many of its limbs may be lost while the name remains. The same applies to certain proper names, such as Zayd and Amr: each designates the assembled whole, yet some of its parts may be lost while the name remains.

Since composite wholes are of two kinds—indeed, most belong to this kind—their claim that losing a part necessarily entails losing the name is unsound if the name can still apply to the remaining part. Clearly, the term “faith” belongs to this category, for the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“Faith has seventy-odd branches. The highest is saying, ‘There is no deity worthy of worship but Allah,’ and the lowest is removing something harmful from the road. Modesty is a branch of faith.”

It is also clear that when removing harmful things and similar acts are absent, the term “faith” does not cease to apply. It is authentically reported from him, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, in the two Sahīh collections that he said:

“Whoever has a grain’s weight of faith in his heart will come out of the Fire.”

He thus stated that faith is divisible, that some of it remains, and that this remaining portion is faith. It is therefore clear that some faith may be lost while some remains. This refutes their unsound premises and shows that the term “faith” is like the terms “Quran,” “prayer,” “Hajj,” and the like.

Hajj and similar acts include elements whose omission leaves Hajj short of its obligatory completeness without invalidating it, such as stoning the pillars, spending the night at Minā, and similar acts. They also include elements whose omission detracts from their recommended completeness, such as raising one’s voice in the pilgrimage proclamation, walking briskly with short steps, and baring the right shoulder during the first circumambulation. Likewise, prayer includes elements whose omission detracts from its recommended completeness, and it also includes