Read · Understand · Reflect · Apply
Forty foundations for a life of faith and character.
A bilingual study companion for Imam al-Nawawi’s celebrated collection. Read the Arabic anchors, compare clear Malay and English meanings, then turn each teaching into thoughtful daily practice.
الأربعون النووية
Why “Forty” when there are 42?The traditional title is al-Arbaʿīn (The Forty), while the standard recension contains 42 narrations. Each was selected because it gathers a major principle of Islam.
1. Select a narration.
2. Compare Malay and English.
3. Read the learning explanation.
4. Mark it studied and revisit it in review.
The collection
Explore all 42 narrations
Short titles are learning labels, not titles assigned by Imam al-Nawawi. Search a topic, choose a theme, and open a narration for a structured bilingual lesson.
Remember
Review what matters
Knowledge check
Which phrase best captures nasiḥah in Hadith 7?
Reliability
Sources & methodology
Educational guide; not a fatwa. Hadith numbers follow the usual 42-entry recension. Arabic anchors and collection references were checked against the indexed Nawawi collection. Malay and English are meaning-based learning translations, not substitutes for the Arabic. Where a chain or grade is discussed, the page says so rather than presenting uncertainty as settled fact.
- Sunnah.com: Forty Hadith of al-Nawawi for Arabic text, English rendering, narrator and collection references.
- FortyHadith.net, commentary by Prof. Dr. Jamal Ahmed Bashier Badi (IIUM/ISTAC), for thematic learning context.
- IIUM Repository: Commentary on the Forty Hadith for an academic commentary reference.
Hadith 41 is labelled “chain disputed/weak; meaning supported” because its chain is commonly judged weak, even though its general meaning accords with revelation. Some other reports have differences of scholarly grading across routes; source labels use cautious wording. Serious legal, theological or personal questions should be referred to a qualified scholar.