Al-Arba'in al-Nawawiyyah — Nawawi's Forty Hadith

Overview

Al-Arba'in al-Nawawiyyah (الأربعين النووية), commonly known as Nawawi's Forty Hadith, is a collection of 42 hadith (despite the name) compiled by Imam al-Nawawi. Each hadith represents a foundational principle of Islam, and together they provide a comprehensive summary of the religion's core teachings. The tradition of compiling forty hadith was based on a narration (though weak in its chain) that 'whoever memorizes forty hadith for my ummah relating to their religion, Allah will raise him as a scholar on the Day of Judgment.' Numerous scholars compiled such collections, but al-Nawawi's became the most famous and enduring.

Key Hadith

The collection opens with 'Actions are judged by intentions' (Bukhari and Muslim), establishing sincerity as the foundation of all deeds. Other landmark hadith include the Hadith of Jibril (defining Islam, Iman, and Ihsan), 'None of you truly believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself,' 'Leave that which makes you doubt for that which does not make you doubt,' 'Do not be angry' (repeated three times by the Prophet as comprehensive advice), and 'Part of a person's good Islam is leaving what does not concern him.' Each hadith, though brief, encapsulates a major principle of faith, ethics, or practice.

Educational Role

Nawawi's Forty Hadith is typically the first hadith text that Muslim students memorize and study. Teachers use it as an introduction to the broader hadith sciences because it covers all major categories of Islamic teaching in a manageable format. The hadith are short enough to memorize yet deep enough to study for a lifetime. Islamic schools, weekend programs, and home education curricula worldwide use this collection as a core text. Many mosques run regular study circles dedicated to explaining these hadith one by one.

Commentaries

The collection has attracted numerous commentaries. The most famous is Jami' al-Ulum wal-Hikam by Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali, which expanded the collection to 50 hadith and provided extensive scholarly analysis of each. Modern commentaries include those by Ibn Uthaymin, Mustafa al-Bugha, and others who make the text accessible to contemporary audiences. The forty hadith have been translated into dozens of languages and remain one of the most widely printed Islamic texts in the world, serving as an entry point for Muslims and non-Muslims alike to understand the essential teachings of the Prophet Muhammad.