Introduction

AllPraiseisduetoAllah,theLordoftheWorlds,the[OneWho]SustainstheHeavensandEarths,Directorofallthatiscreated,whosenttheMessengers(maythepeaceandblessingsofAllahbeuponallofthem)torationalbeings,toguidethemandexplainthereligiouslawstothemwithclearproofsandundeniablearguments.IpraiseHimforallofHisbounties.IaskHimtoincreaseHisGraceandGenerosity.IbearwitnessthatthereisnoneworthyofworshipexceptAllahalone,whohasnopartner,theOne,WhoSubdues,theGenerous,theForgiving.IbearwitnessthatourleaderMuhammadisHisservantandMessenger,Hisbelovedanddearone,thebestofallcreation.HewashonouredwiththeGloriousQur’anthathasbeenanenduringmiraclethroughouttheyears.HewasalsosentwithhisguidingSunnahthatshowsthewayforthosewhoseekguidance.OurleaderMuhammadhasbeenparticularisedwiththecharacteristicofeloquentandpithyspeech,andsimplicityandeaseinthereligion.MaythepeaceandblessingsofAllahbeuponhim,theotherProphetsandMessengers,alloftheirfamiliesandtherestoftherighteous.

Toproceed:wehavenarrated,throughmanychains(isnad,pl.asaneed)andvariousnarrations,fromAliibnAbeeTalib,AbdullahibnMasood,MuadhibnJabal,Abuad-Darda,[Abdullah]ibnUmar,[Abdullah]ibnAbbas,AnasibnMalik,AbuHurayrahandAbuSa’eedal-Khudree—mayAllahbepleasedwithallofthem—thattheMessengerofAllah(peaceandblessingsofAllahbeuponhim)said,“Whoeverpreservesformyummahfortyhadeethrelatedtothereligion,Allahwillthenresurrecthiminthecompanyofthepiousandthescholars.”Anothernarrationstates:“Allahwillraisehimasaneruditeandlearnedscholar.”InthenarrationfromAbuad-Darda,itisstated:“OntheDayofResurrection,Iwillbeanintercessorandwitnessforhim.”InthenarrationfromIbnMasooditisstatedthattheProphet(peaceandblessingsofAllahbeuponhim)said,“Itwillbesaidtohim‘EnterParadisethroughanydooryouwish.’”InthenarrationfromIbnUmar,onefindsthewords:“Hewillberecordedamongthecompanyofthescholarsandwillberesurrectedinthecompanyofthemartyrs.”[However,]thescholarsofhadeethagreethat,althoughthishadeethhasnumerouschains,itisweak[i.e.,dae’ef,andhencecannotbeusedasaShareeahproof].

Thescholars(mayAllahbepleasedwiththem)havecompiledinnumerableworksofthisnature[i.e.,collectionsoffortyhadeeth].ThefirstonethatIknowofwhocompiledsuchaworkwasAbdullahibnal-Mubarak.AfterhimcameibnAslamat-Toosee,apiousscholar.Thencameal-HasanibnSufyanan-Nasa’ee,AbuBakral-Aajurree,AbuBakrMuhammadibnIbraheemal-Asfahanee,ad-Daraqutnee,al-Hakim,AbuNu’aim,AbuAbdur-Rahmanas-Sulamee,AbuSa’eedal-Maleenee,Abu’Uthmaanas-Saboonee,AbdullahibnMuhammadal-Ansaree,AbuBakral-Baihaqeeandcountlessothersbothfromtheearlierandlatertimes.

IhaveturnedtoAllahforguidanceandprayedtoHimwhilecompilingthesefortyhadeeth,followingtheexampleofthoseimamsandguardiansofIslam.Thescholarshaveagreedthatitispermissibletoactinaccordancewithweakhadeeththatdealwiththevirtuesofgooddeeds[i.e.,notweakhadeeththatdealwithrulings—ahkam—oractsofworship].Nonetheless,giventhatfact,Ihavenotsimplyrelieduponthat[weak]hadeeth[mentionedabove],incompilingthiswork.Instead,IamfollowingthestatementoftheProphet(peaceandblessingsofAllahbeuponhim),foundinanauthentichadeeth,“Lethimwhowaspresentamongyouinformthosewhoareabsent.”TheProphet(peaceandblessingsofAllahbeuponhim)alsosaid,“MayAllahmakeradianttheman

1 ImamNawawi’sfortyhadeeth–YahyaibnSharafan-Nawawi

whohasheardwhatIsaid,preserveditinhismemoryandconveyeditinthewaythatheheardit.”

[Whatan-Nawawiissayinghereisthatmanyofthescholarsbeforehimhavemadecollectionsoffortyhadeeth,andhenceheisfollowingtheirgoodexampleandnotsimplyfollowingtheweakhadeethquotedabove,thusshowingthatheconsidersitimpropertobaseone’sactionsuponweakhadeethalone.]

Scholarshavecompiledfortyhadeethonfaithandbelief(usul),onpracticalmatters(furoo),onjihad,onausterity(zuhd),onetiquette(adab),andevenonsermons(khutbahs).Allofthese[collections]wereconcerningrighteousaims.MayAllahbepleasedwiththosewhosoughtthem.HoweverIhavefounditbesttocollecttogetherfortyhadeethwhicharemoreimportantthanallofthose.Thesefortyhadeethincorporateallofthoseseparatetopics.Infact,eachhadeethisbyitselfagreatgeneralpreceptfromthefoundationsofthereligion.SomescholarsstatethatallofIslamrevolvesaroundthesehadeeth.Somehavesaid,aboutaparticularhadeeth,thattheyareone-halfofIslam,one-thirdofIslamandsoforth.

Ihavecommittedmyselftoincludingonlyauthentichadeeth(saheehorhasan)inthesefortyhadeeth.ThemajorityofthemarefromSaheehal-BukhariorSaheehMuslim.Ihavementionedthemwithouttheirchainofnarratorsinorderforittobeeasiertomemorisethemandthusmore[people]willbeabletobenefitfromthem,Allahwilling.Afterthehadeeth,Iincludedasectiononthemeaningsoftheobscureexpressionsfoundinthehadeeth.

EveryonewhodesiresandlooksforwardtotheHereaftermustbefamiliarwiththesehadeethbecausetheycoverthemostimportantaspectsofthereligionandofferdirectiontoallformsofobedienceofAllah.Thisiscleartoanyonewhopondersthesehadeeth.

IrelyonlyuponAllahandIentrustmyaffaironlytoHim.ToHimisallPraiseandGrace,fromHimisGuidanceandprotectionfromerror.

Hadeeth 1

Ontheauthorityofameerul-mumineen(thecommanderofthefaithful),abuhafsUmaribnal-Khattab(mayAllahbepleasedwithhim),whosaid:

IheardtheMessengerofAllah(peaceandblessingsofAllahbeuponhim)say,“Actionsarebutbyintentionsandeverymanshallhaveonlythatwhichheintended.Thushewhosemigration(hijrahfromMakkahtoMadina)wasforAllahandHisMessenger,hismigrationwasforAllahandHisMessenger,andhewhosemigrationwastoachievesomeworldlybenefitortotakesomewomaninmarriage,hismigrationwasforthatforwhichhemigrated.”

Itisrelatedbythetwoimamsofthescholarsofhadeeth,AbuAbdullahMuhammadibnIsmaelibnIbraheemibnal-MugheeraibnBardizbahal-BukhariandAbu-l-HusainMuslimibnal-HajjajibnMuslimal-Qushaireean-Naisaboree,intheirtwoSaheehs,whicharethesoundestofcompiledbooks[i.e.,themosttruthfulbooksaftertheBookofAllah,sincetheQur’anisnot‘compiled’].

Hadeeth 2

AlsoontheauthorityofUmaribnal-Khattab(mayAllahbepleasedwithhim),whosaid:

OnedaywhileweweresittingwiththeMessengerofAllah(peaceandblessingsofAllahbeuponhim)thereappearedbeforeusamanwhoseclotheswereexceedinglywhiteandwhosehairwasexceedinglyblack;nosignsofjourneyweretobeseenonhimandnoneofusknewhim.HewalkedupandsatdowninfrontoftheProphet(peaceandblessingsof

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