Assalamualaikum W.B.T. The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was reported as saying: “Eeman (belief) consists of sixty-some branches. The highest is the declaration of the shahaadah (testimony, that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah) and the lowest is the removal of harm out of the way” (Ahmad) Really appreciate if you could explain what are those sixty-some branches of Eeman ? Ma'a Salamah.

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.

The scholars differed in opinion about the number of the branches of faith which are mentioned in the Prophetic narration. The best elaboration which we came across in this regard is that of Ibn Hajar as he stated that the branches of faith which were mentioned in the Prophetic narration spring from:

1-    The acts of the heart,

2-    The acts of the tongue,

3-    The acts of the body.

The acts of the heart include belief and intentions; these encompass 24 acts: (1) believing in Allaah: in His Names and Attributes, and that He is Unique and there is nothing like unto Him; (2) believing that everything apart from Allaah is created, (3) believing in the angels of Allaah, (4) His books, (5) His Messengers, (6) believing in the predestination whether it is good or bad, (7) believing in the Last Day [Hereafter] –this includes believing in the life in the grave [Barzakh], resurrection, reckoning, balance, the Siraat, Paradise and Hellfire -; (8) loving Allaah, (9) loving and hating for the sake of Allaah, (10) loving the Prophet and (11) believing that he is glorified –this includes exalting his mention and following his Sunnah -; (12) sincerity –this includes avoiding showing off and hypocrisy, (13) repentance, (14) having hope in Allaah and fearing Him, (15) being grateful and faithful to Allaah, (16) patience, (17) contentment with the predestination, (18) reliance on Allaah, (19) being merciful, (20) being humble –this includes respecting the elders and being merciful to the children, (21) avoiding arrogance, (22) envy, (23) anger and (24) spite.

The actions of the tongue: they include 7 acts:

(1) Uttering the Tawheed [that there is none worthy of worship but Allaah], (2) reciting the Quran, (3) acquiring knowledge and (4) teaching it, (5) supplicating, (6) mentioning Allaah –this includes seeking forgiveness, and (7) avoiding idle talk.

The actions of the body: they include 38 acts:

Some of them are about one’s own self, and they are 15 acts:

(1) Purification (ritual and spiritual purification) –this includes avoiding impurities, (2) covering one’s ‘Awrah (parts of the body that must be covered in Islam), (3) performing the prayer (obligatory and supererogatory), (4) paying Zakah, (5) freeing a slave, (6) being generous –this includes feeding people and being generous to the guest, (7) fasting (obligatory and supererogatory), (8) performing Hajj, (9) performing ‘Umrah, (10) performing Tawaaf, (11) performing I'tikaaf (i.e. confining oneself in the mosque with the intention of worship), (12) seeking to get the reward of Laylatul-Qadr (the Night of Power), (13) fleeing with one’s religion –this includes migrating from non-Muslim countries to Muslim countries –(14) fulfilling  one’s oath and keeping one’s promise (and not swearing too much), and (15) expiating for one’s sins.

Some of these acts are about people whom a person is responsible for; they are 6 acts: (1) keeping oneself chaste by getting married and fulfilling the rights of the wife and children, (2) being kind and dutiful to the parents –this includes avoiding severing ties with them –(3) nurturing the children, (4) keeping ties with kinship; (5) the slaves should obey their master, and (6) the masters should be merciful to their slaves.

Some of these acts are about dealing with general and common people: they are 17 acts: (1) fulfilling the rights of the leader with equity, and (2) following the Jamaa’ah (the group), (3) obeying the Muslim ruler, (4) reconciling between people –this includes fighting against the Khawaarij and the transgressors, (5) helping in piety and righteousness –this includes enjoining good and forbidding evil, (6) applying the Hadd (i.e. the corporal punishment determined by the Islamic Law), (7) Jihaad (fighting for the cause of Allaah) –this includes protecting the Muslim country at the borders from any potential enemy, (8) rendering back the trust to whom it is due –this includes paying one fifth for Allaah from  the booty of war, (9) debts and its repayment, (10) being generous to the neighbour, (11) good treatment with others –this includes earning money from lawful resources, (12) spending it in what is permissible –this includes avoiding being extravagant, (13) answering back when greeted with Salaam, (14) saying to the person who sneezes “May Allaah have mercy upon you”, (15) repelling harm from people, (16) avoiding idle talk, and (17) removing harm from the street.

The total of all the above is 69 acts, and they can be considered as 79 acts if we consider the acts that are joined together as separate acts.

With the above outstanding and excellent classification, we hope that what is meant by the branches of faith is made clear.  

Allaah Knows best.