the Musnad, where the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, is reported to have said:

“Islam is outwardly manifest, while faith is in the heart.”

He also said in an authentic hadith:

“Indeed, there is a piece of flesh in the body: if it is sound, the rest of the body is sound; and if it is corrupt, the rest of the body is corrupt. It is the heart.”

Thus, when faith is present in the heart, the heart is sound, and the rest of the body must therefore be sound. This soundness is the fruit of what is in the heart. Hence some have said, “Deeds are the fruit of faith.” Since the soundness of the body necessarily follows from the soundness of the heart, it is included in the term “faith,” as the Quran and Sunnah state in numerous places.

In sum, the eminent figures accused of irjā’, such as Talq ibn Habīb, Ibrāhīm al-Taymī, and others like them, held the form of irjā’ just described. They also did not qualify their profession of faith, saying, “Faith is the faith present within us, and we know with certainty that we believe.” They regarded such qualification as doubt. By contrast, ‘Abd Allah ibn Mas‘ūd and his companions would qualify their profession of faith. A report relates that he abandoned this practice after some of Mu‘ādh’s companions said to him what they said. Ahmad, however, rejected this and judged the report weak.

People came to hold three positions regarding qualifying one’s profession of faith. One holds that such qualification is obligatory, and that whoever does not qualify it is an innovator. Another holds that such qualification is prohibited, since it implies doubt concerning faith.