Ali Budak - 40 Hadiths

HADITHS

TRANSLATION

&

COMMENTARY

Edited by

Ali Budak Korkut Altay

A udhu bi izzatillahi wa qudratihi min sharri ma ajidu wa uhadhiru

( I seek refuge in God and His Power from the evil

that afflicts me and that which I fear. )

INTRODUCTION

F ollowing Qur an , the second most important authoritative source of Islamic knowledge is the Hadith . These enormous corpuses are the collection of the sayings and actions of Prophet Muhammad , peace be upon him . Through a sophisticated authentication process , a meticulous methodology and therefore a unique science of hadith collection which drew from reliable chains of narrators , was developed in order to capture the Prophet s direct quotes . This hadith literature has had a significant role in the formation of Islamic law and ethics . This volume follows suit the Prophet s encouraged tradition to focus on a select forty of his sayings rather then the entire collection . The ensuing discussion contains the original Arabic text , its English translation , and an edifying expansion of those pearls of wisdom .

Any translation is merely an indicative guideline to be followed ; although the attempt is to use these guidelines in order to seek the essence of the text in question , nevertheless they can never be like the original manuscript . Those who have tried to seek the absolute meaning of the Qur an through its translations have missed a great point and are in deception ; for the true wonder and miracle of the Qur an is in its very pristine revelation . Therefore , when translation is attempted the actual spirituality found in the original revelations and scripts of the Qur an and for that matter the hadith are minimised and at times even deprived .

This compilation is like a mere drop from the ocean of knowledge , a gleam of light from the reality and spirituality of the words of the holy Prophet . In this compilation of forty hadith great care has been taken to portray the meanings of those sublime words and contexts as closely to the original text as possible . Although the depths of meaning that encodes the Prophet s words of wisdom exceeds us in every dimension , it is necessary though to point out that experts in the field of hadith have been consulted in addition to our own independent research , nonetheless it is needless to mention that only the surface of this rich and vast universal light of words have been scratched .

We aspire to continue and relay the spirit from this fount of light into our lives , journeying with both the spirit and the intellect . In this quest for spirituality , all our prayers and endeavors are carried with the hope that they will be successful and accepted in His court of Mercy . We pray for forgiveness from the Creator for any unintended deficiency in our work .

Note : The translations and commentary of the hadith are a collection from the various books of M . Fethullah Glen .

ABOUT THE EDITORS :

Ali Budak holds a PhD in Hadith. He is a staff editor at Ik Yaynlar, a leading publisher in Turkey, and a frequent speaker and writer on Islams hadith tradition. He is the author of five books, including Fasting in Islam .

Korkut Altay is a staff editor at Tughra Books and translator of various books into English, including Topkap Palace: Milestones in Ottoman History , The Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts .

Sayings, actions and / or tacit approval of the Prophet Muhammad , peace and blessings be upon him .

UNITY WITH GOD WHILE AMONG OTHERS

The believer who mixes with people and bears the troubles they cause has greater reward than the one who does not.

(Ibn Maja, Fitan, 23; Tirmidhi, Qiyama, 55)

T his world has a few different faces ; one of them is the material or worldly face , which is transitory . It throws at us a hundred blows in return for a small bounty . This transitory aspect of the world is a diversion , a deceit . It is this transitory face of world that is sought after and adored by those who solely run after worldly concerns ; a believer is expected to be well aware of this hideous face behind the mask .

We are supposed to form a sense of balance between this world and the Hereafter by keeping this perspective in mind ; we need to remember that the world is transitional while the Hereafter is eternal . The Prophet never turned his back on this world , yet he was also with the Creator at all times , even in the midst of crowd .

We can see this in the hadith we have mentioned at the beginning . This is how humans should approach others ; if they do , then rivers of peace will flow where once there were heaps of false words and actions . Just like how teachers with their students are patient with regards to some of the spiritual hardships and difficulties faced ; and demonstrate great self sacrifice .

Devotion to spiritual prosperity means finding the path to true wisdom and piety , and this in turn will result in affection and closeness with the Creator . This path of true guidance will become our way of life ; our only aim in the world will be to convey and represent the sublime realities of faith and to behave with great devotion , just like the Prophet did when he chose not to be captivated by the attractions of Paradise during the Ascension and returned to his followers .

Those with true awareness of the passing attractions that this life offers will never be deceived or become captivated by the transience and negative aspects of the universe . They will remain within their communities with a constant spiritual connection with the Creator .

Throughout his life the Prophet never considered the offers of the world ; his arrival in the world was no different to his departure ... he was wrapped in a cloth and placed in a crib on his arrival and he departed from this world again wrapped in a shroud .

The Prophet spent his lifetime striving to establish a balance between this world and the Hereafter and to convey faith , spirituality and the universal principles through his teachings , to many civilizations without any concessions . Never deceived by the pleasures of the universe , he lived in total peace and confidence , submitting his soul and his all to God . Prophet Muhammad , peace and blessings be upon him , departed after having devoted his entire life to the rescue of humankind and for the gain of His Creator s pleasure .

One day Umar ibn al - Khattab entered the home of bliss and saw the holy Prophet lying on a straw mat ; he began to weep with a deep sense of care . When the Prophet asked why he was crying Umar replied : While Caesar and Chosroes live a life of luxury , you are the Messenger of God and you live in such destitution . The Prophet explained in a way that will always remain in the minds and hearts of all : Don t you agree that the luxuries of the world should be theirs , and that those of the Hereafter should be ours ?