Image of Faith in Islam Essay

This paper elucidates the meaning of faith in Islam and the image and branches related to it. The paper is based on the saying by Prophet Mohammad P. B. U. H regarding faith and the branches of faith. The seventy branches mentioned in the saying and the highest and lowest of these branches are discussed in this paper. The highest branch mentioned is to believe and say that there is no God but Allah and the lowest of these branches is to remove a harmful object from the path. Muslims follow this saying in various ways and this is reflected in other sayings from the Prophet and in the Quran. The meaning of faith has been depicted in various verses of the Quran and different sayings of the Holy Prophet P. B. U. H. Muslims follow this saying as an approach to carrying out the day to day functions of life. According to the saying by Prophet Mohammed P. B. U. H â€Å"Faith has over seventy branches, and modesty is a branch of faith† (Muslim, 1971). This meaning of faith for Muslims is very important as it provides them with a code of life. The number sixty or seventy does not mean an exact number of branches it just implies that in Islam the branches of faith are multiple. The highest branch is to say there is only one God frees a human being from worship to all other deities like idols, animals or any other being. This is the foundation of Islam which indicates there is no God but Allah and Muslims worship only one God. It should be noticed that modesty has been given special emphasis in the saying by the Prophet P. B. U.  H; it is mentioned because it provides protection against deeds like theft, adultery, abusive language and other such wrong doings (As-sidq. org, 2006). The Muslims lead their lives based on this very saying as the highest and lowest levels or branches of Islam are mentioned as the belief in one God and the removal of a harmful object from the path, this would mean anything between these branches is the code of life for the Muslims. This is symbolic to Islam as this provides the overall functionality of people who follow Islam. Islam is depicted as a religion of peace and harmony. If we consider the last branch which is the removal of a harmful object from the path signifies the wellbeing of other people who might use the same path at a later time. If this is the lowest branch then the higher branches would have more consideration for the well being of other people and this is the core of Islam. Islam is a religion symbolic of consideration and courtesy for others and all Muslims are regarded as brothers to each other. If all the Muslims have the same consideration for one another then Islam as a society would be an entity where people live to achieve harmony through cooperation and coordination.