strength and weakness, nor in terms of remembrance and heedlessness. All these matters are included in faith in Allah and in what He sent His Messenger with. How could faith in Allah, His names, and His attributes be identical in all hearts? Or how could believing that He knows all things, has power over all things, and is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful, Almighty, All-Wise, and severe in punishment not be part of faith in Him? No Muslim could say that believing these things is not part of faith in Him, nor claim that people are equal in this respect.
As for his statement that Islam decreases just as faith decreases, this too is true, as the authentic hadiths indicate. Whoever falls short in any aspect of prayer, zakat, fasting, or Hajj has diminished his Islam accordingly.
Whoever says that Islam consists only of the declaration of faith, intending thereby that it neither increases nor decreases, is mistaken. The refutation offered by those who regard Islam and faith as identical is directed only at these people, for their view of Islam resembles the Murji’ah’s view of faith. Thus, people have adopted “three views” concerning faith and Islam:
The Murji’ah say that Islam is superior because it includes faith.
Others say that faith and Islam are identical. These include the Muʿtazilah, the Khawārij, and a group among the adherents of hadith and the Sunnah. Muhammad ibn Nasr attributed this view to the majority of the latter, but that is not the case.
The third view is that faith is more complete and superior. This is what the Book and the Sunnah indicate in numerous places, and it is what has been transmitted from the Companions and the Successors who followed them in righteousness.