Believers in the Quran

Believers in the Quran is an interesting topic. Believers are those who have truly believed in God and His apostle and do righteous deeds. As a matter of fact, believers can be distinguished from other Muslims in that they implement their faith by doing righteous deeds and refraining from sins. There is a surah in the Quran named Mu’minūn, meaning believers. In this article on Islam4u, we will take a look at:

Who Really Are Believers?

Those who have accepted Islam with their tongues are different from the mu’minūn (مؤمنون) or believers. A person may accept Islam by expressing his belief in Islam, yet not be a true believer, simply because he or she does not act upon his or her belief. On the other hand, a believer has certain qualities that distinguishes him from other Muslims. God says in the Quran:

إِنَّمَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ الَّذِينَ إِذَا ذُكِرَ اللَّـهُ وَجِلَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَإِذَا تُلِيَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتُهُ زَادَتْهُمْ إِيمَانًا وَعَلَىٰ رَبِّهِمْ يَتَوَكَّلُونَ ﴿2﴾

The faithful are only those whose hearts tremble [with awe] when Allah is mentioned, and when His signs are recited to them, they increase their faith, and who put their trust in their Lord,

الَّذِينَ يُقِيمُونَ الصَّلَاةَ وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَاهُمْ يُنفِقُونَ ﴿3﴾

maintain the prayer and spend out of what We have provided them.

أُولَـٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ حَقًّا ۚ لَّهُمْ دَرَجَاتٌ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ وَمَغْفِرَةٌ وَرِزْقٌ كَرِيمٌ ﴿4﴾

It is they who are truly the faithful. They shall have ranks near their Lord, forgiveness and a noble provision. ¹

These four verses are the best description of a believer. They have the following five qualities:

1. Their hearts tremble with fear when they remember God.
2. Their faith increases when the verses of the Quran are recited to them.
3. They put all their trust in God.
4. They maintain salat or the prayer.
5. They give some of their money as charity to the needy for the sake of God.

If a believer has all of these qualities, and most importantly has the wilayah (ولاية) of the prophets and their successors in his heart, he is truly a believer. ² If he has some but not all of the aforementioned qualities, according to the Quran he is not a complete believer.

Believers in the Quran: Qualities of Believers in Surah Mu’minūn

In surah Mu’minūn, God enumerates some other qualities of believers that separates them from disbelievers and those who are not true believers. The Quran at the beginning of this chapter states:

So believers have the following six qualities:

1. They are humble in their prayers.
2. Avoid vain talk.
3. Pay their zakat (poor due).
4. Guard their private parts (except from their spouses)
5. Keep their trusts and covenants.
6. Are watchful of their prayers.

Believers in the Quran: The Reward of Believers

God will reward the believers with paradise. God says in the Quran:

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ إِنَّا لَا نُضِيعُ أَجْرَ مَنْ أَحْسَنَ عَمَلًا ﴿30﴾

As for those who have faith and do righteous deeds—indeed We do not waste the reward of those who are good in deeds.

أُولَـٰئِكَ لَهُمْ جَنَّاتُ عَدْنٍ تَجْرِي مِن تَحْتِهِمُ الْأَنْهَارُ يُحَلَّوْنَ فِيهَا مِنْ أَسَاوِرَ مِن ذَهَبٍ وَيَلْبَسُونَ ثِيَابًا خُضْرًا مِّن سُندُسٍ وَإِسْتَبْرَقٍ مُّتَّكِئِينَ فِيهَا عَلَى الْأَرَائِكِ ۚ نِعْمَ الثَّوَابُ وَحَسُنَتْ مُرْتَفَقًا ﴿31﴾

For such there will be the gardens of Eden with streams running in them. They will be adorned therein with bracelets of gold and wear green garments of silk and brocade, reclining therein on couches. How excellent a reward, and how good a resting place! ⁴

God in another verse of the Quran states:

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ كَانَتْ لَهُمْ جَنَّاتُ الْفِرْدَوْسِ نُزُلً ﴿107﴾

As for those who have faith and do righteous deeds, they shall have the gardens of Firdaws [paradise] for abode,

خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا لَا يَبْغُونَ عَنْهَا حِوَلً ﴿108﴾

to remain in them [forever]; they will not seek to leave it for another place. ⁵

Paradise is the ultimate reward for believers in which they will remain forever. This is because they were righteous individuals who believed in God, His apostle, His book, angels, prophets, Imams, the Day of Judgment, and carried out God’s commands and did not listen to the temptations of Satan.

Believers in the Quran: The Resting Place of Faith Is the Heart

God makes a distinction between having faith and becoming a believer and being a Muslim who has simply submitted himself to God. The Quran says:

قَالَتِ الْأَعْرَابُ آمَنَّا ۖ قُل لَّمْ تُؤْمِنُوا وَلَـٰكِن قُولُوا أَسْلَمْنَا وَلَمَّا يَدْخُلِ الْإِيمَانُ فِي قُلُوبِكُمْ ۖ وَإِن تُطِيعُوا اللَّـهَ وَرَسُولَهُ لَا يَلِتْكُم مِّنْ أَعْمَالِكُمْ شَيْئًا ۚ إِنَّ اللَّـهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ ﴿14﴾

The Bedouins say, ‘We have faith.’ Say, ‘You do not have faith yet; rather, say, ‘‘We have embraced Islam,’’ for faith has not yet entered into your hearts. Yet if you obey Allah and His Apostle, He will not stint anything of [the reward of] your works. Indeed Allah is all-forgiving, all-merciful.’ ⁶

So for a person to become a true believer, faith must enter his heart, soul, and mind, such that he sees nothing but God. In the next verse, God gives a description of the believers:

إِنَّمَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا بِاللَّـهِ وَرَسُولِهِ ثُمَّ لَمْ يَرْتَابُوا وَجَاهَدُوا بِأَمْوَالِهِمْ وَأَنفُسِهِمْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّـهِ ۚ أُولَـٰئِكَ هُمُ الصَّادِقُونَ ﴿15﴾

The faithful are only those who have attained faith in Allah and His Apostle and then have never doubted, and who wage jihad with their possessions and their persons in the way of Allah. It is they who are the truthful. ⁷

Then God censures those who had gone to the Prophet and saw it as a favor to him that they had professed faith in Islam. God says to the Prophet:

يَمُنُّونَ عَلَيْكَ أَنْ أَسْلَمُوا ۖ قُل لَّا تَمُنُّوا عَلَيَّ إِسْلَامَكُم ۖ بَلِ اللَّـهُ يَمُنُّ عَلَيْكُمْ أَنْ هَدَاكُمْ لِلْإِيمَانِ إِن كُنتُمْ صَادِقِينَ ﴿17﴾

They count it as a favour to you that they have embraced Islam. Say, ‘Do not count your embracing of Islam as a favour to me. No, it is Allah who has done you a favour in that He has guided you to faith, if you are truthful [in your claim]. ⁸

Indeed, if it were not for God and His prophet, we would not be able to become believers. Therefore, we should count it as a favor that God has bestowed on us that we are faithful believers.