3. Abu Ali al-Ash’ari has narrated from Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Jabbar from Safwan or one other than him from al-‘Ala’ from Muhammad ibn Muslim who has said the following:

“Once I asked Abu ‘Abdillah about belief. He said, ‘It is to testify that no one deserves to be worshipped except Allah, Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah and to affirm that whatever he (Muhammad) brought is from Allah. That which is established in the hearts through acknowledgement of such facts is belief.’ I then asked, ‘Is it not that the testimony is a deed?’ He said, ‘Yes, it is a deed.’ I then asked, ‘Is the deed of belief?’ He said, ‘Yes, belief does not shape up without deed. The deed is from belief and belief cannot stand firmly without deed. ’”