40 Essential Hadiths

إِنَّمَا الْأَعْمَالُ بِالنِّيَّاتِ وَإِنَّمَا لِكُلِّ امْرِئٍ مَا نَوَى

Actions are judged by intentions, and every person will get what they intended.

Source: Bukhari & Muslim

لَا يُؤْمِنُ أَحَدُكُمْ حَتَّى يُحِبَّ لِأَخِيهِ مَا يُحِبُّ لِنَفْسِهِ

None of you truly believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.

Source: Bukhari & Muslim

بُنِيَ الإِسْلامُ عَلَى خَمْسٍ: شَهَادَةِ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ، وَإِقَامِ الصَّلَاةِ، وَإِيتَاءِ الزَّكَاةِ، وَحَجِّ الْبَيْتِ، وَصَوْمِ رَمَضَانَ

Islam is built upon five pillars: testifying that there is no god but Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, establishing prayer, paying zakat, performing Hajj, and fasting Ramadan.

Source: Bukhari & Muslim

مَنْ كَانَ يُؤْمِنُ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ فَلْيَقُلْ خَيْرًا أَوْ لِيَصْمُتْ

Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, let him speak good or remain silent.

Source: Bukhari & Muslim

الدِّينُ النَّصِيحَةُ

The religion is sincerity (good counsel). We said: To whom? He said: To Allah, His Book, His Messenger, the leaders of the Muslims and their common folk.

Source: Muslim

إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَنْظُرُ إِلَى أَجْسَادِكُمْ وَلَا إِلَى صُوَرِكُمْ وَلَكِنْ يَنْظُرُ إِلَى قُلُوبِكُمْ وَأَعْمَالِكُمْ

Allah does not look at your bodies or your forms, but He looks at your hearts and your deeds.

Source: Muslim

بَيْنَ الرَّجُلِ وَبَيْنَ الشِّرْكِ وَالْكُفْرِ تَرْكُ الصَّلَاةِ

Between a person and disbelief is abandoning the prayer.

Source: Muslim

صَلُّوا كَمَا رَأَيْتُمُونِي أُصَلِّي

Pray as you have seen me praying.

Source: Bukhari

أَقْرَبُ مَا يَكُونُ الْعَبْدُ مِنْ رَبِّهِ وَهُوَ سَاجِدٌ فَأَكْثِرُوا الدُّعَاءَ

The closest a servant is to his Lord is while he is in prostration, so increase your supplications.

Source: Muslim

إِنَّ أَوَّلَ مَا يُحَاسَبُ بِهِ الْعَبْدُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ مِنْ عَمَلِهِ صَلَاتُهُ

The first thing a servant will be held accountable for on the Day of Judgment is their prayer.

Source: Abu Dawud & Tirmidhi

مَنْ حَافَظَ عَلَى الصَّلَوَاتِ الْخَمْسِ رَكَعَاتِهِنَّ وَسُجُودِهِنَّ وَمَوَاقِيتِهِنَّ كَانَ لَهُ عَهْدٌ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ أَنْ يَغْفِرَ لَهُ

Whoever maintains the five daily prayers with their bowing, prostration, and proper timing will have a promise from Allah to be forgiven.

Source: Ahmad

إِنَّمَا بُعِثْتُ لِأُتَمِّمَ مَكَارِمَ الْأَخْلَاقِ

I was sent to perfect good character.

Source: Ahmad & Bayhaqi

مَا نَقَصَتْ صَدَقَةٌ مِنْ مَالٍ، وَمَا زَادَ اللَّهُ عَبْدًا بِعَفْوٍ إِلَّا عِزًّا، وَمَا تَوَاضَعَ أَحَدٌ لِلَّهِ إِلَّا رَفَعَهُ اللَّهُ

Charity does not decrease wealth. Allah increases the honor of one who forgives, and no one humbles himself for Allah except that Allah raises him.

Source: Muslim

لَا تَغْضَبْ

A man asked the Prophet for advice. He said: "Do not get angry." He repeated the question several times, and each time the Prophet said: "Do not get angry."

Source: Bukhari

تَبَسُّمُكَ فِي وَجْهِ أَخِيكَ لَكَ صَدَقَةٌ

Smiling in the face of your brother is an act of charity.

Source: Tirmidhi

لَا يُؤْمِنُ أَحَدُكُمْ حَتَّى أَكُونَ أَحَبَّ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ وَالِدِهِ وَوَلَدِهِ وَالنَّاسِ أَجْمَعِينَ

None of you truly believes until I am more beloved to him than his father, his children, and all of mankind.

Source: Bukhari & Muslim

خَيْرُكُمْ خَيْرُكُمْ لِأَهْلِهِ وَأَنَا خَيْرُكُمْ لِأَهْلِي

The best of you are those who are best to their families, and I am the best of you to my family.

Source: Tirmidhi

مِنْ حُسْنِ إِسْلَامِ الْمَرْءِ تَرْكُهُ مَا لَا يَعْنِيهِ

Part of the perfection of a person's Islam is leaving that which does not concern him.

Source: Tirmidhi

لَا ضَرَرَ وَلَا ضِرَارَ

There should be neither harm nor reciprocal harm.

Source: Ibn Majah & Ahmad

ازْهَدْ فِي الدُّنْيَا يُحِبَّكَ اللَّهُ وَازْهَدْ فِيمَا عِنْدَ النَّاسِ يُحِبَّكَ النَّاسُ

Be in this world as though you were a stranger or a traveler.

Source: Bukhari

اتَّقِ اللَّهَ حَيْثُمَا كُنْتَ وَأَتْبِعْ السَّيِّئَةَ الْحَسَنَةَ تَمْحُهَا وَخَالِقِ النَّاسَ بِخُلُقٍ حَسَنٍ

Fear Allah wherever you are, follow a bad deed with a good deed to erase it, and treat people with good character.

Source: Tirmidhi

الطُّهُورُ شَطْرُ الْإِيمَانِ

Cleanliness is half of faith.

Source: Muslim

الْمُسْلِمُ مَنْ سَلِمَ الْمُسْلِمُونَ مِنْ لِسَانِهِ وَيَدِهِ

A Muslim is one from whose tongue and hand other Muslims are safe.

Source: Bukhari & Muslim

مَنْ صَامَ رَمَضَانَ إِيمَانًا وَاحْتِسَابًا غُفِرَ لَهُ مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِنْ ذَنْبِهِ

Whoever fasts Ramadan out of faith and seeking reward, his previous sins will be forgiven.

Source: Bukhari & Muslim

مَنْ قَامَ لَيْلَةَ الْقَدْرِ إِيمَانًا وَاحْتِسَابًا غُفِرَ لَهُ مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِنْ ذَنْبِهِ

Whoever stands in prayer on Laylat al-Qadr out of faith and seeking reward, his previous sins will be forgiven.

Source: Bukhari & Muslim

يَقُولُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: أَنَا عِنْدَ ظَنِّ عَبْدِي بِي وَأَنَا مَعَهُ إِذَا ذَكَرَنِي

Allah says: "I am as My servant thinks of Me, and I am with him when he remembers Me."

Source: Bukhari & Muslim

أَحَبُّ الْأَعْمَالِ إِلَى اللَّهِ أَدْوَمُهَا وَإِنْ قَلَّ

The most beloved deeds to Allah are the most consistent, even if they are small.

Source: Bukhari & Muslim

الدُّعَاءُ هُوَ الْعِبَادَةُ

Supplication (dua) is worship itself.

Source: Tirmidhi

مَنْ قَرَأَ حَرْفًا مِنْ كِتَابِ اللَّهِ فَلَهُ بِهِ حَسَنَةٌ وَالْحَسَنَةُ بِعَشْرِ أَمْثَالِهَا

Whoever reads a letter from the Book of Allah will receive a good deed, and each good deed is multiplied by ten.

Source: Tirmidhi

الْمُسْلِمُ أَخُو الْمُسْلِمِ لَا يَظْلِمُهُ وَلَا يُسْلِمُهُ

A Muslim is a brother of another Muslim. He does not wrong him or forsake him.

Source: Bukhari & Muslim

مَنْ نَفَّسَ عَنْ مُؤْمِنٍ كُرْبَةً مِنْ كُرَبِ الدُّنْيَا نَفَّسَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ كُرْبَةً مِنْ كُرَبِ يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ

Whoever relieves a believer of a hardship in this world, Allah will relieve him of a hardship on the Day of Judgment.

Source: Muslim

لَا تَحَاسَدُوا وَلَا تَنَاجَشُوا وَلَا تَبَاغَضُوا وَلَا تَدَابَرُوا وَكُونُوا عِبَادَ اللَّهِ إِخْوَانًا

Do not envy one another, do not inflate prices, do not hate one another, do not turn away from one another, and be servants of Allah as brothers.

Source: Muslim

مَنْ كَانَ فِي حَاجَةِ أَخِيهِ كَانَ اللَّهُ فِي حَاجَتِهِ

Whoever fulfills the needs of his brother, Allah will fulfill his needs.

Source: Bukhari & Muslim

خَيْرُ النَّاسِ أَنْفَعُهُمْ لِلنَّاسِ

The best of people are those who are most beneficial to others.

Source: Tabarani

مَثَلُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ فِي تَوَادِّهِمْ وَتَرَاحُمِهِمْ وَتَعَاطُفِهِمْ مَثَلُ الْجَسَدِ إِذَا اشْتَكَى مِنْهُ عُضْوٌ تَدَاعَى لَهُ سَائِرُ الْجَسَدِ بِالسَّهَرِ وَالْحُمَّى

The believers in their mutual kindness, compassion, and sympathy are like one body. When one limb aches, the whole body responds with sleeplessness and fever.

Source: Bukhari & Muslim

إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَتَبَ الإِحْسَانَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ

Allah has prescribed excellence (ihsan) in all things.

Source: Muslim

مَنْ سَلَكَ طَرِيقًا يَلْتَمِسُ فِيهِ عِلْمًا سَهَّلَ اللَّهُ لَهُ بِهِ طَرِيقًا إِلَى الْجَنَّةِ

Whoever takes a path seeking knowledge, Allah will make easy for him a path to Paradise.

Source: Muslim

إِنَّ أَثْقَلَ شَيْءٍ يُوضَعُ فِي الْمِيزَانِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ خُلُقٌ حَسَنٌ

The heaviest thing placed on the Scale on the Day of Judgment is good character.

Source: Abu Dawud & Tirmidhi

إِنَّ اللَّهَ رَفِيقٌ يُحِبُّ الرِّفْقَ فِي الْأَمْرِ كُلِّهِ

Allah is gentle and loves gentleness in all matters.

Source: Bukhari & Muslim

الدُّنْيَا سِجْنُ الْمُؤْمِنِ وَجَنَّةُ الْكَافِرِ

This world is a prison for the believer and a paradise for the disbeliever.

Source: Muslim