Introduction
الحَمْدُ للهِ رَبِّ العَالَمِينَ وَالصَّلاةُ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَآلِهِ أَجْمَعِينَ وَلَعْنَةُ اللهِ عَلَى أَعْدَائِهِمْ إِلى يَوْمِ الدِّينِ.
Lord! Grant brightness of sincerity to the mirror of the heart, Cleanse the rust of hypocrisy from the tablet of the heart, and show the path of virtue and salvation to the helpless wanderers in the mazes of the bewilderment and error and confusion. Endow us with the nobleness and generosity of character. Reveal to us your glory and splendor that you have reserved only for your chosen servants.
Expel the legions of Satan and ignorance from the realms of our heart; implant the divine hosts of knowledge and wisdom in their stead. Enrich our hearts with the profusion of your love and that of your Chosen in this transitory world, this ephemeral lodging place. And shower Your choicest blessing upon us at the time of death and thereafter. Extend to us your mercy, and grant us proximity to the Highest Good.
Purpose of Writing the Book
I, a humble servant of God, was contemplating for some time, to select forty hadith from among the ahadith of the members of the Household of the Prophet (S) from the authentic books of the sahabah, and scholars, and was trying to compile them with an appropriate explanation of each of them that can be applied to the general conditions of the people. I chose to write them in Persian, so that the Persian knowing people may also be benefited from them. God willing, this compilation would be an attempt to serve the command of the Prophet (S) who said:
مَنْ حَفِظَ عَلَى أُمَّتِي أَرْبَعِينَ حَدِيثاً يَنْتَفِعُونَ بِهَا بَعَثَهُ اللهُ يَوْمَ القِيَامَةِ فَقِيهاً عَالِماً.
From among my followers, one who shall preserve and protect my forty ahadith, so that my people may be benefited from them, God Almighty will treat him on the Day of Resurrection with great men of wisdom and learning (jurisprudence).
- 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