Home > The 40 Hadith of Nawawi > Hadith 27 of Nawawi
Hadith number 27 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
📖 18 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.
of Abd as-Salam, from Ayyub ibn Abd Allah ibn Mukraz, from Wabisa ibn Ma'bad, who said: "I came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) intending leaving no righteousness nor sin without asking him of it. He said: 'Draw near, O Wabisa!' I drew near till my knee touched his knee. He said: 'O Wabisa! Shall I inform you of what you came asking, or do you ask me?' I said: O Messenger of Allah! Inform me. He said: 'You came asking of righteousness and sin?' I said: yes. He gathered his three fingers, pointing them at my chest, saying: 'O Wabisa! Ask your soul's counsel: righteousness is what the heart rests upon, the soul tranquil; sin is what scratches the heart, wavering in the chest, though people give you verdicts and approve!'"
In another Imam Ahmad narration: az-Zubayr heard it not from Ayyub, saying: his session-mates informed me, and I saw him. In this hadith's isnad are two matters each requiring weakness: first: its break between az-Zubayr and Ayyub: reporting from people he heard not. Second: this az-Zubayr's weakness. Ad-Daraqutni said: he reports repudiated hadiths; Ibn Hibban deemed him weak too, naming him Ayyub ibn Abd as-Salam: erring in his name. He has another route from Wabisa, reported by Imam Ahmad too, from Mu'awiya ibn Salih's narration, from Abu Abd Allah as-Sulami, who said: I heard Wabisa; he mentions the hadith abridged, its wording: "Righteousness is what your chest opens to, and sin is what scratches in your chest, though people give you verdicts." This as-Sulami: Ali ibn al-Madini said: unknown. Al-Bazzar and at-Tabarani report it, with them Abu Abd Allah al-Asadi; al-Bazzar said: we know none naming him. He says: in some narrations he was named Muhammad. Abd al-Ghani ibn Sa'id the hafiz said: "were someone to say: he is Muhammad ibn Sa'id the crucified: I would not repel it." This crucified one was crucified by al-Mansur for zandaqa: famous for lying and fabrication: but met not Wabisa: and Allah knows best.
This hadith is reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) by multiple routes: some good. Imam Ahmad reports it, Ibn Hibban in his Sahih, by Yahya ibn Abi Kathir's route, from Zayd ibn Salam, from his grandfather Mamtur, from Abu Umama, who said: a man said: O Messenger of Allah! What is sin? He said: "when something scratches in your chest: leave it." This is a good isnad by Muslim's condition: for Yahya ibn Kathir's hadith from Zayd ibn Salam was reported, Ahmad establishing his hearing of him though Ibn Ma'in denied. Imam Ahmad reports from Abd Allah ibn al-Ala ibn Zabr's narration, who said: I heard Muslim ibn Mishkam say: I heard Abu Tha'laba al-Khushani say: I said: O Messenger of Allah! Inform me what is lawful and unlawful to me. He said: "Righteousness is what the soul is tranquil with, the heart rests; sin is what the soul is not tranquil with, nor the heart rests: though the verdict-giver approves you." This too is a good isnad: Abd Allah ibn al-Ala ibn Zabr is trustworthy, famous: al-Bukhari reports for him. Muslim ibn Mishkam trustworthy too, famous. At-Tabarani and others report, by a weak chain, from Wathila ibn al-Asqa's hadith, may Allah be pleased with him, who said: I said to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him): give me a verdict on a matter none asks after you. He said: "ask your soul's counsel." I said: how for me? He said: "leave what doutes you to what doubts you not, though the verdict-giver approves you." I said: how for me? He said: "place your hand upon your heart: the heart rests for lawful, rests not for unlawful." Like reported from Abu Hurayra's hadith, weak chain too. Ibn Lahi'a reports from Yazid ibn Abi Habib that Suwayd ibn Qays informed him, from Abd ar-Rahman ibn Mu'awiya: a man asked the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) saying: O Messenger of Allah! What is lawful me, unlawful? Repeating thrice, all silencing the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him); then he said: "where is the asker?" He said: I am he, O Messenger of Allah! He said with his fingers: "what your heart denies: leave it." Abu al-Qasim al-Baghawi reports it in his lexicon, saying: I know not whether Abd ar-Rahman ibn Mu'awiya heard from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) or not, knowing him no other hadith. I say: he is Abd ar-Rahman ibn Mu'awiya ibn Khudayj: reported attached in Ibn al-Mubarak's asceticism book: this Abd ar-Rahman a famous Follower: his hadith mursal. Ibn Mas'oud, may Allah be pleased with him, is authenticated saying: "sin is hearts' scratching." Imam Ahmad argued by it, reporting from Jarir, from Mansur, from Muhammad ibn Abd ar-Rahman, from his father, who said: Abd Allah said: "Beware hearts' scratchings: what scratches in your heart of anything: leave it." Abu al-Darda said: "good is in tranquility, evil in doubt." Ibn Mas'oud is reported, by an interrupted route, that it was said: consider a thing scratching our chests, knowing not: lawful or unlawful? He said: "beware the scratchings: they are the sin." Scratching and scraping are near in meaning: meant what leaves the heart tightness, distress, aversion and hate.
These hadiths contained righteousness' and sin's explanation; some explain lawful and unlawful.
In an-Nuwas ibn Sim'an's hadith the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) explained righteousness as good character. Explained in Wabisa's and others' hadiths as heart's and soul's rest: likewise explaining lawful in Abu Tha'laba's hadith.
Righteousness has two meanings
Righteousness' explanation diverged for its applying, with two considerations, two meanings. First: by treating creation with kindness: sometimes restricted to parents' kindness: bir al-walidayn said: often applied to creation-kindness generally. Ibn al-Mubarak composed a book named: "righteousness and ties' book"; likewise in al-Bukhari's Sahih and at-Tirmidhi's collection: "righteousness and ties' book": containing creation-kindness generally, parents' righteousness preferred. In Bahz ibn Hakim's hadith, from his father, from his grandfather, that he said: O Messenger of Allah! Who is most righteous? He said: "your mother." He said: then who? He said: "then your father." He said: then who? He said: "then nearest, then nearest." Of this meaning the Prophet's word (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him): "The accepted pilgrimage has no reward: except Paradise." In the Musnad, asked pilgrimage's righteousness, saying: "feeding food, spreading salam." Another version: "and good speech." Ibn Umar, may Allah be pleased with both, said: "Righteousness is an easy thing: open face, soft word." Righteousness coupled with piety, as His word:
"Help one another in righteousness and piety."
Al-Ma'ida, 2
righteousness may mean: creation-kindness treatment; piety: Truth's treatment: obedience and avoiding prohibitions. Righteousness may mean obligations' deed, piety prohibitions' avoiding. His word:
"Help not one another in sin and hostility."
Al-Ma'ida, 2
sin may mean: disobediences; hostility: creation-oppression. Sin may mean inherently forbidden: fornication, theft, wine; hostility: exceeding permitted to prohibited, kind permitted: killing whose killing permitted for retaliation, and whose not; taking people more than duty in zakat and such; exceeding commanded limit in punishments, and likewise.
Righteousness' second meaning: all obediences' deed, apparent and inward: like His word:
"But righteousness is whoever believes in Allah, the Last Day, the angels, the book and the prophets; gives wealth despite love, to kin, orphans, the poor, the wayfarer, beggars, and for slaves; establishes prayer, gives zakat; fulfilling pacts when concluded: patient in misery, hardship and time of sternness: those are the truthful: those the mindful."
Al-Baqara, 177
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is reported asked of faith, reciting this verse.
Righteousness thus includes all inward obediences: believing Allah, His angels, books, messengers; apparent obediences: spending wealth what Allah loves, establishing prayer, giving zakat, fulfilling covenant, enduring decrees: sickness, poverty; and obediences: enduring meeting the enemy.
The Prophet's answer (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) in an-Nuwas's hadith may be exhaustive of all these traits: good character intending moralizing by Sharia's morals, Allah's etiquette educating His servants in His book: as the Most High said to His messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him):
"And you are, indeed, upon a great character."
Al-Qalam, 4
Aicha, may Allah be pleased with her, said: "his character was the Qur'an": meaning he disciplined by its discipline: doing commands, avoiding prohibitions. Acting by Qur'an became character, like nature and disposition inseparable: the best, noblest, most beautiful morals. Said: "the whole religion is character."
As for Wabisa's hadith: he said: "righteousness is what the heart rests upon, the soul tranquil." A version: "what the chest opens to." Explained lawful likewise, in Abu Tha'laba's and others' hadith.
This indicates Allah originated servants on knowing truth, resting to it, accepting: implanting in natures its love, opposite's repulsion.
[Righteousness, Islam, sound nature, known-good, good:] This may enter his word in Iyad ibn Himar's hadith: "I created My servants upright Muslims: devils came them, diverting them their religion: forbidding them what I made lawful, commanding associating Me what I sent no authority for." And his word: "Every newborn born upon sound nature: parents Jewing, Christianing or Magianing him like cattle bearing whole cattle: perceive you any maimed?" Abu Hurayra, may Allah be pleased with him, said: read then, if you will: "Allah's nature He originated people upon: no change in Allah's creation." Hence Allah named what He commands "known-good," forbade "blameworthy": the Most High says:
"Allah commands justice, excellence, giving kin: forbids indecency, blameworthy, oppression."
An-Nahl, 90
and the Most High says, describing the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him):
"he makes lawful the good things, forbids the foul."
Al-A'raf, 157
He informed believers' hearts rest by His remembrance: the heart faith's light entering, opening and expanding: rests for truth, tranquil, accepting: repulsed by falsehood, hating, accepting not.
Mu'adh ibn Jabal said: "I warn you the sage's swerving: the devil may say a misguidance word upon the sage's tongue, the hypocrite a truth word." Mu'adh was told: how know I the sage misguidance-word, the hypocrite truth-word? He said: "yes: avoid the sage's ambiguous famous sayings said: what is this: and deter not from him: perhaps he retracts; receive truth when hearing: truth has light." Abu Dawud reports it, a version saying: "yes: what is ambiguous of the sage's speech, until you say: what intended by this word?" This indicates truth and falsehood confused not to the seeing believer: knowing truth by its light: heart accepting, repulsed by falsehood: denying, knowing not.
[And whoever reports what heard not:] Of this meaning the Prophet's word (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him): "There will be at time's end a people reporting you what you heard not, nor your fathers: beware them!" Meaning: they come with what believers' hearts abhor, knowing not. His word "you and your fathers": alludes to what settled in believers' knowledge despite pact's age and time's length: truth; innovated after, abhorred: no good.
Wabisa's hadith and its meaning indicate returning to hearts upon ambiguity: heart resting, chest opening: righteousness and lawful; otherwise: sin and unlawful.
His word in an-Nuwas ibn Sim'an's hadith: "sin is what scratches the chest, disliking people knowing": alluding sin is what leaves chest hardship, tightness, anxiety, disturbance: chest opening not; despite that, people-disapproved: abhorred upon knowing: highest rank of knowing sin at ambiguity: abhorred by doer and other.
What Muslims see good
Of this meaning Ibn Mas'oud's word, may Allah be pleased with him: "What believers see good: good with Allah; what they see ugly: ugly with Allah."
His word in Wabisa's and Abu Tha'laba's hadiths: "though the verdict-giver approves you": meaning what scratches man's chest is sin, though another approves, saying: no sin. Second rank: thing abhorred by doer only: he made it sin too.
This is only when its holder is of those whose chest opened to faith, the verdict-giver verdicting by mere conjecture or whim-inclination, without legal proof. The verdict-giver with legal proof: the asker obligated returning though chest opening not: like legal licenses: travel-breaking fast, sickness, travel-prayer-shortening and such: many ignorant chests opening not: no regard.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) sometimes commanded companions what some chests opened not: abstaining: angering: commanding transforming pilgrimage to umra: some hating; commanding slaughtering offerings, releasing al-Hudaybiya's umra: hating; hating Quraysh-negotiation: returning his year, whoever coming to him returned them.
What text came therein
In sum: what text came: the believer has only obeying Allah and His messenger: as the Most High said:
"It behooves not a believer nor believing woman, when Allah and His messenger decide an affair, to have choice in their affair."
Al-Ahzab, 36
Received with chest-opening and satisfaction: what Allah and His messenger legislated requires believing, satisfying, submitting: as the Most High said:
"No! By your Lord! They believe not until they judge you of their disputes, then finding in themselves no discomfort of your decision, submitting fully."
An-Nisa, 65
What has no text
As for what has no text from Allah nor His messenger, nor the followed: Companions and community's predecessors: when something scratches the tranquil believing soul, heart resting by faith, chest opened by knowledge and certitude's light: finding none verdicting license but the opinion-reported: untrusted knowledge and religion, known whim-follower: here the believer returns to his chest's scratching, though these deluders approve. Ahmad stated likewise. Al-Marwudhi said in the scrupulousness book: I said to Abu Abd Allah: severance is softer than other markets, something of its affair scratching my heart. He said: "its affair a filthy, polluted affair." I said: do you dislike working therein? He said: "leave that: when nothing scratches your heart." I said: something scratched. He said: "Ibn Mas'oud said: sin is hearts' scratching." I said: after consultation. He said: "what scratches your heart?" I said: my heart disturbed. He said: "sin is hearts' scratching."
What preceded touching these hadiths' explanation
Touching these mentioned hadiths' explanation preceded: an-Nu'man ibn Bashir's hadith commentary, may Allah be pleased with him: "the lawful is clear, the unlawful clear"; al-Hasan ibn Ali's hadith commentary, may Allah be pleased with both: "leave what doutes you to what doubts you not"; and "had you no shyness, do what you will"'s commentary.
Groups of Shafi'i and Hanafi jurists theorizing fiqh's roots mentioned inspiration's question: proof or not? Mentioning their divergence; some of our companions mentioned unveiling not rulings' way: the judge Abu Ya'la took it from Ahmad's speech blaming theorists on whispers and thoughts: some of our companions opposed them. We mentioned Ahmad's text here of returning to hearts' scratching.
Ahmad and others blamed rather the theorists on the Sufis' whispers and thoughts: their speech thereon leaning on no legal proof, but mere opinion and taste: as he denied lawful-unlawful questions' speech by mere taste without legal proof.
Returning in ambiguous affairs to hearts' scratching: prophetic texts and Companions' fatwas indicated: how would Imam Ahmad deny after? Especially returning to it conforming them?!
The hadith "truth is tranquility, lying doubt" preceded: truth distinguished from lying by heart's rest to it, knowing; repulsion from lying and denying: as ar-Rabi' ibn Khuthaym said: "speech has light like daylight: you know it; lying has darkness like night's: you deny it." Imam Ahmad reports from Rabi'a's hadith, from Abd al-Malik ibn Sa'id ibn Suwayd, from Abu Humayd and Abu Usayd, may Allah be pleased with both: the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "When you hear speech from me your hearts recognize, your hairs and skins soften to it, seeing it of you near: I am most entitled of you to it; when you hear speech from me your hearts deny, your hairs and skins repelled, seeing it of you far: I am farthest of you from it." Its isnad: said by Muslim's condition: reporting by this same isnad a hadith: but this hadith is defective: reporting it from Bukayr ibn al-Ashajj, from Abd al-Malik ibn Sa'id, from Abbas ibn Sahl, from Ubayy ibn Ka'b, of his word. Al-Bukhari said: the more correct. Yahya ibn Adam reports from Ibn Abi Dhi'b, from Sa'id al-Maqbari, from Abu Hurayra, may Allah be pleased with him, from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), who said: "Reported from me speech you recognize denying not: believe it: I say nothing but known, un-denied; reported speech you deny knowing not: believe not: I say nothing denied, unknown." This hadith defective too. Its isnad on Ibn Abi Dhi'b diverged: traditionists report it from him, from Sa'id, mursal: mursal more correct with traditionists' imams: Ibn Ma'in, al-Bukhari, Abu Hatim ar-Razi, Ibn Khuzayma, saying: "I saw none of the hadith scholars establishing its connection."
Such hadiths are carried upon authenticity-supposition upon the hadith folk's giant critical imams' knowledge: their abundant practice of the Prophet's speech (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and others', narrators' states, news-transmitters, knowing their truth and lie, memory and precision: these have special hadith-criticism, knowing it specially: like the expert money-changer knowing coins: good, bad, pure, alloyed; the expert jeweler knowing gems: criticizing jewels.
None of these can express knowledge's cause, establishing for others proof: its sign: the unique hadith presented to a group of this science's knowers: agreeing answer without collusion. Tested among them repeatedly in Abu Zur'a's and Abu Hatim's time: the affair found so: the asker said: I testify this science is inspiration.
Al-A'mash said: "Ibrahim an-Nakha'i was a money-changer in hadith: I heard men, presenting him what I heard." Amr ibn Qays said: "The hadith-holder should be like the money-changer criticizing dirhams: dirhams have false and gilded: likewise hadith." Al-Awza'i said: "We heard hadith, presenting our companions, as false dirham presented money-changers: what they knew we took, what they denied we left." Abd ar-Rahman ibn Mahdi was told: you say of a thing: this authentic, this not established: of whom do you say? He said: see: coming to the critic, showing your dirhams: he says: this good, this gilded: would you ask of whom, or surrender the affair? He said: no: rather surrender. He said: so this: for long sitting, debating, knowing him. Like reported from Imam Ahmad too: told: O Abu Abd Allah! You say: "this hadith repudiated": how known, writing not the hadith all? He said: "our example the coin-critic's: all coins fall not his hand: when a dinar falls his hand he knows good, bad." Ibn Mahdi said: "hadith knowledge is inspiration." He said: "our hadith-denial among the ignorant is like bragging." Abu Hatim ar-Razi said: "hadith knowledge's example: two gems, one priced a hundred dinars, its like by color ten dirhams. As the critic cannot inform criticism's cause: so we were granted knowledge informing not how we knew this hadith a lie, this hadith repudiated: but by what we know." He said: "the dinar's quality known by comparing other: lacking redness and purity: known alloyed; gem's kind known by comparing other: differing in water and hardness: known glass. Hadith's soundness known by transmitters' justice, speech fitting prophethood: its badness and denial known by the single unjust narrator's individualization." And Allah knows best. In any case, the giant critics knowing hadith's defects are very few hadith folk individuals. First famous in hadith-criticism speech: Ibn Sirin; followed by Ayyub as-Sakhtiyani: Shu'ba took from him; Yahya al-Qattan from Shu'ba; Ibn Mahdi; Ahmad took from both; Ali ibn al-Madini and Ibn Ma'in: took like al-Bukhari, Abu Dawud, Abu Zur'a, Abu Hatim. Abu Zur'a said in his time: "Whoever understands this is rare: how I despise repelling it from one or two: how rare finding one mastering this?!" When Abu Zur'a died, Abu Hatim said: "departed he who mastered this," meaning Abu Zur'a, "remaining none in Egypt nor Iraq mastering this." Told after Abu Zur'a's death: "know you today anyone knowing this?" He said: "no." Came after them a group: an-Nasa'i, al-Aqili, Ibn Adi, ad-Daraqutni: after them rare one expert in its knowledge: until Abu al-Faraj ibn al-Jawzi said, at his fabricated-hadiths book's opening: "Whoever understands this is rare: rather absent." And Allah knows best.