Nawawi’s Forty Hadiths: Hadiths 22 and 23 taught by Sheikh Gomaa: Are the five pillars of Islam enough to enter Paradise?
I have have been studying the ahadith. There are thousands of traditions and I’ve been studying some of the chief tradtions compiled by the eminent Muslim scholar Yahya ibn Sharaf al-Nawawi (631 – 676 A.H. / 1234 – 1278 A.D.). Nawawi has been commended for having,
three distinctive commendable qualities in his person. If anybody has only one out of these three, people turn to him in abundance for guidance. First, having knowledge and its dissemination. Second, to evade completely from the worldly inclinations, and the third, inviting to all that is good (Islam) enjoining Al-Ma’ruf [i.e., Islamic Monotheism and all that Islam orders one to do] and forbidding Al-Munkar [polytheism and disbelief and all that Islam has forbidden]. Imaam an-Nawawi had all three in him (Shaykh Mohiuddin).
Hadith 22
The twenty-second chief tradition related by Nawawi
عن أبي عبد الله جابر بن عبد الله الأنصاري رضي الله عنهما : أن رجلا سأل رسول الله صلي الله عليه وسلم ، فقال : أرأيت إذا صليت المكتوبات ، وصمت رمضان ، وأحللت الحلال ، وحرمت الحرام ، ولم أزد علي ذلك شيئًا ؛ أأدخل الجنة ؟ قال : ( نعم ). رواه مسلم [ رقم : 15 ]
On the authority of Abu ‘Abdillaah Jaabir bin ‘Abdillaah al-Ansaaree (radi allahu anhuma 1Arabic to English translation, May Allah be pleased with them.) that :
After th Quran, “Sahih Muslim” one of the most important records of Islamic revelation. These hadiths provide proper guidance and ethics for Muslim living.
A man questioned the Messenger of Allah (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) 2Arabic to English translation meaning, May Allah bless him and grant him peace. Often abbreviated SAWS. This Arabic phrase is used after references to Muhammad and his titles. and said : Do you think that if I perform the obligatory Prayers, fast in Ramadaan, treat as lawful that which is Halaal, and treat as forbidden that which is Haraam, and do not increase upon that [in voluntary good deeds], then shall I enter Paradise ?
He replied: “Yes”.
It was related by Muslim (صحيح مسلم).
Hadith 23
عن أبي مالك الحارث بن عاصم الأشعري رضي الله عنه ، قال : قال رسول الله صلي الله عليه وسلم : ( الطهور شطر الإيمان ، والحمد لله تملأ الميزان ، وسبحان الله والحمد لله تملأن – أو : تملأ – ما بين السماء والأرض ، والصلاة نور ، والصدقة برهان ، والصبر ضياء ، والقرآن حجة لك أو عليك ؛ كل الناس يغدو ، فبائع نفسه فمعتقها ، أو موبقها ). رواه مسلم [ رقم : 223 ]
On the authority of Abu Maalik al-Haarith bin al-Haarith al-Ash’aree (radi allahu ‘anhu 3Arabic to English translation, May Allah be pleased with him.) who said: The Messenger of Allah (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) who said : The Messenger of Allah 4Arabic to English translation meaning, May Allah bless him and grant him peace. Often abbreviated SAWS. This Arabic phrase is used after references to Muhammad and his titles.) said :
Purity is half of Eemaan (Faith). ‘al-Hamdu lillaah’ [Praise be to Allah] fills the scales, and ‘subhaanAllah’ [How far is Allaah from every imperfection] and ‘al-Hamdu lillaah’ fill that which is between heaven and earth. And the Salaah (Prayer) is a Light, and charity is a Proof [evidence], and Patience is Illumination, and the Qur’aan is a Proof either for you or against you. Every person starts his day as a vendor of his soul, either freeing it or causing its ruin.
It was related by Muslim (صحيح مسلم).
Grand Mufti Ali Gomaa’s Explanation of An-Nawawi’s Hadith 22 and Hadith 23
One of the aims of this website is to dialogue between Christians and Muslims about Muhammad, Jesus, and revelation. Good dialogue involves listening and learning from others – even when you do not agree. The purpose of these posts is to listen about what Muslims believe about the hadiths and to learn from the teaching of Sheikh Ali Gomaa.
In the following video Ali Gomaa teaches about the twenty-second (0:00-7:24) and twenty-third (7:25-10:54) hadiths compiled by an-Nawawi. My notes follow.
The Five Pillars of Islam
2:32-2:58
“So, the prophet (SAWS) 5Abbreviation for the Arabic phrase transliterated, Sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. This phrase is used after references to Muhammad and his titles. It means May Allah bless him and grant him peace. tells us that Islam is founded on five. Testifying that there is no god but Allah, and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, establishing prayers, alms-giving, hajj, and fasting Ramadan. We talked about this hadith at the beginning of the Forty An-Nawawi ahadith” [see Hadith 3 of Nawawi: The Five Pillars of Islam]
Sheikh Gomaa says this hadith teaches against arrogance
4:03-7:23
“It is called Pillars of Islam because it is the minimum. It is the base. He will go to Paradise. This hadith teaches us not to be arrogant because of our worship. And those to whom are arrogant because of their worship, might go to paradise before us. They might be more accepted to Allah than us. And he is closer to Allah more than we are.
“Therefore, this man who asked the Prophet about the minimum, he asked him about the permissible and the prohibited and this is which satisfied Allah (SWT). Thus, and by this hadith, he permitted us, to enjoy all that is permitted by Allah. Therefore, Islam is vast.
Wara’: abstinence
“Sometimes we leave some of the lawful, not to fall in the unlawful. This is a good feeling called wara’ (Allah fearing).
“WARA’ in Islamic religious terminology denotes religious scrupulousness and delicacy of conscience. Neither the term itself nor its root is found in the Kuran, but it nevertheless enjoyed a great renown in relation to various spheres, their sole common point being their falling under the topic of legal status (hukm)” (Encyclopaedia of the Quran).
“The noble companions used to leave 70 lawful type, fearing from falling in one unlawful type. Wara’ is aside from the limites of the lawful and unlawful. This hadith shows us this meaning. That there is a difference between the lawful and the unlawful. And he who abides by it, will enter paradise. There is a difference between piety and wara’. Allah (SWT) never wastes the reward of whoever did good in them. He never wastes the reward of those who do good.
Muslims are not to be so rigorous as to go beyond the example and teaching of Muhammad.
“The differentiation between lawful and unlawful, and the limit of wara’, have ruled the minds of jurists and many Muslims too. Yet, many Muslims have missed it too. Unfortunately, they missed it because it became unclear in their minds. So, we saw those who are so tough in religion. The Prophet (SAWS) said, “The exaggerators are doomed.” And he said, “This religion is strong, so go through it gently.” He forbids toughness and straying from his sunnah.”
“He said, “Who does not follow my Sunnah, is not from me. “You should worship your Lord within your capacity, as Allah does not get tired but (surely) you will get tired.”
Hadith 23
The importance of ablution
8:19-8:56
“”Purity is half of faith”, therefore ablution is important. And we see that who keeps his ablution, keeps his prayer. Prayers are five. Therefore, ablution as mentioned in the old sayings, should be the weapon of the believer against himself, life, vanity, and satan. So that, if it was prayer time, he can pray in any place. The Prophet said, “The earth has been made a prayer place and purified for me.””
My Christian comment: God is so pure and holy that water is impure by comparison (cf. Job 4:17-19)!
8:57-9:51
Ali Gomaa discusses the importance of remembering Allah, “Remembrance of Allah calms the heart”.
Ali Gomaa recites ten words/phrases Muslims repeat to help Muslims remember:
Subhan’Allah (سبحان الله) – Arabic phrase often translated “Glorious is God.”
Alhamdulillahalso Elhamdulillah (الحمد لله) – Arabic phrase meaning “Praise to God” or “All praise is due to Allah,” similar to the Hebrew Halelu Yah (Hallelujah).
La ilaha illa-llahalso La ilaha ilallah (لا إله إلا الله) – Arabic phrase translated “there is no god but God”.
Allahu Akbar(الله أكبر) – Arabic phrase meaning “God is Greatest” or “God is Greater”
la ḥawla wa la quwwata illa billah(“لا حول ولاقوة إلا بالله”) – Arabic phrase translated in English, “There is no power or strength except with Allah.”
Astagferu Allah – Arabic phrase translated in English as, “Allah Forgives Everything”.
Hasbuna-Allah wa ni’am alwakil – Arabic phrase meaning in English, “Allah suffices us for everything and He is the most excellent guardian.” Ibn ‘Abbas said “These words were uttered by the Prophet Ibrahim, peace be upon him, when he was thrown into the fire, and the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said these words when the people informed him, ‘The people have gathered against you’” (Bukhari). Source: Fiqh-us-Sunnah, Volume 4, #130
Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un(انّا للہ و انّا الیه راجعون) – Arabic phrase meaning “Surely we belong to God, and to God we return.” It is a phrase from the Qur’an (2:156) and is recited by Muslims when a person is struck by calamity. This can also be recited in any situation involving risk of any sort.
Tawakkaltu ‘Alallaah – Arabic phrase meaning, “I have placed my trust in Allah.” When leaving their home Muslims will pray, “Bismillaahi, tawakkaltu ‘alallaahi, wa laa hawla wa laa quwwata illaa billaah,” meaning “In the Name of Allah, I have placed my trust in Allah, there is no might and no power except by Allah.”
Muhammad set a much lower standard for entering into heaven than Jesus and the Torah. In fact, Muhammad’s standard ends up compromising the justice of God and God’s holiness.
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Arabic to English translation meaning, May Allah bless him and grant him peace. Often abbreviated SAWS. This Arabic phrase is used after references to Muhammad and his titles.
Arabic to English translation meaning, May Allah bless him and grant him peace. Often abbreviated SAWS. This Arabic phrase is used after references to Muhammad and his titles.
Abbreviation for the Arabic phrase transliterated, Sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. This phrase is used after references to Muhammad and his titles. It means May Allah bless him and grant him peace.
