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الادب المفرد
Adab al-Mufrad
كتابBook of a Man’s Work in His House
بَابُ الْحَيَاءِChapter: Modesty
Hadith 598
اُردوEn
حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ كَثِيرٍ، قَالَ: أَخْبَرَنَا سُفْيَانُ، عَنْ سُهَيْلِ بْنِ أَبِي صَالِحٍ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللهِ بْنِ دِينَارٍ، عَنْ أَبِي صَالِحٍ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ: ”الإِيمَانُ بِضْعٌ وَسِتُّونَ، أَوْ بِضْعٌ وَسَبْعُونَ، شُعْبَةً، أَفْضَلُهَا لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ، وَأَدْنَاهَا إِمَاطَةُ الأَذَى عَنِ الطَّرِيقِ، وَالْحَيَاءُ شُعْبَةٌ مِنَ الإيمَانِ.“
It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Faith has over sixty or seventy branches. The most excellent of them is «لا إله إلا الله», and the least is removing something harmful from the road, and modesty is also an important branch of faith."
Explanation & Benefits
Shaykh Maulana Usman Muneeb
Benefits and Issues:
➊ Regarding what is meant by the sixty or seventy-plus branches of faith, scholars have several opinions. The preferred view is that all acts of obedience to Allah mentioned in the Qur’an and Sunnah are branches of faith. Among these, the highest is the oneness of Allah (tawhid), which is the foundation of all branches. If it is absent, faith has no value, and if Allah accepts it, then even the lowest branch after the affirmation of tawhid can be a means of salvation for a person. Modesty (haya) is among the most important branches of faith, and its teaching has been given by previous prophets as well.
➋ Imam Nawawi rahimahullah has written, quoting Ibn Hibban rahimahullah, that he said: I spent a long time searching for the meanings of this hadith. Eventually, when I counted the acts of obedience mentioned in the Qur’an and hadith together, they were a little more than seventy. (Sharh Sahih Muslim by al-Nawawi, Book of Faith, Chapter: Clarification of the Number of Branches of Faith, p. 35)
➌ The type of character that urges a person to avoid shameful actions and prevents him from falling short in fulfilling the rights of those entitled is modesty (haya). Sometimes modesty is innate, and this can be found even in a disbeliever, and sometimes it is developed intentionally in accordance with the rulings of the Shari‘ah. This is faith, and if the first quality is found in a Muslim, it also leads to an increase in faith.
➊ Regarding what is meant by the sixty or seventy-plus branches of faith, scholars have several opinions. The preferred view is that all acts of obedience to Allah mentioned in the Qur’an and Sunnah are branches of faith. Among these, the highest is the oneness of Allah (tawhid), which is the foundation of all branches. If it is absent, faith has no value, and if Allah accepts it, then even the lowest branch after the affirmation of tawhid can be a means of salvation for a person. Modesty (haya) is among the most important branches of faith, and its teaching has been given by previous prophets as well.
➋ Imam Nawawi rahimahullah has written, quoting Ibn Hibban rahimahullah, that he said: I spent a long time searching for the meanings of this hadith. Eventually, when I counted the acts of obedience mentioned in the Qur’an and hadith together, they were a little more than seventy. (Sharh Sahih Muslim by al-Nawawi, Book of Faith, Chapter: Clarification of the Number of Branches of Faith, p. 35)
➌ The type of character that urges a person to avoid shameful actions and prevents him from falling short in fulfilling the rights of those entitled is modesty (haya). Sometimes modesty is innate, and this can be found even in a disbeliever, and sometimes it is developed intentionally in accordance with the rulings of the Shari‘ah. This is faith, and if the first quality is found in a Muslim, it also leads to an increase in faith.
Source: Fadlullah al-Ahad: Urdu Commentary on al-Adab al-Mufrad, Page: 598
