An-Nawawi's Forty Hadiths
Hadith 19, 40 Hadith an-Nawawi
عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَبَّاسٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا قَالَ: "كُنْت خَلْفَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه و سلم يَوْمًا، فَقَالَ: يَا غُلَامِ! إنِّي أُعَلِّمُك كَلِمَاتٍ: احْفَظْ اللَّهَ يَحْفَظْك، احْفَظْ اللَّهَ تَجِدْهُ تُجَاهَك، إذَا سَأَلْت فَاسْأَلْ اللَّهَ، وَإِذَا اسْتَعَنْت فَاسْتَعِنْ بِاَللَّهِ، وَاعْلَمْ أَنَّ الْأُمَّةَ لَوْ اجْتَمَعَتْ عَلَى أَنْ يَنْفَعُوك بِشَيْءٍ لَمْ يَنْفَعُوك إلَّا بِشَيْءٍ قَدْ كَتَبَهُ اللَّهُ لَك، وَإِنْ اجْتَمَعُوا عَلَى أَنْ يَضُرُّوك بِشَيْءٍ لَمْ يَضُرُّوك إلَّا بِشَيْءٍ قَدْ كَتَبَهُ اللَّهُ عَلَيْك؛ رُفِعَتْ الْأَقْلَامُ، وَجَفَّتْ الصُّحُفُ" . رَوَاهُ التِّرْمِذِيُّ [رقم:2516] وَقَالَ: حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ صَحِيحٌ. وَفِي رِوَايَةِ غَيْرِ التِّرْمِذِيِّ: "احْفَظْ اللَّهَ تَجِدْهُ أمامك، تَعَرَّفْ إلَى اللَّهِ فِي الرَّخَاءِ يَعْرِفُك فِي الشِّدَّةِ، وَاعْلَمْ أَنَّ مَا أَخْطَأَك لَمْ يَكُنْ لِيُصِيبَك، وَمَا أَصَابَك لَمْ يَكُنْ لِيُخْطِئَك، وَاعْلَمْ أَنَّ النَّصْرَ مَعَ الصَّبْرِ، وَأَنْ الْفَرَجَ مَعَ الْكَرْبِ، وَأَنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا".
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: One day I was behind the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and he said, “Young man, I shall teach you some words: Be mindful of Allah, and He will protect you. Be mindful of Allah, and you will find Him before you. When you ask, ask Allah; when you seek help, seek help from Allah. Know that if the nation were to gather to benefit you with anything, they would benefit you only with something Allah had already written for you; and if they were to gather to harm you with anything, they would harm you only with something Allah had already written against you. The pens have been lifted and the pages have dried.” It was narrated by al-Tirmidhi [no. 2516], who said: “A hasan sahih hadith.”
In a narration other than al-Tirmidhi’s: “Be mindful of Allah, and you will find Him before you. Know Allah in times of ease, and He will know you in hardship. Know that what missed you was never going to befall you, and what befell you was never going to miss you. Know that victory is with patience, relief is with distress, and with hardship is ease.”
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
إنِّي أُعَلِّمُك كَلِمَاتٍ: احْفَظْ اللَّهَ يَحْفَظْك،
The repeated imperative احفظ الله is a compact religious expression; the English witness interprets it as “be mindful” and adds “alone” to another command. No approved glossary is included.
Which context-sensitive rendering of احفظ الله should be used consistently?
عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَبَّاسٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا قَالَ: "كُنْت خَلْفَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه و سلم يَوْمًا،
The supplied English witness adds the bracketed detail that Ibn ‘Abbas was riding on the same mount, which is not present in the Arabic text supplied here.
Is this bracketed detail from another source or editorial explanation? It is not included in this translation.
وَفِي رِوَايَةِ غَيْرِ التِّرْمِذِيِّ: "احْفَظْ اللَّهَ تَجِدْهُ أمامك،
The Arabic explicitly labels a different narration and includes its full wording; the English witness also has this content but inserts explanatory bracketed material elsewhere.
Can each added English bracket be source-checked independently? The translated variant follows the Arabic passage.