Imam an-Nawawi assembled his collection of forty-two ahadith together with the absolute minimum of fiqh and commentary necessary for people not to misunderstand their import.

Ibn 'Uyaynah said, "Ahadith are misleading except to those who have fiqh."

Ibn Wahb said, "Every man of hadith who has no Imam in fiqh is astray."

Of the huge number of collections of forty hadith, the one by Imam an-Nawawi is undoubtedly the most famous and most enduring.

This is the commentary to the Forty Hadith by Imam an-Nawawi himself, and to our knowledge, this is the work's first, full translation into English and so we have called it The Complete Forty Hadith of Imam an-Nawawi.

About The Author 

Abi Zakariya Yahya Bin Sharaf Al - Nawai Al Dimashqi AKA Imam Nawawi

He was born at Nawa near Damascus, Syria. As with Arabic and other Semitic languages, the last part of his name refers to his hometown.

Yasin bin Yusuf Marakashi, says: "I saw Imam Nawawi at Nawa when he was a youth of ten years of age. Other boys of his age used to force him to play with them, but Imam Nawawi would always avoid the play and would remain busy with the recitation of the Noble Qur'an. When they tried to domineer and insisted on his joining their games, he bewailed and expressed his no concern over their foolish action. On observing his sagacity and profundity, a special love and affection developed in my heart for young Nawawi. I approached his teacher and urged him to take exceptional care of this lad as he was to become a great religious scholar. His teacher asked whether I was a soothsayer or an astrologer. I told him I am neither soothsayer nor an astrologer but Allah caused me to utter these words." His teacher conveyed this incident to Imam's father and in keeping in view the learning quest of his son, decided to dedicate the life of his son for the service and promotion of the cause of Islam

He studied in Damascus from the age of 18 and after making the pilgrimage in 1253, he settled there as a private scholar.

During his stay at Damascus, he studied from more than twenty teachers who were regarded as masters and authority of their subject field and disciplines they taught. An-Nawawi studied Hadith, Islamic Jurisprudence, its principles, syntax and Etymology. His teachers included Abu Ibrahim Ishaq bin Ahmad AI-Maghribi, Abu Muhammad Abdur-Rahman bin Ibrahim Al-Fazari, Radiyuddin Abu Ishaq Ibrahim bin Abu Hafs Umar bin Mudar Al-Mudari, Abu Ishaq Ibrahim bin Isa Al-Muradi, Abul-Baqa Khalid bin Yusuf An-Nablusi, Abul-Abbas Ahmad bin Salim Al-Misri, Abu Abdullah Al-Jiyani, Abul-Fath Umar bin Bandar, Abu Muhammad At-Tanukhi, Sharafuddin Abdul-Aziz bin Muhammad Al-Ansari, Abul-Faraj Abdur-Rahman bin Muhammad bin Ahmad Al-Maqdisi, and Abul-Fada'il Sallar bin Al-Hasan Al Arbali among others.

He did ta'wil on some of the Qur'an verses and ahadith on the attributes of Allah. He states in his commentary of a hadith that:

This is one of the "hadiths of the attributes," about which scholars have two positions. The first is to have faith in it without discussing its meaning, while believing of Allah Most High that "there is nothing whatsoever like unto Him" (Qur'an 42:11), and that He is exalted above having any of the attributes of His creatures. The second is to figuratively explain it in a fitting way, scholars who hold this position adducing that the point of the hadith was to test the slave girl: Was she a monotheist, who affirmed that the Creator, the Disposer, the Doer, is Allah alone and that He is the one called upon when a person making supplication (du'a) faces the sky--just as those performing the prayer (salat) face the Kaaba, since the sky is the qibla of those who supplicate, as the Kaaba is the qibla of those who perform the prayer--or was she a worshipper of the idols which they placed in front of themselves? So when she said, In the sky, it was plain that she was not an idol worshiper

Nawawi drew the ire of Mamluk Sultan Rukn al-Din Baybars twice. Once when he wrote on behalf of residents of Damascus that if Baybars do not stop taxing people illegally then Allah will tax his deed in al-akhira who sought relief from heavy tax burdens during a drought that lasted many years.This prompted Baybars to threaten to expel him from Damascus To this, he responded:

"As for myself, threats do not harm me or mean anything to me. They will not keep me from advising the ruler, for I believe that this is obligatory upon me and others."[19]

Second time Nawawi addressed Sultan Baybars when he wanted the ulama to issue fatwa that waqf belongs to the ruler which originally belonged to Muslim society. An-Nawawi sort of scolded him to fear Allah and control his greed for wealth. to which Sultan Baybars agreed. Some people asked Baybars why he did not lock up an-Nawawi to which Baybars replied whenever he even thinks of locking an-Nawawi up, a kind of fear flows through his heart. Both time Baybars abided by an-Nawawi's letters.

He died at Nawa at the relatively young age of 45.

An-Nawawi's lasting legacy is his contribution to hadith literature through his momentous works Forty Hadiths and Riyadh as-Saaliheen. This made him respected in all madhabs, despite of him being of Shafi'i jurisprudence.According to Al-Dhahabi, Imam Nawawi's concentration and absorption in academic love gained proverbial fame. He had devoted all his time for learning and scholarship. Other than reading and writing, he spent his time contemplating on the interacted and complex issues and in finding their solutions. Ulama's praise him for 3 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 zikr.
3. His keenness in enjoining good and forbidding evil.[20] As done with Sultan al-Baibars.

Destruction of Tomb

In 2015, during the ongoing Syrian Civil War, his tomb was demolished by rebels linked to Al Nusra

During his life of 45 years he wrote "at least fifty books" on Islamic studies and other topics. Some scholar counted pages he written and calculated that he wrote 40+ pages daily from age 18 till his death. Some his writings is still reached vastly as no author has superseded him in those writing.

About The Publishers

Ta-Ha Publishers Ltd (Taha Publishing)

Ta-Ha Publishers Ltd. was established in 1400 AH/1980 CE, when our first small book was published. Since that time, we have been responsible for over 250 publications, some 150 of which are currently in print and distributed worldwide.

Our titles range from recent translations of early classical works by Muslim scholars to more modern issues tackled by contemporary authors. In fact, there is something for Muslims and non-Muslims of every age.

It has always been and continues to be the aim of Ta-Ha Publishers to assist in making the teachings of Islam more readily available and accessible for everyone.

Additional Product Information

• ISBN 13: 978-184200-20-25
• ISBN: 10:  1842002025
• ISBN: 9781842002025
• SKU 1: TIS40HFSAD
• SKU 2: TIS
• SKU 3: 700
• SKU 4: 978-1-84200-202-5
• MPN: 9781842002025
• ASIN: 700
• EAN: 700
• REF.NO: 700
• Author: Shaykh Imam Abū Yahya Zakariyyā Yaḥyā ibn Sharaf al-Nawawī
• Edited and illustrated By: Abdassamad Clarke
• Translated By: Abdassamad Clarke
• Publisher: Ta-Ha Publications (Taha Publishers)
• Imprint: Ta-Ha Publications (Taha Publishers)
• Publication Date: 2023
• Impression: Fourth
• Cover: Paperback / Softcover / Paperboard / Softbound
• Format: Paperback / Softcover / Paperboard / Softbound
• Binding: Paperback / Softcover / Paperboard / Softbound
• Pages: 191
• Dimensions: 148 x 210mm Approx
• Weight: 415g Approx
• Digital Bank:
• Age Range (Suitable Age): Teen / Adult