Branches of Faith – 02: Belief in God’s Entity and Attributes – Shaykh Muhammad Abu Bakr Ba-Dhib

In this session on the Branches of Faith, Shaykh Muhammad Abu Bakr Ba-Dhib begins covers the first root for the branches of faith, which is the belief in God’s entity, attributes and actions. He covers this from Imam Zabidi’s text “‘Iqd al-Juman fi Bayan Shu’ab al-Iman” (The Necklace of Pearls in Clarifying the Branches of Faith). He begins the lesson by looking at the author’s introduction to the text, and the breakdown he provided for the branches of faith. Imam Zabidi divided the branches of faith into three main categories: (1) faith regarding God, (2) faith regarding matters of this world, and (3) faith regarding matters of the hereafter.

Shaykh Muhammad Ba-Dhib then explained that the first root breaks down to: (1) the belief in God’s entity and attributes, and (2) the belief in God’s actions. He explained the nine branches that fall under the belief in God’s entity and attributes, which are: the belief in (1) God’s existence, (2) His oneness, (3) His life, (4) His knowledge, (5) His will, (6) His power, (7) His hearing, (8) His sight, and (9) His speech. Shaykh Ba-Dhib explains that these attributes of God are absolute, unique, and are absolutely unlike any of the creation’s attributes.

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This is part of the series presented in Ramadan 2018: “Branches of Faith: The Virtues and Fruits of Faith”.

It is narrated that Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Faith is seventy some branches”. In this series some of the leading scholars will cover and explain the different branches of faith, as they have come in the works of the Islamic tradition. The branches of faith include (1) branches of belief and certitude, (2) branches of spiritual works, and (3) branches of social excellence.

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