His statement, “the lowest of them,” refers to the last and least of those branches.

His words, “removing something harmful from the road,” mean clearing away harm from the path people use. Harm includes anything that could injure passers-by: thorns, stones, filth, refuse—anything that troubles people on their way. Putting harm in the road is forbidden, because the road is for pedestrians and vehicles; such obstacles hinder them or place them in danger. Parking one’s car in the middle of the street is a form of harm. Pouring water from one’s house out onto the roadway is harm. Dumping trash there is harm. Whether the road is in town or out in the countryside, leaving stones, timber, metal objects, or digging holes in people’s pathways—all of this is harm.

When a Muslim comes and removes that harm, clearing the road, this testifies to his faith. Placing harmful objects in the road is among the hallmarks of disbelief, whereas removing them is among the hallmarks of faith.

His statement, “and modesty is a branch of faith.” Modesty is a moral trait that Allah places within a person; it urges him to do what adorns and beautifies him and restrains him from what defiles and disgraces him. The kind of modesty that leads its possessor to good and keeps him away from evil is praiseworthy, whereas the kind of modesty that prevents a person