Imaam an-Nawawee's Introduction
All praise is due to Allaah, Lord of all in existence, the One who supports and manages the heavens and the earths, and the One who disposes the affairs of the creation in entirety. He sent the Messengers may salutations and blessings be upon them to those who will be taken into account; for the sake of their guidance, and to explain the Religion with definitive proofs, and lucid, and clear evidences. I praise Him for all of his blessings, and I ask Him for an increase of virtue and honor.
I bear witness that none has the right to be worshipped in truth, except The One, The Irresistible, The Generous, and The All Forgiving. I bear witness that our leader Muhammad is His servant, messenger, beloved, and bosom friend. He is the best of the creation, and has been honored with the miraculous and powerful Qur'aan that is continuous throughout successive and ensuing years. He has been honored with the illuminating and enlightening Sunnah for those seeking guidance. He has been specified with Jawaami' al-Kalim (the ability to say small words with expansive meaning) and the eminence of the Religion. May the salutations and blessings of Allaah be upon him, the other prophets and messengers along with their families, annd the remainder of the righteous.
To proceed:
It has been narrated to us on 'Alee ibn Abee Taalib, 'Abdullaah ibn Mas'ood, Mu'aadh ibn Jabal, Aboo ad-Dardaa, Ibn 'Umar, Ibn 'Abbaas, Anas ibn Maalik, Aboo Hurayrah, and Aboo Sa'eed al- Khudree, may Allaah, The Exalted, be pleased with them, from many and various narrations that the Messenger of Allaah said,
مَنْ حَفِظَ عَلَى أُمَّتِي أَرْبَعِينَ حَدِيثًا مِنْ أَمْرِ دِيْنِهَا، بَعَثَهُ اللَّهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ فِي زَمْرَةِ الْفُقَهَاءِ الْعُلَمَاءِ
"Whoever from my Ummah (Muslim Nation) memorizes forty Ahaadeeth regarding affairs of the religion, Allaah will resurrect him on the Day of Judgment amongst the ranks of the Fuqahaa and the scholars."
In a narration,
بَعَثَهُ اللَّهُ فَقِيْهَا عَالِماً
"Allaah will resurrect him as a Faqeeh and scholar."
And in the narration of Aboo ad-Dardaa,
وَكُنتُ لَهُ يَوْمَ القِيَامَةِ شَافِعاً وَ شَهِيداً
"On the Day of Judgment, it will be an intercessor and a witness for him."
And in the narration of ibn Mas'ood,
وَقِيلَ لَهُ : ادْخُلْ مِنْ أَيِّ أَبْوَابِ الْجَنَّةِ شِئْتَ
"It will be said to him, "Enter any of the doors of Paradise that you wish."
And in the narration of ibn 'Umar,
كُتِبَ فِي زُمْرَةِ العُلَمَاءِ ، وَ حُشِرَ فِي زُمْرَةِ الشُّهَدَاءِ
"He will be written amongst the ranks of the scholars and gathered amongst the ranks of the martyrs."
In addition, all of the Masters of Hadeeth have agreed that it is an unauthentic Hadeeth, even if it has many narrations.
The scholars have written works on this subject, which cannot be enumerated. The first that I know to write about it is 'Abdullaah. ibn Mubaarak, then Muhammad ibn Aslam; the Scholar, the Rabbaanee, then Hasan ibn Sufyaan an-Nasaa'ee, then Aboo Bakr al- Aajuree, Aboo Bakr Muhammad ibn Ibraheem al-Asfahaanee, ad- Daruqutnee, al-Haakim, Aboo Na'eem, Aboo 'Abdur Rahmaan as Sulamee, Aboo Sa'eed al-Maaleenee, Aboo 'Uthmaan as-Saaboonee, 'Abdullaah ibn Muhammad al-Ansaaree, Aboo Bakr al-Bayhaqee, and a number of others from the past and present, that cannot be counted.
I sought the counsel of Allaah, The Exalted, in gathering forty Ahaadeeth in compliance with those Imaams who are guideposts and the vanguards of Islaam. The scholars have agreed on the permissibility of acting upon an unauthentic Hadeeth concerning virtuous actions. Even with this, I am not dependent on this Hadeeth. Rather, (I am dependent) upon his statement in the authentic Hadeeth,
لِيُبَلِّغَ الشَّاهِدُ مِنْكُمُ الغَائِبَ
"Let the one who was present relay to the one who was absent." 5
And his statement
نَضَّرَ اللَّهُ امْرَءاً سَمِعَ مَقَالَتِي فَوَعَاهَا فَأَدَّاهَا كَمَا سَمِعَهَا
"May Allaah brighten the man who hears my statement, memorizes it, and relays it just as he heard it."
Subsequently, you have from the scholars those who have compiled forty Hadeeth concerning the fundamentals of the religion, others concerning the subsidiary branches, others concerning Jihaad, others concerning Zuhd, others concerning manners, and others concerning admonishments. All of them are righteous intentions, and may Allaah be pleased with those who had these righteous intentions. I deemed it appropriate to compile forty (Ahaadeeth) more important than all of these entirely, and it is forty Ahaadeeth that encompasses all of that. Every Hadeeth has in it a grand principle from the principles of the Religion. The scholars have described it as Islaam orbits and revolves around it, or that it is half of Islaam, or a third of it, or similar to these (statements). Thereafter, I was devoted to making these forty (Hadeeth) authentic. The majority of it is in Bukhaaree and Muslim. I mentioned them without the chains of narration to facilitate its memorization and to make its benefit universal, by the will of Allaah, The Exalted. Then I trailed it with chapter headings that are precise in its wording.
It is appropriate for every person who is striving for the hereafter to have knowledge of these Ahaadeeth due to what they incorporate of important affairs, as well as what they comprise of exhortation and directing to all of the obedient acts. That is apparent to anyone who reflects.
My dependence is upon Allaah as well as my commitment and reliance. Praise and blessing belong to Him and success and salvation is by way of Him.
the Hadeeth in Tirmidhee which is graded Saheeh by Imaam al-Albaanec, "Fear relaying Hadeeth on me except that which you have knowledge of." For further details refer to the introduction of Saheeh alJaami' as-Sagheer by Imaam al-
Albaanee (p. 44-55)
Al-Bukhaaree 1/67; Muslim 3/1679
Ibn Maajah 1/231; Imaam Ahmad in al-Musnad 80-82/4; ad-Daaramee 227- 228/1
Shaykh Islaam ibn Taymiyyah has defined Zuhd: The legislated Zuhd is leaving off everything that does not benefit in the Hereafter and focusing the heart on that which is with Allaah. Majmoo' Fataawaa (10/641).
