Sharh al-Arba'in al-Nawawiyya by Ibn Uthaymeen (شرح الأربعين النووية) — Page 10

Arabic text · النص

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

وَمِثْلُ هَذِهِ الْمَسَائِلِ الَّتِي وَقَعَ مِنْهُ - رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ - خَطَأٌ فِي تَأْوِيلِ بَعْضِ نُصُوصِ الصِّفَاتِ إِنَّهُ لَمَغْمُورٌ بِمَا لَهُ مِنْ فَضَائِلَ وَمَنَافِعَ جَمَّةٍ،

The errors he made regarding the interpretation of certain divine attributes—may Allah have mercy on him—are completely eclipsed by his immense virtues and contributions.

وَلَا نَظُنُّ أَنَّ مَا وَقَعَ مِنْهُ إِلَّا صَادِرٌ عَنِ اجْتِهَادٍ وَتَأْوِيلٍ سَائِغٍ - وَلَوْ فِي رَأْيِهِ

We believe his actions stemmed from sincere scholarly effort and a permissible interpretation, at least in his own view.

وَأَرْجُو أَنْ يَكُونَ مِنَ الْخَطَأِ الْمَغْفُورِ، وَأَنْ يَكُونَ مَا قَدَّمَهُ مِنَ الْخَيْرِ وَالنَّفْعِ مِنَ السَّعْيِ الْمَشْكُورِ،

I hope these were forgivable mistakes and that his contributions to the good will be counted among his rewarded efforts.

وَأَنْ يَصْدُقَ عَلَيْهِ قَوْلُ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى: ﴿إِنَّ الْحَسَنَاتِ يُذْهِبْنَ السَّيِّئَاتِ﴾.

May the words of Allah Almighty apply to him: 'Indeed, good deeds do away with misdeeds.'

وَلَقَدْ ضَلَّ قَوْمٌ مِنَ الْخَلَفِ الْخَالِفِينَ الَّذِينَ أَخَذُوا يَسُبُّونَهُ سَبًّا عَظِيمًا حَتَّى بَلَغَنِي أَنَّ بَعْضَهُمْ قَالَ: يَجِبُ أَنْ يُحْرَقَ شَرْحُ النَّوَوِيِّ عَلَى صَحِيحِ مُسْلِمٍ، نَسْأَلُ اللَّهَ الْعَافِيَةَ.

Some among the later generations have gone astray, hurling severe insults at him; I have even heard that some suggest his commentary on Sahih Muslim should be burned. We seek refuge in Allah from such attitudes.

فَالنَّوَوِيُّ نَشْهَدُ لَهُ فِيمَا نَعْلَمُ مِنْ حَالِهِ بِالصَّلَاحِ، وَأَنَّهُ مُجْتَهِدٌ، وَأَنَّ كُلَّ مُجْتَهِدٍ يُصِيبُ وَقَدْ يُخْطِئُ،

We testify to Al-Nawawi's righteousness based on what we know of his character. He was a scholar who exercised independent judgment, and every such scholar may be right or wrong.

إِنْ أَخْطَأَ فَلَهُ أَجْرٌ وَاحِدٌ وَإِنْ أَصَابَ فَلَهُ أَجْرَانِ.

If he erred, he receives one reward, and if he was correct, he receives two.

وَقَدْ أَلَّفَ مُؤَلَّفَاتٍ كَثِيرَةً مِنْ أَحْسَنِهَا هَذَا الْكِتَابُ: «الْأَرْبَعُونَ النَّوَوِيَّةُ»، وَهِيَ لَيْسَتْ أَرْبَعِينَ، بَلْ هِيَ اثْنَانِ وَأَرْبَعُونَ،

He authored many books, the best of which is 'The Forty Nawawiyyah.' It actually contains forty-two hadiths, not forty.

لَكِنَّ الْعَرَبَ يَحْذِفُونَ الْكَسْرَ فِي الْأَعْدَادِ فَيَقُولُونَ: أَرْبَعُونَ.

The Arabs often omit fractions when counting, simply calling it 'forty'.

وَإِنْ زَادَ وَاحِدًا أَوِ اثْنَيْنِ، أَوْ نَقَصَ وَاحِدًا أَوِ اثْنَيْنِ.

This is common even if the number is slightly higher or lower.

وَهَذِهِ الْأَرْبَعُونَ يَنْبَغِي لِطَالِبِ الْعِلْمِ أَنْ يَحْفَظَهَا، لِأَنَّهَا مُنْتَخَبَةٌ مِنْ أَحَادِيثَ عَدِيدَةٍ.

Students of knowledge should memorize this collection, as it is a selection of numerous important hadiths.

وَفِي أَبْوَابٍ مُتَفَرِّقَةٍ، بِخِلَافِ غَيْرِهَا مِنَ الْمُؤَلَّفَاتِ فَلَوْ نَظَرْنَا إِلَى عُمْدَةِ الْأَحْكَامِ لَوَجَدْنَاهَا مُنْتَخَبَةً؛ لَكِنَّهَا فِي بَابٍ وَاحِدٍ وَهُوَ بَابُ الْفِقْهِ،

Unlike other works, these cover diverse topics. For instance, 'Umdat al-Ahkam is also a selection, but it is confined to the single subject of jurisprudence.

أَمَّا الْأَرْبَعُونَ النَّوَوِيَّةُ فَهِيَ فِي أَبْوَابٍ مُتَفَرِّقَةٍ مُتَنَوِّعَةٍ.

The 'Forty Nawawiyyah,' by contrast, spans a variety of different chapters.

وَنَحْنُ نَسْتَعِينُ بِاللَّهِ تَعَالَى فِي التَّعْلِيقِ عَلَيْهَا.

We seek Allah's help in providing commentary on this work.

وَاللَّهُ الْمُوَفِّقُ.

May Allah grant us success.

Vocabulary · المفردات (28 verbs · 58 nouns)

• وَقَعَ — to occur
• رَحِمَ — to have mercy
• ظَنَّ — to think
• رَجَا — to hope
• كَانَ — to be
• صَدَقَ — to be truthful
• أَذْهَبَ — to remove
• ضَلَّ — to go astray
• أَخَذَ — to begin
• سَبَّ — to insult
• بَلَغَ — to reach
• قَالَ — to say
• وَجَبَ — to be necessary
• حَرَقَ — to burn
• سَأَلَ — to ask
• شَهِدَ — to witness
• عَلِمَ — to know
• أَصَابَ — to hit the mark
• أَخْطَأَ — to make a mistake
• أَلَّفَ — to author
• حَذَفَ — to delete
• زَادَ — to increase
• نَقَصَ — to decrease
• اِنْبَغَى — to be appropriate
• حَفِظَ — to memorize
• نَظَرَ — to look
• وَجَدَ — to find
• اسْتَعَانَ — to seek help
• مِثْل — likeness
• مَسْأَلَة — issue
• خَطَأ — mistake
• تَأْوِيل — interpretation
• نَصّ — text
• صِفَة — attribute
• فَضِيلَة — virtue
• مَنْفَعَة — benefit
• جَمّ — abundant
• صَادِر — issuing
• اجْتِهَاد — diligence
• سَائِغ — permissible
• رَأْي — opinion
• خَيْر — good
• نَفْع — benefit
• سَعْي — effort
• مَشْكُور — thanked
• قَوْل — saying
• حَسَنَة — good
• سَيِّئَة — bad
• قَوْم — people
• خَلَف — successor
• خَالِف — one who follows
• سَبّ — insult
• عَظِيم — great
• بَعْض — some
• شَرْح — explanation
• صَحِيح — authentic
• عَافِيَة — well-being
• حَال — state
• صَلَاح — righteousness
• مُجْتَهِد — diligent
• أَجْر — reward
• وَاحِد — one
• مُؤَلَّف — book
• كَثِير — many
• حَسَن — best
• كِتَاب — book
• أَرْبَعُون — forty
• اثْنَان — two
• عَرَب — Arabs
• كَسْر — fraction
• عَدَد — number
• طَالِب — student
• عِلْم — knowledge
• مُنْتَخَب — selected
• حَدِيث — hadith
• عَدِيد — or with / numerous
• بَاب — chapter
• مُتَفَرِّق — scattered
• خِلَاف — difference
• غَيْر — other
• عُمْدَة — pillar
• حُكْم — ruling
• فِقْه — jurisprudence
• مُتَنَوِّع — varied
• تَعْلِيق — commentary
• مُوَفِّق — grantor of success