CYC Forums - Online Islamic Youth Portal: CYC Forums - Online Islamic Youth Portal -> The greatest deed & 7 grades of Iman

Imam Jafar as-Sadiq AS was asked: Which is the best deed in the eye of Allah without which no other good deed is accepted?
The Imam said "To believe in Allah and to acknowledge His Oneness. This is the greatest and best deed and highest in status and degree. "

He was requested to explain ‘Belief’ i.e. Iman. He said "It is to bear witness that there is no god but Allah and that Prophet Muhammad SAW is His Prophet. Action according to declaration of belief is an essential element of belief. Belief cannot be proved without matching action.

Imam Jafar as-Sadiq AS said "Allah, the Almighty, the Glorious, has classified Iman into seven attributes:

1 kindness,
2 truthfulness,
3 conviction (Yaqin),
4 acceptance of God’s Will,
5 loyalty,
6 knowledge (Ilm) and
7 modesty.

Allah, the Almighty, distributed it among the people. The one in whom all these seven attributes are found is perfect and capable of withstanding. Some possess only one attribute, some others two, still others three, till it reaches seven. Do not put the pressure of two attributes on one who has only one attribute and the pressure of three attributes on one who has only two attributes, and so on"

(NB Islam and Iman are not the same i.e. A person must have Islam to have Iman but not vice versa. TBC later)