Day 7 · Hadith 7 · Nawawī's Forty
Religion is sincere advice
Outline · Day 7 of 7+
Ḥadīth
الدِّينُ النَّصِيحَةُ. قُلْنَا: لِمَنْ؟ قَالَ: لِلَّهِ وَلِكِتَابِهِ وَلِرَسُولِهِ وَلِأَئِمَّةِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ وَعَامَّتِهِمْ.
The religion is naṣīḥah (sincere advice). We asked: to whom? He said: to Allah, to His Book, to His Messenger, to the leaders of the Muslims, and to their common folk.
Narrated by Tamīm ad-Dārī · Muslim 55
Reflection & lesson
Naṣīḥah means wanting good for the other and acting on it. Nawawī quoted this as a stand-alone axis of the religion — faith is not a private matter, it is oriented outward toward five relationships.
The religion is naṣīḥah. The companions asked: to whom? He ﷺ said: to Allah, to His Book, to His Messenger, to the leaders of the Muslims, and to their common folk.
Naṣīḥah is awkwardly translated as 'sincerity' or 'sincere counsel,' but its older meaning is closer to 'pure honey' — sincerity that is unmixed with self-interest. Naṣīḥah to Allah means worshipping Him without partner. Naṣīḥah to His Book means reading it, understanding it, living by it. Naṣīḥah to His Messenger means following his Sunnah, defending his honour, sending ṣalawāt upon him.
Naṣīḥah to the leaders means honest counsel privately, not flattery in public and complaint in private. And naṣīḥah to the common folk means meaning well for them: in business, in marriage, in friendship, in correction. The Prophet ﷺ summarises the entire religion in one word, and that word is the absence of self-interest.
Carry this with you
Who in my life owes me sincere counsel, and who do I owe it to? Have I been giving or only receiving?