abu Hasan
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Bismillāhi’r Raĥmāni’r Raĥīm
Arbaýīn means forty. Imām Nawawi’s collection of forty ĥadīth is well known as Arbaýīn an-Nawawiyyah [Nawawi’s Quadraginta]. The Imām himself describes this in the preface:
Wa lillahi’l ĥamd, I have collected many such ‘Quadraginta’ or ‘Collection of Forty.’
[*] and I shall try to list them here, with a brief description, along with any mentioned in bibliographies.
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* Writing ‘forty’ in Latin makes it easy to use it as a proper noun; because using ‘forty’ without specifying ‘what’ seems like a hanging sentence. To wit:
The Quadraginta is a magnificent book for beginners.
The Forty is a magnificent book for beginners.
The Forty Ĥadīth is a magnificent book for beginners.
The Collection of Forty is a magnificent book for beginners.
This also obviates the need to specify forty ‘what’ in other cases – like Arbaýīn of Imām Ghazāli is not just ĥadīth, even though it contains ĥadīth; we can simply say: ‘The Quadraginta’ of Imām Ghazali. It is a mind-trick, but it works.
If it helps or is easier, we can try French: ‘Quarante.’ This raises the question, why not leave it at ‘Arbaýīn’ in Arabic? Perhaps, it is because English/French are related to Latin and anything said in Latin sounds profound...
Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum sonatur.
Arbaýīn means forty. Imām Nawawi’s collection of forty ĥadīth is well known as Arbaýīn an-Nawawiyyah [Nawawi’s Quadraginta]. The Imām himself describes this in the preface:
It has been narrated to us from Álī ibn Abū Ţālib, Ábdullāh ibn Masúūd, Muáādh ibn Jabal, Abū Dardā’a, Ibn Úmar, Ibn Ábbās, Anas ibn Mālik, Abū Hurayrah, Abū Saýīd al-Khudrī rađiyAllāhu ánhum from various chains and varying wording that RasūlAllāh şallAllāhu álayhi wa sallam said: ‘Whosoever among my followers [ummatī] memorizes forty Ĥadīth related to religious knowledge shall be raised among the groups of jurists and scholars [fuqahā, úlamā] on the day of Judgement.’ in another narration: ‘Allāh táālā shall raise him a jurist, a scholar.’
In the report of Abū Dardā’a: ‘I shall be his intercessor and witness on the Day of Judgement.’
In the report of Abū Dardā’a: ‘I shall be his intercessor and witness on the Day of Judgement.’
In the report of Ibn Masúūd: ‘It shall be said to him: enter paradise from any of the doors you like’
In the report of Ibn Úmar: ‘He shall be listed among the group of scholars and raised among the group of martyrs’
Ĥadīth masters [ĥuffāž] are agreed that this is a weak narration [đaýīf], but one with numerous routes.
Scholars – rađiyAllāhu ánhum – have written numerous treatises in this matter; the first one I know is Ábdullāh ibn Mubārak and then Muĥammad ibn Aslam at-ţūsī, the pious master. Then, Al-Ĥasan ibn Sufyān an-Nasawī, Abū Bakr al-Ājuriyy, Abū Bakr Muĥammad ibn Ibrāhīm al-Aşfahānī, ad-Dar Quţnī, Al-Ĥākim, Abū Nuáym al-Aşfahānī, Abū Ábd ar-Raĥmān as-Sullamī, Abū Saýīd al-Mālīnī, Abū Úthmān as-Şābūnī, Muĥammad ibn Ábdullāh al-Anşārī, Abū Bakr al-Bayhaqī and many others among the earlier ones and the later ones.
I did istikhāra – prayed to Allāh táālā to help me compile a collection of forty myself, following in the footsteps of leaders and masters of this noble science. [ayimmah, ĥuffāž]
-----In the report of Ibn Úmar: ‘He shall be listed among the group of scholars and raised among the group of martyrs’
Ĥadīth masters [ĥuffāž] are agreed that this is a weak narration [đaýīf], but one with numerous routes.
Scholars – rađiyAllāhu ánhum – have written numerous treatises in this matter; the first one I know is Ábdullāh ibn Mubārak and then Muĥammad ibn Aslam at-ţūsī, the pious master. Then, Al-Ĥasan ibn Sufyān an-Nasawī, Abū Bakr al-Ājuriyy, Abū Bakr Muĥammad ibn Ibrāhīm al-Aşfahānī, ad-Dar Quţnī, Al-Ĥākim, Abū Nuáym al-Aşfahānī, Abū Ábd ar-Raĥmān as-Sullamī, Abū Saýīd al-Mālīnī, Abū Úthmān as-Şābūnī, Muĥammad ibn Ábdullāh al-Anşārī, Abū Bakr al-Bayhaqī and many others among the earlier ones and the later ones.
I did istikhāra – prayed to Allāh táālā to help me compile a collection of forty myself, following in the footsteps of leaders and masters of this noble science. [ayimmah, ĥuffāž]
Wa lillahi’l ĥamd, I have collected many such ‘Quadraginta’ or ‘Collection of Forty.’
[*] and I shall try to list them here, with a brief description, along with any mentioned in bibliographies.
-----------------------------------------
* Writing ‘forty’ in Latin makes it easy to use it as a proper noun; because using ‘forty’ without specifying ‘what’ seems like a hanging sentence. To wit:
The Quadraginta is a magnificent book for beginners.
The Forty is a magnificent book for beginners.
The Forty Ĥadīth is a magnificent book for beginners.
The Collection of Forty is a magnificent book for beginners.
This also obviates the need to specify forty ‘what’ in other cases – like Arbaýīn of Imām Ghazāli is not just ĥadīth, even though it contains ĥadīth; we can simply say: ‘The Quadraginta’ of Imām Ghazali. It is a mind-trick, but it works.
If it helps or is easier, we can try French: ‘Quarante.’ This raises the question, why not leave it at ‘Arbaýīn’ in Arabic? Perhaps, it is because English/French are related to Latin and anything said in Latin sounds profound...
Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum sonatur.
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