1. Not knowing the full meaning of "Tawheed" and "Iman"

The full meaning of "Tawheed" is divided into three parts:

1) "Tawheed Ar-Ruboobiya": This means to believe that Allah (swt) is the only "Rab", the creator and sustainer of everything in this universe.

2) "Tawheed Al-Uloohiyah": This means to believe that Allah (swt) is the only "Ilah", the only one deserving of any form of worship. Therefore, all actions of worship must be directed towards Allah (swt) only, and not to associate anything else with Allah (swt). This includes obeying and following the Shariah of Allah (swt), because this is a form of worship. If we associate any other laws and rulings with those of Allah (swt), we are committing "shirk" (associating partners with Allah).

3) "Tawheed Al-Asma' Wa-Assifat": This means to believe that Allah (swt) is the only one deserving of His glorious names, and all His glorious attributes of perfection, and that nothing in this universe is similar to Allah (swt). Muslims must also believe in all the names and attributes of Allah (swt) mentioned in the Qur'an and Sunnah as they are, without going to either extreme of denying them or trying to specify exactly what they mean.

The reason that it is important to know this full definition of "Tawheed" is that it guards the Muslim against falling into the traps of deviant groups. For example, secularists call on Muslims to believe in Allah (swt), i.e. to believe in the first part of "Tawheed". However, they also want Muslims to reject the Shariah of Allah (swt) and they want to put their own laws in place of Allah's Shariah. This is clearly a contradiction of the second part of "Tawheed", and therefore what secularism calls for is "shirk" (associating partners with Allah).

It is also important to note that most scholars of Islam have agreed that true Iman (belief) is achieved by three things:

1) Testifying with the tongue: This includes saying "La Ilaha Illah Allah" by the tounge, and saying that you believe in Prophet Mohammad (pbuh), and in the angels, books, and messengers of Allah (swt) etc.

2) Conviction in the Heart: This means that you must also have true conviction in your heart, and you should not have doubts.

3) Actions based on Iman: The scholars also say that your actions must verify your beliefs, in order for your Iman to be complete. This is because someone who says they believe that prayers are an obligation we must perform towards Allah (swt), then if they are honest about this they will perform the prayers. Otherwise, their statement of Iman is not really true.

The reason we said that "most" scholars of Islam agree on this, is because a few scholars had a slightly more philosophical argument. They argued that actions are not part of Iman, but that actions are obligatory for Iman to bear its fruits, and that if Iman is not associated with actions that it does not save the person from hell fire.

As it can be clearly seen, the difference between scholars on this issue is just theoretical. All scholars agree that true Iman must be accompanied by the corresponding actions, and that Iman by the tongue and heart does not save one if he does not accompany this Iman with actions.

Since actions are a part of Iman, this means that Iman can increase and decrease. With every good action we perform, our Iman increases. Evil actions we commit decrease our Iman. The scholars have proved this from the Holy Qur'an and Sunnah, and anyone interested should read more about this issue.

This knowledge about Iman guards the Muslim against falling prey to deviant groups, such as the murji'a and some sufi sects, which claim that simply believing in Allah (swt), even without any action to back it up, is enough for them to be full Muslims and to be saved from the hell fire.