The Forty Hadith of an-Nawawī

عن أمير المؤمنين أبي حفص عمر بن الخطاب (رضي الله عنه) قال: سمعت رسول الله ﷺ يقول: "إنما الأعمال بالنيات وإنما لكل امرئ ما نوى، فمن كانت هجرته إلى الله ورسوله، فهجرته إلى الله ورسوله، ومن كانت هجرته لدنيا يصيبها أو امرأة ينكحها، فهجرته إلى ما هاجـر إليه". (رواه إماما المحدّثين: أبو عبد الله محمـد بن إسماعيل بن إبراهيم بن المغيرة بن بردزبه البخاري الجعفي، وأبو الحسين مسلم بن الحجاج بن مسلم القشيري النيسابوري في صحيحيهما اللذين هما أصح الكتب المصنفة).

On the authority of the Commander of the Faithful, Abū Ḥafṣ ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: “Deeds are only by intentions, and each person has only what he intended. So whoever emigrated to Allah and His Messenger, his emigration is to Allah and His Messenger; and whoever emigrated for some worldly gain he would get, or a woman he would marry, his emigration is to that for which he emigrated.” (Related by the two imams of the hadith scholars, Abū ʿAbd Allāh Muḥammad ibn Ismāʿīl ibn Ibrāhīm ibn al-Mughīra ibn Bardizbah al-Bukhārī al-Juʿfī and Abū al-Ḥusayn Muslim ibn al-Ḥajjāj ibn Muslim al-Qushayrī an-Naysābūrī, in their two Ṣaḥīḥ collections, the soundest books ever compiled.)

عن عمر (رضي الله عنه) أيضاً قال: بينما نحن جلوس عند رسول الله ﷺ ذات يوم إذ طلع علينا رجل شديد بياض الثياب، شديد سواد الشعر، لا يرى عليه أثر السفر، ولا يعرفه منا أحد، حتى جلس إلى النبي ﷺ، فأسند ركبتيه إلى ركبتيه، ووضع كفيه على فخذيه، وقال: يا محمّد أخبرني عن الإسلام؟! فقال رسول الله ﷺ: "الإسلام أن تشهد أن لا إله إلا الله، وأن محمداً رسول الله، وتقيم الصلاة، وتؤتي الزكاة، وتصوم رمضان، وتحج البيت إن استطعت إليه سبيلاً"، قال: صدقت. فعجبنا له يسأله ويصدّقه، قال: فأخبرني عن الإيمان؟ قال: "أن تؤمن بالله وملائكته وكتبه ورسله واليوم الآخر وتؤمن بالقدر خيره وشره"، قال: صدقت. قال: فأخبرني عن الإحسان؟ قال: "أن تعبد الله كأنك تراه فإن لم تكن تراه فإنه يراك". قال: فأخبرني عن الساعة؟ قال: "ما المسؤول عنها بأعلم من السائل"، قال: فأخبرني عن أماراتها؟ قال: "أن تلد الأمة ربتها، وأن ترى الحفاة العراة العالة رعاء الشاء يتطاولون في البنيان"، ثم انطلق. فلبثت ملياً، ثم قال: "يا عمر أ تدري من السائل؟" قلت: الله ورسوله أعلم، قال: "فإنه جبريل أتاكم يعلّمكم دينكم". (رواه مسلم)

Also on the authority of ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with him), who 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 trace of travel could be seen on him, and not one of us recognised him. He came and sat down by the Prophet ﷺ, rested his knees against his knees, laid his palms on his thighs, and said: “Muḥammad, tell me about Islam.” The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Islam is that you bear witness that there is no god but Allah and that Muḥammad is the Messenger of Allah, that you establish the prayer, pay the zakāt, fast Ramaḍān, and make the pilgrimage to the House if you are able to find a way there.” He said: “You have spoken truly.” We were amazed at him, asking him and then confirming what he said. He said: “Then tell me about faith (īmān).” He said: “That you believe in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers and the Last Day, and that you believe in the decree, its good and its bad.” He said: “You have spoken truly.” He said: “Then tell me about excellence (iḥsān).” He said: “That you worship Allah as though you see Him; for if you do not see Him, He sees you.” He said: “Then tell me about the Hour.” He said: “The one being asked about it knows no more than the one asking.” 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, destitute shepherds of sheep vying with one another in raising tall buildings.” Then he went away, and I remained for some time. Then he said: “ʿUmar, do you know who the questioner was?” I said: “Allah and His Messenger know best.” He said: “That was Gabriel (Jibrīl). He came to you to teach you your religion.” (Related by Muslim.)

عن أبي عبد الرحمن عبد الله بن عمر بن الخطاب رضي الله عنهما قال: سمعت رسول الله ﷺ يقول: "بني الإسلام على خمسٍ؛ شهادة أن لا إله إلا الله وأن محمداً رسول الله، وإقام الصلاة، وإيتاء الزكاة، وحج البيت، وصوم رمضان". (رواه البخاري ومسلم)

On the authority of Abū ʿAbd ar-Raḥmān ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb (may Allah be pleased with them both), who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: “Islam has been built on five: bearing witness that there is no god but Allah and that Muḥammad is the Messenger of Allah, establishing the prayer, paying the zakāt, pilgrimage to the House, and fasting Ramaḍān.” (Related by al-Bukhārī and Muslim.)

عن أبي عبد الرحمن عبد الله بن مسعود (رضي الله عنه) قال: حدّثنا رسول الله ﷺ وهو الصادق المصدوق: "إن أحدكم يجمع خلقه في بطن أمه أربعين يوماً نطفةً ثم يكون علقةً مثل ذلك ثم يكون مضغةً مثل ذلك، ثم يرسل إليه الملك فينفخ فيه الروح ويؤمر بأربع كلمات: بكَتْب رزقه وأجله وعمله وشقي أو سعيد، فوالله الذي لا إله غيره إن أحد كم ليعمل بعمل أهل الجنة حتى ما يكون بينه وبينها إلا ذراع، فيسبق عليه الكتاب فيعمل بعمل أهل النار فيدخلها، وإن أحدكم ليعمل بعمل أهل النار حتى ما يكون بينه وبينها إلا ذراع فيسبق عليه الكتاب فيعمل بعمل أهل الجنة فيدخلها". (رواه البخاري ومسلم)

On the authority of Abū ʿAbd ar-Raḥmān ʿAbd Allāh ibn Masʿūd (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ, the truthful one whose truth is confirmed, told us: “As for each one of you, his creation is brought together in the womb of his mother over forty days as a drop (nuṭfa); then it becomes a clinging clot (ʿalaqa) for a like period; then a lump of flesh (muḍgha) for a like period. Then the angel is sent to him and breathes the spirit into him, and is commanded to write four things: his provision, his span of life, his deeds, and whether he will be wretched or happy. 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 remains between him and it; then what is written overtakes him, and he does the deeds of the people of the Fire and enters it. And one of you will do the deeds of the people of the Fire until only an arm’s length remains between him and it; then what is written overtakes him, and he does the deeds of the people of Paradise and enters it.” (Related by al-Bukhārī and Muslim.)

عن أم المؤمنين أم عبد الله عائشة رضي الله عنها قالت: قال رسول الله ﷺ: "من أحدث في أمرنا هذا ما ليس منه فهو رد". (رواه البخاري ومسلم) وفي رواية لمسلم: "من عمل عملاً ليس عليه أمرنا فهو رد".

On the authority of the Mother of the Believers, Umm ʿAbd Allāh ʿĀʾisha (may Allah be pleased with her), who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Whoever introduces into this affair of ours anything that is not part of it, it is rejected.” (Related by al-Bukhārī and Muslim.) In a version by Muslim: “Whoever does a deed that our affair is not in accord with, it is rejected.”

عن أبي عبد الله النعمان بن بشير رضي الله عنهما قال: سمعت رسول الله ﷺ يقول: "إن الحلال بيّن، وإن الحرام بيّن، وبينهما أمور مشتبهات لا يعلمهنّ كثير من الناس، فمن اتقى الشبهات، فقد استبرأ لدينه وعرضه، ومن وقع في الشبهات وقع في الحرام، كالراعي يرعى حول الحمى يوشك أن يرتع فيه، ألا وإن لكل ملك حمى، ألا وإن حمى الله محارمه، ألا وإن في الجسد مضغة إذا صلحت صلح الجسد كله، وإذا فسدت فسد الجسد كله ألا وهي القلب". (رواه البخاري ومسلم)

On the authority of Abū ʿAbd Allāh an-Nuʿmān ibn Bashīr (may Allah be pleased with them both), who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: “The lawful is clear and the unlawful is clear, and between them are ambiguous matters that many people do not know. Whoever keeps away from the ambiguous matters has kept his religion and his honour free of blame; and whoever falls into the ambiguous matters falls into the unlawful, like a herdsman grazing his flock around a reserved pasture, who is close to letting them graze inside it. Truly, every king has a reserved pasture, and truly Allah’s reserved pasture is what He has made sacred and forbidden. Truly, there is a piece of flesh in the body: when it is sound, the whole body is sound, and when it is corrupt, the whole body is corrupt. Truly, it is the heart.” (Related by al-Bukhārī and Muslim.)

عـن أبي رقية تميم بن أوس الداري (رضي الله عنه) أن النبي ﷺ قال: "الدين النصيحة"، قلنا لمن؟ قال: "لله ولكتابه ولرسوله ولأئمة المسلمين وعامتهم". (رواه مسلم)

On the authority of Abū Ruqayya Tamīm ibn Aws ad-Dārī (may Allah be pleased with him), that the Prophet ﷺ said: “Religion is sincere counsel (naṣīḥa).” “To whom?” we asked. He replied: “To Allah, to His Book, to His Messenger, to the imams of the Muslims, and to the Muslims at large.” (Related by Muslim.)

عن ابن عمر رضي الله عنهما أن رسول الله ﷺ قال: "أمرت أن أقاتل الناس حتى يشهدوا أن لا إله إلا الله وأن محمداً رسول الله، ويقيموا الصلاة، ويؤتوا الزكاة، فإذا فعلوا ذلك عصموا مني دماءهم وأموالهم إلا بحق الإسلام، وحسابهم على الله تعالى". (رواه البخاري ومسلم)

On the authority of Ibn ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with them both), that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “I have been commanded to fight the people until they bear witness that there is no god but Allah and that Muḥammad is the Messenger of Allah, establish the prayer and pay the zakāt. If they do that, their blood and their wealth are safe from me, except by the right of Islam, and their reckoning rests with Allah the Exalted.” (Related by al-Bukhārī and Muslim.)

عن أبي هريرة عبد الرحمن بن صخر رضي الله عنه قال: سمعت رسول الله ﷺ يقول: "ما نهيتكم عنه فاجتنبوه، وما أمرتكم به فأتوا منه ما استطعتم، فإنما أهلك الذين من قبلكم كثرة مسائلهم واختلافهم على أنبيائهم". (رواه البخاري ومسلم)

On the authority of Abū Hurayra ʿAbd ar-Raḥmān ibn Ṣakhr (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: “Whatever I have forbidden you, keep away from it; and whatever I have commanded you, carry out as much of it as you are able. What destroyed those who came before you was only their excessive questioning and their disagreements with their prophets.” (Related by al-Bukhārī and Muslim.)

عن أبي هريرة (رضي الله عنه) قال: قال رسول الله ﷺ: "إن الله تعـالى طيب لا يقبل إلا طيباً، وإن الله أمر المؤمنين بما أمر به المرسلين فقال تعالى: (يا أيها الرسل كلوا من الطيبات واعملوا صالحاً)، وقال تعالى: (يا أيها الذين آمنوا كلوا من طيبات ما رزقناكم) ثم ذكر الرجل يطيل السفر أشعث أغبر يمد يديه إلى السماء: يا ربِّ يا ربِّ، ومطعمه حرام، ومشربه حرام، وملبسه حرام، وغذي بالحرام، فأنى يستجاب له؟". (رواه مسلم)

On the authority of Abū Hurayra (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Allah the Exalted is good and accepts only what is good. Allah has commanded the believers with what He commanded the messengers. He, the Exalted, said: ‘Messengers, eat of the good things and do righteous work’ [Quran 23:51]; and He, the Exalted, said: ‘You who believe, eat of the good things We have provided for you’ [Quran 2:172].” Then he mentioned a man on a long journey, dishevelled and dusty, who stretches out his hands to the sky, saying, “My Lord! My Lord!” while his food is unlawful, his drink is unlawful, his clothing is unlawful, and he has been fed on what is unlawful. “How, then, could he be answered?” (Related by Muslim.)

عن أبي محمد الحسن بن علي بن أبي طالب سبط رسول الله ﷺ وريحانته رضي الله عنهما قال: حفظت من رسول الله ﷺ: "دع ما يريبك إلى ما لا يريبك". (رواه الترمذي والنسائي، وقال الترمذي: حديث حسن صحيح)

On the authority of Abū Muḥammad al-Ḥasan ibn ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib, the grandson of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and his fragrant flower (rayḥāna) (may Allah be pleased with them both), who said: I committed to memory from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ: “Leave what makes you doubt for what does not make you doubt.” (Related by at-Tirmidhī and an-Nasāʾī. At-Tirmidhī said: a ḥasan ṣaḥīḥ hadith.)

عن أبي هريرة رضي الله تعالى عنه قال: قال رسول الله ﷺ: "من حسن إسلام المرء تركه مالا يعنيه". (حديث حسن رواه الترمذي وغيره هكذا)

On the authority of Abū Hurayra (may Allah the Exalted be pleased with him), who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Part of the goodness of a person’s Islam is that he leaves alone what does not concern him.” (A ḥasan hadith, related in this form by at-Tirmidhī and others.)

عن أبي حمزة أنس بن مالك رضي الله عنه خادم رسول الله ﷺ عن النبي ﷺ قال: "لا يؤمن أحدكم حتى يحب لأخيه ما يحب لنفسه". (رواه البخاري ومسلم)

On the authority of Abū Ḥamza Anas ibn Mālik (may Allah be pleased with him), the servant of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, from the Prophet ﷺ, who said: “Not one of you has faith until he loves for his brother what he would love for himself.” (Related by al-Bukhārī and Muslim.)

عن ابن مسعود رضي الله تعالى عنه قال: قال رسول الله ﷺ: "لا يحل دم امرئ مسلم إلا بإحدى ثلاث: الثيب الزاني، والنفس بالنفس، والتارك لدينه المفارق للجماعة". (رواه البخاري ومسلم)

On the authority of Ibn Masʿūd (may Allah the Exalted be pleased with him), who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “It is not lawful to shed the blood of a Muslim except in one of three cases: someone who has been married and commits adultery, a life in return for a life, and one who forsakes his religion and breaks away from the community.” (Related by al-Bukhārī and Muslim.)

عن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه أن رسول الله ﷺ قال: " من كان يؤمن بالله واليوم الآخر فليقل خيراً أو ليصمت، ومن كان يؤمن بالله واليوم الآخر فليكرم جاره، ومن كان يؤمن بالله واليوم الآخر فليكرم ضيفه". (رواه البخاري ومسلم)

On the authority of Abū Hurayra (may Allah be pleased with him), that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, let him speak good or stay silent. Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, let him treat his neighbour generously. Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, let him treat his guest generously.” (Related by al-Bukhārī and Muslim.)

عن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه: أن رجلاً قال للنبي ﷺ: أوصني، قال: "لا تغضب"، فردّد مراراً، قال: "لا تغضب". (رواه البخاري ومسلم)

On the authority of Abū Hurayra (may Allah be pleased with him): A man said to the Prophet ﷺ, “Give me counsel.” He said: “Do not become angry.” The man asked again several times, and he said: “Do not become angry.” (Related by al-Bukhārī and Muslim.)

عن أبي يعلى شداد بن أوس رضي الله عنه عن رسول الله ﷺ قال: "إن الله كتب الإحسان على كل شيء، فإذا قتلتم فأحسنوا القتلة، وإذا ذبحتم فأحسنوا الذبحة؛ وليحدّ أحدكم شفرته وليرح ذبيحته". (رواه مسلم)

On the authority of Abū Yaʿlā Shaddād ibn Aws (may Allah be pleased with him), from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, who said: “Allah has prescribed excellence (iḥsān) in all things. So when you kill, kill in a good way; and when you slaughter, slaughter in a good way. Let each of you sharpen his blade and spare the animal he slaughters any distress.” (Related by Muslim.)

عن أبي ذر جندب بن جنادة وأبي عبد الرحمن معاذ بن جبل رضي الله عنهما عن رسول الله ﷺ قال: "اتق الله حيثما كنت، وأتبع السيئة الحسنة تمحها، وخالق الناس بخلق حسن". (رواه الترمذي وقال: حديث حسن، وفي بعض النسخ: حسن صحيح)

On the authority of Abū Dharr Jundub ibn Junāda and Abū ʿAbd ar-Raḥmān Muʿādh ibn Jabal (may Allah be pleased with them both), from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, who said: “Fear Allah wherever you are; follow a bad deed with a good one, and it will erase it; and deal with people with good character.” (Related by at-Tirmidhī, who said: a ḥasan hadith; in some copies, ḥasan ṣaḥīḥ.)

عن أبي العباس عبد الله بن عباس رضي الله عنهما قال: كنت خلف النبي ﷺ يوماً، فقال لي: "يا غلام إني أعلّمك كلمات: احفظ الله يحفظك، احفـظ الله تجده تجاهك، إذا سألت فاسأل الله، وإذا استعنت فاستعن بالله، واعلم أن الأمة لو اجتمعت على أن ينفعوك بشيء لـم ينفعـوك إلا بشيء قـد كتبـه الله لك، وإن اجتمعوا على أن يضرّوك بشيء لم يضرّوك إلا بشيء قد كتبه الله عليك، رفعت الأقلام وجفّت الصحف". (رواه الترمذي وقال: حسن صحيح) وفي رواية غير الترمذي: "احفظ الله تجده أمامك، تعرّف إلى الله في الرخاء يعرفك في الشدة، واعلم أن ما أخطأك لم يكن ليصيبك، وما أصابك لم يكن ليخطئك، واعلم أن النصر مع الصبر، وأن الفرج مع الكرب، وأن مع العسر يسراً".

On the authority of Abū al-ʿAbbās ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbbās (may Allah be pleased with them both), who said: One day I was behind the Prophet ﷺ, and he said to me: “Young man, I am going to teach you some words. Guard Allah, and He will guard you. Guard Allah, and you will find Him facing you. When you ask, ask Allah; when you seek help, seek help from Allah. Know that if the whole community came together to benefit you in some way, they would benefit you only in a way Allah had already written for you; and if they came together to harm you in some way, they would harm you only in a way Allah had already written against you. The pens have been raised; the scrolls have dried.” (Related by at-Tirmidhī, who said: ḥasan ṣaḥīḥ.) In a version other than at-Tirmidhī’s: “Guard Allah, and you will find Him ahead of you. Make yourself known to Allah in ease, and He will know you in hardship. Know that what passed you by could never have befallen you, and what befell you could never have passed you by. Know that victory is with patience, that relief is with distress, and that with hardship there is ease.”

عن أبي مسعود عقبة بن عمرو الأنصاري البدري رضي الله عنه قال: قال رسول الله ﷺ: "إن مما أدرك الناس من كلام النبوة الأولى: إذا لم تستح فاصنع ما شئت". (رواه البخاري)

On the authority of Abū Masʿūd ʿUqba ibn ʿAmr al-Anṣārī al-Badrī (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Among the words that have come down to people from the earliest prophecy is this: If you have no shame, do whatever you like.” (Related by al-Bukhārī.)

عن أبي عمرو، وقيل أبي عمرة سفيان بن عبد الله رضي الله عنه قال: "قلت: يا رسول الله قل لي في الإسلام قولاً لا أسأل عنه أحداً غيرك، قال: "قل آمنت بالله ثم استقم". (رواه مسلم)

On the authority of Abū ʿAmr, also called Abū ʿAmra, Sufyān ibn ʿAbd Allāh (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: I said: “Messenger of Allah, tell me something about Islam that I will not need to ask anyone but you.” He said: “Say, ‘I believe in Allah,’ then keep to the straight path.” (Related by Muslim.)

عن أبي عبد الله جابر بن عبد الله الأنصاري رضي الله عنهما: "أن رجلاً سأل رسول الله ﷺ فقال: أرأيت إذا صلّيت المكتوبات، وصمت رمضان وأحللت الحلال وحرّمت الحرام ولم أزد على ذلك شيئاً أدخل الجنة؟ قال: نعم". (رواه مسلم)

On the authority of Abū ʿAbd Allāh Jābir ibn ʿAbd Allāh al-Anṣārī (may Allah be pleased with them both): A man asked the Messenger of Allah ﷺ: “What do you think: if I pray the obligatory prayers, fast Ramaḍān, treat as lawful what is lawful and treat as forbidden what is forbidden, and add nothing to that, will I enter Paradise?” He said: “Yes.” (Related by Muslim.)

عن أبي مالك الحارث بن عاصم الأشعري رضي الله عنه قال: قال رسول الله ﷺ: "الطهور شطر الإيمان، والحمد لله تملأ الميزان، وسبحان الله والحمد لله تملآن أو تملأ بين السماء والأرض، والصلاة نور، والصدقة برهان، والصبر ضياء، والقرآن حجة لك أو عليك. كل الناس يغدو؛ فبائع نفسه، فمعتقها، أو موبقها". (رواه مسلم)

On the authority of Abū Mālik al-Ḥārith ibn ʿĀṣim al-Ashʿarī (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Purity is half of faith. ‘Praise be to Allah’ (al-ḥamdu lillāh) fills the scale. ‘Glory be to Allah’ (subḥān Allāh) and ‘Praise be to Allah’ fill (or he said: fills) the space between the sky and the earth. Prayer is light, charity is a proof, patience is radiance, and the Qurʾān is an argument for you or against you. Everyone sets out in the morning and sells his soul, either freeing it or ruining it.” (Related by Muslim.)

عن أبي ذر الغفاري رضي الله عنه عن النبي ﷺ فيما يرويه عن ربه -عزّ وجلّ- أنه قال: "يا عبادي إني حرّمت الظلم على نفسي، وجعلته بينكم محرّماً؛ فلا تظالموا. يا عبادي كلكم ضال إلا من هديته؛ فاستهدوني أهدكم. يا عبادي كلكم جائع إلا من أطعمته؛ فاستطعموني أطعمكم. يا عبادي كلكـم عارٍ إلا مـن كسوته؛ فاستكسوني أكسكم. يا عبادي إنكم تخطئون بالليل والنهار وأنا أغفر الذنوب جميعاً؛ فاستغفروني أغفر لكم. يا عبادي إنكم لن تبلغوا ضرّي فتضرّوني ولن تبلغوا نفعي فتنفعوني. يا عبادي لو أن أوّلكم وآخركم وإنسكم وجنّكم كانوا على أتقى قلب رجل واحد منكم ما زاد ذلك في ملكي شيئا، يا عبادي لو أن أوّلكم وآخركم وإنسكم وجنّكم كانوا على أفجر قلب رجل واحد منكم ما نقص ذلك من ملكي شيئا. يا عبادي لو أن أوّلكم وآخركم وإنسكم وجنّكم قاموا في صعيد واحد فسألوني؛ فأعطيت كل واحد مسألته ما نقص ذلك مما عندي إلا كما ينقص المخيط إذا أدخل البحر. يا عبادي إنما هي أعمالكم أحصيها لكم ثم أوفيكم إياها؛ فمن وجد خيراً فليحمد الله، ومن وجد غير ذلك فلا يلومنَّ إلا نفسه". (رواه مسلم)

On the authority of Abū Dharr al-Ghifārī (may Allah be pleased with him), from the Prophet ﷺ, among the things he relates from his Lord, Mighty and Majestic, that He said: “My servants, I have forbidden wrongdoing to Myself, and I have made it forbidden among you, so do not wrong one another. My servants, every one of you is astray except whom I guide, so seek guidance from Me and I will guide you. My servants, every one of you is hungry except whom I feed, so seek food from Me and I will feed you. My servants, every one of you is naked except whom I clothe, so seek clothing from Me and I will clothe you. My servants, you sin by night and by day, and I forgive all sins, so seek My forgiveness and I will forgive you. My servants, you can never attain the power to harm Me and so harm Me, nor attain the power to benefit Me and so benefit Me. My servants, were the first and the last of you, humankind and jinn alike, all to share the heart of the most God-fearing man among you, that would add nothing to My kingdom. My servants, were the first and the last of you, humankind and jinn alike, all to share the heart of the most sinful man among you, that would take nothing from My kingdom. My servants, were the first and the last of you, humankind and jinn alike, to stand on a single open plain and ask of Me, and were I to give every one what he asked, that would diminish what I have only as a needle diminishes the sea when it is put in. My servants, it is only your deeds that I tally for you, and then I will pay you back for them in full. So whoever finds good, let him praise Allah; and whoever finds anything else, let him blame no one but himself.” (Related by Muslim.)

عن أبي ذر رضي الله عنه أيضاً: أن ناساً من أصحاب رسول الله ﷺ قالوا للنبي ﷺ: يا رسول الله ذهب أهل الدثور بالأجور، يصلّون كما نصلي، ويصومون كما نصوم، ويتصدقون بفضول أموالهم، قال: "أو ليس قد جعل الله لكم ما تصدقون؛ إن بكل تسبيحة صدقة، وكل تكبيرة صدقة، وكل تحميدة صدقة، وكل تهليلة صدقة، وأمر بالمعروف صدقة، ونهي عن منكر صدقة، وفي بضع أحدكم صدقة، قالوا: يا رسول الله! أيأتي أحدنا شهوته ويكون له فيها أجر؟ قال: أرأيتم لو وضعها في حرام أكان عليه وزر؟‍ فكذلك إذا وضعها في الحلال كان له أجر". (رواه مسلم)

Also on the authority of Abū Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him): Some of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to the Prophet ﷺ: “Messenger of Allah, the rich have carried off the rewards. They pray as we pray and fast as we fast, and they give charity from their surplus wealth.” He said: “Has Allah not given you things to give in charity? Every ‘Glory be to Allah’ is a charity, every ‘Allah is greatest’ is a charity, every ‘Praise be to Allah’ is a charity, every ‘There is no god but Allah’ is a charity, enjoining what is right is a charity, forbidding what is wrong is a charity, and in the intimacy each of you has with his wife there is charity.” They said: “Messenger of Allah, when one of us satisfies his desire, is there a reward for him in it?” He said: “Tell me: if he had satisfied it in something forbidden, would it not be a sin against him? So too, when he satisfies it in what is lawful, there is a reward for him.” (Related by Muslim.)

عن أبي هريرة رضي الله تعالى عنه قال: قال رسول الله ﷺ: "كل سلامى من الناس عليه صدقة، كل يوم تطلع فيه الشمس تعدل بين اثنين صدقة، وتعين الرجل في دابته فتحمله عليها أو ترفع له عليها متاعه صدقة، والكلمة الطيبة صدقة، وبكل خطوة تمشيها إلى الصلاة صدقة، وتميط الأذى عن الطريق صدقة". (رواه البخاري ومسلم)

On the authority of Abū Hurayra (may Allah the Exalted be pleased with him), who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Every joint of a person owes a charity every day the sun rises. Making peace fairly between two people is a charity; helping a man with his riding animal, by mounting him on it or hoisting his baggage onto it for him, is a charity; a good word is a charity; every step you take toward the prayer is a charity; and moving something harmful out of the road is a charity.” (Related by al-Bukhārī and Muslim.)

عن النواس بن سمعان رضي الله عنهما عن النبي ﷺ قال: "البر حسن الخلق، والإثم ما حاك في نفسك وكرهت أن يطلع عليه الناس". (رواه مسلم) وعن وابصة بن معبد رضي الله عنه قال: أتيت رسول الله ﷺ فقال: "جئت تسأل عن البر؟ قلت نعم، قال: استفت قلبك، البر ما اطمأنت إليه النفس، واطمأن إليه القلب، والإثم ما حاك في النفس، وتردد في الصدر، وإن أفتاك الناس وأفتوك". (حديث حسن رويناه في مسندي الإمامين: أحمد بن حنبل والدارمي بإسناد حسن)

On the authority of an-Nawwās ibn Samʿān (may Allah be pleased with him), from the Prophet ﷺ, who said: “Righteousness is good character, and sin is what stirs uneasily in your soul and what you would dislike people to find out.” (Related by Muslim.) And on the authority of Wābiṣa ibn Maʿbad (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: I came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and he said: “Have you come asking about righteousness?” “Yes,” I said. He told me: “Ask your heart for its verdict. Righteousness is what the soul feels at peace with and the heart feels at peace with; and sin is what stirs uneasily in the soul and goes back and forth in the breast, even if people give you their verdict, and give it again.” (A ḥasan hadith, which we have related from the Musnads of the two imams Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal and ad-Dārimī with a good chain of transmission.)

عن أبي نجيح العرباض بن سارية رضي الله عنه قال: وعظَنا رسول الله ﷺ موعظةً وجلت منها القلوب وذرفت منها العيون، فقلنا: يا رسول الله كأنها موعظة مودّع، فأوصِنا، قال: أوصيكم بتقوى الله عزّ وجلّ، والسمع والطاعة وإن تأمر عليكم عبد، فإنه من يعش منكم فسيرى اختلافاً كثيراً، فعليكم بسنتي وسنة الخلفاء الراشدين المهديين عضوا عليها بالنواجذ، وإياكم ومحدثات الأمور، فإن كل بدعة ضلالة، وكل ضلالة في النار". (رواه أبو داود والترمذي وقال حديث حسن صحيح)

On the authority of Abū Najīḥ al-ʿIrbāḍ ibn Sāriya (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ admonished us with an admonition that made our hearts tremble and our eyes shed tears. We said: “Messenger of Allah, it is as if this were the admonition of someone bidding farewell, so give us counsel.” He said: “I counsel you to fear Allah, Mighty and Majestic, and to hear and obey, even if a slave is placed in command over you. Whoever of you lives on will see a great deal of discord. So hold fast to my way (sunna) and the way of the caliphs who are upright and rightly guided; clench it between your back teeth. Beware of newly invented matters, for every innovation is going astray, and every going astray is in the Fire.” (Related by Abū Dāwūd and at-Tirmidhī, who said: a ḥasan ṣaḥīḥ hadith.)

عن معاذ بن جبل رضي الله عنه قال: قلت يا رسول الله أخبرني بعمل يدخلني الجنة ويباعدني عن النار؟ قال: لقد سألت عن عظيم وإنه ليسير على من يسره الله تعالى عليه: تعبد الله لا تشرك به شيئاً، وتقيم الصلاة، وتؤتي الزكاة، وتصوم رمضان، وتحج البيت، ثم قال: ألا أدلك على أبواب الخير؟ الصوم جنة، والصدقة تطفئ الخطيئة كما يطفئ الماء النار، وصلاة الرجل في جوف الليل، ثم تلا: (تتجافى جنوبهم عن المضاجع) حتى بلغ (يعملون) ثم قال: ألا أخبرك برأس الأمر وعموده وذروة سنامه؟ قلت: بلى يا رسول الله، قال: رأس الأمر الإسلام، وعموده الصلاة، وذروة سنامه الجهاد، ثم قال: ألا أخبرك بملاك ذلك كله؟ قلت: بلى يا رسول الله، فأخذ بلسانه، وقال: كفّ عليك هذا، قلت يا نبي الله وإنا لمؤاخذون بما نتكلم به؟ فقال ثكلتك أمك يا معاذ، وهل يكب الناس في النار على وجوههم أو قال: على مناخرهم إلا حصائد ألسنتهم". (رواه الترمذي وقال: حديث حسن صحيح)

On the authority of Muʿādh ibn Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: I said: “Messenger of Allah, tell me of a deed that will bring me into Paradise and take me far from the Fire.” He said: “You have asked about something immense, yet it is easy for the one for whom Allah the Exalted makes it easy: worship Allah, associating nothing with Him; establish the prayer; pay the zakāt; fast Ramaḍān; and make the pilgrimage to the House.” Then he said: “Shall I not guide you to the doors of goodness? Fasting is a shield; charity extinguishes sin as water extinguishes fire; and a man’s prayer in the middle of the night.” Then he recited: “Their sides shun their beds …” until he reached “… they used to do” [Quran 32:16–17]. Then he said: “Shall I not inform you about the head of the whole matter, its central pillar, and the top of its hump?” I said: “Yes, Messenger of Allah.” He said: “The matter’s head is Islam; its central pillar, the prayer; and the top of its hump, jihād.” Then he said: “Shall I not inform you about what holds all of it together?” I said: “Yes, Messenger of Allah.” He took hold of his own tongue and said: “Hold this back.” I said: “Prophet of Allah, will we really be taken to task for what we say?” He said: “May your mother lose you, Muʿādh! Is there anything that topples people into the Fire on their faces” (or he said: “on their noses”) “other than what their tongues have reaped?” (Related by at-Tirmidhī, who said: a ḥasan ṣaḥīḥ hadith.)

عن أبي ثعلبة الخشني جرثوم بن ناشر رضي الله عنه عن رسول الله ﷺ قال: " إن الله تعالى فرض فرائض فلاتضيعوها، وحد حدوداً فلا تعتدوها، وحرّم أشياء فلا تنتهكوها، وسكت عن أشياء رحمةً لكم غير نسيان فلا تبحثوا عنها". (حديث حسن رواه الدارقطني وغيره)

On the authority of Abū Thaʿlaba al-Khushanī, Jurthūm ibn Nāshir (may Allah be pleased with him), from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, who said: “Allah the Exalted has laid down duties, so do not neglect them; He has fixed boundaries, so do not go beyond them; He has forbidden certain things, so do not violate them; and about certain things He has kept silent, out of mercy for you and not out of forgetting, so do not go digging into them.” (A ḥasan hadith, related by ad-Dāraquṭnī and others.)

عن أبي العباس سهل بن سعد الساعدي رضي الله عنه قال: جاء رجل إلى النبي ﷺ فقال: يا رسول الله دلّني على عمل إذا عملته أحبني الله وأحبني الناس، فقال: "ازهد في الدنيا يحبك الله، وازهد فيما عند الناس يحبك الناس". (حديث حسن، رواه ابن ماجه وغيره بأسانيد حسنة)

On the authority of Abū al-ʿAbbās Sahl ibn Saʿd as-Sāʿidī (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: A man came to the Prophet ﷺ and said: “Messenger of Allah, point me to a deed that, if I do it, will make Allah love me and people love me.” He said: “Be detached from the world, and Allah will love you. Be detached from what people possess, and people will love you.” (A ḥasan hadith, related by Ibn Māja and others with good chains of transmission.)

عن أبي سعيد سعد بن مالك بن سنان الخدري رضي الله عنه أن رسول الله ﷺ قال: "لا ضرر ولا ضرار". (حديث حسن رواه ابن ماجه والدارقطني وغيرهما مسنداً، ورواه مالك في الموطأ مرسلاً عن عمرو بن يحيى عن أبيه عن النبي ﷺ فأسقط أبا سعيد، وله طرق يقوي بعضها بعضاً)

On the authority of Abū Saʿīd Saʿd ibn Mālik ibn Sinān al-Khudrī (may Allah be pleased with him), that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “There is to be no harm and no harming in return.” (A ḥasan hadith, related with a connected chain by Ibn Māja, ad-Dāraquṭnī and others. Mālik related it in the Muwaṭṭaʾ with an incomplete (mursal) chain, from ʿAmr ibn Yaḥyā from his father from the Prophet ﷺ, leaving out Abū Saʿīd. It has several routes of transmission that strengthen one another.)

عن ابن عباس رضي الله عنهما أن رسول الله ﷺ قال: "لو يعطى الناس بدعواهم، لادعى رجال أموال قوم ودماءهم، لكن البينة على المدعي واليمين على من أنكر". (حديث حسن رواه البيهقي وغيره هكذا، وبعضه في الصحيحين)

On the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās (may Allah be pleased with them both), that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Were people given whatever they claimed, some would lay claim to the wealth and the lives of others. Rather, proof is required of the one who makes a claim, and an oath of the one who denies it.” (A ḥasan hadith, related in this form by al-Bayhaqī and others; part of it is in the two Ṣaḥīḥ collections.)

عن أبي سعيد الخدري رضي الله عنه قال: سمعت رسول الله ﷺ يقول: "من رأى منكم منكراً فليغيره بيده، فإن لم يستطع فبلسانه، فإن لم يستطع فبقلبه، وذلك أضعف الإيمان". (رواه مسلم)

On the authority of Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: “Whoever among you sees something wrong, let him change it with his hand. If he cannot, then with his tongue. If he is unable, then in his heart — and that is faith at its weakest.” (Related by Muslim.)

عن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه قال: قال رسول الله ﷺ: "لا تحاسدوا، ولا تناجشوا، ولا تباغضوا، ولا تدابروا، ولا يبع بعضكم على بيع بعض، وكونوا عباد الله إخواناً، المسلم أخو المسلم لا يظلمه ولا يخذله، ولا يكذبه ولا يحقره، التقوى ههنا -ويشير إلى صدره ثلاث مرات- بحسب امرئ من الشر أن يحقر أخاه المسلم، كل المسلم على المسلم حرام؛ دمه وماله وعرضه". (رواه مسلم)

On the authority of Abū Hurayra (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Do not envy one another, do not bid up prices against one another, do not hate one another, do not shun one another, and let none of you sell over another’s sale. Be servants of Allah, as brothers. A Muslim is a Muslim’s brother: he does not wrong him, let him down, lie to him, or belittle him. Piety is here,” pointing to his chest three times. “A man has done evil enough if he belittles his Muslim brother. Everything of a Muslim is inviolable to a fellow Muslim: his blood, his wealth and his honour.” (Related by Muslim.)

عن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه عن النبي ﷺ قال: "من نفّس عن مؤمن كربةً من كرب الدنيا نفّس الله عنه كربةً من كرب يوم القيامة، ومن يسّر على معسر يسّر الله عليه في الدنيا والآخرة، ومن ستر مسلماً ستره الله في الدنيا والآخرة، والله في عون العبد ما كان العبد في عون أخيه، ومن سلك طريقاً يلتمس فيه علماً سهّل الله له به طريقاً إلى الجنة، وما اجتمع قوم في بيت من بيوت الله يتلون كتاب الله ويتدارسونه بينهم إلا نزلت عليهم السكينة، وغشيتهم الرحمة، وحفّتهم الملائكة، وذكرهم الله فيمن عنده، ومن بطّأ به عمله لم يسرع به نسبه". (رواه مسلم بهذا اللفظ)

On the authority of Abū Hurayra (may Allah be pleased with him), from the Prophet ﷺ, who said: “Whoever removes from a believer one of the distresses of this world, Allah will lift from him a distress of the Day of Resurrection. Whoever eases things for someone in hardship, Allah will ease things for him in this world and the next. Whoever covers a Muslim, Allah will cover him in this world and the hereafter. Allah comes to a servant’s aid for as long as the servant comes to his brother’s aid. Whoever travels a road in search of knowledge, Allah will make easy for him, through it, a road to Paradise. No group of people gather in a house among Allah’s houses, reciting Allah’s Book and studying it with one another, but that tranquillity comes down upon them, mercy envelops them, the angels encircle them, and Allah speaks of them to those in His presence. And whoever is held back by his deeds will not be hurried forward by his lineage.” (Related by Muslim in these words.)

عن ابن عباس رضي الله عنهما عن رسول الله ﷺ فيما يرويه عن ربه تبارك وتعالى قال: "إن الله كتب الحسنات والسيئات، ثم بين ذلك، فمن همّ بحسنة فلم يعملها كتبها الله عنده حسنةً كاملةً، وإن همّ بها فعملها كتبها الله عنده عشر حسنات إلى سبعمائة ضعف، وإن همّ بسيئة فلم يعملها كتبها الله عنده حسنةً كاملةً، وإن هم بها فعملها كتبها الله سيئةً واحدةً". (رواه البخاري ومسلم في صحيحيهما بهذه الحروف)

On the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās (may Allah be pleased with them both), from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, among the things he relates from his Lord, Blessed and Exalted: “Allah recorded good deeds and bad deeds, and then made this plain. Whoever resolves on a good deed and does not do it, Allah writes it down with Himself as one full good deed. If he resolves on it and does it, Allah writes it down with Himself as ten good deeds, and even up to seven hundred times that. If he resolves on a bad deed and does not do it, Allah writes it down with Himself as one full good deed. And if he resolves on it and does it, Allah writes it down as a single bad deed.” (Related by al-Bukhārī and Muslim in their Ṣaḥīḥ collections in these very words.)

عن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه قال: قال رسول الله ﷺ: "إن الله تعالى قال: من عادى لي ولياً فقد آذنته بالحرب، وما تقرّب إليّ عبدي بشيء أحبّ إليّ مما افترضته عليه، ولا يزال عبدي يتقرب إليّ بالنوافل حتى أحبه، فإذا أحببته كنت سمعه الذي يسمع به، وبصره الذي يبصر به، ويده التي يبطش بها، ورجله التي يمشي بها، ولئن سألني لأعطينّه، ولئن استعاذني لأعيذنّه". (رواه البخاري)

On the authority of Abū Hurayra (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Allah the Exalted said: Whoever is hostile to a friend (walī) of Mine, I have declared war on him. My servant does not come near to Me with anything more beloved to Me than what I have made obligatory for him; and My servant keeps coming nearer to Me through voluntary works until I love him. And when I love him, I become the hearing with which he hears, the sight with which he sees, the hand with which he takes hold, and the foot with which he walks. If he asks of Me, I will certainly give to him; and if he seeks refuge with Me, I will certainly shelter him.” (Related by al-Bukhārī.)

عن ابن عباس رضي الله عنهما أن رسول الله ﷺ قال: "إن الله تجاوز لي عن أمتي الخطأ والنسيان وما استكرهوا عليه". (حديث حسن رواه ابن ماجه والبيهقي وغيرهما)

On the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās (may Allah be pleased with them both), that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “For my sake Allah has overlooked, on the part of my community, error, forgetfulness, and what they are compelled to do.” (A ḥasan hadith, related by Ibn Māja, al-Bayhaqī and others.)

عن ابن عمر رضي الله عنهما قال: أخذ رسول الله ﷺ بمنكبي فقال: "كن في الدنيا كأنك غريب أو عابر سبيل، وكان ابن عمر رضي الله عنهما يقول: إذا أمسيت فلا تنتظر الصباح، وإذا أصبحت فلا تنتظر المساء، وخذ من صحتك لمرضك، ومن حياتك لموتك". (رواه البخاري)

On the authority of Ibn ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with them both), who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ took hold of my shoulder and said: “Live in the world like a stranger, or like someone passing along a road.” And Ibn ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with them both) used to say: “When evening comes, do not wait for the morning; when morning comes, do not wait for the evening. Take from your health for your illness, and from your life for your death.” (Related by al-Bukhārī.)

عن أبي محمد عبد الله بن عمرو بن العاص رضي الله عنهما قال: قال رسول الله ﷺ: "لا يؤمن أحدكم حتى يكون هواه تبعاً لما جئت به". (حديث حسن صحيح، رويناه في كتاب الحجة بإسناد صحيح).

On the authority of Abū Muḥammad ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAmr ibn al-ʿĀṣ (may Allah be pleased with them both), who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Not one of you has faith until his inclinations follow what I have brought.” (A ḥasan ṣaḥīḥ hadith, which we have related in the book al-Ḥujja with a sound chain of transmission.)

عن أنس رضي الله عنه قال: سمعت رسول الله ﷺ يقول: "قال الله تعالى: يا ابن آدم إنك ما دعوتني ورجوتني غفرت لك على ما كان منك ولا أبالي، يا ابن آدم لو بلغت ذنوبك عنان السماء ثم استغفرتني غفرت لك، يا ابن آدم إنك لو أتيتني بقراب الأرض خطايا ثم لقيتني لا تشرك بي شيئاً لأتيتك بقرابها مغفرة". (رواه الترمذي، وقال: حديث حسن صحيح).

On the authority of Anas (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: “Allah the Exalted said: Son of Adam, as long as you call on Me and place your hope in Me, I will forgive you whatever you have done, and I do not mind. Son of Adam, even if your sins reached the clouds in the sky and then you sought My forgiveness, I would forgive you. Son of Adam, if you came before Me with nearly an earthful of sins, and then meet Me associating nothing with Me, I would bring you nearly an earthful of forgiveness.” (Related by at-Tirmidhī, who said: a ḥasan ṣaḥīḥ hadith.)