The Finest Branch of Fiqh, and a Definition of Imān and Its Pillars

Abū Ḥanīfah (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “Fiqh (deep understanding) in matters of religion is superior to fiqh in legal rulings, for if a man learns how to worship his Lord, that is better for him than amassing a great deal of knowledge.”

Abū Muṭīʿ said, “So tell me, what is the finest form of fiqh?”

Abū Ḥanīfah replied, “That a man learn belief in Allah Most High, the divinely ordained laws (sharāʾiʿ), the prophetic practices (sunan), the prescribed penalties (ḥudūd), and the points on which the ummah differs as well as those upon which it agrees.”

I then said, “Inform me about imān.” He answered, “Ibn Murthad related to me from Yaḥyā ibn Yaʿmar, who said: I asked Ibn ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with him), ‘Tell me about the religion—what is it?’ He said, ‘Commit yourself to imān, and learn it.’

I said, ‘Then inform me about imān—what is it?’ He took my hand, led me to an elderly man, seated me beside him, and said, ‘This man is asking about imān—what exactly is it?’”}