INTRODUCTION

xi
Riyadh as-Salihin is a selection of hadith made by Imam Muhyi ad-Din Abu Zaa!iyya "ahya ibn
Sha!af an-Na#a#i$ fo! sho!t% Imam Na#a#i& Imam Na#a#i #as bo!n in the 'illa(e of Na#a in
the 'icinity of Damascus in )*+ A&,& -. A&D& +/**0& ,e (!e# u1 in Na#a and at the a(e of
nineteen mo'ed into Damascus #he!e he com1leted his studies and late! #!ote on and tau(ht
all the sub2ects #hich #e!e then cu!!ent amon( !eli(ious schola!s of that a(e& At one time he
#as att!acted to the study of medicine but soon abandoned the attem1t as he thou(ht that it
#ould dist!act his mind and #ean it a#ay f!om the study and 1u!suit of sub2ects in #hich he
#as mo!e 'itally inte!ested-& Imam Na#a#i ted a life of sin(ula! 1iety% !i(hteousness%
sim1licity and concent!ation on the s1i!itual& ,e left behind a la!(e numbe! of 'aluable #o!s
on di3e!ent to1ics% the best no#n of #hich is his Commenta!y on the Sahih of Muslim& ,e also
#!ote a Commenta!y on a 1a!t of the Sahih of 4oha!i&
Ryadh as-Salihin is a selection f!om the Sahih and one o! t#o othe! #o!s on hadith% amon(
them% the Mu#atta of Imam Mali& The (!eate! 1a!t of the hadith included in the Riyadh as-
Salihin is a selection f!om 4oha!i and Muslim$ most of these a!e to be found in both& Most
sections5 of Riyadh as-Salihin set out the !ele'ant 'e!ses f!om the ,oly 6u!an at the outset of
the section% as em1hasisin( that the Sunnah of the ,oly 7!o1het is an illust!ation of the 'alues
inculcated by the 6u!an& It #as inesca1able that some of the t!aditions !ele'ant to mo!e
sections than one #ould be !e1eated& In such cases% !e1etition has been la!(ely a'oided in the
t!anslation by fu!nishin( c!oss !efe!ences&
Imam Na#a#i% the saintly schola!% died at the ea!ly a(e of fo!ty-six in )8) A&,& - . A&D& +/890
in the 'illa(e of his bi!th% and #as dee1ly mou!ned by all sections of Muslim society in
Damascus&

:e set out belo# in an ;n(lish t!anslation the 1!eface #!itten by Imam
Na#a#i to the Riyadh as-Salihin<
=In the name of Allah% Most >!acious% ;'e! Me!ciful&
=All 1!aise belon(s to >od% the One% the Mi(hty% the Su1!eme% the Most
?o!(i'in( and ?o!bea!in(% :ho maes the ni(ht follo# the day so that it #ould
be an admonition and #a!nin( fo! those #ho ha'e been blessed #ith insi(ht and
should be a lesson fo! the #ise and fa!-si(hted& ,e it is :ho chooses #hom ,e
#ills and a#aens them f!om the slee1 of ne(lect and besto#s u1on them the
bounty of 1iety and enables them to be occu1ied #ith !e@ection and
obse!'ation% and eAui1s them #ith the ca1acity to !et!ace thei! ste1s afte! a
mistae and to acce1t and follo# (ood ad'ice& ,e enables them to #o!shi1 ,im%
to 1!e1a!e fo! the he!eafte! and to be constant in the 1u!suit of these ob2ecti'es&
I 1!aise ,im in the most eloAuent% 1u!e and com1!ehensi'e te!ms&
5I bea! #itness that the!e is no one #o!thy of #o!shi1 sa'e >od alone :ho is
,oly% Noble% >!acious and Me!ciful& I bea! #itness that ou! lo!d and maste! is
,is Se!'ant and Messen(e! and ,is f!iend and lo'ed one% #ho 1oints out the
st!ai(ht 1ath and calls 1eo1le to the t!ue faith& May Allah ha'e me!cy on him
and on all 7!o1hets and the !i(hteous and thei! descendants&
xii
INTRODUCTION
=Afte! 1!aise of Allah and callin( do#n blessin(s on the ,oly 7!o1het I
1!oceed& Allah has aB!med< I ha'e c!eated men% hi(h and lo#% so that they
mi(ht #o!shi1 Me& I desi!e no su11o!t f!om them% no! do I desi!e that they
should feed Me -C+&C8-C90& These 'e!ses clea!ly establish that the 1u!1ose of
man=s c!eation is that he should obey >od& It is% the!efo!e% im1e!ati'e that he
should ee1 this 1u!1ose constantly in mind and should 1ay no attention to
#o!ldly ado!nment and o!nament% fo! this home is not ete!nal and this is not a
1lace of 1e!manent abode& This #o!ld is me!ely a means of con'eyance to the
he!eafte!& This is not a 1lace of 2oy and ha11iness& The hi(h#ay of this life #ill
abandon one at a ce!tain tu!n% it #ill not ee1 one com1any fo!e'e!& Then those
a!e a#ae #ho 1ass thei! life in #o!shi1 and obedience% and those a!e #ise and
!easonable #ho mae !i(hteousness thei! !ule of life&
The ,oly 6u!an desc!ibes the t!ansito!y cha!acte! of the hithe! life in the
follo#in( te!ms< The life of this #o!ld is lie #ate! that :e send do#n f!om the
clouds% then the 'e(etation of the ea!th% of #hich men and cattle eat% min(les
#ith it and the ea!th is embellished and loos beautiful% and its o#ne!s belie'e
that they a!e its com1lete maste!s$ then by day o! by ni(ht% Ou! command
comes to it and :e con'e!t it into a mo#n-do#n Deld% as if nothin( had existed
the!e the day befo!e& Thus do :e ex1ound the Si(ns fo! a 1eo1le #ho !e@ect
-+E&/C0&
The!e a!e nume!ous 'e!ses in the 6u!an to the same 1u!1ose& A 1oet has said
in the same context< The!e a!e many #ise se!'ants of Allah #ho ha'e #ithd!a#n
f!om the #o!ld bein( a11!ehensi'e of its t!ials and t!ibulations& :hen they
looed dee1ly into the #o!ld they !ealiFed that it #as not man=s t!ue home& They
too it as a dee1 ocean and !aised in it the ancho!s of 'essels eAui11ed #ith
!i(hteous deeds&
Thus the #o!ld bein( t!ansito!y and the 1u!1ose of ou! c!eation bein( such
as I ha'e set out% it becomes the duty of e'e!y #ise adult Muslim to follo# the
#ay of the chosen ones and ado1t the methods of men of #isdom and
unde!standin( and to be occu1ied in 1!e1a!in( fo! the attainment of the
1u!1ose to #hich I ha'e d!a#n attention% ee1in( in mind that #hich I ha'e
1ointed out& The best and most co!!ect #ay to be ado1ted fo! the attainment of
this 1u!1ose is total obedience to the ,oly 7!o1het&
=>od has commanded< Assist one anothe! in 1iety and !ectitude -C&/0$ and the
,oly 7!o1het has said< So lon( as a Muslim occu1ies himself #ith hel1in( a
b!othe!% Allah% the ;xalted% occu1ies himself #ith hel1in( him -Muslim%
Ti!midhi and Nisai0& ,e has also said< ,e #ho di!ects anothe! to#a!ds (ood #ill
ha'e such me!it as the one #ho follo#s his di!ection$ and has said< If a 1e!son
calls anothe! to#a!ds (uidance he #ill ha'e as much me!it as the one #ho
follo#s his di!ection% #ithout the!e bein( the least diminution in the me!it of
eithe! -Muslim and Abu Daud0&
It is !e1o!ted that the ,oly 7!o1het said to Ali< Should Allah (uide one
1e!son alon( the !i(ht 1ath th!ou(h thee% that #ill be bette! fo! thee than many
!ed camels -4oha!i and Muslim0&
INTRODUCTION
xiii
=,a'in( in mind these 'e!ses of the ,oly 6u!an and these di!ections of the
,oly 7!o1het -on #hom be 1eace and blessin(s of Allah0 I #as mo'ed to 1!e1a!e a
com1endium of such of the ahadith of the ,oly 7!o1het #hich should hel1 to
!ende! easy the 2ou!ney of a !eade! to the he!eafte! and should se!'e him as a
means of acAui!in( exte!nal and inte!nal o!de! in his life and #hich should
com1!ise u!(in(s and #a!nin(s and the disci1line% 1iety and exe!cises to#a!ds
the !efo!m of conduct and the t!ainin( of mo!als and the 1u!iDcation of hea!ts&
l I ha'e taen ca!e in this boo to select f!om #ell-no#n sou!ces only such
ahadith as a!e clea! and autho!itati'e& In the be(innin( of each section attention
#ill be d!a#n to !ele'ant 'e!ses of the ,oly 6u!an&
5I am ho1in( that if this boo is com1leted it #ill hel1 to (uide the !eade!% by
Allah=s (!ace% to#a!ds 'i!tue and (oodness and #ill (ua!d him a(ainst e'il and
!uin& I !eAuest e'e!yone of my b!eth!en #ho mi(ht d!a# some beneDt f!om this
boo to 1!ay fo! me% my 1a!ents% my teache!s% my f!iends and fo! all Muslims& I
de1end enti!ely u1on >od% in ,im I belie'e and in ,im I 1ut my t!ust& ,e is
suBcient fo! me and ,e is the 4est hel1e!& The!e is no st!en(th to !esist e'il% no!
any 1o#e! to do (ood exce1t th!ou(h Allah% the Mi(hty% the :iseG
Au(ust% +H8I ZA?RUJJA K,AN