The words of the Prophet ﷺ
in the classical record.
A curated set of hadith — Arabic, English, source, and the surrounding commentary — from the collections that anchor Sunni Islam. Each one cross-referenced with passages in our classical audiobook library.
The Collections
al-Nawawi's Forty Hadith
الأربعون النوويةImam Yaḥyā ibn Sharaf al-Nawawī · 13th century · 42 hadith
al-Nawawi compiled these 42 hadith as the essential starting collection for every serious student of Islam. The texts are drawn primarily from Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī and Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, and they cover belief, worship, character, and the inner life in compact, memorable form. Seven centuries after he wrote it, it is still the first hadith collection most Muslims ever memorize.
Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī
صحيح البخاريImam Muḥammad ibn Ismāʿīl al-Bukhārī · 9th century · 7,563 hadith
The most authoritative hadith collection in Sunni Islam. al-Bukhārī applied exacting standards — every narrator had to be of proven reliability, and every link in the chain had to be documented. What survives is the single most verified body of prophetic sayings in Islamic history.
Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim
صحيح مسلمImam Muslim ibn al-Ḥajjāj al-Naysābūrī · 9th century · 7,190 hadith
The second of the two Ṣaḥīḥ collections. Muslim, a direct student of al-Bukhārī, organized his work topically in a way al-Bukhārī had not — which made it the working reference for jurists and scholars for the next thousand years. Where Bukhārī and Muslim both narrate the same hadith, the classical scholars called it muttafaq ʿalayhi — agreed upon — the highest possible rank.
Sunan Abī Dāwūd
سنن أبي داودImam Abū Dāwūd Sulaymān al-Sijistānī · 9th century · 5,274 hadith
The third of the Six Books, and the first of the four Sunan collections. Abū Dāwūd gathered the hadith that jurists actually used to derive law — covering purity, prayer, zakāt, fasting, and the social fabric. He noted the strength of each narration honestly, which made his Sunan the practical reference every mufti kept at hand.
Sunan at-Tirmidhī
سنن الترمذيImam Muḥammad ibn ʿĪsā at-Tirmidhī · 9th century · 3,956 hadith
A student of al-Bukhārī, at-Tirmidhī created the vocabulary the hadith sciences still use today. His Sunan is uniquely valuable because each hadith is accompanied by a discussion of its chain, its meaning, and how the different legal schools handled it — a textbook within a collection.
Featured Hadith
-
#1 The first hadith — the inner measure of every deed.
Foundations"Actions are only by intentions, and every person shall have only what they intended."
Narrated by ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb · Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 1
-
#2 The religion in three words: Islam, Īmān, Iḥsān.
Foundations"Islam is that you bear witness that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah, establish the prayer, give zakāt, fast Ramadan, and make pilgrimage to the House if you are able. Īmān is that you believe in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, the Last Day, and in divine decree — its good and its bitter. Iḥsān is that you worship Allah as though you see Him; and if you do not see Him, He sees you."
Narrated by ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb · Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 8
-
#3 The five pillars.
Foundations"Islam is built on five: the testimony that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah; the establishment of prayer; the paying of zakāt; the pilgrimage to the House; and fasting Ramadan."
Narrated by Ibn ʿUmar · Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 8
-
#4 The soul and the decree written in the womb.
Foundations"The creation of each of you is gathered in the womb of their mother for forty days as a drop, then a clinging thing for the same period, then a lump of flesh for the same period. Then the angel is sent, who breathes the soul into it, and is commanded to write four things: its provision, its term of life, its deeds, and whether it will be wretched or blessed."
Narrated by ʿAbdullāh ibn Masʿūd · Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 3208
-
#5 Innovation in the religion is returned to its introducer.
Foundations"Whoever introduces into this matter of ours something that is not from it — it is rejected."
Narrated by ʿĀʾishah · Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 2697
-
#6 The doubtful matters — and the caution that preserves both faith and reputation.
Foundations"The lawful is clear, and the unlawful is clear. Between them are matters of doubt, which many people do not know. Whoever avoids the doubtful has protected his religion and his honour."
Narrated by al-Nuʿmān ibn Bashīr · Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 52
-
#7 Religion as naṣīḥah — sincere, constructive counsel, upward and across.
Foundations"The religion is sincere counsel. We said: To whom? He said: To Allah, to His Book, to His messenger, to the leaders of the Muslims, and to the common people."
Narrated by Tamīm al-Dārī · Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 55
-
#13 The test of faith: wanting the same good for others that you want for yourself.
Belief"None of you truly believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself."
Narrated by Anas ibn Mālik · Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 13
-
Strength of faith is asked for, not apologised for.
Belief"The strong believer is better and more beloved to Allah than the weak believer — though in each of them there is good. Strive for what benefits you, seek help from Allah, and do not give in."
Narrated by Abū Hurayrah · Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2664
-
#16 The Prophet's ﷺ three-word answer for a lifetime.
Character"A man said to the Prophet ﷺ: Counsel me. He said: "Do not be angry." The man asked several times, and each time the Prophet said: "Do not be angry.""
Narrated by Abū Hurayrah · Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 6116
-
#17 Even slaughter has its ethics — because iḥsān is owed everywhere.
Character"Allah has written iḥsān — excellence — upon everything. So when you kill, kill well; and when you slaughter, slaughter well. Sharpen your blade and bring ease to the animal."
Narrated by Shaddād ibn Aws · Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 1955
-
#15 Two honourable choices for the tongue.
Character"Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, let him speak good or remain silent."
Narrated by Abū Hurayrah · Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 6018
-
Worth is measured in akhlāq — manners, not titles.
Character"Truly, the best of you are the finest among you in character."
Narrated by ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAmr · Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 3559
-
#25 The heart as the pivot of the whole person.
Heart"In the body there is a piece of flesh — if it is sound, the whole body is sound; if it is corrupt, the whole body is corrupt. It is the heart."
Narrated by al-Nuʿmān ibn Bashīr · Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 52
-
The metric we fear is not the metric that matters.
Heart"Allah does not look at your forms or your wealth — but He looks at your hearts and your deeds."
Narrated by Abū Hurayrah · Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2564
-
Consistency outranks intensity.
Worship"The deeds most beloved to Allah are those done consistently, even if they are small."
Narrated by ʿĀʾishah · Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 43
-
The seeker of knowledge walks with the angels.
Knowledge"Whoever treads a path in search of knowledge, Allah makes easy for him a path to Paradise. The angels lower their wings out of pleasure for the seeker of knowledge."
Narrated by Abū al-Dardāʾ · Sunan Abī Dāwūd 3641
-
The only inheritance of the prophets — passed on by anyone who studies.
Knowledge"The prophets did not leave dīnār nor dirham as inheritance. They left only knowledge. Whoever takes it has taken an abundant share."
Narrated by Abū al-Dardāʾ · Sunan Abī Dāwūd 3641
-
The minimal definition: your community is safe from you.
Social"The Muslim is the one from whose tongue and hand the Muslims are safe."
Narrated by ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAmr · Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 10
-
The smallest act of kindness counts as ṣadaqah.
Social"Your smile in your brother's face is charity."
Narrated by Abū Dharr · Sunan at-Tirmidhī 1956
-
#40 Not renunciation — orientation.
Hereafter"Be in this world as though you were a stranger, or a traveller passing through."
Narrated by Ibn ʿUmar · Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 6416
-
Three things continue past death.
Hereafter"When a person dies, their deeds are cut off — except for three: ongoing charity, knowledge that is benefited from, and a righteous child who prays for them."
Narrated by Abū Hurayrah · Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 1631
Hear these hadith in context.
Every hadith above is quoted and unpacked in the books in our library — by al-Ghazali, Ibn Kathir, and the scholars they cite.