Branches of Iman: Over 70 Branches, the Highest and the Lowest
Contents
Iman, faith, is not one single thing. In Sahih Muslim, the Prophet ﷺ described more than seventy branches of iman: the highest is saying La ilaha illallah, the lowest is moving something harmful off a path, and haya (modesty) is one of them too. Here is the hadith, what it means, and how to live it.
At a glance
- Source: Sahih Muslim 35b (also Sahih al-Bukhari 9)
- Narrated by: Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him)
- Grade: Sahih (Bukhari and Muslim)
- Topic: The branches of faith
- Practise it: Renew your iman with La ilaha illallah, and clear one harmful thing from a path
The hadith on the branches of iman
الإِيمَانُ بِضْعٌ وَسَبْعُونَ أَوْ بِضْعٌ وَسِتُّونَ شُعْبَةً فَأَفْضَلُهَا قَوْلُ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَأَدْنَاهَا إِمَاطَةُ الأَذَى عَنِ الطَّرِيقِ وَالْحَيَاءُ شُعْبَةٌ مِنَ الإِيمَانِ
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Faith has over seventy branches or over sixty branches, the most excellent of which is the declaration that there is no god but Allah, and the humblest of which is the removal of what is injurious from the path; and modesty is a branch of faith.”
Sahih Muslim 35b · Narrated by Abu Hurairah · Translation adapted from Sunnah.com
This narration mentions both numbers. Another narration in Sahih Muslim says “over seventy” (Sahih Muslim 35a), and Imam al-Bukhari’s narration says “over sixty”:
الإِيمَانُ بِضْعٌ وَسِتُّونَ شُعْبَةً، وَالْحَيَاءُ شُعْبَةٌ مِنَ الإِيمَانِ
The Prophet ﷺ said, “Faith consists of more than sixty branches, and haya is a part of faith.”
Sahih al-Bukhari 9 · Narrated by Abu Hurairah · Translation adapted from Sunnah.com
Between the highest and the lowest are all the other deeds of the heart, the tongue and the body.
What the branches of iman mean
The explanation of this hadith on HadeethEnc (hadith 3276) says that faith is not one part but many branches, and that righteous deeds are part of faith, as Ahl as-Sunnah wa al-Jama’ah hold. So iman is not only what we believe; it is also what we say and what we do.
Reflection: the highest branch is said with the tongue, the lowest is done with the hands, and haya lives in the heart. Iman touches every part of us.
The highest branch: La ilaha illallah
Reciting La ilaha illallah is a powerful reminder of our faith in Allah and of our purpose in life. Saying it every day renews our iman and strengthens our trust in Him, reminding us that He is in control of everything and always there for us.
It is also the best dhikr, as the Prophet ﷺ said in another hadith; you can read more in The Best Dhikr and the Best Dua.
The lowest branch: removing harm from the road
Even the removal of something dangerous from a path is part of faith. Islam counts even the smallest deeds of a believer. And sometimes a small deed is enough for forgiveness:
بَيْنَمَا رَجُلٌ يَمْشِي بِطَرِيقٍ وَجَدَ غُصْنَ شَوْكٍ عَلَى الطَّرِيقِ فَأَخَّرَهُ، فَشَكَرَ اللَّهُ لَهُ، فَغَفَرَ لَهُ
Allah’s Messenger ﷺ said, “While a man was going on a way, he saw a thorny branch and removed it from the way and Allah became pleased by his action and forgave him for that.”
Sahih al-Bukhari 652 · Narrated by Abu Hurairah · Translation from Sunnah.com
Imam Muslim narrates the same story (Sahih Muslim 1914b). Today that might be a broken bottle on the pavement, a cable across a walkway, or litter outside the masjid. Small, quick, and counted as iman.
Haya: modesty is a branch of iman
Haya is often translated as modesty or shyness. It is the feeling that keeps a person from doing what is shameful, out of awareness of Allah and respect for people. Once the Prophet ﷺ passed by a man from the Ansar who was telling his brother off about his haya, and he said:
دَعْهُ فَإِنَّ الْحَيَاءَ مِنَ الإِيمَانِ
“Leave him, as haya is a part of faith.”
Sahih al-Bukhari 24 · Narrated by ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) · Translation adapted from Sunnah.com
In today’s world, modesty is slowly slipping away from us, but we have to keep it in check and remind each other that it is also a part of what iman is.
How to put it into practice
- Say La ilaha illallah often, while walking, driving or waiting.
- Clear one harmful thing from a path this week and count it as iman.
- Guard your haya in what you watch, wear and say, online and offline.
- Remember the branches in between: every good deed is part of your faith.
Questions people ask
How many branches does iman have?
The Prophet ﷺ said faith has over seventy or over sixty branches (Sahih Muslim 35b). Another narration says over seventy (Sahih Muslim 35a), and al-Bukhari’s says more than sixty (Sahih al-Bukhari 9). HadeethEnc explains that faith is made up of many branches.
What are the 77 branches of iman?
The hadith does not list them: it names only the highest branch, the lowest branch and haya. Lists of “77 branches” come from later scholars who grouped good deeds under this heading (for example, Imam al-Bayhaqi’s book Shu’ab al-Iman), and they count them in different ways. Those lists are scholars’ groupings, not words of the Prophet ﷺ.
What is the highest branch of iman?
The declaration La ilaha illallah, that there is no god but Allah (Sahih Muslim 35b).
Why is haya part of iman?
The Prophet ﷺ said haya is a branch of faith (Sahih Muslim 35b) and told a man to leave his brother’s haya alone because it is part of faith (Sahih al-Bukhari 24). It keeps a person away from what is shameful.
Key lessons
- Iman has over seventy (or over sixty) branches.
- The highest branch is La ilaha illallah; the lowest is removing harm from the road.
- Haya (modesty) is a branch of iman.
- Good deeds are part of iman, and no good deed is too small to count.
Iman is a journey that grows with every deed, big and small. May Allah make La ilaha illallah the last words we say, beautify us with haya, and accept even the smallest good we do.
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