Forty Ḥadīth on the Foundations of Islām and the Principles of Rulings (The Forty Ḥadīth of al-Nawawī)

All praise is for Allah, the Lord of the worlds, and the good end is for those who have piety. There is no change nor ability except with Allah, the Most Great. May His blessings and peace be upon the master of those who were sent, and upon his followers and companions together.

In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Especially Merciful.

Praise belongs to Allah, Lord of all worlds, Sustainer of the heavens and the earths, Director of all creation, who sent the messengers—His blessings and peace be upon them—to those charged with religious responsibility, to guide them and explain the laws of the religion through decisive proofs and clear demonstrations.

I praise Him for all His blessings and ask Him for more of His bounty and generosity.

I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone, the All-Subduing, the Generous, the Oft-Forgiving.

I bear witness that our master Muḥammad is His worshipper, messenger, beloved, and intimate friend, the best of creation, the one honored with the mighty Qur'an, the miracle enduring through successive years, and with the illuminating Sunnahs for those seeking guidance, the one distinguished by concise, comprehensive speech and the ease of the religion. ﷺ

To proceed: We have transmitted from ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib, ʿAbd Allāh ibn Masʿūd, Muʿādh ibn Jabal, Abū al-Dardāʾ, Ibn ʿUmar, Ibn ʿAbbās, Anas ibn Mālik, Abū Hurayrah, and Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ, through many routes and varied narrations, that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Whoever preserves forty hadith for my community concerning its religion, Allah will raise him on the Day of Resurrection among the fuqahāʾ (jurists) and scholars.” And in another narration: “Allah will raise him as a faqīh (jurist) and scholar.”

In Abū al-Dardāʾ's narration: “I will be an intercessor and witness for him on the Day of Resurrection.” In Ibn Masʿūd's narration, it is said to him: “Enter by whichever gate of Paradise you wish.” In Ibn ʿUmar's narration: “He will be recorded among the scholars and gathered among the martyrs.”

The hadith masters agreed that this is a weak hadith, despite its many transmission routes.

The scholars—may Allah Most High be pleased with them—have produced countless works in this field. The first whom I know to have compiled one was ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-Mubārak, then Muḥammad ibn Aslam al-Ṭūsī, the nurturing scholar; then al-Ḥasan ibn Sufyān al-Nasawī, Abū Bakr al-Ājurrī, Abū Bakr Muḥammad ibn Ibrāhīm al-Aṣfahānī, al-Dāraquṭnī, al-Ḥākim, Abū Nuʿaym, Abū ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Sulamī, Abū Saʿīd al-Mālīnī, Abū ʿUthmān al-Ṣābūnī, ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad al-Anṣārī, Abū Bakr al-Bayhaqī, and innumerable earlier and later scholars.

I have sought Allah Most High's guidance in collecting forty hadith, following these eminent imams and hadith masters of Islām. The scholars have agreed on the permissibility of acting upon weak hadith concerning the merits of deeds.¹

Nevertheless, I do not rely on this hadith. Rather, I rely on his words ﷺ in authentic hadith: “Let those of you who are present convey to those who are absent,” and his words ﷺ: “May Allah beatify a person who hears my statement, understands and retains it, then conveys it as he heard it.”

Some scholars collected forty hadith on the foundations of religion (creed), some on its branches (fiqh), some on jihād, some on detachment from worldly things (zuhd), some on manners (adab), and some on sermons. All are worthy aims; may Allah Most High be pleased with those who pursued them.

I have decided to collect forty hadith of greater importance than all of this: it is forty hadith encompassing all these subjects. Each is a great principle of the religion, described by scholars as a hadith around which Islām revolves, or as half of Islām, a third of it, or the like.

I impose upon myself that these forty will be authentic. Most are in the two Ṣaḥīḥ collections of al-Bukhārī and Muslim. I present them with their chains of transmission omitted so that they may be easy to memorize and their benefit may be widespread, if Allah Most High wills. Then I follow them with a chapter explaining the pronunciation of their less obvious expressions.

Everyone who desires the Hereafter should know these hadith because of the important matters they contain and their direction toward every act of obedience. That is clear to anyone who contemplates them.

Upon Allah I rely; to Him I entrust my affairs and upon Him I depend. And to Him alone do praise and blessing belong. And only through Him success and protection come.

Amīr al-Muʾminīn (Commander of the Faithful), Abū Ḥafṣ ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ, said: I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say:

“Actions are only according to their intentions, and each person will only have that which he intended.

So whoever's hijrah (migration) was to Allah and His Messenger, then his hijrah was to Allah and His Messenger.

Whoever's hijrah (migration) was for some worldly matter he wished to attain, or for a woman he wished to marry, then his hijrah was to that for which he migrated.”

Narrated by the two leaders of hadith scholars: Abū ʿAbdillāh Muḥammad ibn Ismāʿīl ibn Ibrāhīm ibn al-Mughīrah ibn Bardizbah al-Bukhārī, and Abū al-Ḥusayn Muslim ibn al-Ḥajjāj ibn Muslim al-Qushayrī al-Naysābūrī, in their two Ṣaḥīḥ collections, which are the most authentic compiled books.

ʿUmar رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ also said: One day, while we were sitting with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, a man appeared before us whose clothes were intensely white and whose hair was intensely black. No sign of travel could be seen on him, and none of us knew him. Then he sat in front of the Prophet ﷺ, placed his knees against his knees and his hands on his thighs,

and said, “O Muḥammad, tell me about Islām.”

So the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Islām is that you testify that there is no one worthy of worship except Allah and that Muḥammad is the Messenger of Allah ﷺ; establish the ṣalāh (prayer); give zakāh; fast Ramadan; and make ḥajj (pilgrimage) to the House, if you are able to find a way there.”

He said, “You have spoken truthfully.” We were astonished that he asked him and then affirmed that he had spoken truthfully.

He said, “Then tell me about īmān (faith).”

He said, “That you believe in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, and the Last Day, and that you believe in qadar (divine decree), its good and its evil.”

He said, “You have spoken truthfully.”

He said, “Then tell me about iḥsān (excellence).”

He said, “That you worship Allah as though you see Him. If you do not see Him, He sees you.”

He said, “Then tell me about the Hour.”

He said, “The one being asked knows no more about it than the questioner.”

He said, “Then tell me about its signs.”

He said, “That the slave woman gives birth to her mistress, and that you see barefoot, unclothed, impoverished shepherds competing in the height of their buildings.”

Then he left. I remained for a considerable time.

Then he said, “O ʿUmar, do you know who the questioner was?”

I said, “Allah and His Messenger know best.”

He said, “That was Jibrīl عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ. He came to teach you your religion.”
Narrated by Muslim.

Abū ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا said: I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say:

“Islām is built upon five: testifying that there is no one worthy of worship, except for Allah and that Muḥammad is the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, establishing ṣalāh (prayer), giving zakāh, pilgrimage to the House, and fasting Ramadan.”
Narrated by al-Bukhārī and Muslim.

Abū ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ʿAbd Allāh ibn Masʿūd رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ, the truthful one whose truth is confirmed, told us:

“The creation of each of you is gathered in his mother's womb for forty days; then he is a clinging substance like that; then a morsel of flesh like that.

Then the angel is sent to him and breathes the spirit into him. He is commanded concerning four matters: to write his provision, his lifespan, his deeds, and whether he is wretched or delighted.

“By Allah, besides whom there is no god, one of you will do the deeds of the people of Paradise until only an arm's length separates him from it. Then what is written surpasses him, and he does the deeds of the people of the Fire and enters it.

And one of you may do the deeds of the people of the Fire until only an arm's length separates him from it. Then what is written surpasses him, and he does the deeds of the people of Paradise and enters it.”
Narrated by al-Bukhārī and Muslim.

The Mother of the Believers, Umm ʿAbd Allāh ʿĀʾishah رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهَا, said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

“Whoever introduces into this matter of ours something that does not belong to it, it is rejected.”
Narrated by al-Bukhārī and Muslim.

In a narration of Muslim:

“Whoever performs a deed that does not accord with our matter, it is rejected.”

Abū ʿAbd Allāh al-Nuʿmān ibn Bashīr رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا said: I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say:

“The ḥalāl (lawful) is clear, and the ḥarām (unlawful) is clear. Between them are shubuhāt (doubtful matters) that many people do not know. Whoever guards against shubuhāt has protected his religion and his honor. Whoever falls into shubuhāt falls into the ḥarām, like a shepherd grazing around a protected pasture, close to letting his flock graze within it.

“Verily, every king has a protected pasture. Verily, Allah’s protected pasture is what He has forbidden.

Verily, in the body there is a morsel of flesh: when it is sound, the whole body is sound, and when it is corrupt, the whole body is corrupt. Verily, it is the heart.”
Narrated by al-Bukhārī and Muslim.

Abū Ruqayyah Tamīm ibn Aws al-Dārī رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ reported that the Prophet ﷺ said,

“The religion is naṣīḥah (sincerity).”

We said, “To whom?”

He said, “To Allah, His Book, His Messenger ﷺ, the leaders of the Muslims, and their general body.”
Narrated by Muslim.

Ibn ʿUmar رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

“I have been commanded to fight the people until they testify that there is no one worthy of worship, except Allah and that Muḥammad is the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, establish ṣalāh (prayer), and give zakāh.

When they do that, they safeguard their blood and wealth from me, except by the right of Islām and their accounting rests with Allah Most High.”
Narrated by al-Bukhārī and Muslim.

Abū Hurayrah ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Ṣakhr رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ said: I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say:

“Whatever I forbid you, avoid it. And whatever I command you, do as much as you can of it.

Those before you were mainly destroyed by their many questions and their disagreement with their prophets.”
Narrated by al-Bukhārī and Muslim.

Abū Hurayrah رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

“Allah Most High is good and accepts only what is good. Allah has commanded the believers with what He commanded the messengers.

He, Most High, said, ‘O messengers, eat from the good things and do righteous deeds.’ And He Most High said, ‘O you who believe, eat from the good things We have provided you.’”

Then he mentioned a man who travels for a long time, disheveled and dusty, extending his hands toward the sky: “My Lord! My Lord!” Yet his food is ḥarām (unlawful), his clothing is ḥarām, and he has been nourished with the ḥarām. How, then, is he to be answered?
Narrated by Muslim.

Abū Muḥammad al-Ḥasan ibn ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib, the grandson and fragrant flower of the Messenger of Allah, رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا, said: I memorized from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ:

“Leave what causes you doubt for what does not cause you doubt.”
Narrated by al-Tirmidhī and al-Nasāʾī. Al-Tirmidhī said: “A ḥasan ṣaḥīḥ hadith.”

Abū Hurayrah رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

“Part of the excellence of a person's Islām is leaving what does not concern him.”
A ḥasan hadith, narrated by al-Tirmidhī and others in this wording.

Abū Ḥamzah Anas ibn Mālik رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ, the servant of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, reported from the Prophet ﷺ:

“None of you believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.”
Narrated by al-Bukhārī and Muslim.

Ibn Masʿūd رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

“The blood of a Muslim person is not lawful except in one of three cases: a previously married zānī (fornicator); a life for a life; and one who abandons his religion, separating from the community.”
Narrated by al-Bukhārī and Muslim.

Abū Hurayrah رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

“Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day should speak good or remain silent.

Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day should honor his neighbor.

Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day should honor his guest.”
Narrated by al-Bukhārī and Muslim.

Abū Hurayrah رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ reported that a man said to the Prophet ﷺ, “Advise me.”

He said, “Do not become angry.”

The man repeated his request several times.

He said, “Do not become angry.”
Narrated by al-Bukhārī.

Abū Yaʿlā Shaddād ibn Aws رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ reported from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ:

“Allah has prescribed iḥsān (excellence) in everything. When you kill, kill in the best manner; and when you slaughter, slaughter in the best manner.

Let each of you sharpen his blade and spare his slaughtered animal suffering.”
Narrated by Muslim.

Abū Dharr Jundub ibn Junādah and Abū ʿAbd al-Raḥmān Muʿādh ibn Jabal رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا reported from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ:

“Be mindful of Allah wherever you are.

And follow up a bad deed with a good deed, which will erase it.

And deal with people with good character.”
Narrated by al-Tirmidhī, who said: “A ḥasan hadith.” In some copies: “Ḥasan ṣaḥīḥ.”

Abū al-ʿAbbās ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbbās رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا said: One day I was behind the Prophet ﷺ. He said:

“Young boy, I will teach you some statements. Be mindful of Allah, and He will protect you. Be mindful of Allah, and you will find Him before you. When you ask, ask Allah; and when you seek help, seek Allah's help.

Know that if the whole community gathered to benefit you with something, they would benefit you only with something Allah had already written for you.

And if they gathered to harm you with something, they would harm you only with something Allah had written against you. The pens have been lifted, and the pages have dried.”
Narrated by al-Tirmidhī, who said: “A ḥasan ṣaḥīḥ hadith.”

In a narration other than al-Tirmidhī's:

“Be mindful of Allah, and you will find Him before you. Make yourself known to Allah in ease, and He will know you in hardship.

Know that what missed you was never going to strike you, and what struck you was never going to miss you.

Know that victory comes with patience, relief with distress, and ease with hardship.”

Abū Masʿūd ʿUqbah ibn ʿAmr al-Anṣārī al-Badrī رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

“Among the words of the earliest prophethood that people have received is this: If you feel no shame, do as you wish.”
Narrated by al-Bukhārī.

Abū ʿAmr—or, it is said, Abū ʿAmrah—Sufyān ibn ʿAbd Allāh رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ said: I said, “O Messenger of Allah ﷺ, tell me something about Islām about which I need not ask anyone other than you.” He said:

“Say, ‘I believe in Allah,’ then remain steadfast.”
Narrated by Muslim.

Abū ʿAbd Allāh Jābir ibn ʿAbd Allāh al-Anṣārī رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا reported that a man asked the Messenger of Allah ﷺ:

“Tell me: if I perform the prescribed prayers, fast Ramadan, treat the ḥalāl (lawful) as lawful and the ḥarām (unlawful) as unlawful, and add nothing to that, will I enter Paradise?”

He said, “Yes.”
Narrated by Muslim.

[Al-Nawawī explains:] “Treat the ḥarām as unlawful” means avoiding it. “Treat the ḥalāl as lawful” means doing it while believing it to be lawful.

Abū Mālik al-Ḥārith ibn ʿĀṣim al-Ashʿarī رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

“Purification is half of īmān (faith).

And ‘al-ḥamdu lillāh (Praise belongs to Allah)’ fills the Scale.

‘Subḥānallāh (Glory be to Allah)’ and ‘Al-ḥamdu lillāh (Praise belongs to Allah)’ fill what is between heaven and earth.

Ṣalāh (prayer) is light.

Ṣadaqah (charity) is proof.

Patience is radiance. The Qur'an is evidence for you or against you.

Everyone goes out in the morning, selling his soul: either freeing it or destroying it.”
Narrated by Muslim.

Abū Dharr al-Ghifārī رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ reported from the Prophet ﷺ, conveying from his Lord, Mighty and Majestic, that He said:

“My servants, I have forbidden ẓulm (injustice) for Myself and made it forbidden among you, so do not wrong one another.

“My servants, all of you are astray except those I guide, so ask Me for guidance, and I will guide you.

My servants, all of you are hungry except those I feed, so ask Me for food, and I will feed you.

My servants, all of you are unclothed except those I clothe, so ask Me for clothing, and I will clothe you.

My servants, you commit wrongs by night and day, and I forgive all sins, so ask Me for forgiveness, and I will forgive you.

“My servants, you will never reach the ability to harm Me so as to harm Me, nor the ability to benefit Me so as to benefit Me.

My servants, if the first and last of you, your humans and your jinn, were all as pious as the most God-fearing heart of any one of you, that would add nothing to My dominion.

“My servants, if the first and last of you, your humans and your jinn, were all as wicked as the most wicked heart of any one of you, that would take nothing from My dominion.

My servants, if the first and last of you, your humans and your jinn, stood on one plain and asked Me, and I gave everyone what he asked for, that would diminish what I possess only as a needle diminishes the sea when dipped into it.

“My servants, it is only your deeds that I count for you, then repay you in full for them. Whoever finds good should praise Allah. Whoever finds otherwise should blame no one but himself.”
Narrated by Muslim.

Abū Dharr رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ also reported that some of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to the Prophet ﷺ:

“O Messenger of Allah ﷺ, the wealthy have taken all the rewards. They pray as we pray and fast as we fast, but they give charity from their surplus wealth.”

He said, “Has Allah not given you things with which to give charity?

Every declaration of Subḥānallāh is ṣadaqah (charity);

every declaration of Allāhu Akbar is ṣadaqah;

every expression of Al-ḥamdu lillāh is ṣadaqah;

every declaration of Lā ilāha illā Allāh (that there is no one worthy of worship but Allah) is ṣadaqah.

Enjoining what is right is ṣadaqah, and forbidding what is wrong is ṣadaqah.

And in the sexual intercourse of each of you there is ṣadaqah.”

They said, “O Messenger of Allah ﷺ, does one of us fulfill his desire and have a reward for it?”

He said, “Tell me: if he fulfilled it unlawfully, would he bear sin?

Likewise, when he fulfills it lawfully, he has a reward.”
Narrated by Muslim.

Abū Hurayrah رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

“Every joint of a person owes ṣadaqah (charity) each day the sun rises.

Acting justly between two people is ṣadaqah.

Helping a man with his mount, lifting him onto it or lifting his belongings onto it, is ṣadaqah.

A good word is ṣadaqah.

Every step you take toward ṣalāh (prayer) is ṣadaqah.

And removing harm from the road is ṣadaqah.”
Narrated by al-Bukhārī and Muslim.

Al-Nawwās ibn Samʿān رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ reported from the Prophet ﷺ:

“Righteousness is good character. Sin is what troubles your soul and what you would dislike people discovering.”
Narrated by Muslim.

Wābiṣah ibn Maʿbad رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ said: I came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.

He said, “Have you come to ask about righteousness?”

I said, “Yes.”

He said, “Consult your heart. Righteousness is that with which the soul is at peace and the heart is at peace.

Sin is what troubles the soul and keeps wavering in the breast, even if the people give you their fatwā (opinions) and continue to do so.”
A ḥasan hadith. We have transmitted it in the Musnads of the two imams Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal and al-Dārimī with a ḥasan chain.

Abū Najīḥ al-ʿIrbāḍ ibn Sāriyah رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ gave us an admonition that made hearts tremble and eyes shed tears.

We said, “O Messenger of Allah ﷺ, it seems like a farewell admonition, so advise us.”

He said, “I advise you to be mindful of Allah, Mighty and Majestic, and to listen and obey, even if a slave is placed in command over you.

Whoever among you lives will see much disagreement. Hold to my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the rightly guided caliphs who receive guidance. Bite onto it with your back teeth.

Beware of newly introduced matters, for every bidʿah (innovation) is misguidance.”
Narrated by Abū Dāwūd and al-Tirmidhī, who said: “A ḥasan ṣaḥīḥ hadith.”

Muʿādh ibn Jabal رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ said: I said, “O Messenger of Allah ﷺ, tell me of a deed that will admit me to Paradise and keep me far from the Fire.”

He said, “You have asked about something great, and yet it is easy for the one for whom Allah Most High makes it easy:

Worship Allah without associating anything with Him, establish ṣalāh (prayer), give zakāh, fast Ramadan, and make ḥajj (pilgrimage) to the House.”

Then he said, “Shall I guide you to the doors of good?

Fasting is a shield. Ṣadaqah (charity) extinguishes sin as water extinguishes fire. And a man's ṣalāh in the depth of the night.”

Then he recited: “Their sides part [i.e., they arise] from [their] beds; they supplicate their Lord in fear and aspiration, and from what We have provided them, they spend. (16) And no soul knows what has been hidden for them of comfort for eyes [i.e., satisfaction] as reward for what they used to do. (17)”¹

Then he said, “Shall I tell you of the head of the matter, its pillar, and the summit of its hump?”

I said, “Yes, Messenger of Allah ﷺ.”

He said, “The head of the matter is Islām, its pillar is ṣalāh, and the summit of its hump is jihād.”

Then he said, “Shall I tell you what holds all of that together?”

I said, “Yes, Messenger of Allah ﷺ.”

He took hold of his tongue and said, “Restrain this.”

I said, “Prophet of Allah ﷺ, will we be held accountable for what we say?”

He said, “May your mother lose you! What throws people into the Fire on their faces—or he said, on their noses—except the harvests of their tongues?”
Narrated by al-Tirmidhī, who said: “A ḥasan ṣaḥīḥ hadith.”

Abū Thaʿlabah al-Khushanī Jurthūm ibn Nāshir رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ reported from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ:

“Allah Most High has prescribed obligations, so do not neglect them.

He has set limits, so do not transgress them.

He has forbidden things, so do not violate them.

And He has remained silent about things out of mercy toward you, not forgetfulness, so do not investigate them.”
A ḥasan hadith, narrated by al-Dāraquṭnī and others.³

Abū al-ʿAbbās Sahl ibn Saʿd al-Sāʿidī رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ said: A man came to the Prophet ﷺ and said, “O Messenger of Allah ﷺ, guide me to a deed that, if I do it, Allah will love me and people will love me.”

He said, “Be detached from this world, and Allah will love you. Be detached from what people possess, and people will love you.”
A ḥasan hadith, narrated by Ibn Mājah and others through ḥasan chains.

Abū Saʿīd Saʿd ibn Mālik ibn Sinān al-Khudrī رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

“There is to be neither harm nor reciprocal harm.”

A ḥasan hadith. Ibn Mājah, al-Dāraquṭnī, and others narrated it with a connected chain. Mālik narrated it in al-Muwaṭṭaʾ as a mursal report, from ʿAmr ibn Yaḥyā, from his father, from the Prophet ﷺ, omitting Abū Saʿīd. It has transmission routes that strengthen one another.

Ibn ʿAbbās رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

“If people were given things merely on their claims, men would claim other people's wealth and blood. But bayyinah (evidence) is required of the claimant, and an oath of the one who denies.”

A ḥasan hadith, narrated by al-Bayhaqī and others in this wording. Part of it is in the two Ṣaḥīḥ collections.

Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ said: I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say:

“Whoever among you sees something wrong should change it with his hand.

If he cannot, then with his tongue. If he cannot, then with his heart.

And that is the weakest īmān (faith).”
Narrated by Muslim.

Abū Hurayrah رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

“Do not envy one another, artificially raise bids, hate one another, turn your backs on one another, or make a sale over another's sale. And be servants of Allah as brothers.

The Muslim is the brother of a Muslim: he does not wrong him, abandon him, lie to him, or belittle him.

Taqwā (fear) of Allah is here”—and he pointed to his chest three times—“It is enough evil for a person to belittle his Muslim brother.

The whole of a Muslim is ḥarām (protected) to another Muslim: his blood, his wealth, and his honor.”
Narrated by Muslim.

Abū Hurayrah رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ reported from the Prophet ﷺ:

“Whoever relieves a believer of a distress of this world, Allah will relieve him of a distress of the Day of Resurrection.

Whoever makes things easier for someone in difficulty, Allah will make things easier for him in this world and the Hereafter.

Whoever conceals a Muslim's faults, Allah will conceal his faults in this world and the Hereafter. Allah helps the servant as long as the servant helps his brother.

“Whoever follows a path seeking knowledge, Allah will make easy for him through it a path to Paradise.

Whenever people gather in one of Allah's houses, reciting Allah's Book and studying it together, tranquility descends upon them, mercy envelops them, the angels surround them, and Allah mentions them among those with Him.

And whoever is held back by his deeds will not be advanced by his lineage.”
Narrated by Muslim in this wording.

Ibn ʿAbbās رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا reported from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, conveying from his Lord, Blessed and Most High:

“Allah recorded good and bad deeds, then explained that. Whoever intends a good deed but does not do it, Allah records it with Himself as one complete good deed. If he intends it and does it, Allah records it with Himself as ten good deeds, up to seven hundred times as much, and many times beyond that.

If he intends a bad deed but does not do it, Allah records it with Himself as one complete good deed. If he intends it and does it, Allah records it as one bad deed.”
Narrated by al-Bukhārī and Muslim in their two Ṣaḥīḥ collections in these exact words.

[Al-Nawawī comments:] Consider, my brother—may Allah grant success to us and to you—Allah Most High's immense kindness, and reflect on these expressions. “With Himself” indicates the care given to it. “Complete” provides emphasis and stresses that care.

Concerning the bad deed intended and then abandoned, He says that Allah records it with Himself as “one complete good deed,” emphasizing it with “complete.” If he does it, He records “one bad deed,” emphasizing its small number with “one,” without emphasizing it with “complete.” Praise and favor belong to Allah. Glory be to Him; we cannot count His praises. Success comes through Allah.

Abū Hurayrah رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

“Allah Most High said: Whoever shows hostility to a devoted servant of Mine, I have declared war against him.

My servant draws near to Me with nothing more beloved to Me than what I have made obligatory upon him.

My servant continues to draw near to Me through voluntary deeds until I love him.

When I love him, I am his hearing with which he hears, his sight with which he sees, his hand with which he grasps, and his foot with which he walks.³ If he asks Me, I will certainly give to him; and if he seeks My protection, I will certainly protect him.”
Narrated by al-Bukhārī.

Ibn ʿAbbās رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

“Allah has pardoned for me my ummah’s (community’s) mistakes, forgetfulness, and what they are compelled to do.”
A ḥasan hadith, narrated by Ibn Mājah, al-Bayhaqī, and others.

Ibn ʿUmar رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ took hold of my shoulders and said:

“Be in this world as though you were a stranger or a traveler passing through.”

And Ibn ʿUmar رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا used to say: When evening comes, do not expect the morning; and when morning comes, do not expect the evening. Take from your health for your illness, and from your life for your death.
Narrated by al-Bukhārī.

Abū Muḥammad ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAmr ibn al-ʿĀṣ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

“None of you believes until his desire follows what I have brought.”
A ḥasan ṣaḥīḥ hadith. We have transmitted it in the book al-Ḥujjah with a ṣaḥīḥ chain.¹

Anas رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ said: I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say:

“Allah Most High said: Son of Adam, as long as you call upon Me and hope in Me, I will forgive you for what you have done, and I do not mind.

Son of Adam, if your sins reached the clouds of the sky, then you asked Me for forgiveness, I would forgive you.

Son of Adam, if you came to Me with nearly an earthful of sins, then met Me without associating anything with Me, I would come to you with nearly as much forgiveness.”
Narrated by al-Tirmidhī, who said: “A ḥasan ṣaḥīḥ hadith,” as transmitted in the selected base text.

This concludes what I intended to present of the hadith that bring together the principles of Islām and contain innumerable kinds of knowledge concerning foundations, branches, manners, and all aspects of religious rulings.

I now set out a very brief chapter giving the pronunciation of their expressions in order, so that nothing in them is read incorrectly and the person memorizing them need not consult another work for their pronunciation.

Then, if Allah Most High wills, I shall begin explaining them in a separate book. I hope, through Allah Most High's bounty, that He will enable me in it to explain important subtleties and collections of benefits and knowledge that no Muslim can do without knowing.

The reader will see the rich substance and great merit of these hadith, the precious matters I have mentioned and the important matters I have described. Through this, the wisdom of selecting these forty hadith will become known, and thoughtful readers will see that they deserve this selection.

I have kept the explanation separate from this volume so that this volume alone may be easy to memorize. Whoever then wishes to add the explanation to it may do so. Allah will have bestowed a favor upon him through that, as he encounters precious subtleties drawn from the speech of the one concerning whom Allah said: ‘He does not speak from desire. It is only revelation revealed.’

Praise and favor belong to Allah, first and last, inwardly and outwardly, for His blessings.

Chapter: Guidance on the Pronunciation of Difficult Expressions

Although I have called this chapter ‘Difficult Expressions,’ I may also draw attention in it to some clear expressions.¹ [—————]

Its author said: I finished it on Thursday night, the twenty-ninth of Jumādā al-Ūlā, in the year six hundred and sixty-eight.

Ibn ʿAbbās رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

“Give the farāʾiḍ (prescribed inheritance shares) to their rightful recipients. Whatever the prescribed shares leave over belongs to the nearest male relative.”
Related by al-Bukhārī and Muslim.

ʿĀʾishah رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهَا reported from the Prophet ﷺ:

“Nursing makes unlawful what birth makes unlawful.”
Related by al-Bukhārī and Muslim.

Jābir ibn ʿAbd Allāh رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا reported that he heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say in Makkah during the year of the conquest:

“Allah and His Messenger have forbidden the sale of wine, dead animals, pigs, and idols.”

It was said, “O Messenger of Allah ﷺ, what about the fat of dead animals? Ships are coated with it, hides are greased with it, and people use it for lamps.”

He said, “No; it is ḥarām (unlawful).”

Then the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “May Allah fight the Jews! Allah forbade fat to them, but they melted it, sold it, and consumed its price.”
Related by al-Bukhārī and Muslim.

Abū Burdah reported from his father, Abū Mūsā al-Ashʿarī رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ, that the Prophet ﷺ sent him to Yemen. He asked him about drinks made there.

He said, “What are they?”

He said, “Bitʿ and mizr.”

Abū Burdah was asked, “What is bitʿ?”

He said, “A drink made from honey; mizr is a drink made from barley.”

He said, “Every intoxicant is ḥarām (unlawful).”
Related by al-Bukhārī.

Al-Miqdām ibn Maʿdīkarib رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ said: I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say:

“No human being fills a vessel worse than his stomach. A few mouthfuls that keep his back upright are sufficient for the son of Adam.

If he must have more, then a third for his food, a third for his drink, and a third for his breath.”

Narrated by Imam Aḥmad, al-Tirmidhī, al-Nasāʾī, and Ibn Mājah. Al-Tirmidhī said: “A ḥasan hadith.”

ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAmr رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا reported from the Prophet ﷺ:

“Four traits, when present in a person, make him a munāfiq (hypocrite).¹ If one of them is present in him, he has a trait of nifāq (hypocrisy) until he abandons it:

When he speaks, he lies; when he promises, he breaks his promise; when he disputes, he transgresses; and when he makes a covenant, he betrays it.”
Related by al-Bukhārī and Muslim.

ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ reported from the Prophet ﷺ:

“If you relied upon Allah as He deserves to be relied upon, He would provide for you as He provides for the birds: they go out hungry in the morning and return full in the evening.”

Narrated by Imam Aḥmad, al-Tirmidhī, al-Nasāʾī, Ibn Mājah, Ibn Ḥibbān in his Ṣaḥīḥ, and al-Ḥākim. And al-Tirmidhī said: “Ḥasan ṣaḥīḥ.”

ʿAbd Allāh ibn Busr [رضي الله عنه] reported: A man came to the Prophet ﷺ

and said, “O Messenger of Allah ﷺ, the prescriptions of Islām have become many for us. Is there a comprehensive door that we can hold to?”

He said, “Let your tongue remain moist with the dhikr (remembrance) of Allah, Mighty and Majestic.”
Related by Imam Aḥmad in this wording.