Why forty? An-Nawawî says himself that the hadith promising a reward for learning forty hadiths is weak.
He relies instead on an authentic order of the Prophet ﷺ: “Let the one present pass it on to the one absent.”
He kept only authentic hadiths, most from al-Bukhârî and Muslim, each one a great rule of the religion.
Hadith 1. The Prophet ﷺ said: “Deeds are only by intentions, and each person will have what he intended.”
His example: two people make the same migration. One goes for Allah and His Messenger, one for money or a marriage.
For your day: before work, a meal or sleep, intend it for Allah. An ordinary act can become a good deed.
Hadith 2. A stranger in very white clothes sat close to the Prophet ﷺ. No one knew him, and he bore no trace of travel.
He asked about Islam: the testimony of faith, prayer, zakât, the fast of Ramadan, and the pilgrimage for whoever can.
Then about faith: believing in Allah, His angels, Books, messengers, the Last Day, and destiny, good and bad.
Then about excellence (ihsân): “to worship Allah as if you see Him, for if you do not see Him, He sees you.”
When he had left, the Prophet ﷺ said: “That was Jibrîl. He came to teach you your religion.”
For your day: pray one prayer today as if you saw Allah. And if your mind wanders, remember: He sees you.
Hadith 3. The Prophet ﷺ said Islam is built on five: the testimony, prayer, zakât, pilgrimage, and Ramadan's fast.
The image is a building held up by five pillars. Take one away, and the whole house is weakened.
For your day: look at today's five prayers. Which one do you most often delay? Pray it on time.
Hadith 4. Each of us is formed in the womb in stages. Then an angel breathes in the soul and writes four things.
His provision, his lifespan, his deeds, and whether he will be wretched or happy.
Then a warning: what is written may overtake a person at the very end, for the worse or for the better.
For your day: ask for a firm heart with the dua of 3:8: “Our Lord, let not our hearts deviate after You guided us.”
Hadith 5. The Prophet ﷺ said: “Whoever introduces into this matter of ours what is not part of it, it is rejected.”
Read it with hadith 1: a deed needs a sincere intention, and a form that follows the Sunna.
“This matter of ours” is the religion. A new tool, a phone or a car, is not an innovation in religion.
For your day: before adopting a new practice of worship, ask: where is it in the Qur'an or the Sunna?
Thousands of hadiths. Where do you start?
Imam an-Nawawî chose 42 that carry the whole religion. Here are the first five.
Five hadiths: the intention, the religion in three levels, the pillars, the end, and the Sunna.
Tonight, renew your intention for tomorrow: choose one act you will do for Allah alone.