Muslim & Mumin

Asalaam O Alaikum,

Jazak Allah for your question my brother. This is what I have always understood from this verse.

Muslim is the one who submits his will to the Will of Allah i.e accepts Islam and Mumin is the one who has attained to Iman i.e. Faith. In order to become a Mumin one has to become a Muslim 1st. In order to understand the difference between Muslim and Mumin we need to understand Islam and Iman.

Islam (Submission to the will of God) and Iman (Faith) complement each other. As a sheikh once said that it's a circle within a circle. The circle of Iman lies within the circle of Islam. Therefore one has to enter the circle of Islam 1st in order to enter Iman.

It also holds the position of a heart within a body. The body symbolizes as Islam but the heart inside the body is symbolized as Iman. If there was no heart the body would be lifeless and life would be meaningless.

The Prophet (SallAllahu Alaihi Wassallam) said 'There is a piece of flesh inside the body which if it is good then the whole body is good, but if it is corrupt then the whole body will suffer. That piece is the Heart.'

The emotional attachment towards anything personal in ones life is dependent upon it being closer to ones Heart. The Iman begins to enter the heart once we decide to submit our will to the Will of Allah i.e. accept Islam and begin following His Guidance.

The circle of Islam is to give Shahadah i.e. testify that LA ilaha IL Allah Muhammadur Rasool Allah (There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is His Messenger). To pay Zakat (Charity), Pray 5 times salaah (prayers and worship), Fast in month of Ramadaan and perform Hajj and Umrah if one can. These are 5 pillars.

In order to taste the sweetness of Iman one has to accept the 5 pillars and follow them with sincerity. 

The following is a good example that can explain the difference between a Muslim and a Mumin.

A man came to the Prophet (sallAllahu alaihi wassallam) and chose to accept Islam on the condition that he should be allowed to pray only 2 prayers instead of compulsory daily 5, to which the Prophet allowed him. He took Shahada became a Muslim and left. Amazed the Companions inquired the reason for allowing him to shorten Salaah to which he (sallAllahu alaihi wassallam) replied that 'let him begin with 2, once he tastes the sweetness of Iman he will want to do 5'.

As in the above Verse of the Quran you shared, the background of this Verse is that some Bedouins, who had not become Muslims yet, came to the Prophet (SallAllahu Alaihi Wassallam) and  declared 'We have believed (brought faith)' to which the above Verse was revealed to correct them that they need to first humble themselves and make the intention of obeying the rules and regulations of Islam before Iman (Faith) begins to gradually enter their hearts.

The obedience is a condition for faith, as said in the above Verse   "....for belief has not yet entered into your hearts." If you obey God and His messenger, He will not put any of your works to waste......"

Rules and Regulations are given by God and His Messenger and so they needed to obey God and His Messenger first.

There is a tradition that may also shed light on this.

When asked the question 'What is Faith' the Prophet (SallAllahu Alaihi Wassallam) replied 'When your good deeds make you happy and your bad deeds make you sad, you have faith' and then he was asked 'What is Sin?' to which he replied "When anything pricks your conscience, avoid it.'

The ability to recognize good and bad implies a state of Iman. Therefore a man may accept Islam and become a Muslim but in order to become a Mumin he has to become a Muslim who wholeheartedly obeys God and His Messenger and practices Islam with sincerity.

One very important thing to mention here is that we Muslims cannot judge Iman, we can only see the effects of Islam of a Muslim and not their Iman, as Iman is something internal and hidden and the knowledge of Unseen only rests with God Al Mighty.

Assalaamu'alaikum,

I think what has been described by Syed Z is already complete.
To answer your second question is:
There are many Muslims but not necessarily all Mumin, their faith is nothing more than just lips service or simply written in the identity card etc.
But Mumin, it is definitely Muslim and execute the commands of Allah Subhanahu Wata'ala.

Wa'alaikum salaam,

OK Rayhan Sharif, I apologize for the error in the answer.

I guess that there is no other source than the Quran and shahih Hadiths.

Wassalamu'alaikum.

Salam,

Excuse me. Please tell me where in the quran, it is said that shahih Hadith is the other source of Islam beside Quran?

salam