al-Arbaun al-Nawawiya

al-Arbaun al-Nawawiya (The Forty [Hadith] of al-Nawawi), fully titled al-Arbaun fi mabani al-Islam wa-qawaid al-ahkam (The Forty [Hadith] on the Foundations of Islam and the Rules of Rulings), is a foundational collection of prophetic traditions compiled by the Shafi'i jurist and hadith master Abu Zakariyya Yahya ibn Sharaf al-Nawawi (631–676 AH / 1233–1277 CE) Mutun Talib al-Ilm - al-M…+1.

Composition and Purpose

In his introduction, al-Nawawi observed that previous scholars had authored collections of forty hadiths focused on distinct themes, including theology, legal branches, jihad, asceticism, etiquette, and sermons Kashf al-Zunun an Asami a…+1. Seeking to compile a work of broader scope, he aimed to assemble forty hadiths that encompass all these subjects, selecting narrations that serve as comprehensive foundational principles of the religion, often characterized by scholars as being the axis of Islam or representing half or a third of religious knowledge Kashf al-Zunun an Asami a…+1.

The core of the selection originated in a gathering dictated by the hadith scholar Ibn al-Salah (d. 643 AH), titled al-Ahadith al-kulliyya (The Comprehensive Traditions), which contained twenty-six concise traditions encompassing the essentials of the faith Sharh al-Arbaeen al-Nawaw…+1. Al-Nawawi built upon Ibn al-Salah's collection by adding further traditions to bring the total to forty-two, designating the compilation as "the forty" according to numerical convention Sharh al-Arbaeen al-Nawaw…+1. According to al-Sakhawi, al-Nawawi completed the work on the night of Thursday, 29 Jumada al-Ula 668 AH Irshad Tullab al-Haqaiq i….

Method and Structure

Al-Nawawi committed to selecting only authentic (sahih) narrations, the majority of which are drawn from Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim Kashf al-Zunun an Asami a…+1. To facilitate memorization and ensure wide accessibility, he stripped the hadiths of their chains of transmission (isnad) Kashf al-Zunun an Asami a…+1. He opened the collection with the well-known intention tradition إنَّما الأعْمالُ بالنِّيَّاتِ ("Actions are judged only by intentions") al-Adhkar lil-Nawawi+1. At the end of the text, al-Nawawi appended a closing chapter clarifying the vocalization and pronunciation of difficult or obscure words found within the narrations Kashf al-Zunun an Asami a…+1.

Reception and Commentaries

The compilation achieved widespread acceptance and dissemination across the Islamic world, becoming the standard primer assigned to beginning students of hadith for memorization and study Sharh al-Arbaeen al-Nawaw…+1.

Numerous scholars wrote extensive commentaries (shuruh), hadith source-criticisms (takhrij), and versifications of the text:

• Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali (d. 795 AH) expanded the collection by appending eight additional comprehensive traditions, bringing the total to fifty, and authored one of its most comprehensive commentaries, Jami al-ulum wa-l-hikam fi sharh khamsin hadithan min jawami al-kalim Kashf al-Zunun an Asami a…+1.
• Commentaries were also authored by Ibn Daqiq al-Id (d. 702 AH), Ahmad ibn Farah al-Ishbili (d. 699 AH), Umar ibn Ali al-Fakihani (d. 734 AH), Ibn al-Mulaqqin (d. 804 AH) in his al-Muin ala tafahhum al-Arba'in, and Ibn Hajar al-Haytami (d. 974 AH) in al-Fath al-mubin bi-sharh al-Arba'in Jami al-Ulum wal-Hikam+4.
• Specialized source analyses (takhrij) were compiled by Zayn al-Din al-Iraqi (d. 806 AH) in Amali ala al-Arba'in, Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani (d. 852 AH) in Takhrij al-Arba'in al-Nawawiyya bi-l-asanid al-aliyya, and Ibn al-Mibrad (d. 909 AH) in al-Nasiha fi takhrij al-ahadith al-Nawawiyya al-Fath al-Mubin bi Sharh….
• The collection was versified by the Moroccan scholar Ibn Ghazi under the title Muzilat al-ishkal li-l-mubtadi min jumlat al-rijal al-Fath al-Mubin bi Sharh….