3-minute preview · Hear the full audiobook in the app.
Adam is our opening voice — more natural narrators arriving in the app, insha'Allah.
What are The Forty Hadiths?
Al-Arba'in al-Nawawiyyah, the Forty Hadiths, is a collection compiled by Imam al-Nawawi, the 13th-century scholar also known for Riyāḍ al-Ṣāliḥīn and his commentary on Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, all produced in a life of barely forty-four years. Despite its name, the collection holds forty-two hadiths. Al-Nawawi selected them as foundations: sayings of the Prophet, peace be upon him, that cover intention, worship, ethics, and the excellence of Islam. The question it answers is which few hadiths a Muslim should know first. Its answer has been accepted so widely that it became the most memorized hadith collection in the world.
The introduction explains why forty. The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, is reported to have said that whoever preserves forty hadiths for his community regarding their religion, Allah will resurrect him on the Day of Resurrection among the scholars and jurists. Forty-two hadiths in about 33 minutes means each one is short. They cover intention, worship, ethics, and the excellence of Islam. Because the whole collection runs about 33 minutes, it can be heard in a single sitting and returned to often.
On Joyful Muslims the Forty Hadiths is available in several editions. Besides the English audiobook, it is also available in the Arabic original. An immersive edition is read in Arabic, then in English, so the listener meets the words of the Prophet, peace be upon him, before their translation. Immersive editions also exist in Indonesian, Turkish, and Urdu. Whichever edition you choose, the word-synced bilingual transcript follows the text.
Is there an English audiobook of The Forty Hadiths?
Yes. Joyful Muslims publishes the complete Al-Arba'in al-Nawawiyyah as an English audiobook (about 33 minutes), translated from the Arabic, with a word-synced bilingual transcript. It holds the forty-two foundational hadiths selected by Imam al-Nawawi, covering intention, worship, ethics, and the excellence of Islam.
Is it free to listen?
The whole library is open to everyone. Every member gets five hours of listening free each month; Joyful+ removes the time limit.
What does it cover?
Forty-two foundational hadiths on intention, worship, ethics, and the excellence of Islam, in about 33 minutes.
Last updated 2026-09-11
Inside the book.
Chapters
Word-synced with the narrator.
The first three minutes are transcribed here. In the app, the Living Manuscript scrolls through the entire book in rhythm with the audio — Arabic alongside English.
Living Manuscript
Listen to the full book in the app for the complete Living Manuscript.
The full, word-synced transcript in Arabic and English is in the app.
