Imam an-Nawawi's Contributions and Legacy
Imam an-Nawawi, born Yahya Ibn Sharaf An-Nawawi, also known as Abu Zakaria, was a renowned Islamic scholar born in 631 AH in Nawa Village, situated in the southern part of Syria and northern Jordan. Although his life was relatively short, passing away in 676 AH at the age of 45, his legacy endures, providing immense benefits to the ummah. Imam an-Nawawi was a prolific scholar and author, producing numerous significant works that continue to be referenced today, including "Riyadus Solihin" and his commentary on "Sahih Muslim." Among his notable contributions is the compilation of the "40 Hadith," a collection originally initiated by Imam Ibn Salah, a prominent scholar before him. Imam Ibn Salah aimed to gather universal narrations of the Prophet that were fundamental to every Muslim. He succeeded in compiling 26 narrations, which he believed encompassed the core of Islam. Imam an-Nawawi built upon this foundation, adding 16 more narrations, resulting in a total of 42 universal narrations.
The 40 hadith narrations would be a tarbiyah to our heart, develop it to become a healthy heart with regards to life being a Muslim.
Translated version of the Introduction of The 40 Hadith of Imam an-Nawawi:
Praise to Allah, Lord of the worlds, Eternal Guardian of the heavens and and the earth, Disposer of all created beings, Dispatcher of messengers who were sent to those they have been entrusted to guide and to reveal the religious laws to, with positive signs and clear-cut proofs. I praise Him for His favours and ask Him to increase His grace and generosity, I bear witness that our master Muhammad is His servant and His messenger, His dear one and His believer, the best of created beings, who has honoured the precious Quran, the enduring miracle through the passing of the years, and with the sunnahs that enlighten spiritual guides; our master Muhammad singled out for pithiness of speech and tolerance in religion may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him, upon the rest of the prophets and messengers, and upon all their families and upon the rest of godly person. It has been transmitted to us on the authority of Ali bin Abi Talib, Abdullah bin Mas’ud, Muadh bin Jabal, Abu al-Darda, Ibn Omar, Ibn Abbas, Anas bin Malik, Abu HUrairah and Abu Saeed al-Khudri, may Allah be pleased with them all, through many chains of authorities and in various versions, that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Whoever memorises and preserves for my people forty hadith relating to their religion, Allah will resurrect him on the Day of Judgement in the company of jurists and religious scholars.”
In another version it reads: “Allah will resurrect him as a jurist and religious scholar”
In the version of Ibn Mas’ud, it reads: “It will be said to him: Enter by whichever of the doors of Paradise you wish.”
In the version Ibn Omar, it reads: “He will be written down in the company of the religious scholars and will be resurrected in the company of the martyrs.”
In the version of Abu al-Darda, it reads: “On the Day of Judgement, I shall be an intercessor and a witness for him.”
The scholars deduced that, the etiquette from the time of the Prophetﷺ with regards to begin with Basmallah or Hamdallah, are of the following approach:
i. When a person writes something particular to a specific someone (e.g. an official letter), the sunnah is to begin with Basmallah based on the authentic narration of the Prophet ﷺ to the leader of Rome.
ii. When in speech, a person would start with Hamdallah based on the Prophet ﷺ saying Hamdallah when he ﷺ gave the Juma’ah khutbah.
iii. The norm within Islam would be that one would begin with both Basmallah and Hamdallah, because it is how the Quran begins in the surah al-Fatihah, with Basmallah and followed by Hamdallah.
Imam An-Nawawi then continues his compilation by quoting a hadith of which many scholars of hadith agree that it is a weak hadith despite its many lines of transmissions.
For learning purposes, the scholars has categorized status of hadith as follows:
(1) Sahih, authentic
(2) Hasan, strong
(3) Dha'if, weak
(4) Dha'if Jiddan, very weak
(5) Maudhoo', fabricated
Ibn Jawzi graded this hadith as being very weak (dha'if jiddan) that can never be raised to weak (dha’if) even if it is being packaged and grouped all together.
Despite the hadith having reached the level of tawatur, it is still considered problematic. Tawatur in the terminology of the scholars of hadeeth means transmitting a narration or religious text by a group of narrators from a group of narrators, generation after generation and so forth, and they are all trustworthy people and it is absolutely impossible for them to agree on a lie
On the other hand, there also hadith that could have only one narrator i.e. hadith ahad, that goes beyond doubt in its authenticity. Ahad hadith or khabar is a hadith where the numbers of narrators do not reach the numbers in Mutawatir and it can be sahih, hassan, dhaif and others according to the condition of the narrators or the sanad of the hadith.
Imam An-Nawawi understands that there's a different opinion but when he said agreed upon, he meant the vast majority of the ummah are upon the view, and Allah SWT knows best. There's a consensus from the scholars that you can act on a Hadith that is weak in virtuous acts.
He is of the view that despite the difference, he feels that the opposing view is so weak and it's not worthy of being counted. Imam an-Nawawi said that scholars agree that a person may practise upon a weak narration when it comes to a virtuous act.
However, this is not agreed upon by the giants of the scholars such as Imam al-Bukhari, Imam Muslim, Imam Ibn ‘Arabi, Sh Ibn Hazm, Sh Uthaymeen and many more. In Imam an-Nawawi defence in his opinion on practising weak hadiths that comes to virtuous acts is agreed upon by the majority of the ummah, in general terms, not depending on the level of the scholarships.
However, three conditions are to be met before weak narrations can be used in virtuous acts:
i. Severity of the weakness, can't be very weak or fabricated.
ii. Its meaning conform to the matter established in Shari’ah and doesn’t go against it according to the hadith: “Let him who was a witness among you inform him who was absent”, and on his ﷺ having said, “may Allah make radiant [the face of] someone who has heard what I have said has learnt it by heart and has transmitted it as he heard.”
iii. When the virtuous deed is done, it is done under the guide practising it, in case it's authentic
Imam an-Nawawi's contributions to Islamic scholarship, particularly his compilation of the 40 Hadith, have had a lasting impact on the Muslim world. His works continue to be studied and revered, providing guidance and nurturing the hearts of believers. Despite differing opinions on the use of weak hadith, Imam an-Nawawi's balanced approach and dedication to preserving the teachings of Islam highlight his profound legacy. His emphasis on the core principles of Islam through the 40 Hadith ensures that his influence remains integral to the spiritual and educational development of Muslims globally.
Disclaimer:
These are notes sharing from the Steps of Jannah classes online taught by Sheikh Dr Sajid Umar focusing on Hadith 40 an-Nawawi. The classes are still ongoing, every Monday 8pm UK time. If you would like to join, please email stepstojannah12@gmail.com
The notes written are from a student’s personal notes transcribed from the sessions. Should there be any error, May Allah forgive us, and do feedback (ain1810@gmail.com) so that it can get amended, and may it be beneficial to all of us and may Allah reward Jannah to Sh Sajid for the beneficial ‘ilm being shared and to all of the students Steps to Jannah, Ameen.