Ma`rifat

Abstract This passage is a part of an ethics lesson presented by Allameh Misbah Yazdi about Islam and faith, exposition and interpretation and their differences. Since faith plays a prominent role in achieving human perfection, man’s real perfection is faith. In fact, faith is a necessary condition for attaining human perfection and happiness. Although some people believe that faith and Islam are equal and every Muslim is also a believer, it should be noted that Islam is declared by simply saying, Lā ilāha illā llāh, Muhammadun rasūl Allāh (there is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah). However, faith is not like that. A believer is a person who acts according to what Islam has stated. Furthermore, he/she must not commit any major sins. The word Iman (faith) is derived from the root words "Amn" and "Amniyat" meaning trust and confidence. Therefore, it can be argued that Islam is of two types: 1. The superficial Islam declared by saying the shahada (the Muslim profession of faith); 2. The true Islam that means truly believing in and confirming what God has revealed and stated, in order to provide the basis for enjoying eternal happiness.