made obligatory on the night of the Ascension. Many hadiths do not mention Hajj because it did not become obligatory until the ninth or tenth year, according to the more correct of the two views. When Allah sent Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, anyone who followed him and believed in what he brought was a believer and a Muslim; if he died, he would be among the people of Paradise. Thereafter, “faith and Islam” increased until Allah Most High said:
“Today I have perfected your religion for you.”
The same applies to faith: the detailed faith mentioned in the hadith of Gabriel was not commanded at the outset, when Allah revealed Sūrat al-ʿAlaq and Sūrat al-Muddaththir. Rather, this came in the Medinan surahs, such as al-Baqarah and al-Nisāʾ. Accordingly, it does not follow that this detailed faith was obligatory for those who came before us.
Thus, a man may be a Muslim who worships Allah alone, associating nothing with Him, possesses the faith made obligatory upon him, and is among the people of Paradise, yet does not possess the faith mentioned in the hadith of Gabriel. Of such a person, however, it is said that he possesses the faith and Islam he was commanded to have.
A man may also be a Muslim who worships Allah as commanded, worships no one else, fears Him and hopes in Him, yet the following have not penetrated his heart: that Allah and His Messenger should be dearer to him than anything else; that Allah, His Messenger, and striving in His cause should be dearer to him than all his family and wealth; that he should love for his brother what he loves for himself; that he should fear Allah and no one else; and that he should rely upon Allah alone. All these are aspects of obligatory faith, but they are not necessarily entailed by Islam. Islam is submission, which includes humbling oneself before Allah alone, obeying Him, and worshipping Him alone. This may include fearing Him and hoping in Him.
As for the heart’s tranquility in loving Him alone, in His being dearer to a person than anything besides the two of them, in relying upon Him alone, and in loving for one’s believing brother what one loves