The Aqeedah is the fundamental belief that the human being holds regarding mankind, life, and the universe around him. It serves as the foundation for his thoughts about this life and the basis for his actions. It is the basis for building the personality of the human being. As a result, any matter related to the Aqeedah is of utmost importance.

Aspects of Islam

It is well known and accepted by all Muslims that the basic sources of Islam are the Qur'an and Sunnah. A detailed study of these texts reveals two main aspects of Islam:

1) Informative Text: Issues related to the Aqeedah or Iman, such as believing in the Day of Judgement, the existence of angels, the finality of the prophethood of Muhammad (saaw), etc.

2) Legislative Text :Issues related to actions (Amaal), such as prayer, fasting, jihad, marriage, etc.
 

Informative Text

The distinction between these two aspects is very apparent when one surveys the ayat of the Qur'an as well as the Ahadeeth. As an example, Allah (swt) imformed us of the miraculous birth of Isa (alaihi salam), about his speaking while still in the crib,and other miracles that were bestowed upon him. The verses expounding these ideas do not carry any order for action. However, believing in these ayat is obligatory. These ayat establish some basic concepts in our Iman, such as the fact that Isa (alihi salam) was a messenger from Allah (swt), that he was supported by miracles, and that his people rejected him. Similarly, Allah (swt) told us about the people of the cave in Surah Al Kahf, about the struggle of Ibrahim (alaihi salam) with his tribe, and about the creation of Adam (alaihi salam),many other hadeeths describing the miracles bestowed upon Prophet Mohamed (saw). All of these are issues related to the Iman exclusively and they do contain any order to carry out an action (amaal). But Anyone who does not believe in these ideas is considered to be Kafir

Belief in the definite text

Another example of this is the Prophet's (saw) ''Night Journey'' (Isra) from Makkah to Jerusalem, God says: ''Limitless in His glory is He who transported His servant by night from the Inviolable House of worship (at Makkah) to the Remote House of Worship (at Jerusalem) - the environs of which We had blessed.'' [al-Isra 17:1]

That the Prophet (peace be upon him) made the Night Journey is definite (qati); but whether he made this journey in body and soul, or just by soul (bi-ruh) is speculative (zann).It is required for us to know how he he(saw) made the journey because it is not mentioned in a definite text and those who indulge in discussing them end up in uncertainty and unnecessary confusion and complexity without reaching any assurance of a truth or contentment of the heart. The tenets of our faith are established by a definitive evidence and definitive meaning. The Night Journey is proven by a definite text, i.e., the Quran, and definite meaning, but the manner of the Prophet's (saw) journey is speculative and does not form an article of faith.

Legislative Texts

In contrast, there are other texts that are related to the actions. As an example, Allah (swt) says,


''And establish the prayer and give the Zakat''[Al-Baqarah 2:110],

and

''Do not come near Zina (adultery or fornication)''
[ Al-Isra' 17:32],

and

''Judge between them by that which Allah has sent down'' [ Al-Ma'idah 5:48]

All of these ayat pertain to actions which Allah (swt) either obliged or forbade us to perform. They do not carry issues related to the Aqeedah, though denying them or the rule in them is considered kufr because it amounts to a denial of the Qur'an. However, not complying with the rules does not take one out of Islam. Rather, it makes one a sinner who could be punished or forgiven by Allah (swt). Thus, there is a clear distinction, even in the text, between the issues of 'Aqeedah and the issues related to our action (amaal). This is not a hypothetical distinction, for it has great practical relevance. As demonstrated earlier, the rules related to the Aqeedah are clearly different from those related to the amaal. Denying any issue of the Aqeedah leads one to be an apostate, who is executed by the State if he or she does not repent. However, if one repents, then there is penalty. On the other hand, if one either leaves the obligations or commits the haram, he is not necessarily executed, Rather, he is given the punishment appropriate for the crime, i.e. 100 lashes for fornication, 80 lashes for false witnessing against a woman's honor, or imprisonment, etc. In addition, repentance in the issues of amaal does not prevent the legal punishment in this life from being applied. Even in the cases where some crimes are punishable by death, the person is considered to have died a Muslim, as opposed to the apostate, who is considered a Kafir.

This distinction is also important on the Day of Judgement. On the Day of Judgment, Allah (swt) will not look to the deeds of anyone who does not have the Islamic Aqeedah. Their deeds will be like a mirage, as Allah (swt) described in Surah Nur. This is applicable only to those people who are not Muslims or did not believe in any of the issues of Aqeedah. However, those who were Muslim but committed sins, they may or may not be punished by Allah (swt) for the sins they committed, however, they will eventually enter Al Jannah.

Consequently, it should be clear that Islam consists of two distinct, yet related, aspects, the Aqeedah and the Amaal (actions). They are distinct in that they carry different weight in this life and on the Day of Judgement. They are related by virtue of the fact that the amaal must be based on the Aqeedah. Abstaining from pork because it is not healthy carries no weight on the Day of Judgement, but not eating pork because Allah (swt) forbade it does. In addition, the amaal serve as a witness to whether or not we truly believe in the Islamic Aqeedah. As an example, if one claimed to believe in Islam, but did not pray, fast, or give Zakat, how sincere could he be in his claim?

Having established the distinction between the Aqeedah and the Amaal, the question which arises is whether or not there is a difference in the method for adopting ideas related to each. For this, we need to first establish some background, from a legal perspective, about the Aqeeda, Ahkam Shar'iah, the nature of their relationship, and the sources for these.

Definition of Al 'Aqeedah

Al Aqeedah is an Arabic word derived from the word aqada, which linguistically means, ''to tie things together in a very strong way.'' Some people claim that the term Aqeedah is not a Qur'anic term and that it was not used in the days of the Prophet (saaw). Though the same word is not used in the Qur'an, Uqood, which is a derivative word from the root verb aqada, is used in the Qur'an. Allah (swt) says, in Surah Al Ma'idah,


''O you who believe, fulfill your 'Uqood (contracts)''
[, Al-Ma'idah 5:1]

The word Uqood (plural of Aqd) means a contract between two people which connects them in their transaction. Similarly, the Aqeedah ties and connects things together. Its usage as an Islamic term was not objected to by any scholar of repute. That is because the metaphorical definition of Al 'Aqeedah is ''that which the heart is tied to.'' Thus, as a legal term, the word Aqeedah is well accepted to mean, the ideas which an individual adopts upon firm and resolute conviction in them based upon a conclusive daleel. There is no English word that can give this equivalent meaning. Aqeedah cannot be satisfactorily translated to 'belief', because the word 'belief' gives no indication as to the level of certainty in that belief. It merely gives the connotation of acceptance with or without proof.

In addition to the absolute conviction in a particular idea, a Muslim is allowed to adopt other ideas that were proven without the definitive proof. These ideas, however, cannot be considered to part of the Aqeedah or Iman. Rather, one would consider himself to have tasdiq in them. Tasdiq is to accept information to be true, but without establishing it as definitively true or constituting part of the 'Aqeedah. Thus, there are two levels, Tasdeeq and Iman. The Iman is the Aqeedah and is sometimes referred to as Tasdiq Jazim (concrete and decisive belief).

Definition of Hukm Shari

The definition of Hukm Shari' is ''The address of the Legislator that is related to the actions of the people.'' [Irshad ul Fuhool by Imam Shawkani, pg. 6]. Simply from the definition, it is clear that the Hukm Shari' is distinct from the Aqeedah, since the Aqeedah does not deal with our actions. Rather, it deals with our belief and thinking. Similarly, the Fiqh is defined as ''Having the knowledge of the practical Divine Rules (al Masa'il al 'Amaaliyyah) which are derived from their detailed evidences.'' The word Al 'Amaaliyyah is appended to the term in order to emphasize that fact that the Hukm is related to our Amaal, i.e. to our actions. In other words, anything that is not related to peoples actions is not considered as part of the Fiqh. Consequently, those ayat that deal with our actions are called Ayat ul Ahkam. 

Though the Aqeedah and the Hukm Shari' have been established as two different types of ideas, it does not necessarily mean that there is no relationship between them. Rather, understanding the nature of this relationship is essential to understanding Islam in a comprehensive and structured manner. The Aqeedah and the Hukm Shari' are related in two ways,

The Ahkam Shari'ah are derived from the Islamic Aqeedah. The significance of this relationship is that it does not permit the Muslim to adopt rules related to his actions that are not connected to his belief in Allah as the Legislator. This connection between the ahkam and the Aqeedah is made based on the daleel by which the rule is established. Consequently, if there is no ayah or Hadeeth to support a specific rule, then that rule has to be rejected. If there were no relationship between the ahkaam and the Aqeedah, then one would see no problem in adopting a rule without a daleel. However, since the two are connected, no Hukm can be considered Islamic without a daleel, and any Hukm not based on the daleel from Qur'an or Sunnah is not considered Islamic.

The personality of the human being is such that the 'aqeedah that he adopts will orient him towards performing a specific actions in his life. It is incorrect to assume that one's ideas have no impact on one's behavior. As an example, if an individual considers a certain food as foul tasting, then it will be expected that he will try to avoid eating that food, assuming there are no other issues related to this action. His behavior towards that food is shaped by the idea that he carries about it. Similarly, the ideas that individuals carry about the nature of this life will be the primary determinants of an individual's way of life. This is the nature of the second type of relationship between the Aqeedah and the Hukm Shari'. The Aqeedah will produce the motivation for the individual to abide by the Hukm Shari' because it informs him that in doing so, he will receive a reward from his Creator and thereby avert His punishment. Perceiving the Hukm Shari' as divorced from the Aqeedah will not produce the desired impact in the life. It is the Aqeedah that establishes all other rules and ideas in a productive manner and creates consistency amongst them.

From this understanding of the nature of the Aqeedah and the Hukm Shari', it becomes evident that it is equally damaging to assume that the Aqeedah and the Hukm Shari are the same or to think that there is no link between them. Rather, the correct approach is to recognize the difference, particularly because of its practical necessity, and to comprehend and maintain the relationship between them so as not to undermine the entire message of Islam.