
Islamic scholars, motivated by a tradition from the Prophet Muhammad, which promises Divine Rewards for scholars who collect forty traditions, compile hadith narrations in groups of forty.
This text is the Second revised edition of a detailed commentary on 40 selected traditions narrated through the Prophet (S) and his Ahl al-Bayt (a) on topics of ethics and spirituality.Thirty-three of the hadith Imam Khomeini selected pertain to Islamic ethics, including acts which bring reward or punishment. The other seven focus on beliefs and concepts related to the Theology of Twelvers. The very first hadith is on Jihad of the self that aims at self-improvement elevating oneself through self-control and self-discipline and shun pride (kibr), ostentation/show-off (riya), self-conceit (ujb), envy (hasad), love of the world, anger (ghadhab), prejudice (asabiyyah) and hypocrisy (nifaq). In his collection, Imam Khomeini has included the ahadith that help us elevate our status through intellect (tafakkur), trust in God (tawakkul), man’s natural instincts to seek out God, meeting with God and to fear (khawf) Him.
The original work in Persian, recently published under the title “Arba’in, ya chihil hadith” was written by Imam al-Khumayni forty-six years ago and was completed in the month of Muharram 1358 (April-May, 1939). The manuscript of this work, together with that of two other unpublished works of the author, Sharh Du’ae sahar, and Adab al-salat, were recovered from the library of the late Ayatullah Akhund al-Hamadani. All the three works have now been published.
- Forty Hadith, An Exposition, Second Revised Edition
- Introductory Note
- About The Author
- Introduction
- First Hadith: Jihad of The Self
- Verbal Translation
- Exposition
- First Grade
- Contemplation
- Will and Resolution
- Effort and Struggle (Spiritual)
- Self-Examination and Stipulation (Musharatah)
- Guarding Against Evil (Muraqabah)
- Remembrance (Tadhakkur)
- Remembrance of God, Remembering The Graces Bestowed By Him
- The Second Stage
- Hidden Or Inner Powers (Quwwa al-Batini)
- How to Regulate Human Instincts
- How to Bridle Fancy And Imagination
- Estimation and Appraisal
- How to Cure Moral Maladies
- Conclusion
- Second Hadith: Ostentation (Riya’)
- Third Hadith: Self-Conceit (‘Ujb)
- Fourth Hadith: Pride (Kibr)
- What Is Kibr?
- Kinds and Degrees of Kibr
- The Causes of Kibr
- Spiritual and Social Harms of Pride
- Other Causes Of Pride
- How to Cure Pride?
- The Punishment in The Hereafter
- Humility and Modesty of the Prophet (S)
- To Cure Pride, One Should Act Against Its Dictates
- A Reminiscence of a Teacher
- Yaqzah (Awakening) is the First Step
- The Vicious Subtleties of the Self
- Fifth Hadith: Envy (Hasad)
- Sixth Hadith: Love of the World
- Seventh Hadith: Anger (Ghadhab)
- Eighth Hadith: Prejudice (‘Asabiyyah)
- Ninth Hadith: Hypocrisy (Nifaq)
- Tenth Hadith: Desire and Hope
- Eleventh Hadith: Man’s God-Seeking Nature
- Twelfth Hadith: Contemplation (Tafakkur)
- Exposition
- What Is Heart?
- Merits of Contemplation
- The Desirable And The Forbidden Contemplation On The Divine Essence
- Contemplation on Creation
- The Earth and the Sun: Two Masterpieces of Creation
- Contemplation on the States of the Soul
- A Conclusive Proof
- Virtues of the Midnight Prayer
- What is Taqwa?
- Taqwa for the Common People
- Thirteenth Hadith: Trust In God (Tawakkul)
- Fourteenth Hadith: Fear of God
- Fifteenth Hadith: The Believer’s Trials And Tribulations
- Sixteenth Hadith: Patience (Sabr)
- Seventeenth Hadith: Repentance (Tawbah)
- Eighteenth Hadith: Remembrance Of God
- Nineteenth Hadith: Backbiting (Ghibah)
- Twentieth Hadith: Pure Intention (Ikhlas)
- Twenty-First Hadith: Thankfulness (Shukr)
- Twenty-Second Hadith: The Aversion For Death
- Twenty-Third Hadith: The Seekers Of Knowledge
- Twenty Fourth Hadith: The Classification Of Sciences
- Twenty-Fifth Hadith: Satanic Insinuation
- Twenty Sixth Hadith: The Pursuit Of Knowledge
- Exposition
- The Path Of Knowledge And The Way To Paradise
- An Important Point
- The Angels’ Spreading Their Wings For The Seekers Of Knowledge
- The Inhabitants Of The Heaven And Earth Asking Forgiveness For The Seeker Of Knowledge
- The ‘Alim’s Superiority Over The ‘Abid
- The Ulama Being The Heirs Of The Prophets
- Twenty-Seventh Hadith: Prayer And Concentration
- Twenty-Eighth Hadith: Meeting God
- Twenty-Ninth Hadith: The Prophet’s Counsel To ‘Ali
- Preface
- The Evils of Lying
- The Meaning of Wara’ and its Levels
- The Fear Of God Almighty
- The Virtues Of Lamentation
- Doubts Regarding Disproportionate Award
- Concerning the Number of the Naw'afil
- Concerning the Istihbab of Fasting on Three Days in Every Month
- On the Merit of Sadaqah
- Another Point
- One of the Secrets of Sadaqah
- On the Merit of the Nightly Prayer
- Concerning al-Salat al-Wusta
- On the Merits of Reciting the Qur'an
- Concerning the Effect of Worship on Youth
- On the Etiquette of Qira'ah
- On Sincerity in Reading
- Concerning the Meaning of Tartil
- On Raising The Hands In Prayer And Turning Them
- The Secret Behind The Raising Of The Hands
- A Warning Concerning One Of The Satanic Ruses
- The Merit Of Brushing The Teeth
- Moral Virtues And Vices
- Thirtieth Hadith: The Kinds of Hearts
- Exposition
- Reforming The Heart
- The Basis for The Classification Of The Hearts
- The Reason Why the Kinds of Hearts Are Confined To the Four
- The States of The Hearts
- The Luminosity of the Believer’s Heart
- Explanation of the Believer’s Being on the Straight Path
- Some Stratagems Of Satan
- The Hypocrite’s Heart And The Difference Between It And The Believer’s Heart
- Neglect Of The Truth Results In The Inversion Of The Heart
- Thirty-First Hadith: The Indescribability of God, The Prophet, And The Imams
- Exposition
- The Indescribability Of God
- Impossibility Of Knowing The Reality Of The Names And The Attributes
- Knowledge Of The Spiritual Reality Of The Prophets And The Awliya’ Is Unattainable Through Rational Thought
- The Waiting Of ‘The Seven Hijabs’ Mentioned In Relation To The Prophet
- The Delegation (Tafwid) Of The Affair To The Messenger Of God (S), As Indicated By This And Many Other Traditions
- Brief Allusion To The Meaning Of Tafwid
- The Station Of The Imams (A)
- Reality Of ‘Ismah
- The Indescribability of Faith
- Thirty-Second Hadith: Conviction In Faith
- Thirty-Third Hadith: Wilayah And Works
- Thirty-Fourth Hadith: The Station of The Faithful Before God
- Exposition
- A Noteworthy Point
- Interpretation Of The ‘Hesitation’ Ascribed To God
- An ‘Irfani Explanation
- Another Interpretation Of The Tradition Of Hesitation
- God’s Reforming Of The State Of The Faithful Through Poverty And Wealth
- The Nearness Relating To Obligatory And Supererogatory Acts And Their Result, In Accordance With The Approach Of The Wayfarers
- The Secret Of The Variance Among The Prophets In Respect Of Prophethood
- A Citation From The Most August Shaykh Baha’i
- A Citation From Khwajah Tusi
- Concluding Note
- Thirty-Fifth Hadith: God And Man, Good And Evil
- Thirty-Sixth Hadith: The Attributes Of God
- Exposition
- The Identity of God’s Attributes with His Essence
- The Statements Of The Philosophers On The Division Of Divine Attributes
- The Identity Of The Attributes With The Sacred Essence
- The Priority Of Knowledge To Creation
- The Meaning Of Hearing And Sight In Relation To God
- Character Of The Relation Of God’s Knowledge To The Knowables
- The Criterion Relating To Positive And Negative Attributes
- Thirty-Seventh Hadith: The Knowledge Of God
- Thirty-Eighth Hadith: The Meaning Of God’s Creation Of Adam In His Image
- Thirty-Ninth Hadith: Good And Evil
- Fortieth Hadith: Exegesis of Surat Al-Tawhid and Some Verses of Surat Al-Hadid
- Prayer and Epilogue