Ibn Mas‘ūd concerning qualification in faith, because faith consists of words and deeds, and deeds mean action. We have made the verbal profession, but we fear that we may have fallen short in our deeds. I therefore prefer that one qualify one’s profession of faith by saying, ‘I am a believer, if Allah wills.’”

He said: I also heard Abū ‘Abd Allāh being asked about the Prophet’s words, may Allah bless him and grant him peace:

“And we shall, if Allah wills, join you.”

“What does the qualification refer to here?”

He replied, “To the places of burial. He does not know whether he will be buried in the place whose occupants he greeted or elsewhere.”

[It is also related from al-Maymūnī that he asked Abū ‘Abd Allāh about his position and opinion concerning the statement, “A believer, if Allah wills.” He replied, “I say, ‘A believer, if Allah wills,’ and, ‘A believer, I hope,’ because one does not know whether one’s deeds have discharged one’s obligations as required.”] (*)

Statements like these occur frequently in the words of Ahmad and others like him. This accords with what has already been explained: a believer in the unqualified sense is someone who fulfils his obligations and deserves Paradise if he dies in that state. Someone who falls short by neglecting what is commanded or doing what is forbidden is not called a believer without qualification. A believer in the unqualified sense is a righteous, Allah-fearing person, a close friend of Allah. Thus, saying, “I am certainly a believer,” is like saying, “I am certainly righteous, Allah-fearing, and a close friend of Allah.”

Nevertheless, Ahmad and other early scholars disliked a man asking another, “Are you a believer?” They also disliked answering this question, because it was an innovation introduced by the Murji’ah to support their position. A man knows that he is not a disbeliever; indeed, he finds that his heart affirms what the Messenger brought, so he says, “I am a believer.” This is then used to establish that faith is assent: you are certain that you are a believer, yet you are not certain that you have done everything you were commanded to do. Thus, when the early scholars learned