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Imam Nawawi’s 40 Hadith (Al-Arba’in An-Nawawiyya) is one of the most widely recognised and studied collections of sayings of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. The compilation consists of forty-two (often rounded to 40) hadiths which provide foundational guidance in Islamic belief, ethics, and law.

Imam Nawawi’s 40 Hadith collection, though concise, has been regarded as an essential text for beginners and advanced students of Islam alike due to the comprehensiveness of its spiritual and legal content.

Why 40 Hadith?

The tradition of collecting 40 hadiths is based on a narration attributed to Prophet Muhammad ﷺ which states: “Whoever preserves for my Ummah 40 hadiths of their religion, Allah will raise him on the Day of Judgment in the company of the jurists and the scholars” (though the authenticity of this hadith is debated by scholars). Imam Nawawi’s intention was to provide a concise manual that encapsulates the core teachings of Islam in an accessible manner for both laypersons and scholars.

Imam Yaḥyā ibn Sharaf al-Nawawī (d. 676AH), commonly referred to as Imam Nawawi, was a celebrated scholar of Islamic law, theology, and hadith. His contributions have made a lasting impact on Islamic scholarship, particularly in the Shafi’i school of jurisprudence.

During his short life of 45 years he wrote "at least fifty books".

Ulama's have generally praised him for 3 key characteristics:

1) His level of scholarship. Writing more than 40 pages daily from age 18-45. Studying continuously for 12 hours and then teaching for another 12 hours at age 18-20 in Damascus.

2) His asceticism. Not marrying in fear of faltering his wife's right, lack of love for dunya, constant worshipping of Allah, constant dhikr.

(3) His keenness in enjoining good and forbidding evil.