Sharh al-Arba'in al-Nawawiyya by Ibn Uthaymeen (شرح الأربعين النووية) — Page 300

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

شَرْحُ الأَرْبَعِينَ النَّوَوِيَّةِ «الْبِرُّ مَا اطْمَأَنَّ إِلَيْهِ الْقَلْبُ وَاطْمَأَنَّتْ إِلَيْهِ النَّفْسُ اطْمَأَنَّ : يَعْنِي اسْتَقَرَّ، وَمِنْهُ الْحَدِيثُ : ارْكَعْ حَتَّى تَطْمَئِنَّ رَاكِعًا أَيْ تَسْتَقِرَّ، فَمَا اسْتَقَرَّ إِلَيْهِ الْقَلْبُ وَرَضِيَ بِهِ وَانْشَرَحَ بِهِ وَاطْمَأَنَّتْ إِلَيْهِ النَّفْسُ بِحَيْثُ لَا تُحَدِّثُكَ نَفْسُكَ بِالْخُرُوجِ عَنْهُ، فَهَذَا هُوَ الْبِرُّ، وَلَكِنْ لِمَنْ قَلْبُهُ سَلِيمٌ وَنِيَّتُهُ صَادِقَةٌ.

Explanation of the Forty Hadith: 'Righteousness is that which the heart finds tranquility in and the soul finds tranquility in.' 'Itma'anna' (finds tranquility) means to settle; from this is the hadith: 'Bow until you are tranquil in your bowing,' meaning until you settle. So, that which the heart settles upon, is pleased with, feels expanded by, and the soul finds tranquility in, such that your soul does not suggest to you to depart from it, this is righteousness, but only for one whose heart is sound and whose intention is sincere.

أَمَّا مَنْ لَيْسَ كَذَلِكَ فَقَلْبُهُ لَا يَطْمَئِنُّ لِلْبِرِّ وَلَا تَطْمَئِنُّ إِلَيْهِ نَفْسُهُ، وَلِهَذَا تَجِدُهُ إِذَا شَرَعَ فِي الْبِرِّ يَضِيقُ ذَرْعًا وَيُسْرِعُ هَرَبًا حَتَّى كَأَنَّهُ مَطْرُودٌ، لَكِنَّ الْمُؤْمِنَ يَطْمَئِنُّ قَلْبُهُ وَتَطْمَئِنُّ نَفْسُهُ إِلَى الْبِرِّ.

As for one who is not like that, his heart does not find tranquility in righteousness, nor does his soul find tranquility in it; that is why you find him, when he begins a righteous act, feeling distressed and rushing to flee as if he were being chased, whereas the believer's heart and soul find tranquility in righteousness.

وَالإِثْمُ مَا حَاكَ فِي النَّفْسِ أَيْ تَرَدَّدَ فِيهَا وَتَرَدَّدَ فِي الصَّدْرِ يَعْنِي فِي الْقَلْبِ، لِأَنَّهُ قَالَ : «الْبِرُّ مَا اطْمَأَنَّتْ إِلَيْهِ النَّفْسُ وَاطْمَأَنَّ إِلَيْهِ الْقَلْبُ.

And sin is that which wavers in the soul, meaning it fluctuates within it and fluctuates in the chest, that is, in the heart, because he said: 'Righteousness is that which the soul finds tranquility in and the heart finds tranquility in.'

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Vocabulary · المفردات (24 verbs · 38 nouns)

• اطْمَأَنَّ — to be reassured
• عَنَى — to mean
• اسْتَقَرَّ — to settle
• شَرْح — explanation
• أَرْبَعُون — forty
• نَوَوِيَّة — Nawawi