he, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was asked, “Which deed is best?” he replied, “Faith in Allah.” He also said:

“Faith has seventy-odd branches, the highest of which is saying, ‘There is no deity worthy of worship except Allah,’ and the lowest is removing harmful things from the road.”

There are many similar examples. On this basis, scholars have disagreed over whether someone who swears not to perform any act breaks his oath by speaking, as in recitation and the like. There are two views on this within the school of Ahmad and among others.

Thus, unless the meanings of these ambiguous and potentially confusing expressions are distinguished, dispute and confusion arise. Allah, glorified and exalted be He, knows best.