—peace and blessings be upon him—to utter words and perform deeds outwardly, they did so both inwardly and outwardly, and were believers by virtue of them.
When, however, faith is mentioned alongside Islam, faith is in the heart, while Islam is outward, as reported in al-Musnad from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him:
“Islam is outward, and faith is in the heart. Faith is to believe in Allah, His angels, His Books, His messengers, and resurrection after death, and to believe in divine decree, both its good and its evil.”
Whenever a person attains this faith, it necessarily follows that he also attains Islam: the two testimonies of faith, prayer, zakah, fasting, and Hajj. His belief in Allah, His angels, His Books, and His messengers entails surrender and submission to Allah. It is impossible for acknowledgment, love, and submission to exist inwardly without being expressed outwardly when one is able to do so, just as firm resolve, coupled with the ability to act, cannot exist without the intended act taking place.
From this, you can understand that someone whose heart has firm faith cannot fail to utter the two testimonies when able to do so. Failure to utter them despite having the ability necessarily entails the absence of complete faith in the heart. This reveals the error of Jahm and his followers in claiming that mere faith, without outward faith, benefits a person in the Hereafter. This is impossible, for complete faith cannot exist in the heart without its necessary consequences appearing outwardly, according to one’s ability. It is impossible for someone to love another with firm love, be able to maintain ties with him, and yet make no outward move toward doing so.
Abū Tālib’s love for the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, was only because of his kinship with him, not for Allah’s sake; he only