Description

This collection of forty hadith by one of the most famous compilers of hadith is generally regarded as the most popular anthology and the best introduction to the study of the Prophet’s sayings which, together with the Qur’an, contain the essential teachings of Islam. The Arabic original has been printed alongside the English translation for the benefit of those with a knowledge of Arabic. The translation, by two scholars working in close collaboration, combines accuracy with readability.

Yahya b. Sharaf al-Nawawi (d. 676/1277), although best known for his work on hadith, was also the Imam of the later Shafi’i school of jurisprudence, and widely acknowledged as the intellectual heir of Imam Shafi’i. The Islamic Texts Society have also published his other work, Al-Nawawi’s Manual of Islam.

The late Ezzeddin Ibrahim taught and held educational posts in several Middle Eastern countries and was well known as a writer and lecturer on Islamic subjects. Along with Denys Johnson-Davies, he also co-translated Forty Hadith Qudsi and The Goodly Word: Al-Kalim al-Tayyib, both published by the Islamic Texts Society. The late Denys Johnson-Davies was a well-known translator having published more than twenty-five volumes of short stories. Aside from the above two titles co-translated with Ezzeddin Ibrahim, he has also translated Al-Ghazali on the Manners Relating to Eating, as part of the Islamic Texts Society’s Al-Ghazali Series.