Does faith increase and decrease?

هل يزيد الإيمان وينقص؟

In the Book of the Sunna Abu Dawud has a chapter 'refuting irja'' with the report 'faith has seventy-odd branches… and modesty is a branch of faith' and the report of the delegation of 'Abd al-Qays, in which prayer, zakat, fasting and paying the fifth are counted as faith, followed by 'the proof that faith increases and decreases'; al-Khattabi holds that faith in the religious sense names a reality with branches and parts, higher and lower, and that the chapter establishes degrees in faith and differences of rank among believers ¹.

Summary

The Book of the Sunna in the Sunan of Abu Dawud has two consecutive chapters on this question, "refuting irja'" and "the proof that faith increases and decreases", in which Abu Dawud gathers reports that count deeds as part of faith, and al-Khattabi explains them as showing that faith has degrees. ² ³

The reports in the chapter

Abu Hurayra: "Faith has seventy-odd branches, the highest the saying 'there is no god but God', the lowest removing a bone from the road; and modesty is a branch of faith." ² Al-Khattabi quotes Tha'lab that bid' ("-odd") means from three up to ten. ²
Ibn 'Abbas on the delegation of 'Abd al-Qays: he told them to believe in God and said, "Do you know what faith in God is? Bearing witness that there is no god but God and that Muhammad is the Messenger of God ﷺ, performing the prayer, paying zakat, fasting Ramadan, and giving the fifth of the spoils." ⁴
Abu Umama: "Whoever loves for God, hates for God, gives for God and withholds for God has completed faith"; and Abu Hurayra (may God be pleased with him): "The most complete of believers in faith are the best of them in character." ⁵
The chapter also holds the report on the deficiency in religion of a menstruating woman who leaves prayer and fasting, and Ibn 'Abbas's report on the change of qibla and al-Baqara 143. ⁶

Al-Khattabi's explanation

Branches: faith in the religious sense names a reality with branches and parts, higher and lower; the name attaches to some of them as to all, while its full reality requires all, just as the canonical prayer has parts and the name attaches to some of them. ²
Degrees: the chapter establishes degrees in faith and differences of rank among believers. ²
Modesty: it is a branch of faith because it cuts its owner off from sins and holds him back from them, faith as a whole being doing what God commands and refraining from what He forbids. ²
Deeds as faith: in the report of 'Abd al-Qays the Prophet taught that prayer, zakat, the Ramadan fast and the fifth are part of faith, as is the testimony; this does not conflict with "I was commanded to fight people until they say there is no god but God", since that phrase is a badge by which entry is marked, while this is a detailed account, "and the detail does not contradict the summary but fits it". ⁴

Not covered here

The chapter does not give the Murji'a view in their own words, nor the Hanafi and Maturidi position that faith is assent and deeds are not part of what it names; these are to be added from their sources.

Opinions on the question

The question: Whether deeds are part of what 'faith' names and whether it has degrees, as Abu Dawud arranges it in the Book of the Sunna ('refuting irja'' and 'the proof that faith increases and decreases') and al-Khattabi explains it.

First opinion · Sunni tradition (the museum's frame)Main reference

Faith is word and deed, with branches; it increases and decreases

Abu Dawud gives chapters refuting irja' and on the increase and decrease of faith; al-Khattabi says the name 'faith' attaches to some of its branches as it does to all of them, while its full reality requires all, as with the canonical prayer; in the report of 'Abd al-Qays the Prophet counted prayer, zakat, fasting and the fifth of the spoils as faith, which does not conflict with 'I was commanded to fight people until they say there is no god but God', since that phrase is the badge of entry and the detailed account does not contradict the summary.

Held by: Abu Dawud al-Sijistani Abu Sulayman al-Khattabi

Basis: Sunan Abi Dawud with al-Khattabi's Ma'alim al-Sunan — prepared and annotated by 'Izzat 'Ubayd al-Da''as and 'Adil al-Sayyid, Dar Ibn Hazm, vol. 5

Sources

Sunan Abi Dawud with al-Khattabi's Ma'alim al-Sunan — prepared and annotated by 'Izzat 'Ubayd al-Da''as and 'Adil al-Sayyid, Dar Ibn Hazm, vol. 5 , p. 39-42

Sunan Abi Dawud with al-Khattabi's Ma'alim al-Sunan — prepared and annotated by 'Izzat 'Ubayd al-Da''as and 'Adil al-Sayyid, Dar Ibn Hazm, vol. 5 , p. 39

Sunan Abi Dawud with al-Khattabi's Ma'alim al-Sunan — prepared and annotated by 'Izzat 'Ubayd al-Da''as and 'Adil al-Sayyid, Dar Ibn Hazm, vol. 5 , p. 41

Sunan Abi Dawud with al-Khattabi's Ma'alim al-Sunan — prepared and annotated by 'Izzat 'Ubayd al-Da''as and 'Adil al-Sayyid, Dar Ibn Hazm, vol. 5 , p. 40

Sunan Abi Dawud with al-Khattabi's Ma'alim al-Sunan — prepared and annotated by 'Izzat 'Ubayd al-Da''as and 'Adil al-Sayyid, Dar Ibn Hazm, vol. 5 , p. 42

Sunan Abi Dawud with al-Khattabi's Ma'alim al-Sunan — prepared and annotated by 'Izzat 'Ubayd al-Da''as and 'Adil al-Sayyid, Dar Ibn Hazm, vol. 5 , p. 41-42

Does faith increase and decrease?

At a glance