The levels of faith in the Qur'an : an analysis of the concept of faith in Surat Al-Anfal verses (2-4)

The Almighty Allāh says in verse (4) of Sūrat al-Anfāl; (Such in truth are the believers, they have grades of dignity with their Lord). Some interpreters argued that this verse establishes that the believers are in different levels of faith. The focus of this study is on the levels, attributes and effects of faith as mentioned in the Holy Qur`ān according to Sūrat al-Anfāl verses (2 – 4) and other verses. The selection of this topic is based on the fact that the levels of faith featured in many verses of the
Holy Qur`ān, have certain attributes and effects that enable believers to attain the highest levels. This study used a qualitative approach and it refers to the method of explanation and interpretation of phenomena in order to answer the research questions and support the research objectives. This study adopted library-based
research in the data collection. The data is then analyze using the textual analysis approach. The findings have identified six levels of faith based on the Quranic verses, the highest level is al-Falāḥ followed by al-Taqwa, al-Yaqīn, al-Ṣabr, al-Khushū‘ and lastly, al-`Iḥsān. The discussion also included methods to ascend to these levels, their attributes and the effects on the morality of individual Muslims. This study suggests that educational and religious institutions should give serious
consideration to encourage individual Muslims to investigate the levels of faith in the context of the Holy Qur`ān.