40 Hadith

In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful










Actions are judged by intentions





It is narrated on the authority of Amirul Mu'minin, Abu Hafs 'Umar
bin al-Khattab, radiyallahu 'anhu, who said: I heard the Messenger of
Allah, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, say:

"Actions are (judged) by motives (niyyah), so each man will have what he
intended. Thus, he whose migration (hijrah) was to Allah and His
Messenger, his migration is to Allah and His Messenger; but he whose
migration was for some worldly thing he might gain, or for a wife he
might marry, his migration is to that for which he migrated."

[Al-Bukhari & Muslim]

Islam, Iman, Ihsan, Qadar





Also on the authority of 'Umar, radiyallahu 'anhu, who said:

"While we were one day sitting with the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu
'alayhi wasallam, there appeared before us a man dressed in extremely
white clothes and with very black hair. No traces of journeying were
visible on him, and none of us knew him.


He sat down close by the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, rested
his knee against his thighs, and said, O Muhammad! Inform me about
Islam." Said the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, "Islam
is that you should testify that there is no deity save Allah and that
Muhammad is His Messenger, that you should perform salah (ritual
prayer), pay the zakah, fast during Ramadan, and perform Hajj
(pilgrimage) to the House (the Ka'bah at Makkah), if you can find a way
to it (or find the means for making the journey to it)." Said he (the
man), "You have spoken truly."


We were astonished at his thus questioning him and telling him that he
was right, but he went on to say, "Inform me about iman (faith)." He
(the Messenger of Allah) answered, "It is that you believe in Allah and
His angels and His Books and His Messengers and in the Last Day, and in
fate (qadar), both in its good and in its evil aspects." He said, "You
have spoken truly."


Then he (the man) said, "Inform me about Ihsan." He (the Messenger of
Allah) answered, " It is that you should serve Allah as though you could
see Him, for though you cannot see Him yet He sees you." He said,
"Inform me about the Hour." He (the Messenger of Allah) said, "About
that the one questioned knows no more than the questioner." So he said,
"Well, inform me about the signs thereof (i.e. of its coming)." Said he,
"They are that the slave-girl will give birth to her mistress, that you
will see the barefooted ones, the naked, the destitute, the herdsmen of
the sheep (competing with each other) in raising lofty buildings."
Thereupon the man went off.


I waited a while, and then he (the Messenger of Allah) said, "O 'Umar,
do you know who that questioner was?" I replied, "Allah and His
Messenger know better." He said, "That was Jibril. He came to teach you
your religion.""


[Muslim]


[Al-Bukhari & Muslim]

The five pillars of Islam





On the authority of Abu 'Abd al-Rahman 'Abdullah bin 'Umar bin
al-Khattab, radiyallahu 'anhuma, who said: I heard the Messenger of
Allah, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, say:

"Islam has been built upon five things - on testifying that there is no
god save Allah, and that Muhammad is His Messenger; on performing salah;
on giving the zakah; on Hajj to the House; and on fasting during
Ramadhan."

[Al-Bukhari & Muslim]

Creation of human being; Al-Qadar





Abu 'Abd al-Rahman 'Abdullah bin Mas'ud, radiyallahu 'anhu, reported:
The Messenger of Allah, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, the most truthful,
the most trusted, told us:

"Verily the creation of any one of you takes place when he is assembled
in his mother's womb; for forty days he is as a drop of fluid, then it
becomes a clot for a similar period. Thereafter, it is a lump looking
like it has been chewed for a similar period. Then an angel is sent to
him, who breathes the ruh (spirit) into him. This Angel is commanded to
write Four decrees: that he writes down his provision (rizq), his life
span, his deeds, and whether he will be among the wretched or the
blessed.

I swear by Allah - there is no God but He - one of you may perform the
deeds of the people of Paradise till there is naught but an arm's length
between him and it, when that which has been written will outstrip him
so that he performs the deeds of the people of the Hell Fire; one of you
may perform the deeds of the people of the Hell Fire, till there is
naught but an arm's length between him and it, when that which has been
written will overtake him so that he performs the deeds of the people of
Paradise and enters therein."

[Al-Bukhari & Muslim]

Ibadah & Bida'ah (Innovation)





It is narrated on the authority of the Mother of the Believers, Umm
'Abdullah 'Aishah, radiyallahu 'anha, that the Messenger of Allah,
sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, said:

"Whosoever introduces into this affair of ours (i.e. into Islam) something that does not belong to it, it is to be rejected."

[Al-Bukhari & Muslim]

According to the version in Muslim, (it reads): "Whosoever works a work which has for it no command of ours is to be rejected."

Purification of the heart





On the authority of Abu 'Abdullah al-Nu'man bin Bashir, radiyallahu
'anhu, who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu 'alayhi
wasallam, say:

"Truly, what is lawful is evident, and what is unlawful is evident, and
in between the two are matters which are doubtful which many people do
not know. He who guards against doubtful things keeps his religion and
honour blameless, and he who indulges in doubtful things indulges in
fact in unlawful things, just as a shepherd who pastures his flock round
a preserve will soon pasture them in it. Beware, every king has a
preserve, and the things Allah has declared unlawful are His preserves.
Beware, in the body there is a flesh; if it is sound, the whole body is
sound, and if it is corrupt, the whole body is corrupt, and behold, it
is the heart."

[Al-Bukhari & Muslim]

Nasihah





On the authority of Tamim Al-Dari that the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, said:

"Religion is nasihah." We said: "To whom?" The Prophet, sallallahu
'alayhi wasallam, said: "To Allah and His Book, and His messenger, and
to the leaders of the Muslims and their common folk."

[Muslim]

The concept of Jihad





Abdullah bin Omar narrated that the messenger of Allah, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, said:

"I have been ordered to fight against people until they testify that
there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah
and until they perform the prayers and pay the zakat, and if they do so
they will have gained protection from me for their lives and property,
unless [they do acts that are punishable] in accordance with Islam, and
their reckoning will be with Allah the Almighty."

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

How are obligations to be fulfilled?





Abu Hurairah 'Abd al-Rahman bin Sakhr, radiyallahu 'anhu, reported: I
heard the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam, say:

“Avoid that which I forbid you to do and do that which I command you to
do to the best of your capacity. Verily the people before you were
destroyed only because of their excessive questioning and their
disagreement with their Prophets.”


[Al-Bukhari & Muslim]

Being pure (at-Tayyib)





Abu Hurairah, radiyallahu 'anhu, reported that the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam, said:

“Verily Allah the Exalted is pure. He does not accept but that which is
pure. Allah commands the believers with what He commanded the
Messengers. Allah the Almighty has said: "O you Messengers! Eat of the
good things and act righteously" [23:51-53]. And Allah the Almighty also
said: "O you who believe! Eat of the good things that We have provided
you with" [2:167-172].
Then he (the Prophet) mentioned (the case of) the man who, having
journeyed far, is dishevelled and dusty and who stretches out his hands
to the sky (saying): "O Lord! O Lord!" (while) his food was unlawful,
his drink was unlawful, his clothing was unlawful, and he is nourished
with unlawful things, so how can he be answered?”

[Muslim]