*FIRST REMINDER*. Sunday. 22nd day Shawwaal. *_FAITH AND GOOD CHARACTER ARE THE PATH TO SALVATION IN ISLAAM_*. *BismilLaahir Rahmaanir Raheem*. First of all, let me use this first reminder to share to you what *scholars* has written based on Qur'an and Sunnah about the meaning of *Faith*. The intended meaning of faith in Islam is important for us to understand, as mistaken definitions of faith have caused a number of problems in early Islamic history up until the present time. However, the righteous predecessors *The Salafs* had a clear definition of faith that should serve as the basis of our understanding of Islam. Before I continue, let me clear some misconception the word *Salaf*. It is not a sect in Islam. The Salaf were the righteous predecessors such as the companions of the Prophet and their students till today. It means, following the teachings of the Quran and Sunnah base on how the companions of the Prophet understood and narrated it from the Prophet himself. Non Muslims and some deviated sects are trying to make it look like those of us striving to follow the Salaf are or have created a sect called Salafiyya. That's incorrect. For someone to say I follow the Salaf as such am Salafi means he is actually following the Qur'an and Sunnah the correct way without following our forefathers who were upon innovations unfortunately. *To our topic* “Faith” (al-eeman) in the Arabic language means to affirm something and to comply with it. *Ibn Taymiyyah* _may Allah be pleased with him_ writes: It is understood that faith is affirmation and not merely belief. Affirmation includes the words of the heart, which is belief, and the actions of the heart, which is compliance. Majmu’ Al-Fatawa 7/638. Hence, faith in Islam means to believe in Allah, to affirm His truth, and to submit to His commands. The six pillars of faith are to believe and affirm the following: Allah, His angels, His messengers, His books, The Day of Judgment, Providence. Allah says: *O you who claim to believe, have faith in Allah and His messenger and the book that He revealed to His messenger and the scripture which He revealed before. Whoever disbelieves in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, and the Last Day has certainly gone far astray. Surat An-Nisa 4:136. Faith is not simply to believe in the existence of Allah bcs we know Iblees, or Satan, believes in the existence of Allah, he knows Allah exists, yet he did not have faith in Him. Allah says: فَسَجَدَ الْمَلَائِكَةُ كُلُّهُمْ أَجْمَعُونَ إِلَّا إِبْلِيسَ اسْتَكْبَرَ وَكَانَ مِنَ الْكَافِرِينَ So the angels prostrated, all of them entirely, except Iblees for he was arrogant and was among the unbelievers. Surat Sad 38:73. Neither is faith to believe in Allah and the Unseen without reason or rational proof. Some people deny the existence of Allah because He cannot be perceived directly, but the inability to directly observe something is not proof of its non-existence. There are numerous natural phenomena in the universe, such as dark matter and dark energy, that we know exist because we observe their signs, even though no one has ever directly seen them. In other words, we can reasonably infer the existence of unseen phenomena by observing their indirect effects. In fact, it is scientifically proven most of what exists in universe cannot be directly perceived by the senses. In the same way, we can logically infer the existence of Allah by observing His signs in the creation. Allah says: In the changing of night and day and in what Allah sends down from the sky of provision and gives life thereby to the earth after its lifelessness and in His directing the winds are signs for people who reason. Surat Al-Jathiya 45:5. Therefore, faith in Islam means to submit to Allah, not despite a lack of evidence, but rather because the proofs of His Lordship are overwhelming. True faith, then, must manifest itself in the heart as sincerity, on the tongue as affirmation, and on the limbs as action. *To be continued in shaa ALLAH* *_May Allah keep guiding us all and protect us from any satanic influences_*. Aameen.