Aban ibn Abi Ayyash narrates from Sulaym ibn Qays: “I heard Hadhrat Ali (AS) saying, when a person asked him a question concerning Iman (Faith). The person said: “O Amirul Mumineen, please tell me about Iman. After you and except you, I will not ask this question.”
Hadhrat Ali (AS) said: “A person came to the Holy Prophet (SAW) and asked a similar question to him like the one you have asked me. He said a similar thing to yours.” Then he (Ali AS) started telling and then told him “Sit down”. the person said: “I have accepted Iman.”
Hadhrat Ali (AS) turned to him and said: “Don’t you know that Archangel Jibra’eel came to the Holy Prophet (SAW) in the form of a human being and asked him what Islam is. The Holy Prophet (SAW) replied: “To bear witness that there is no god except Allah and Muhammad is His Prophet, to pray (salat), give alms (zakat), visit the House (hajj), to fast during the month of Ramadhan, and to have ritual bath after sexual intercourse.” The he asked (Angel) asked: “what is Iman?” The Holy Prophet (SAW) replied: “To believe in Allah, His Angels, His Book, His Prophets, Life after death, Qadr (fate) whether it be bad or good, sweet or sour.”
When the human being got up, the Holy Prophet (SAW) said: “This is Archangel Jibra’eel who came to show you your Deen.” So when the Holy Prophet (SAW) said anything, Archangel Jibra’eel said: “You said truth.” the Archangel asked when the day of judgment would be. He (SAW) said: “The one who has been asked does not know more than the one who has asked.” Then Jibra’eel said: “You said truth.”
After telling the conversation of Jibra’eel, Ali (AS) said: “Be aware, Iman has four pillars – Yaqin, Sabr, Adl, Jihad (belief with surety, patience, justice and fight in the way of Allah).
There are four branches of Yaqin: Eagerness, fear, not too much love for this world and hope.
So he who is keen to go to Paradise will separate himself from desires of one’s self, and he who fears Hell will stay away from forbidden acts. One who does not love this world too much will have troubles made easy, and one who hopes for death will be quick in doing good.
Sabr has four branches: to think intelligently, to understand the meaning of wisdom, to learn a lesson with knowledge and tradition of those from the beginning. So whoever thinks intelligently, his wisdom will be visible. Whose wisdom is visible,, he will understand lesson, who understands lesson will understand the meaning of wisdom. He who understands the meaning of wisdom, lesson will come in front of him, and he, in front of whom is lesson, is like he will be from beginning.
Adl also has four branches: understanding in depth, in depth knowledge, flowers of command and garden of patience.
One who has in depth understanding will be able to expand on it. He who acquires knowledge will see laws of wisdom in front of him. He who acquires the garden of patience will not exceed in his work unnecessarily, and will live his life in a manner that people will praise him.
Jihad also has four branches: to command good and forbid evil, to act with honesty I all matters, to be angry for the pleasure of Allah and to bear enmity towards evil doers.
One who commands good will strengthen the back of a believer, and who forbids against evil will humiliate the evil doer. The one who is honest in all matters will fulfill his obligations. Who bears enmity towards evil doers and gets angry for the pleasure of Allah, Allah will be angry for him.
This is faith, and it’s pillars and it’s branches.”
Sulaym continues: I asked: “O Amirul Mumineen, briefly what is it that makes a person a believer, a’theist, and deviated?” He (AS) replied: “Now that you have asked, then listen. Briefly, a person is a believer when, when Allah gives him knowledge about HIM, he accepts his (Master) and (Oneness), and when Allah gives him knowledge about His Prophets, he accepts Nubuwah, and accepts that the Prophet is a deliverer of Allah’s command, when He gives him knowledge about His Hujjat (Imam), who is on His Earth and His witness who is over His creation, then he accepts to obey him (Imam).”
I asked: “O Amirul Mumineen, will a person become a believer if, except what you have mentioned, he does not know anything else?”
He replied: “Yes. When he is commanded he obeys and when he is stopped, he stops.” He (as) continued: “Briefly what makes a person an atheist is when he makes something as his deen and thinks that Allah has commanded about it, when Allah has forbidden it. He then makes that as his deen and then chooses enmity and chooses friendship, and thinks he is worshipping Allah with His commands.
And briefly what deviates a person is when he does not recognize who is the Hujjat of Allah on His Earth and does not know the one whom Allah has made witness on His creation, commanded his obedience, and made compulsory his Wilayat.”
Sulaym said: “O Amirul Mumineen, please tell me their names.” He said: “These are those people whom Allah has made close to Him and His Prophets and He says: Obey Allah and obey the Apostle and those in authority from among you (Surah Nisa: 59)
Sulaym said: “Inform me in detail about them.” Ali (AS) said: “There are those people for whom the Holy Prophet (SAW) in his last sermon, after which he passed away said: “I leave two things for you – until you are with them you will not deviate – Allah’s Book and my Ahlulbayt. Because Allah the Great, the Subtle, has promised me that these two will not separate from each other until they come to me like this (showing his one forefinger touching the other forefinger) to the Heavenly Fountain of Kawthar, because in this (showing two fingers of the same hand) one is shorter than the other. You hold these two and you will not deviate, and do not go ahead of them otherwise you will be destroyed. Do not stay behind them, otherwise you will separate. And do not teach them because they know more than you.”
Sulaym said: “O Amirul Mumineen, please give his name.”
Ali (AS) said: “He is the same person whom the Holy Prophet (SAW) appointed in Gadhir Khum and showed him to everyone and told them that he has authority over every soul, then commanded that those who are present pass the message to those not present.”
Sulaym said: “Is that you, O Amirul Mumineen?”
He (AS) said: “I am the first of them and the best of them. Then my son Hasan is after me, who has authority over believers, then my son Husayn, who is after him, who has authority over believers. Then there are all Awsiya of the Holy Prophet (SAW) at the Fountain, one by one.”
At that time that person stood next to Ali (AS) and kissed his forehead and then said: “You have made it clear and solved my problem and whatever I had in my heart you have cleared it.”