The beloved Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, said in a narration:
“There are over 70 branches of faith. The highest is to bear witness that, ‘There is no god but Allah and Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace) is the Messenger of Allah [la ilaha illa-Llahu Muhammadu-r Rasulu-Llah]‘. The lowest is the removal of harm from the road.”
The “77 Branches of Faith” is a collection of Qur’anic verses and Prophetic narrations compiled by Imam al-Bayhaqi, Allah be well pleased with him. In it, he explains the essential virtues that reflect true faith [iman]. These 77 branches are some of the essential attributes and characteristics that a true believer should have or strive towards having.
Complete Iman in reality consists of three components:
Confirmation by heart of all the essentials of Iman
Confirmation by tongue of all the essentials of Iman
Confirmation by actions of all the essentials of Iman
Thus, the ”77 Branches of Faith” are divided into three categories:
the first of which concern the intention, belief and action of the heart,
the second concern the use of the tongue,
and the third concern all the remaining parts of the body.
Shaikh Abdul Hakim Murad, professor of Divinity at Cambridge University, was the first to translate this work into the English vernacular.
“There are over 70 branches of faith. The highest is to bear witness that, ‘There is no god but Allah and Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace) is the Messenger of Allah [la ilaha illa-Llahu Muhammadu-r Rasulu-Llah]‘. The lowest is the removal of harm from the road.”
The “77 Branches of Faith” is a collection of Qur’anic verses and Prophetic narrations compiled by Imam al-Bayhaqi, Allah be well pleased with him. In it, he explains the essential virtues that reflect true faith [iman]. These 77 branches are some of the essential attributes and characteristics that a true believer should have or strive towards having.
Complete Iman in reality consists of three components:
Confirmation by heart of all the essentials of Iman
Confirmation by tongue of all the essentials of Iman
Confirmation by actions of all the essentials of Iman
Thus, the ”77 Branches of Faith” are divided into three categories:
the first of which concern the intention, belief and action of the heart,
the second concern the use of the tongue,
and the third concern all the remaining parts of the body.
Shaikh Abdul Hakim Murad, professor of Divinity at Cambridge University, was the first to translate this work into the English vernacular.
As the book is no longer in print, here then are the 77 Branches of Faith:
30 Qualities are Connected to the Heart
To belief in Allah Most High.
To believe that everything other than Allah was non-existent. Thereafter, Allah Most High created these things and subsequently they came into existence.
To believe in the existence of angels.
To believe that all the heavenly books that were sent to the different prophets are true. However, apart from the Qur’an, all other books are not valid anymore.
To believe that all the prophets are true. However, we are commanded to follow the Prophet Muhammad, Allah bless him and give him peace, alone.
To believe that Allah Most High has knowledge of everything from before-hand and that only that which He sanctions or wishes will occur.
To believe that Resurrection will definitely occur.
To believe in the existence of Heaven.
To believe in the existence of Hell.
To have love for Allah Most High.
To have love for the Messenger of Allah, upon him be blessings and peace.
To love or hate someone solely because of Allah.
To execute all actions with the intention of religion alone.
To regret and express remorse when a sin is committed.
To fear Allah Most High.
To hope for the mercy of Allah Most High.
To be modest.
To express gratitude over a bounty or favour.
To fulfill promises.
To exercise patience.
To consider yourself lower than others.
To have mercy on the creation.
To be pleased with whatever you experience from Allah Most High.
To place your trust in Allah Most High.
Not to boast or brag over any quality that you posses.
Not to have malice or hatred towards anybody.
Not to be envious of anyone.
Not to become angry.
Not to wish harm for anyone.
Not to have love for the world.
7 Qualities are Connected to the Tongue
To recite the Testimony of Faith [Kalimatu-sh Shahadah] with the tongue.
To recite the Qur’an.
To acquire knowledge.
To pass on knowledge.
To make supplications [du'a] to Allah Most High.
To make invocations [dhikr] of Allah Most High.
To abstain from the following:
lies,
backbiting,
vulgar words,
cursing, and
singing that is contrary to the Shariah.
40 Qualities are Connected to the Entire Body
To make ablution [wudu], take bath [ghusl], and keep one’s clothing clean.
To be steadfast in offering the prayer [salat].
To pay the tithe [zakat] and Sadaqatu-l Fitr.
To fast.
To perform the Hajj.
To make i’tikaf.
To move away or migrate from that place which is harmful for one’s religion [din].
To fulfill the vows that have been made to Allah Most High.
To fulfill the oaths that are not sinful.
To pay the expiation [kaffarah]for unfulfilled oaths.
To cover those parts of the body that are obligatory [fard] to cover.
To perform the ritual slaughter [Udhiya/Qurbani].
To enshroud and bury the deceased.
To fulfill your debts.
To abstain from prohibited things when undertaking monetary transactions.
To NOT conceal something true which you may have witnessed.
To get married when the nafs desires to do so.
To fulfill the rights of those who are under you.
To provide comfort to one’s parents.
To rear children in the proper manner.
To NOT sever relations with one’s friends and relatives.
To obey one’s master.
To be just.
To NOT initiate any way that is contrary to that of the generality of the Muslims.
To obey the ruler, provided what he orders is not contrary to the Shari’ah.
To make peace between two warring groups or individuals.
To assist in noble tasks.
To command the good and forbid the evil.
To mete out punishments according to the Shari’ah, IF it is the government.
To fight the enemies of religion [din] whenever such an occasion presents itself.
To fulfill one’s trusts (amana).
To give loans to those who are in need.
To see to the needs of one’s neighbour.
To ensure that one’s income is pure.
To spend according to the Shariah.
To reply to one who has greeted you.
To say yarhamuka-Llah [Allah have mercy on you!] when anyone says alhamduli-Llah [all praise is for Allah] after sneezing.
To NOT cause harm to anyone unjustly.
To abstain from games and amusements contrary to the Shariah.
To remove pebbles, stones, thorns, sticks, and the like from the road.
30 Qualities are Connected to the Heart
To belief in Allah Most High.
To believe that everything other than Allah was non-existent. Thereafter, Allah Most High created these things and subsequently they came into existence.
To believe in the existence of angels.
To believe that all the heavenly books that were sent to the different prophets are true. However, apart from the Qur’an, all other books are not valid anymore.
To believe that all the prophets are true. However, we are commanded to follow the Prophet Muhammad, Allah bless him and give him peace, alone.
To believe that Allah Most High has knowledge of everything from before-hand and that only that which He sanctions or wishes will occur.
To believe that Resurrection will definitely occur.
To believe in the existence of Heaven.
To believe in the existence of Hell.
To have love for Allah Most High.
To have love for the Messenger of Allah, upon him be blessings and peace.
To love or hate someone solely because of Allah.
To execute all actions with the intention of religion alone.
To regret and express remorse when a sin is committed.
To fear Allah Most High.
To hope for the mercy of Allah Most High.
To be modest.
To express gratitude over a bounty or favour.
To fulfill promises.
To exercise patience.
To consider yourself lower than others.
To have mercy on the creation.
To be pleased with whatever you experience from Allah Most High.
To place your trust in Allah Most High.
Not to boast or brag over any quality that you posses.
Not to have malice or hatred towards anybody.
Not to be envious of anyone.
Not to become angry.
Not to wish harm for anyone.
Not to have love for the world.
7 Qualities are Connected to the Tongue
To recite the Testimony of Faith [Kalimatu-sh Shahadah] with the tongue.
To recite the Qur’an.
To acquire knowledge.
To pass on knowledge.
To make supplications [du'a] to Allah Most High.
To make invocations [dhikr] of Allah Most High.
To abstain from the following:
lies,
backbiting,
vulgar words,
cursing, and
singing that is contrary to the Shariah.
40 Qualities are Connected to the Entire Body
To make ablution [wudu], take bath [ghusl], and keep one’s clothing clean.
To be steadfast in offering the prayer [salat].
To pay the tithe [zakat] and Sadaqatu-l Fitr.
To fast.
To perform the Hajj.
To make i’tikaf.
To move away or migrate from that place which is harmful for one’s religion [din].
To fulfill the vows that have been made to Allah Most High.
To fulfill the oaths that are not sinful.
To pay the expiation [kaffarah]for unfulfilled oaths.
To cover those parts of the body that are obligatory [fard] to cover.
To perform the ritual slaughter [Udhiya/Qurbani].
To enshroud and bury the deceased.
To fulfill your debts.
To abstain from prohibited things when undertaking monetary transactions.
To NOT conceal something true which you may have witnessed.
To get married when the nafs desires to do so.
To fulfill the rights of those who are under you.
To provide comfort to one’s parents.
To rear children in the proper manner.
To NOT sever relations with one’s friends and relatives.
To obey one’s master.
To be just.
To NOT initiate any way that is contrary to that of the generality of the Muslims.
To obey the ruler, provided what he orders is not contrary to the Shari’ah.
To make peace between two warring groups or individuals.
To assist in noble tasks.
To command the good and forbid the evil.
To mete out punishments according to the Shari’ah, IF it is the government.
To fight the enemies of religion [din] whenever such an occasion presents itself.
To fulfill one’s trusts (amana).
To give loans to those who are in need.
To see to the needs of one’s neighbour.
To ensure that one’s income is pure.
To spend according to the Shariah.
To reply to one who has greeted you.
To say yarhamuka-Llah [Allah have mercy on you!] when anyone says alhamduli-Llah [all praise is for Allah] after sneezing.
To NOT cause harm to anyone unjustly.
To abstain from games and amusements contrary to the Shariah.
To remove pebbles, stones, thorns, sticks, and the like from the road.
0 comments:
Post a Comment