Table Of ContentAL-NAWAWI FORTY HADITHS AND COMMENTARY
MUHYI-AL-DIN YAHYA-BIN-SHARAF
AL-NAWAWI
1234 – 1277
631 – 676 A.H.
Translat ed by
Arabic Virtual Translation Center
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ISBN: 978-1-304-50122-6
Introduction by the Publisher
Our objective has always been to produce an English-language comprehensive, but yet compact, book of hadith that is easy to read and understand by Muslims and non-
Muslims alike. Simply put, there is no one book of hadith that meets that criterion better than the book written by Imam Al-Nawawi in the thirteenth century and known as Al-
Nawawi Forty Hadiths and Commentary. The book covers all aspects of Islam from the very basic abstract definitions to the most practical daily chores. It contains all the major
sharia laws. The book is a horse’s mouth for hadith commentary and is the cream of the crop of all hadith books.
In this book, we translated from Arabic Imam Al- Nawawi’s boo k in its entirety including the lines of poetry. We made the translation as simple as possible without straying
from the meaning intended by the author or the hadiths themselves. There is no doubt that the commentary is still complex and sometimes hard to comprehend for the first-
time reader . That is so because the events are mentioned in compact form with little or no illustration. To fully understand all t he topics discussed in this book, one must
consult other Islamic literature. The purpose of this book is to introduce the reader to the building blocks of Islam with the option to dig deeper into a massive and
voluminous subject .
Lastly , we need to make two quick points. First: The first twenty-six hadiths of Al- Nawawi’s book were actually comp iled by Imam Ibn- Al- Salah and the rest were compiled by
Imam Al- Nawawi himself. Later on, all the hadiths became known as Al-Nawawi Forty hadiths. Second: The actual number of hadiths in the book is forty-two and not forty. This
can be rectified by knowing that it was common practice for Arabs to round numbers to the nearest decade.
Arabic Virtual Translation Center
New York
November 1 5, 2010
Introduction by the Translators
A hadith is a narration, or story, that involves the Prophet Muhammad, may God’s peace and blessings be upon him . Since these narrations were collected hundreds of years
after the Prophet’s death, many mechanisms have been put in place to make sure that these stories are authentic and not fabricated. Such mechanisms have given birth to
what we know now as the science of hadith.
The scholars who collected the narrations are known as hadith reporters ( muhadithun ). A hadith recorder (hafiz) is loosely defined as someone who is an expert hadith
reporter. The forty-two hadiths in this book were reported by master hadith recorders Al-Bukhari , Muslim , and others.
The body of any hadith is split into two parts. The first contains the names of the individuals who heard the hadith, starting with the person who recited the hadith to the
reporter and ending with the person who heard the narration directly from the Prophet. This chain of transmission is called sanad , or isnad . The text of the story itself is
known as matn . A hadith is called musnad when the isnad is continuous, i.e. all the people mentioned in the isnad heard the story from each other in the order mentioned
with no people missing. A hadith is called mursal when the isnad is missing the name of the companion who heard the hadith from the Prophet directly.
Hadiths are classified based on the degree of their reliability. The classifications used in this book, along with their equivalents in the science of hadith, are as follows, in
descending order of reliability:
authentic
sahih
good authentic
hasan sahih
good
hasan
weak
da ` if
fabricated
mawdu `
The good authentic classification is used only by Imam Al-Tirmidhi .
Finally, we would like to leave you with a few notes:
We used Arabic Islamic terminology when necessary in order to define words precisely and remove any ambiguity. With less common words, we used translations of the words
but gave their Arabic equivalents
All Qur ‘ anic verses are followed by a pair of bracket s that contain the name of the sura (chapter) and the number of the verse.
As it is common practice in the Scriptures , we capitalized all attributes of the deity. We also conformed to common practice in Islamic literature by using salutations whenever
As it is common practice in the Scriptures , we capitalized all attributes of the deity. We also conformed to common practice in Islamic literature by using salutations whenever
the names of the p rophet s and any of their companions are mentioned.
Whenever the titles Messenger or Prophet are used without mentioning a name, they refer exclusively to the Prophet Muhammad, may God’s peace and blessings be upon him
.
All information included in parentheses and footnotes are added by us for clarification .
We used full descriptive nouns, such as God, and general pronouns, such as they, instead of he and she, for clarity and to prevent giving preference to any of the sexes.
Table of Contents
Introductio n by the Publisher
Introduction by the Translators
Introduction by Imam Al-Nawawi
First Hadith
Intentions
Second Hadith
Definition of Islam
Definition of Iman
Definition of Ihsan
The hour of resurrection
Sign s of the hour of resurrection
Third Hadith
The five pillars of Islam
Fourth Hadith
Stages of prenatal development
Fate
Fifth Hadith
Heresy
Sixth Hadith
Halal, haram, and questionable matters
Seventh Hadith
Advice
Eighth Hadith
Jihad against unbelievers
Ninth Hadith
Disputes over grey areas
Do what you can
Tenth Hadith
Hypocrisy
Eleventh Hadith
Doubt and certainty
Twelfth Hadith
Minding one’s own business
Thirteenth Hadith
Loving others
Fourteenth Hadith
Capital punishment
Fifteenth Hadith
Saying only good things
Respecting neighbors
Honoring guests
Sixteenth Hadith
Anger management
Seventeenth Hadith
Killing with kindness
Eighteenth Hadith
Fearing God
Good deeds erase bad deeds
Treating people with kindness
Nineteenth Hadith
Faith in God
Predestination
Twentieth Hadith
Shame
Twenty - First Hadith
Righteousness
Twenty - Second Hadith
Prerequisites for heaven
Twenty - Third Hadith
Good deeds
Selling one’s soul to God
Selling one’s soul to the Devil
Twenty - Fourth Hadith
Injustice
Providence
Forgiveness
Omnipotence
Judgment Day
Twenty - Fifth Hadith
Rewardable deeds
Twenty - Sixth Hadith
People are indebted to God
Twenty - Seventh Hadith
Definition of righteousness
Definition of sin
Twenty - Eighth Hadith
Last words of advice
Twenty - Ninth Hadith
Prerequisites for heaven
Good deeds
Islam; salat; jihad
Keeping the tongue from evil
Thirtieth Hadith
Dealing with grey areas
Thirty-First Hadith
Asceticism
Thirty-Second Hadith
Inflecti on of harm
Thirty-Third Hadith
Burden of proof is on the plaintiff
Thirty-Fourth Hadith
Stopping evil
Thirty- Fifth Hadith
Unlawful deeds
Muslims are brothers
The sanctity of a Muslim’s life, property, and honor
Thirty- Sixth Hadith
Helping other Muslims
Seeking knowledge
Reading the Qur ‘ an
Kith and kin don’t count
Thirty- Seventh Hadith
Deeds: rewards and penalties
Thirty- Eighth Hadith
God protects the believers
Mandatory and optional acts
Thirty-Ninth Hadith
Dealing with mistakes, forgetfulness, and coercion
Fortieth Hadith
Asceticism
Do not postpone today’s work until tomorrow
Forty-First Hadith
Following the teachings of the Qur ‘ an and hadith
Forty-Second H adith
All sins are forgivable
AL-NAWAWI FORTY HADITHS
AND COMMENTARY
Introduction
In the name of God, the M erciful , the C ompassionate
May thanks be to God, the E verlasting in heavens and on earth. God who takes care of all creat ures and sends messengers, may God’s peace and blessings be upon them , to
the designees to guide them and show them the laws of religion through decisive evid ence and clear proofs. I thank God for all God’s gifts and ask God for more grace and
generosity. I acknowledge that there is no g od but Allah, the Only Conqueror and G racious F orgiver . I also acknowledge that our master M uhammad, God’s servant and M
essenger, God’s loved one and close f riend , is the best of creatures. He ’s been honored with the Qur ‘ an , the continuous miracle that has lasted countless years, and with
the s unna [1] , the guiding light for all seekers. He’s been gifted with succinct speech and grace of religion. May God’s peace and blessing s be upon him, and all the prophets
and messenger s , and all their families, and all the righteous ones .
We ’ve reported that, according to, Ali-Bin-Abi-Talib , Abdullah-Bin-Mas ud , Mu adh -Bin-Jabal , Ab u -Al-Dar d a ‘ , Ibn- Umar , Ibn- Abbas , Anas-
Bin-Malik , Abu -Hurayrah , and Ab u -Sa id Al-Khudri , may God be pleased with them , through numerous
transmissions and various reports , that God ’s Messenger , may God’s peace and blessing s be upon
him , said, “ People who safeguard forty hadiths for my nation pertaining to its religion , G od
will bring them back, on the day of r esurrection, in the company of jurisprudents and scholars.”
In another report it says , “God will resurrect them as jurisprudent s and scholar s .” And in the
report of Ab u -Al-Dard a ' , “I will be for them , on the day of r esurrect ion, an intercessor
and a witness.” And in the report of Ibn-Mas ud , “ They w ill be told, ‘ Enter heaven from any gate you wish. ’ ” And in the report of Ibn- `
Umar , “ They will be recorded together with the group of scholars and gathered with the group of martyrs.” Hadith r ecorders have agreed that this hadith is weak even
though it has many transmissions.
Scholars, may God be pleased with them , classified in this category countless compilations. The first one I know to have such a compilation is Abdullah-Bin-Al-
Mubarak , and then Muhamm ad-Bin-Aslam Al-Tusi Al- Alim Al- Rab b ani , and then Al-Hasan-Bin-Sufyan Al-Nasa ‘ i , Abu-Bakr Al- Ajurri , Abu-
Bakr Muhammad-Bin-Ibrahim Al-Asfahani , Al-Daraqutni , Al-Hakim , Abu-Nu a y m , Abu- Abd-Al-Rahman Al- Sulama , Abu-Sa id Al- Malini , Abu-
Uthman Al-Sabuni , ` Abdullah-Bin- Muhamma d Al-Ansari , Abu-Bakr Al-Bayhaqi , and innumerable predecessors and successors.
I turned to God, the Sublime , to seek what is best in collecting forty hadiths, emulating those great imams and hadith recorders of Islam. Scholars have agreed that it is
permissible to work with weak hadiths when dealing with good traits. Despite of this, I did not rely on this hadith but I relied on what the Messenger, may God’s peace and
blessings be upon him , said in authentic hadiths: “Let the eyewitness , from you, inform the absent” and “ May God prosper those who hear and comprehend a discourse of
mine and deliver it the way they heard it.”
There have been scholars who collected forty hadiths before. Some collected forty hadiths about th e principles of the religion (Usul Al-Din ) . And some collected forty hadiths
about the branches of the religion ( Furu ` Al-Din ) . And some collected forty hadiths about jihad. And some collected forty hadiths about asceticism . And some collected
forty hadiths about good conduct. And some collected forty hadiths about sermons. Th ose are all good acts , and may God be pleased with the people who did them. But I
wanted to collect forty hadiths that are more important than all of them. I wanted to collect forty hadiths that include all of those subjects where each hadith represents one
great foundation, of the religion’s foundations, and is described by scholars as being an axis of Islam , or represents half of Islam, or a third of it, or something of the sort. Also, I
wanted to make sure that the forty hadiths are authentic and largely listed in Sahih [2] Al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim . I want ed to list the hadiths without i snad to make them
easy to remember and widely beneficial , God willing. Lastly, I wanted to add a section to show precisely the hidden meaning of each hadith.
It is incumbent on anyone who looks forward to the hereafter to know these hadiths due to the important information that they contain and the attention that they bring to all
the pious deeds . That is clear to the careful examiner . I do rely on God, and I do turn to the Lord for empowerm ent and support. To God , belong all praise and grace, and
through God , comes all success and preservation .
First Hadith
Commander of the Faithful, Abu-Hafs , ` Umar-Bin-Al-Kha t tab , may God be pleased with him , said, “I heard God’s Messenger, may God’s peace and blessings be upon him ,
say, ‘ Actions are judged by intentions and everyone reaps what they intend. So those who migrate for the sake of God and God’s Messenger, their migrations are for the sake
of God and God’s Messenger. And those who migrate for the sake of a worldly gain or for the sake of someone to marry, their migrations are for what they intended. ’”
Reported by the two imams of hadith reporters Abu- Abdullah Muhammad-Bin-Isma il-Bin-Ibrahim-Bin-Al- Mighirah -Bin-Bardizbah Al-Bukhari and Abu-Al-
Husayn Muslim-Bin-Al- Hajaj -Bin-Muslim Al-Qushayri Al-Naysaburi in their two hadith books , which are the most accurate books of hadith.
This hadith shows that inten tions are a standard for judging the validity of actions. When inten tions are good, the action is valid. And when intentions are corrupt , the action
is null and void. There are three cases of actions when accompanied by intentions:
An action performed as a consequence of the fear of God, the Sublime . This is the worship of servants.
An action performed to seek heaven and recompense. This is the worship of merchants.
An action performed as a consequence of the respect of God, the expression of servitude, and the showing of gratitude . And to realize , despite of this, that there is a lot more
to be done. And to be fear ful for not knowing if an action has been accepted by God or not. This is the worship of the free. That’s what God’s Messenger, may God’s peace and
blessings be upon him , referred to when Aisha , may God be pleased with her , told him after his feet swe lled from staying up at night, “ You burden yourself with this and
God has forgiven all your sins past and present?” He replied, “Shouldn’t I be a thankful servant?”
So , which is better, a worship arising from fear or a worship arising from supplication? Ghazali , may he rest in peace , said, “A worship arising from supplication is better
because supplication breeds affection while fear leads to despair.” Those are the three types of actions performed by the righteous .
Be aware that sincerity might get exposed to the pestilence of conceit. So t hose who are enthralled by their actions , their actions will fail. Also, those who are arrogant, their
actions will fail .
The second situation is when actions are performed for the sake of this life and the hereafter. Some scholars reject ed those actions . They based their ruling on what God’s M
essenger, may God’s peace and blessing s be upon him , said i n a divine revelation , “ God, the Sublime , says, ‘I a m the richest of partners. So those who partner with any
thing else, I shall disown them .’” Similarly, that’s what Al-Harith Al- Muh a sibi referred to in his book Al- Ri ` ayah when he said, “ Righteousness is to want God through
obeying God , and to want nothing but God .”
Hypocrisy is two types. The first is when the objective of obedience is to seek people and the second is when the objective is to seek people and their god. Both actions are
rejected. This opini on was quoted by Hafiz Abu-Nu ay m from some s alaf ( predecessors ) in Al- Hilyah . Some of them
also based their ruling on God ’s words , “ God is the Enforcer and the Superior ; How can people
take other gods beside the Lord? God is high above what they do . ” [Al-Hashr :23 ] Just as God is
high above taking a wife or a son or a partner , God is also high above accepting a n action where
people acknowledge other gods beside God . God is Bigger, more Tremendous, and far Superior. Al -
Samarqandi , may he rest in peace , said, “A n action performed for the sake of God is accepted
but a n action performed for the sake of people is rejected. ” An example of that is when people
intend to and offer the noon salat (prayer) , a God’ s commandment, but they prolong the salat and
the recitation and they embellish it for the sake of others. The essential part of the salat is
accepted but the prolonging and embellishment of it , which was done for the sake of people , is
not because the intentions were directed toward people . When Sheikh Iz -Al-Din-Bin- ` Abd-Al-Salam was asked about
people who prolong their salat for the sake of others, he replied, “I hope their actions won’t be rejected in their entirety. That’s if partnering others with God occurs in the
attribute s of a n action . But if partnering others with God occurs in the essential part of a n action , such as offering a n obligatory (f ar d ) salat for the sake of God, the Sub
lime , and other people, then salat is not accepted. ”
The way hypocrisy exists in the performance of a n action , it also exists in the abandonment of it . Al-Fudayl -Bin- I yad said, “ The abandonment of
actions for the sake of people is hypocrisy, and the performance of actions for the sake of people
is polytheism. Salvation is when God saves someone from both.” What Bin- Iyad , may he rest in peace , means is that
people who intend on worshiping but do otherwise, due to the fear that others mi ght see them , are hypocrites. I f they , on the other hand, do not worship in public and
choose to worship in private, th at’s better. That is the case except when worship ing involves a n obligatory salat [3] or a dutiful zakat [4] , or a scholar who is a role model,
then worshiping in public is better.
The way hypocrisy invalidates a n action , similarly does boastfulness . That’s when people perform a n action in private and brag about it in public . The Messenger, may God’s
peace and blessings be upon him , said, “ Those who publicize their actions , God will expose them . And those who pre tend , God will not reward them .” Scholars have said
that if people are role model scholars and they publicize their actions in order to energize and educate others, then publicity in this case is permissible . Al- Marzu bani , may he
rest in peace , said, “For salat to be accepted, it has to have four characteristics: The presence of the heart, the witness of the mind, the submission of the body , and the
acquiescence of the limbs . So t hose who pray without the presence of the heart, they are inattentive worshipers. And those who pray without the witness of the mind, they
are oblivious worshi pers. And those who pray without the submission of the body , they are crude worshipers. And those who pray without the acquiescence of the limbs ,
they are false worshipers. And those who pray utilizing those parts , they are perfect worshipers. ”
In “a ctions are judged by intentions ,” the Messenger, may God’s peace a nd blessings be upon him , refers to actions of obedience ( ta ` at ) and not per missible actions (
mubahat ) . Al-Harith Al- Muhasibi says that sincerity does not cover permissible actions since those actions are not pious actions neither do they lead to pious ones . An
example of this, is building a structure for no reason other than frivolity. On the other hand, if the construction is for a purpose, such as a mosque, arches, or bonds, then it is
desirable ( mustahab ) . Al- Muhasibi says there is no sincerity in committing prohibited or abominated act s . That’s like when people look at things they ’re not permitted to
look at, and claim that the y are looking at them in order to contemplate the creati on of God , such as looking at teenagers. There is no sincerity in doing that. Indeed, there is
no pious action in it whatso ever. Al- Muhasib i says that the honesty of servants is a measurement of the equality of their actions in secret and in public, and internally and
externally. Honesty is judged in the process of accomplishing tasks in all places and situations. Even sincerity is in need for honesty. But honesty is need for n o one thing. That
is so, because, in reality, the purpose behind sincerity is to want God, the Sublime , through obedience . People may want to want God through salat , but they are oblivious to
the inattentiveness of their hearts. Honesty is to want God through worship with the attentiveness of the heart. Hence, every honest person is a sincere one, but not every
sincere person is an honest one. Honesty imparts the meaning of connection and disconnection. It disconnects from anything other than God, and connects with the presence
of God. It is the meaning of abandoning anything but God and the adornment of the presence of God, the Sublime .
By “a ctions,” the Messenger, may God’s peace and blessings be upon him , probably means the correctness of actions, the correcting of actions, or the completeness of actins.
That was the opinion of Imam Abu- Hanifa , may he rest in peace . Actions exclude acts of desertion , such as the removal of impurities, the return of seized property, the
payment of loans, the deliverance of a gift, and the like. Their validity does not depend on correct intentions, but reaping reward s for them does depend on the intentions of
en dearment. An example of this is when people feed their animals. If they feed their animals as a form of compliance with the orders of God, the Sublime , then they get
rewarded for it. But if they feed their animal s for monetary gains, then they receive no rewards. That was mentioned by Al- Qa rafi . Excluded from that are the mujahidin [5]
who appropriate their horses for the cause of God. They get rewarded when their horses drink even when they do not want them to drink. That’s mentioned in Sahih Al-
Bukhari . Similarly, dealing with a spouse, closing a door, and turning off the light before going to bed. People get rewarded for them if their intentions are to comply with
God’s order. But if their intentions are otherwise, they do not get rewarded.
Be aware that the word intention ( n iyyah ) , linguistically, means determination ( q asd ) . We say, “ God has intended to bless you .” That is, God has determined to bless you.
I n sharia (Islamic law) , intention means determination accompanied by action. When determination is followed by wavering, it is called resol ve ( ` a zm ) .
Intention has been defined in sharia to distinguish a custom ( adah ) from a worship ( ibadah ) . Or, to distinguish the ranks of worship from one anothe r. An
example of the first is si tting in a mosque. When the intent is to rest, this is a custom . But when the inten t is solitude, this is a n act of worship. So the distinguishing factor
between a custom and a n act of worship is the intention. Also, bathing . As a custom, the intent might be to have the body cleaned. But it might also mean the preparation of
the body for worship ing . So, the difference is the intention. That’s the meaning that the Prophet, may God’s peace and blessings be upon him , referred to when he was asked
as to who is fighting for the cause of God , the Sublime : One who fight s sycophantically, one who fight s zealously, or one who fight s courageously . He said, “The one who
fights so that the word of God will reign supreme is the one who is fighting for the cause of God, the Sublime .” An example of the second is when offering a four- rak ` a (
four- prostration) salat . The intent might be to offer the noon salat . The intent might also be to offer a sun na (optional salat ) . The distinguishing factor is the intention.
four- prostration) salat . The intent might be to offer the noon salat . The intent might also be to offer a sun na (optional salat ) . The distinguishing factor is the intention.
Likewise, emancipation . The intent could be expiation. The intent could also be something different such as a votive offering or the like. T he distinguishing factor is the
intention.
The saying of the Messenger, may God’s peace and blessings be upon him , “ everyone reaps what they intend ,” shows that deputization is invalid in acts of worship ( ` i badat
[6] ) . That exclude s the distribution of zakat and the slaughter ing of sacrifices. For both of them, it is valid to deputize the intent, the slaughtering, and the distribution when
people are able to do them on their own. It’s not valid to deputize hajj [7] when people are able to make it themselves. The payment of a one-way debt does not require the
submission of an intention. For a two-way debt, such as when people are indebted by two thousands where one thousand is backed by security, they can pay one thousand and
say, “ Verily, we have made the payment for the one thousand with security.” If they don’t submit an intention at the time of p ayment , they can do so afterward for whatever
payment they wish. This is the only case where we can submit a valid intention for an action that has already been accomplished.
The saying of the Messenger, may God’s peace and blessings be upon him , “ T hose who migrate for the sake of God and God’s Messenger, their migrations are for the sake of
God and God’s Messenger. And those who migrate for the sake of a worldly gain or for the sake of someone to marry, their migrations are for what they intended. ” Migration ,
basically, means avoidance and abandonment. The word migration applies to the following situations:
The migration of the companions (sahabah ) , may God be pleased with them , from Mecca to Abyssinia when the polytheists harmed God’s Messenger, may God’s peace and
blessings be upon him , and they fled to Negus . According to Al-Bayhaqi , this migration took place five years after the b i ` tha h ( designation of Muhammad as a prophet) .
The secon d migration from Mecca to Medina . It took place 13 years after the b i tha h . Every Muslim in Mecca was obligated to
migrate to Medina , where God’s M essenger, may God’s peace and blessings be upon him , was. Some
people generalized and said that it was a duty ( wajib ) to migrat e from Mecca to Medina . This
generalization is inaccurate for there is nothing special about Medina . T he duty was to migrate
to wherever God’s Messenger, may God’s peace and blessings be upon him , was. Ibn-Al- Arabi said that scholars,
may God be pleased with them , divided roam ing the earth into fleeing and seeking . The first is divided into six parts:
(1) Leaving dar harb (land of war) to d ar i slam (land of Islam). This will last until Judgment Day. It becomes ineffective at the time of victory, according to the saying of
God’s Messenger, may God’s peace and blessings be upon him , “No migration after victory.” The intention was to migrate to wherever God’s Messenger, may God’s peace and
blessings be upon him , was.
(2) Leaving a land of b id ` ah (heresy ). Ibn Al-Qasim sa id , “I heard Malik say, ‘ It is not permissible for anyone to live in a land where the s alaf are cursed. ’ ”
(3) Leaving a land where haram (forbidden ) acts are prevalent . Seeking halal (sanctioned ) acts is the obligation of every Muslim.
(4) Fleeing physical harm. This is a grace from God, the Sublime , which God has made available. God, the Sublime , has permitted people who fear for their lives in a place,
to leave and save themselves from that danger. The first one to do so was Abraham , may God’s peace by upon him , when he feared his people and said “ I am migrating to my
God.” [Al- ` Ankabut:26] God, the Sublime , said when the Lord was talking about Moses, may God’s peace be upon him , “He left therefrom frightened and watchful.” [Al-
Qasas : 21]
(5) Leaving insalubrious countries to a healthy land for fear of disease. An example of this is when the Messenger, may God’s peace and blessings be upon him , allowed the
sick ` Uraniyyin to leave Medina and go to the meadow.
(6) Leaving due to the fear of harm to property. The property of Muslims is just as inviolable as their blood.
Seeking is divided into seeking religion and seeking ordinary life. Seeking religion is divided into nine types:
(1) Exemplary travel. God, the Sublime , says, “Have they not walked the earth and saw the outcome of the people who came before them?” [Al-Rum:9] Dhu-Al-Qarnayn
traveled the world to see its wonders.
(2) Hajj travel.
(3) Jihad travel
(4) Livelihood travel
(5) Commerce travel; to seek more than food. It’s permissible because God, the Sublime , says “ You commit no offense in seeking what your God has to offer from grace.”
[Al-Baqarah:198]
(6) Seeking education.
(7) Heading to holy places. The Messenger, may God’s peace and blessings be upon him , said , “ No travel can take place except to the three mosques.”
(8) Heading to be stationed at an outpost.
(9) Visiting brothers and sisters in God, the Sublime . The Messenger, m ay God’s peace and blessings be upon him , said, “A man went to visit a brother of his in a village. An
angel, who was placed by God in his path, asked, “W here are you going ?” He said, “I am looking for a brother of mine in this village.” The angel asked, “Does he have
something that you want?” The man replied, “No. I just love him in God, the Sublime .” The angel said, “I am God’s messenger to you. I came to inform you that God loves you
the way you love him.” Reported by Muslim and others.
1. The migration of the tribes that came to God’s Messenger, may God’s peace and blessings be upon him , to learn the laws and returned to their pe ople to teach
them what they learned.
2. The migration of those who embraced Islam from the people of Mecca who came to the Prophet, may God’s peace and blessings be upon him , and returned to
their people.
3. Migration from unbelieving countries to Islamic countr ies . It’s not permi ssible for a Muslim to stay in dar k ufr (land of un belief). Al- Mawardi says, “If one creates
a family and a tribe and they’re able to practice their religion freely, it’s not permissible for them to migrate because the place they’re in become s d ar Islam. ”
4. The abandonment of Muslims by other Muslims for more than three days without a lawful reason. It is abominable ( makruh ) during the first three days and
becomes haram thereafter except when necessary. It is said that a man who abandoned his brother for more than three days wrote to him the following lines:
Oh, brother! I have indeed wronged you
You may ask Ibn-Abi- Khaythama .
For h e quotes his grandparent
Who quotes Al-Dahhak who quotes ` Ikrimah .
Who quotes Ibn-Al- ` Abbas who quotes the Chosen One
Our Prophet, who’s been sent with mercy for everyone .
That t he abandonment of a companion by another one
For m ore than three days is, by God, a prohibited one.
1. The abandonment of a wife by her husband if and when she becomes discordant. God, the Sublime , says, “And do not share your bed with them ”. [Al-Nisa ‘ :34]
Similarly, sinners should be forsaken. Their places should be shunned and talking to them should be avoided . Their greetings should not be returned and n o greeting
should be offered to them .
2. Giving up what God has prohibited. This is the most important abandonment of all.
The Messenger, may God’s peace and blessings be upon him , says, “ those who migrate for the sake of God and God’s Messenger, ” i.e. intentionally and determinedly, “ their
migrations are for the sake of God and God’s Messenger ,” legally and in acco rdance with sharia . “And those who migrate for the sake of a worldly gain … , ” refers, according
to what people have cited, to a man who migrated from Mecca to Medina, not to gain the vitreous benefits of migration , but to marry a woman named Umm-Qays . The man
was later nicknamed “The Umm-Qays Migrant.” If it is said that marriage is recommended by sharia , why is it considered a desire of this life ? The answer given is the following:
The man did not reveal his true intentions. He gave the impression that he was leaving for the sake of h egira [8] . If he doesn’t reveal his real intentions, he deserves rebuke
and admonition. The same rule applie s to people who give the outward appearance that they are going to make hajj , but in actuality they are going to conduct business , and
those who travel to seek education , but intend to use it to becom e a president or governor.
The saying of God’s Messenger, may God’s peace and blessings be upon him , “ their migrations are for what they intended ,” means that there is no reward for those who go
to h ajj for the purpose of conducting business or enrichment. The hadith sho uld be predicated on whether the motivation for making hajj is business. If the motivation is
purely making hajj, then people get fully rewarded. If conducting business is an auxiliary motivation , people get rewarded but not fully. If the motivation is both, a reward
might be obtained because the intentions are not exclusively for a worldly gain. That might not be the case since the deeds of the hereafter and the deeds of this life have been
intermixed. The hadith deals with abstract intentions. As for people who intend on doing both deeds , that does not mean that they are interested in the benefits of this life
only. God, the Praiseworthy and Sublime , knows best.
Second Hadith
Umar , may God be pleased with him , also said, “ One day, while we were sitting with God’s
Messenger, may God’s peace and blessing be upon him , we saw a man whose clothes were so white and
whose hair was so black. He didn’t carry the signs of a traveler and none of us knew who he was.
He sat in front of the Prophet, may God’s peace and blessings be upon him , positioning his knees
opposite those of the Prophet’s and placing his palms on his thighs. He said , ‘ Muhammad, tell me
about Islam? ’ God’s Messenger, may God’s peace and blessing be upon him , said, ‘ Islam is to
acknowledge that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is Allah’s Messenger. And to offer
salat, pay zakat, fast Ramadan [9] , and make hajj if you are able to do so.’ The man said, ‘ You
have told the truth.’ So we were surprised because the man was asking the Prophet questions and
confirming his answers! The man asked , ‘ Tell me about Iman (faith)? ’ The Prophet replied, ‘ It
is to believe in Allah, Allah’s angels, Allah’s books, Allah’s messengers, and the day of
resurrection and to believe in fate, good and bad.’ The man said, ‘ You have told the truth.’ The
man asked , ‘ Tell me about Ihsan (benevolence) ?’ The Prophet replied, ‘ It is to worship God as
if God were in your sight, and if God wasn’t in your sight, as if you were in God’s sight.’ The
man said, ‘You have told the truth.’ The man asked, ‘ Tell me about the hour of resurrection ?’
The Prophet replied, ‘ The one being asked doesn’t know more about it than the asker. ’ The man
asked, ‘ T ell me about its signs?’ The Prophet replied, ‘ When a bondmaid gives birth to her
female master and you see the barefoot, the naked, the poor, and the shepherds building taller and
taller structures.’ After that, the man left. Then, after quite a while, th e Prophet asked me, ‘
Umar, do you know who the asker was ?’ I replied, ‘ God and God’s Messenger know best.’ The Prophet said, ‘ It was Gabriel . He came to teach you your religion. ’ ” Reported
by Muslim .
The addressing of “Tell me abou t Iman?” by the Messenger of God, may God’s peace and blessings be upon him . Iman , linguistically , means absolute conviction . In sahria , it
has a special meaning , which is the belief in God, God’s angels, God’s books, God’s messengers, the day of resurrection , and fate, good and bad . Islam, on the other hand, is
the performance of duties, which leads to doing what is conspicuous. God, the Sublime , has distinguished Iman from Islam, the way this hadith has. God, the S ublime , says,
“The Bedouins said, ‘We have accepted Iman .’ Tell them, ‘No. You have not. You should say, ‘We have accepted Islam.’’” [Al-Hujurat:14] That is because hypocrites used to
pray, fast, and give to charity but they were insincere. So when they claimed that they accepted Iman , God denied them their claims because they were insincere but God
acknowledged their acceptance of Islam due to their practice of it. God says, “When the hypocrites come to you they say, ‘We acknowledge that you are God’s Messenger and
acknowledged their acceptance of Islam due to their practice of it. God says, “When the hypocrites come to you they say, ‘We acknowledge that you are God’s Messenger and
God knows that you are the Lord’s Messenger.’ But God attests that the hypocrites are liars .” [Al-Munafiqun :1 ] That is, in their claim that they have acknowledged the
message ( risalah ) when, in fact, they are being insincere. What comes out of their mouths is not matched by sincerity. Acknowledging the message is conditioned upon the
matching of what comes out of the mouth and the sincerity that the heart harbors. So when they lied in their claims, God, the Sublime , revealed their lies. When the validity of
Islam is conditional upon Iman, God, the Sublime , has excluded those who accepted Islam ( muslimun [10] ) from those who accepted Iman ( mu ‘ minun [11] ). God, the
Sublime , says, “We evacuated from it those who accepted Iman. But we found in it but one house of those who accepted Islam (submission to God) .” [Al-Dhariyat :35 -36]
This is a conjoined ex clusion between a condition and a qualifier . That’s the reason why God, the Sublime , called salat Iman. God, the Sublime , says, “God would never
waste your Iman.” [Al-Baqarah:143] And God says, “You knew what n either the book nor Iman was .” [Al-Shura :52 ] That is, salat.
The saying of the Messenger, may God’s peace and blessings be upon him , “ to believe in fate, good and bad , ” and the doctrine of the people of the truth to prove
predestination. It means that God, the Praiseworthy and Sublime , has predestinated things beforehand, and God , the Praiseworthy and Sublime , kno w s the time at which
things would occur and the location. All things happen according to what God, the Praiseworthy and S ublime , has predestinated.
Be aware that predestination is divided into four:
Predestination of knowledge. That’s why it has been said, “ Concern before leadership,” “Happiness before birth,” and “ Consequents are based on antecedents.” God, the
Sublime , says, “ The ones deluded from it are the ones who were deluded.” [Al-Dhariya t:9] That is, the ones who are kept away from listening to the Qur ‘ an and believing in
it , in this life , are the ones who were kept away from it before. The Messenger of God, may God’s peace and blessings be upon him , said, “ Whoever seeks destruction by
God, will be, indeed, destroyed.” That is, it’s already known to God, the Sublime , that he would be destroyed.”
Predestination in the Preserved Tablet (Al-Lawh Al-Mahfuz ). This predestination can change. God, the Sublime , says, “God erases and confirms whatever God wishes and God
has the Mother of all Books (Umm- Al-Kitab ) .” [Al-Ra d:39] It’s been reported that Umar’s son, may God be pleased with him and his father , used to
say in his prayer, “O h, God! If you recorded me as a miserable one, erase it, and record me as a happy one.”
Predestination in the womb . That’s where ang el s are ordered to record livelihood, life span , action s , and if one is to become miserable or happy.
The predestination of the timing of fate. God, the Sublime , created good and evil and predestinated their arrival to a servant at known times. The proof that God, the Sublime
, has created good and evil can be found in God’s words, “ Sinners , indeed, will be in loss and frenzy . On the day they are dragged on their faces and told, ‘feel the touch of
hell.’ For we created everything with predestination .” [Al-Qamar:47-49 ] These verses were revealed to address the Qadariyyah . That’s what will be said to them in hell. God,
also says, “Say: I seek refuge with the G od of the Dawn; From the evil of what God h as created. ” [Al-Falaq:1-2] This kismet is diverted away from servants , who ha ve been
shown leniency , before it reaches them . One hadith says, “ Charity and kinship change a state of misery into a state of happiness.” Another hadith says, “Prayer and tri
bulation are in combat between heaven and earth. Prayer pushes away tribulation before it descends.”
The Q a dariyyah claim ed that God, the sublime , has not predestinated things and God does not know about them in advance. They claim ed that things are not knowable in
advance and that God has no knowledge of them until after they occur . They showed contempt for God, the Praiseworthy and Sublime , who is Glorious and very high above
their false claims . Those have become extinct now and the new Qadariy y ah are saying , “Good is from God and evil is from others.” God is above what they are saying. It’s
been authenticated that the Messenger, may God’s peace and blessings be upon him , said, “ The Qadariyyah are the Magi of the nation.” He called them Magi due to the
similarity between their doctrine and the doctrine of the Magi . Dualism (Al- Thanawiyyah ) claimed that good comes from light and evil comes from darkness. So they became
dualists. Similarly, the Qadariyyah att ribute good to God and evil to others. But God, the Sublime , is the creator of good and evil. Imam Al- Harama yn says in his book Al-
Irshad , “Some of the Qadariyyah said, ‘We are not Qadariyyah (fatalists ), you’re the Qadariyyah since you believe in predestination. ’” Those ignoramuses were replied to by
saying to them that t hey attribute predestination to themselves , and those who claim evil and attribute it to themselves are more worthy of what they attribute to others and
clear themselves of .
When t he Messenger, may God’s peace and blessings be upon him , was asked, “ Tell me about Ihsan ?” he replied, “ It is t o worship God as if God were in your sight .” This is
the awesomeness of the view. It is because when people are ab le to see the L ord, they become too timid to pay any attention but to the Lord during their prayers and worry
about nobody else but the Lord . Ihsan is the attribute of the righteous. We referred to this earlier in the first hadith.
The Messenger, may God’s peace and blessings be upon him , says “ as if you were in God’s sight,” meaning that God sees you if you are to become inattentive during prayer
and start talking to yourself.
When the Messenger, may God’s peace and blessings be upon him , was asked, “Tell me about the h our of resurrection ? ” he replied, “The one being asked doesn’t know
more about it than the asker . ” This answer indicates that the Messenger, may God’s peace and blessings be upon him , did not know the time of the h our. Indeed, the time
of the h our is known only to God, the S ublime . God, the Sublime , says, “God knows the h our.” [Luqman:34] God, the Sublime , also says, “ It’s preponderant in the heavens
and on earth. It comes upon you but suddenly.” [Al-A ` raf :187 ] And God, the Sublime , also says, “How do you know? The time of the h our might, indeed, be near .” [Al-
Ahzab :63 ] Al- Tukhi says in Asbab Al- Tanzil that it is false for astrologers and numerologists (Ahl A l- Hisab ) to claim that the wor l d is seventy thousand years and what
remains of them are sixty-three thousand years. Whoever claims that the world is seven thousand years is procrastinating the unknown and that is not allow e d.
When the Messenger, may God’s peace and blessings be upon him , was asked, “ T ell me about its signs? ” he replied, “ When a bondmaid gives birth to her female master . ” It
has also been reported as “When a bondmaid gives birth to her male master.” The majority have said that is an indication of the abundance of concubines and their sons. The
son of a bondmaid by her maser is her master because the property is passed from father to son. Some said that it means the bondmaids give birth to kings and the bondmaids
become citizens of the nations ruled by their sons . It might also mean that one fathers a son with his bondmaid and sell s her. The son grows up and buys his mother. This is
one of the conditions for the h our.
The saying of the Messenger, may God’s peace and blessings be upon him , “ you see the barefoot, the naked, the poor, and the shepherds building taller and taller structures ,
” means that the Bedouins and similar people from the poor and the needy will start constructing building s and life becomes easy for them to the degree that they begin
flaunting their construction.
The saying of Umar , “ after quit e a while, the Prophet asked me.” “Quite a while” means a long time.
In the reports of Abu -Da wud and Al-Tirmidhi it says that Umar said “after three days.” In Sharh Al- Tanbih , Al-Baghaw i says that
Umar said “ after more than three .” It’s clear that it was after three nights. This contradicts
what Ab u -Hurayrah reported in his hadith. Ab u -Hurayrah says , “ The man left. The Messenger,
may God’s peace and blessings be upon him , then said, ‘Call the man back.’ They shouted, ‘ Come
