Al-Adab Al-Mufrad
Book 14, Hadith 287
حَدَّثَنَا صَدَقَةُ، قَالَ: أَخْبَرَنَا يَزِيدُ بْنُ هَارُونَ، عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ إِسْحَاقَ، عَنْ دَاوُدَ بْنِ حُصَيْنٍ، عَنْ عِكْرِمَةَ، عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ قَالَ: سُئِلَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم: أَيُّ الأَدْيَانِ أَحَبُّ إِلَى اللهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ؟ قَالَ: الْحَنِيفِيَّةُ السَّمْحَةُ.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Sadaqa narrated to us: Yazid ibn Harun informed us, from Muhammad ibn Ishaq, from Dawud ibn Husayn, from ‘Ikrima, from Ibn ‘Abbas, who said: The Prophet ﷺ was asked, ‘Which way of life is most beloved to Allah, Mighty and Majestic?’ He replied, ‘The upright, tolerant way.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The phrase الحنيفية السمحة combines upright monotheism with ease or tolerance. ‘The upright, tolerant way’ keeps both senses without treating Hanifiyya as the name of a separate religion.
الْحَنِيفِيَّةُ السَّمْحَةُ
The phrase can be rendered as the upright monotheistic way characterized by ease or tolerance; ‘simple Hanifiyya’ is opaque and may imply a proper name.
Should this be translated descriptively, or retained as a transliterated technical phrase with a gloss?