Hadith 9 · 4 fragments
Do as much as you are able
The Forty Hadith of an-Nawawi, hadith No.9
The fragments are a technical division for precise citation, not a canonical numbering of parts of the hadith. The wording inside each fragment is unchanged.
Arabic edition text
عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ صَخْرٍ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ:
Narrator
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (ra): I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say, “What I have forbidden for you, avoid.
Word by word
سَمِعْت رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه و سلم يَقُولُ: مَا نَهَيْتُكُمْ عَنْهُ فَاجْتَنِبُوهُ، وَمَا أَمَرْتُكُمْ بِهِ فَأْتُوا مِنْهُ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُمْ، فَإِنَّمَا أَهْلَكَ الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ كَثْرَةُ مَسَائِلِهِمْ وَاخْتِلَافُهُمْ عَلَى أَنْبِيَائِهِمْ .<br>
Matn
What I have ordered you [to do], do as much of it as you can.
Word by word
[رَوَاهُ الْبُخَارِيُّ] ،[وَمُسْلِمٌ]
Matn
For verily, it was only the excessive questioning and their disagreeing with their Prophets that destroyed [the nations] who were before you.
Word by word
Matn
” [Bukhari & Muslim]
Lesson
Allah does not burden beyond one's capacity: the forbidden is avoided entirely, while the commanded is done as far as one can. Needless fault-finding and disputes cause harm.
Text within an-Nawawi's collection: the Arabic source edition and the Ukrainian translation by the “Nur” project (by meaning).