, his desires scatter him. Whoever is scattered by his desires and distanced from Allah, pursuing his shahawāt (passions) and desires, loses the Truth. Do you not see how Allah commands His servants to renew the covenant and contract of iman? (Taʿarruf, 54)
It is said that iman is of two kinds: outward and inward. Outward iman is to verbally affirm these five things: First, to accept that the universe has a wise, powerful, living, and unique Maker, the Creator of all beings, their director and manager, with no partner in this regard.
Second, to accept that Allah has angels whom He has chosen from among His creatures, assigned to serve and worship Him, made them guardians of the universe, appointed some over the creatures of the heavens and earth, and that they do what Allah commands and refrain from what He forbids.
Third, to accept that Allah has chosen some of the descendants of Adam, making the angels intermediaries between Himself and humans to convey commands, and that these chosen humans deliver the revelation and messages received from the angels to mankind.
Fourth, to accept that the prophets received the revelations and messages brought by the angels in various languages through inspiration and revelation.
Fifth, to accept with certainty that the qiyāma (Resurrection), the second rising, will occur, that all people will be resurrected and gathered, called to account, rewarded for their good deeds, and punished for their evil and reprehensible acts... Inward iman is for the qalb to confirm what the tongue has affirmed and declared. This is the reality of iman. (Ikhwān, II, 67)
Iman is word, confirmation, and action. Yet another group says: Iman is word and confirmation. (Hujwiri, 340)
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Iman has a root and a branch: its root is confirmation with the qalb, its branch is adherence to the command. Among the Arabs, it is customary to metaphorically call the branch of a thing its root. In all languages, the sun's light is called 'sun.' In this sense, a group has called obedience 'iman,' for the servant can only be safe from punishment through obedience. Mere confirmation without fulfilling the commands is not sufficient for safety from punishment. (Hujwiri, 340-341)
In reality, iman is an act dependent on Allah's hudā (guidance), accomplished by the servant through Allah's tawfiq (divine enabling). As Allah has said: 'So whoever Allah wants to guide—He expands his breast to [accept] Islam; and whoever He wants to misguide—He makes his breast tight and constricted as though he were climbing into the sky.' (al-Anʿām 6:125) (Hujwiri, 342)
Iman has three levels. The first is the iman of the common people, which consists solely of taqlid (imitation). The second is the iman of the theologians, in which proofs are involved; their rank is close to that of the common people. The third is the iman of the gnostics (ʿārifūn), who observe with the light of certainty (yaqīn). (Iḥyāʾ, III, 18-19)
Iman consists of two parts: one is sabr (patient endurance), the other is shukr (gratitude). (Iḥyāʾ, IV, 75)
Iman is confirmation. Every confirmation is with the qalb, which is knowledge. When this knowledge is strengthened, it is called yaqīn (certainty). However, there are many types of yaqīn. We only address the type upon which we build tawhid and tawakkul. The statement expressing this is: 'Lā ilāha illā Allāh, waḥdahu lā sharīka lah' (There is no god but Allah alone, without partner). Another is belief in qadar, expressed by 'lahu'l-mulk' (to Him belongs the dominion).
Belief in generosity and ḥikma (wisdom) is expressed by 'wa lahu'l-ḥamd' (and to Him belongs all praise). Whoever says, 'lahu'l-mulku wa lahu'l-ḥamdu wa huwa ʿalā kulli shayʾin qadīr' (To Him belongs the dominion and to Him belongs all praise, and He is over all things competent), his iman, which is the foundation of tawakkul, is complete. By this, I mean that the meaning of this statement becomes an inseparable attribute of his qalb and dominates it.
As for tawhid, this is the foundation, and much can be said about it, for it is related to the science of unveiling (mukāshafa). Yet some sciences of unveiling pertain to actions through states (aḥwāl). The science of transactions (muʿāmala) is only complete with it. (Iḥyāʾ, IV, 302-303)
Iman bi'l-nubuwwa (belief in prophethood) is affirmation of a stance beyond reason. There, an eye is opened by which one understands things the intellect cannot grasp, sees colors the eye cannot see, hears sounds the ear cannot hear, and perceives what all the senses cannot. If this is considered impossible, we have provided proofs for its possibility and even its existence. If its possibility is accepted, then it is established that there are certain acts called tawassut, which the intellect cannot approach and even denies, judging them to be muḥāl (impossible). (Munqidh, 161)
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According to us, iman is verbal affirmation, knowledge with the qalb, and fulfillment with the limbs. Iman increases with obedience, decreases with disobedience, is strengthened by knowledge, and weakened by ignorance. It only occurs with tawfiq (divine enabling). (Ghuniyya, I, 62)
Iman is verbal affirmation and action. Disobedience and opposition to the Truth will not benefit your iman. (Fathī, 10)
The lowest degree of the maqām (spiritual station) of ihsan is to worship Allah as if you see Him. Allah created the perfect human (al-insān al-kāmil) with a creation that unites the names First and Last (al-Awwal wa'l-Ākhir), existing in two forms (spirit and body). He gave him two rulings, outward and inward, so that he may know everything, and created him from the lowest of the low, from the earth, just as nothing is above Allah and nothing is beyond Him. He placed man in the most honorable abode, which is the point where the main pole of the tent stands. He made the Throne, which encompasses all things, the seat of the merciful sovereignty, to indicate the divine connection between the Throne, the earth, and the other levels of the universe. (Futūḥāt, III, 242)
Whoever possesses three things has gathered iman within himself: giving the nafs its due, greeting everyone with peace, and giving charity in hardship. (Būstān, 34)
To have iman in the Prophet means to believe in the following: that he is an intermediary between Allah and His servants in conveying commands and prohibitions, rewards and punishments, and what is lawful and unlawful; that what Allah and His Messenger have made lawful is lawful, and what they have made unlawful is unlawful; and that in religion, what Allah and His Messenger have legislated...