shahadah )...

shahadah ), belief in the Last Day, performing obligatory prayers, observance of fasting, performance of the ritual pilgrimage (to the Holy House of Allah in Mecca), and payment of the poor-rate ( zakat )—all stand as the first step of Islamic doctrine. By declaring and performing such, one’s blood is protected from being shed, property and honor maintained, and the general Islamic social laws applied.

From an ethical aspect, however, all these differ in reality from the actual commitment to Islam and that which stems from such commitment. As for faith (i.e. iman), it represents a high rank of firm belief in the doctrine and also steadfastness in whatever it requires and whatever results from it. The following…