An-Nawawi's collection and the hadith of intention

Welcome to this course This adult course studies, in order, the 42 hadiths of Imam An-Nawawi's collection, known as "Al-Arba'uun an-Nawawiyya" (An-Nawawi's Forty). The teenagers' course "The Forty Hadith: a selection" presents ten of them; here we take them all, with the text, the source, the scholars' commentary and, above all, what they change in our lives.

Imam An-Nawawi Abu Zakariyyaa Yaḥyaa ibn Sharaf an-Nawawi was born in 631 AH in Nawaa, a village of the Ḥawraan, south of Damascus, and died there in 676, aged about forty-five. He studied and taught in Damascus, notably at Daar al-Ḥadiith al-Ashrafiyya [À VÉRIFIER : lieu d'enseignement]. A scholar of the Shafi'i school, he is known for his asceticism, his tireless work and his courage before rulers. Among his books: Riyaaḍ aṣ-Ṣaaliḥiin, Al-Adhkaar, his commentary on Ṣaḥiiḥ Muslim (Al-Minhaaj), Al-Majmuu' and Minhaaj aṭ-Ṭaalibiin.

Why this collection In his introduction, An-Nawawi recalls that many scholars gathered "forty hadiths", relying on a hadith that promises a reward to whoever preserves forty for the community; he states that this hadith is weak according to the specialists, but that one may act on reports about the merits of deeds. His choice is special: each hadith is a "major rule" of the religion (qaa'ida 'aẓiima), a short saying that contains a great deal. According to Ibn Rajab, he started from a collection of twenty-six hadiths gathered by Ibn aṣ-Ṣalaaḥ, which he completed up to forty-two [À VÉRIFIER : nombre du recueil d'Ibn aṣ-Ṣalâḥ].

The commentaries used in this course • An-Nawawi's own commentary on his Forty, short and clear. • That of Ibn Daqiiq al-'Iid (died 702), a rigorous jurist, attentive to the rules that can be drawn from every word. • Jaami' al-'Uluum wal-Ḥikam by Ibn Rajab al-Ḥanbali (died 795), the most developed commentary: he adds eight hadiths to reach fifty, and he discusses the authenticity of each hadith.

How to study this course For each hadith: the Arabic text (complete when it is short, otherwise an extract, marked as such), the meaning in French and English, the source and grade, then the commentary and practical life. Collection numbers are given when they are certain; otherwise they are marked [À VÉRIFIER : numéro]. The Arabic text of the hadiths is typed by hand: it is to be compared with a reference edition. Advice: learn by heart at least the main Arabic sentence of each hadith. Scholars memorised this collection at the very start of their studies.

Hadith 1: actions are only by intentions From the Commander of the Believers 'Umar ibn al-Khaṭṭaab (may Allah be pleased with him): I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: إِنَّمَا الْأَعْمَالُ بِالنِّيَّاتِ، وَإِنَّمَا لِكُلِّ امْرِئٍ مَا نَوَى "Actions are only by intentions, and each person will have only what he intended. Whoever emigrated for Allah and His Messenger, his emigration is for Allah and His Messenger; and whoever emigrated for something of this world he wanted to obtain, or for a woman he wanted to marry, his emigration is for that for which he emigrated." Source: Bukhari 1 and Muslim 1907. An authentic hadith, accepted by all.

Its place Imam Aḥmad said, according to Ibn Rajab, that the foundations of Islam rest on three hadiths: this one (hadith 1), "Whoever innovates in this affair of ours…" (hadith 5) and "The lawful is clear…" (hadith 6). Ash-Shaafi'i is reported to have said that it enters into seventy chapters of law [À VÉRIFIER : formulation]. Al-Bukhaari placed it at the head of his Ṣaḥiiḥ, and many authors did the same, to remind the reader to correct his intention before studying.

The commentary • Two sentences, two rules. Ibn Daqiiq al-'Iid explains that the first sentence says that an act only exists religiously through an intention, and the second that the reward depends on what was intended. • Two roles of intention (Ibn Rajab): it distinguishes an act of worship from a habit (washing to cool down or for the major ablution), and one act of worship from another (two obligatory or voluntary units of prayer); it also distinguishes for whom one acts: Allah alone, or the eyes of people. This second meaning is ikhlaaṣ, sincerity. • Intention lies in the heart. An-Nawawi recalls that it does not need to be spoken aloud to exist; what counts is the will of the heart. • The example of emigration: the same visible act, leaving Makkah for Madinah, had two opposite values depending on what was intended. • A good intention does not make a forbidden act good: one needs both a conforming act (hadith 5) and a sincere intention (hadith 1).

In daily life • Work, study, sleep and meals can become worship through an intention: providing for one's family, being useful, having strength to obey Allah. • Showing off (ar-riyaa') threatens above all visible deeds: prayer at the mosque, public giving, teaching, posts on social media. • The remedy is not to stop doing good, but to correct the intention and carry on.

The text: Surah Al-Bayyina (98), verse 5 وَمَا أُمِرُوا إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ الدِّينَ حُنَفَاءَ وَيُقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَيُؤْتُوا الزَّكَاةَ ۚ وَذَٰلِكَ دِينُ الْقَيِّمَةِ ﴿٥﴾

Meaning: "They were commanded only to worship Allah, devoting the religion sincerely to Him, as upright believers (ḥunafaa'), to establish prayer and to give zakaat: that is the upright religion." The commentators link this verse to hadith 1: "mukhliṣiina lahu d-diin", "devoting the religion sincerely to Him", is the heart of intention.

Arabic text: Tanzil Quran Text (Simple, version 1.0.2), © 2008-2010 Tanzil.net, Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 licence, reproduced without any change (http://tanzil.net). Each verse is on its own line, followed by its number; the basmala, which the Tanzil file places at the start of the first verse, is written on its own line.

Understanding the lesson

Explanation An-Nawawi's collection is not a list of nice pieces of advice: it is a map of the religion. Each hadith was chosen because it is a general rule, from which scholars draw dozens of questions. Beginning with intention is a reminder that everything else depends on it. Hadith 1 judges the inside of an act, hadith 5 (studied later) judges its outside. An act is accepted when both are present: sincere for Allah, and in line with the teaching of the Prophet ﷺ. Fuḍayl ibn 'Iyaaḍ is reported to have summed this up as "the most sincere and the most correct" when commenting on verse 67:2 [À VÉRIFIER : attribution]. Intention is not a recited formula, but a direction of the heart, which must be renewed, because it changes. It also has a very encouraging side: whoever sincerely plans a good deed and is prevented from doing it receives its reward (hadith 37).

Lessons to draw from it • Before an important action, ask: "Who am I doing this for?" • Turn one's habits (work, meals, sleep, family) into worship through a conscious intention. • Do not give up a good deed for fear of being seen: correct the intention and carry on. • Never justify something forbidden by a "good intention". • Study the religion first for Allah, in order to practise it and pass it on.

Key points to remember • An-Nawawi: 631-676 AH, Damascus, Shafi'i school. • The collection: 42 hadiths, each a major rule of the religion. • Commentaries: An-Nawawi, Ibn Daqiiq al-'Iid (d. 702), Ibn Rajab (d. 795, Jaami' al-'Uluum wal-Ḥikam). • Hadith 1: إِنَّمَا الْأَعْمَالُ بِالنِّيَّاتِ (Bukhari 1, Muslim 1907), from 'Umar. • Accepted deed = sincere intention + conformity to the Sunna.

The main message Allah looks at the heart: a sincere intention gives your deeds their value, even the most ordinary ones, and every study of the religion begins with it.