Answer
The following Aayat of the holy Qur’aan, ‘So we brought out from therein the
Mu’mineen. But we found not there any household of the Muslimeen.’ (Surah51
Aayat35-36)
The commentators of Hadith mention that Imaan and Islam are the same.
Regarding the same people, Allah uses both words, ‘Mu’mineen’ and ‘Muslimeen’.
However, some Ulama are of the opinion that Imaan and Islam are different.
Imaan refers to the inner belief of the heart and Islam refers to the outer
actions of a person. The view is based on the following Aayat: ‘The bedouins
say, ‘we believe’ say, ‘you believe not but only say, we have only
surrendered for faith has not yet entered your hearts.’ (Surah 44:14)
and Allah Ta’ala Knows Best
Mufti Ebrahim Desai