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It is reported that Hazrat Mowlana Murtaza Ali once explained the meaning of Islam and IMAN, saying: "Islam is mere verbal affirmation whilst IMAN is both, verbal affirmation and its acceptance by the heart. When Allah gives the knowledge to a believer regarding Himself, His Prophet and Imam, and the believer accepts it truthfully, he becomes a mu'min (faithful) in the real sense of the word." Hazrat Mowla Ali was asked to explain further and he said: "Knowledge is bestowed by Allah, it is His gift to man but its acceptance is man's own act." Amirul Mu'minim added: "It is by Allah's Grace and Mercy that man receives knowledge, it is inspired within him by Allah. When a person receives this knowledge and accepts it, he does so by the Grace of Allah and Allah bestows this Grace when it so pleases Him. Knowledge is Allah's greatest favor which He inspires in a man's heart, and its profession by the tongue and acceptance within the heart is Allah's Kindness to man. He who is not bestowed with true knowledge is without a Guide, but it is incumbent upon him to act according to the knowledge that he possesses. Allah will not punish him for the duties he has not fulfilled out of ignorance, but all the same, Allah will reward him for his virtuous acts. But he who is ignorant must bring all his difficulties before us as commanded in the Holy Qur'an: 'Let them ask the People of the Book (ahl al-dhikr) if they do not know' (Ch. 21 : v.7)."Hazrat Howlana Murtaza Ali, Master of the believers, was once asked: "O Mowla! which is the smallest act which makes one a mu'min (faithful) and that Which makes one a disbeliever or misguided?" Hazrat Ali replied: "if a person is guided to a belief in Allah, he should profess this belief with his heart; ii he is guided to the knowledge of Allah's Prophet, he should accept him and obey his commands; ii he is guided to the recognition of the Living Imam, Allah's Proof on this earth, he should give him his allegiance and follow him. This makes one a mu'min (faithful)." To this, Hazrat Ali was asked: "What ii a person is ignorant about all these matters?" He replied: "Yes, this may be the case, but whenever he is guided to the Truth, he must accept it and then desist from doing things which are forbidden to him. The smallest act by which one becomes a disbeliever is when he believes such acts to be religious which are in fact forbidden by Allah and which he falsely says are the commands of Allah; and also when he gives a partner to Allah and worships it saying that its worship has been commanded by Allah. A person becomes misguided when he has no knowledge of the Proof of Allah (Imam) on this earth."
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