Faith is Not a Single Reality

Faith is Not a Single Reality or a Single Thing (PDF), by Shaikh Dr. Ahmad bin Sâlih az-Zahrânî.

From the article:

This understanding is of considerable importance, I mean faith’s being numerous branches and not a single reality. For surely, this expression (i.e., that it and what it includes is a single reality) is the understanding of the People of Heresies from the Khawârij and the Murji’ah, to an equal extent since they believe that faith is a single thing and a single reality. If some of it ceases, all of it ceases. The Khawârij made this a rule and passed the judgement of the larger disbelief on the companion of the greater sin, whether it was doing a forbidden act or leaving a [religious] duty. They said because it is a part of faith and faith is a single reality, if something from it ceases from the servant, all of it ceases and does not remain. Thus, if the perpetrator of the greater sin died persisting upon it, he becomes a disbelieve residing in the fire of Hell [forever], because he has no faith with him.

Source: az-Zahrânî, Ahmad bin Sâlih. Sharh Alfâdh as-Salaf wa Naqd Alfâdh al-Khalaf fî Haqîqah al-Îmân. Abu Dhabi, UAE: Dâr al-Imam Mâlik, 2005. pgs. 77-81.