together, Islām is defined by the outward acts—the five pillars of Islam—whereas īmān is defined by the inward acts, the six pillars whose place is the heart. Both sets must coexist within a Muslim: he must be a Muslim believer who fulfils the pillars of Islam and the pillars of faith; the two are inseparable.

The Prophet ﷺ said, “Faith comprises more than seventy branches—or, in another wording, more than sixty branches.”

Regarding the phrase buḍʿ (“a few”): buḍʿ denotes any number from three to nine. If one says buḍʿ-ʿashar (“a few-teen”), it refers to a number between thirteen and nineteen; but when the word buḍʿ appears on its own, it means from three to nine.

The term “branch” (shuʿbah) signifies a segment or portion of something; accordingly, the pillars amount to more than seventy segments or parts.

As for “the highest of them,” the loftiest of these branches is the proclamation “lā ilāha illā Allāh” (there is no deity worthy of worship but Allah). It is the summit of Islam and of faith, the first pillar and the very entryway into the religion.