How does faith increase and decrease?
2026-09-21
F99 · Selected fatwas
Shaykh Ibn Bāz
الشيخ عبد العزيز بن باز
Original Q&A · Complete published question and answer
The complete published question and answer are included, with presenter follow-ups and closing remarks where present. The browsing title is editorial.
النص العربي
السؤال الأصلي
يقول: ما كيفية زيادة الإيمان سماحة الشيخ؟
الجواب
الإيمان يزيد وينقص، يزيد بالطاعات وينقص بالمعاصي، فإذا صلى الصلوات الخمس، وحافظ عليها، وصلى مع هذه الرواتب؛ زاد إيمانه، وإذا أخل بالرواتب؛ نقص إيمانه، أو أخل بالزكاة نقص إيمانه، أو بالصوم؛ نقص إيمانه، أو بصلة الرحم؛ نقص إيمانه.. وهكذا.
بالمعصية ينقص الإيمان، وبالطاعات يزيد الإيمان، يزيد في صحائف أعماله، وفي ميزانه، وعند ربه عز وجل كلما أدى طاعة؛ زاد الإيمان، وكلما أدى معصية؛ نقص الإيمان، وكلما ترك شيئًا من الواجبات؛ نقص الإيمان، وهكذا.. نعم.
المقدم: جزاكم الله خيرًا سماحة الشيخ.
English translation
English translation prepared for SalafAlSalih.com from the cited Arabic source. It is not an official translation.
Original question
He asks: Your Eminence, how does faith increase?
Answer
Faith increases and decreases. It increases through obedience and decreases through sins. When someone performs the five prayers, maintains them and also performs their regular Sunnah prayers, his faith increases. If he neglects the regular Sunnah prayers, his faith decreases; if he falls short in zakah, fasting or maintaining kinship, his faith decreases, and so on.
Faith decreases through sin and increases through obedience. It increases in his records of deeds, in his scale and with his Lord, mighty and majestic. Every time he performs an act of obedience, faith increases; every time he commits a sin, faith decreases; and every time he leaves an obligation, faith decreases. So it is. Yes.
Presenter: May Allah reward you with good, Your Eminence.
Source and editorial notes
Official Ibn Bāz website fatwa 11569
الموقع الرسمي للشيخ عبد العزيز بن باز
Official website of Shaykh ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn Bāz
Arabic checked against the complete official published transcript. Text is preserved; spacing is normalized and legacy honorific glyphs are expanded. The English translates every displayed paragraph; Quran quotations are translations of their meanings.