NOTES
1. Al-Laalikaa’ee reports, in Sharh Usool I’tiqaad Ahlis-Sunnah (5/958/no.1737), that ‘Abd ar-Razzaaq (as-San’aanee) said, “I met seventy Shaikhs, from amongst them are Ma’mar, al-Awzaa’ee, ath-Thawree, al-Waleed ibn Muhammad al-Quraashee, Yazeed ibn as-Saa’ib, Hammaad ibn Salamah, Hammaad ibn Zayd, Sufyaan ibn ‘Uyainah, Shu’ayb ibn Harb, Wakee’ ibn al-Jarrah, Maalik ibn Anas, Ibn Abee Laylaa, Isma’eel ibn ‘Ayyaash, al-Waleed ibn Muslim and those I have not named, all of them saying: Faith is saying and action, it increases and decreases.”
‘Abdullah ibn Ahmad reports in as-Sunnah (no.612): My father narrated to me: Abu Salamah al-Khuzaa’ee related to us, saying, “Maalik, Shareek, Abu Bakr ibn ‘Ayyaash, ‘Abdul-‘Azeez ibn Abee Salamah, Hammaad ibn Salamah and Hammaad ibn Zayd said, ‘Faith is conviction, declaration and action.’ ”
Al-Laalikaa’ee reports (5/959/no.1740) that ‘Uqbah ibn ‘Alqamah said: I asked al-Awzaa’ee about Faith; can it increase? He said, “Yes, until it becomes like the mountains.” I said, ‘Can it decrease?’ He said, “Yes, even until nothing remains of it.”
Amongst the verses quoted by the scholars as proof for the fact that faith increases are: Aayah 173 of Soorah Aali-‘Imraan, Aayah 4 of Soorah al-Fath and Aayah 124 of Soorah at-Tawbah.
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