Home > The 40 Hadith of Nawawi > Hadith 13 of Nawawi
Hadith number 13 of the collection of the 40 hadiths of Imam an-Nawawi, in a faithful English translation.
Updated on 10 September 2026 at 2:45 AM
📖 13 min readThis hadith belongs to the collection of the 40 hadiths of Imam an-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him), the most studied hadith compilation in the world: foundations of faith, worship and character, all authentic narrations.
And this narration clarifies the meaning of the version reported in the two Sahihs, and that negating faith means negating reaching its reality and end; for faith is often negated by the initiation of some of its pillars and obligations, like the word (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him): "The adulterer does not commit adultery while committing adultery, being a believer; the thief does not steal while stealing, being a believer; and he does not drink khamr while drinking it, being a believer." And his word: "Not a believer the one whose neighbor is not safe from his misdeeds."
The scholars differed on the committer of great sins: is he called a believer with incomplete faith, or is he not called a believer, rather it is said: he is a Muslim and not a believer? Two opinions, which are two narrations from Imam Ahmad.
As for one who commits small sins, the name of faith does not leave him entirely: he is a believer with incomplete faith, diminished in his faith according to what he committed of that.
The opinion that the committer of a great sin is called a believer with incomplete faith is reported from Jabir ibn Abdallah, and it is the opinion of Ibn al-Moubarak, Ishaq, Abu Obayd and others. The opinion that he is a Muslim and not a believer is reported from Abu Ja'far: Muhammad ibn Ali, and some mention he chose it according to the people of the Sunna. Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: "From the adulterer is removed the light of faith." Abu Hourayra said: "Faith is removed from him, remaining above him like a shade; when he repents, it returns to him." Abdallah ibn Rawaha and Abu ad-Darda said: "Faith is like a garment: man wears it at times and removes it at times." Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) and others said the like. The meaning: when he completes the traits of faith he wears it, and when something of it is lacking he removes it.
All this points to the complete perfect faith from which nothing of its obligations is missing. The intent is that among the traits of obligatory faith: that man love for his believing brother what he loves for himself, and detest for him what he detests for himself; when that departs from him, his faith diminishes thereby. It is reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said to Abu Hourayra: "Love for the people what you love for yourself: you will be a Muslim." Reported by at-Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah. Imam Ahmad reports from the hadith of Muadh that he asked the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) about the best faith. He said: "The best faith: that you be loved for Allah, hated for Allah, and that your tongue work in the remembrance of Allah." He said: "And what else, O Messenger of Allah?" He said: "That you love for people what you love for yourself, and detest for them what you detest for yourself, and that you speak good or remain silent."
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) tied entry into Paradise upon this trait. In the Mousnad of Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him), from Yazid ibn Asad al-Qouchayri: the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said to me: "Do you love Paradise?" I said: yes. He said: "Then love for your brother what you love for yourself."
In the Sahih of Muslim, from the hadith of Abdallah ibn Amr ibn al-As, from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him): "Whoever would love to be removed from the Fire and entered into Paradise: let his death overtake him while believing in Allah and the Last Day, and let him treat people as he would love to be treated."
Therein also, from Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him): the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said to me: "O Abu Dharr, I see you as weak; and I love for you what I love for myself: never command two persons, and never administer an orphan's wealth." He prohibited him that for the weakness he saw in him; and he (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) loved this for every weak one, and it is he who administered the people's affairs, for Allah had strengthened him for it, and commanded him to call all creation to His obedience and to administer the governance of their religion and their world.
It is reported from Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said to him: "I love for you what I love for myself, and detest for you what I detest for myself: read not the Quran in major impurity, nor while bowing, nor while prostrating." And Muhammad ibn Was' was selling his donkey; a man said to him: "Do you accept my buying it?" He said: "Were I to accept, I would not sell it." And this is an allusion from him that he accepts for his brother only what he accepts for himself. All this is among the sincere counsel to all the Muslims, which is among religion, as explained previously at its place. We already mentioned earlier the hadith of an-Nouman ibn Bachir (may Allah be pleased with him), from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him): "The example of the believers in their mutual love, compassion and mercy is like the body: when one member complains, the whole body shares insomnia and fever." The two reported it in the Sahihs.
This indicates that what grieves his believing brother grieves the believer, and what saddens him saddens him. And the hadith of Anas we now discuss indicates that what pleases his believing brother pleases the believer, and he wants for his believing brother what he wants for himself of good.
All this comes only from the completeness of the chest's purity from deceit, oppression and envy; for envy requires that the envier hate anyone surpassing him in good or equaling him, for he loves to distinguish himself from people by his virtues and single himself out. Faith requires the contrary: that all believers share with him the good Allah gave him, without anything diminishing. Allah the Most High praised in His Book him who seeks no elevation in the earth nor corruption, saying: "That last abode, We give it to those who seek not elevation in the earth nor corruption."
Ibn Jarir reports with a debated chain, from Ali (may Allah be pleased with him): a man is pleased that the strap of his sandal be finer than the strap of his companion's sandal, he enters the word of the Most High: "That last abode, We give it to those who seek not elevation in the earth nor corruption; and the final outcome belongs to the pious." Likewise reported from al-Foudayl ibn Iyad in this verse: "he loves not that his sandal be finer than another's sandal, nor his strap finer than another's strap."
It has been said: this is understood as intending vanity over others, not mere adornment. Ikrima and other exegetes say in this verse: elevation in the earth: arrogance and seeking honor and rank with the holder of authority; corruption: acting in disobediences. There has come what indicates one is not sinful for hating that anyone surpass him in beauty. Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) and al-Hakim in his Sahih report the hadith of Ibn Mas'oud (may Allah be pleased with him): "I came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), with him Malik ibn Mourara ar-Rahawi, and I caught him saying: O Messenger of Allah, beauty has been allotted to me as you see, and I love no one of the people surpassing me by two sandals and beyond, is that not injustice? He said: No! It is not injustice; injustice is of one who puffs up, or says: I am wiser, and squeezes the people." Abu Dawud reports from the hadith of Abu Hourayra (may Allah be pleased with him), from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) the sense, and in his hadith: "arrogance" in place of "injustice", negating that his dislike of anyone surpassing him in beauty be injustice or arrogance, and explained injustice and arrogance as puffing up against truth, which is arrogance upon him, and refusing to accept it as arrogance when it contradicts his desire.
From here, some Ancients said: "Humility: to accept truth from whoever brings it, even if small." Whoever accepts truth from whoever brings it, small or great, loved or unloved, is humble. Whoever refuses accepting truth out of disdain is arrogant. And squeezing the people: their contempt and disdain; that arises from looking at one's self with the eye of perfection, and others with the eye of deficiency.
In sum, the believer ought to love for the believers what he loves for himself, and detest for them what he detests for himself; when he sees in his Muslim brother a deficiency in religion, let him strive to reform it. Righteous ones of the Ancients said: "The people of love for Allah looked by Allah's light, and had compassion on the people of Allah's disobediences: they detested their deeds and pitied them, to remove them from their acts by exhortations, and had concern for their bodies against the Fire."
The believer is not a true believer until he is pleased for people with what he is pleased for himself. And when he sees in another a virtue surpassing him, let him wish for himself its like: if that virtue is religious, it is good. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) wished for himself the station of martyrdom. And he said: "No envy except in two: a man given wealth by Allah, spending it night and day; and a man given the Quran by Allah, reciting it night and day." And he said of the one he saw spending his wealth in obedience to Allah: "Were I to have wealth, I would do therein as this one", the two are equal in reward. And if it is worldly, no good in wishing it, as the Most High said: "He went out to his people in his adornment. Those who desire the worldly life said: would we have the like of what Qaroun was given: he owns a great fortune. And those given knowledge said: woe to you, Allah's reward is better for who believes and works righteousness."
As for the word of the Mighty and Majestic: "And wish not for that by which Allah preferred some of you over others", it was interpreted as envy: man's wishing the very thing given his brother of family and wealth, and its transfer to him; and interpreted as wishing what is prohibited legally or by decree, like women wishing to be men, or having like men religious virtues as jihad, or worldly as inheritance, full capacity and testimony. It was said: the verse encompasses all that. And despite all this, it befits the believer to grieve for the loss of religious virtues; therefore he was commanded to look, in religion, at one above him, and to compete in seeking it with his effort and capacity, as the Most High said: "Let the rivals compete therein." And he dislikes not that anyone share with him in that, but it is obligatory upon all people to compete therein, and he exhorts them to it: that is of the perfect fulfillment of counsel to the brothers.
Al-Foudayl said: "If you love people be like you, you have not rendered counsel to your Lord, how, while you love them to be below you?!" He points out that counsel for them: to love them above him, a high station, a lofty degree in counsel, but not obligatory. What is commanded in the Law: to love them like him; and despite that, if anyone surpasses him in religious virtue, he strives to catch up, grieves for his self's shortcoming and lagging behind the predecessors, not envying them what Allah gave them, but competing with them, joy in others, and grieving for his self's shortcoming and lag from the predecessors' stations.
It befits the believer to ever see himself falling short of the high stations, gaining thereby two precious benefits: effort in seeking virtues, and increase in them; and looking at his self with the eye of deficiency. From this arises that it is obligatory upon the believers to be better than him; for he accepts not for them to be like his state, as he accepts not for himself what it is, but strives to reform it.
Muhammad ibn Was' said to his son: your father, may Allah not multiply in the Muslims his like. Whoever is not satisfied with himself, how would he love the Muslims be like him, while counseling them? He loves rather for the Muslims to be better than him, and loves for himself to be better than what he is.
And if a man knows Allah specifically preferred him over another by grace, and informs of it for a religious interest, his informing being in the form of mentioning blessings, and sees himself lacking in gratitude: it is permitted; Ibn Mas'oud said: "I know none more knowledgeable of Allah's Book than I." This does not prevent loving that people share with him what Allah specified him with: Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: I pass by a verse of Allah's Book and wish all people knew from it what I know.
Al-Chafi'i said: "I would wish the people learn this science without anything of it being attributed to me."
Outba the servant, when intending to break his fast, would say to some of his brothers knowing his works: "Bring me water or dates to break upon: you shall have the like of my reward."