Imam al-Nawawi’s collection of 40 Hadiths is one of the most important collections of hadiths we have today. Imam al Nawawi actually compiled a total of 42 hadiths for this collection, not 40. He was one of the greatest scholars of Islam and lived from 631 A.H. to 676 A.H, passing away at the age of 45. Allah (swt) granted him blessing and success in his work so that he could make great contributions to Islam before passing away at a relatively young age.

Imam al-Nawawi was a scholar in many different disciplines of Islamic studies. The vastness of his works in these different areas is so great that if an individual decides to study fiqh, hadith, spirituality, or Quran; one would need to pass through Imam al- Nawawi. Along with the 40 Hadiths, he authored Riyad al-Saliheen, Al-Adhkar, and commentary of Sahih Muslim and Sahih Bukhari.

Imam al-Nawawi begins by mentioning a narration attributed to Prophet Muhammad (sas) as one reason for the compilation of the “Forty Hadith”. The hadith states that anyone who memorizes forty hadiths from the hadiths of the Prophet (sas), Allah will resurrect him among the scholars. Imam al-Nawawi, however, also clearly mentions that this hadith is weak.

Hopefully we are able to learn and apply the hadith in our daily life.