as Allah Almighty has said: ﴿وَمَنْ أَحْسَنُ دِينًا مِمَّنْ أَسْلَمَ وَجْهَهُ لِلَّهِ وَهُوَ مُحْسِنٌ﴾[1]; “And who is better in religion than one who submits his whole self to Allah while being a doer of good?!” and: ﴿بَلَى مَنْ أَسْلَمَ وَجْهَهُ لِلَّهِ وَهُوَ مُحْسِنٌ فَلَهُ أَجْرُهُ عِنْدَ رَبِّهِ وَلَا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ﴾[2]; “Yes, whoever submits his whole self to Allah while being a doer of good—his reward is with his Lord, and there is no fear upon them, nor do they grieve.”

[Faith as a Matter of Practice]

This is a state technically referred to as “faith,” and it may exist in a Muslim and not in another; as Allah Almighty has said by way of example: ﴿قَالَتِ الْأَعْرَابُ آمَنَّا ۖ قُلْ لَمْ تُؤْمِنُوا وَلَكِنْ قُولُوا أَسْلَمْنَا وَلَمَّا يَدْخُلِ الْإِيمَانُ فِي قُلُوبِكُمْ﴾[3]; “The Bedouins said: ‘We believed.’ Say: ‘You did not believe, but say: “We embraced Islam,” for faith has not yet entered your hearts.’” Yes, a more precise statement is: Islam—meaning submission to the will of Allah—has varying stages, beginning with affirming and accepting it in theory, and extending to practicing it purely and perfectly, and it is considered Islam at all of its stages; however, it is called only Islam at its theoretical stage, and faith—in addition to Islam—at its practical stage; as Allah Almighty has said: ﴿يَمُنُّونَ عَلَيْكَ أَنْ أَسْلَمُوا ۖ قُلْ لَا تَمُنُّوا عَلَيَّ إِسْلَامَكُمْ ۖ بَلِ اللَّهُ يَمُنُّ عَلَيْكُمْ أَنْ هَدَاكُمْ لِلْإِيمَانِ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ صَادِقِينَ﴾[4]; “They consider it a favor to you that they embraced Islam. Say: ‘Do not consider your Islam a favor to me; rather, Allah bestows a favor upon you that He guided you to faith, if you are truthful.’” Therefore, it is clear that faith increases and decreases; as Allah Almighty has said: ﴿إِنَّمَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ الَّذِينَ إِذَا ذُكِرَ اللَّهُ وَجِلَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَإِذَا تُلِيَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتُهُ زَادَتْهُمْ إِيمَانًا وَعَلَى رَبِّهِمْ يَتَوَكَّلُونَ﴾[5]; “The believers are only those whose hearts tremble when Allah is mentioned, whose faith increases when His verses are recited to them, and who place their trust in their Lord,” and: ﴿هُوَ الَّذِي أَنْزَلَ السَّكِينَةَ فِي قُلُوبِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ لِيَزْدَادُوا إِيمَانًا مَعَ إِيمَانِهِمْ﴾[6]; “He is the One who sent down tranquility into the hearts of the believers so that they may add faith to their faith.”