1. Forty Ḥadīth of Nawawī

١۔ اربعون النووية

1.6 Distancing Oneself from Dubious Matters

١۔٦ الابتعاد عن الشبهات

from al-Nuʿmān ibn Bashīr: “Indeed, the lawful is clear and the unlawful is clear.” Narrated by al-Bukhārī and Muslim.

This hadith is authentic, and its authenticity is agreed upon, in the narration of al-Shaʿbī from al-Nuʿmān ibn Bashīr. In its wordings there are some additions and omissions, but the meaning is one or close to one another. It has also been narrated from the Prophet ﷺ in the hadiths of Ibn ʿUmar, ʿAmmār ibn Yāsir, Jābir, Ibn Masʿūd, and Ibn ʿAbbās; and the hadith of al-Nuʿmān is the most authentic of the hadiths on this topic.

عَنِ النُّعْمانِ بْنِ بَشِيرٍ: «إنَّ الحَلالَ بَيِّنٌ وإنَّ الحَرامَ بَيِّنٌ» رَواهُ البُخارِيُّ ومُسْلِمٌ.

هذا الحديث صحيح متفق على صحته من رواية الشعبي، عن النعمان بن بشير، وفي ألفاظه بعضُ الزيادة والنقص، والمعنى واحد أو متقارب.

وقد روي عن النَّبيِّ ﷺ من حديث ابن عمر، وعمار بن ياسر، وجابر، وابن مسعود، وابن عباس، وحديث النعمان أصح أحاديث الباب.

Distance yourself from matters of doubt since what is permissible or prohibited has already been made clear

(6) muslim:1599aMuḥammad b. ʿAbdullāh b. Numayr al-Hamdānī from my father > Zakariyyāʾ > al-Shaʿbī > al-Nuʿmān b. Bashīr > Samiʿtuh

I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say –and al-Nu‘man gestured with his two fingers toward his ears–: “Indeed, what is lawful is clear, and what is unlawful is clear, and between them are doubtful matters that many people do not know. Whoever avoids the doubtful matters has safeguarded his religion and his honor; and whoever falls into the doubtful matters falls into the unlawful. ˹This is˺ like a shepherd who grazes around a protected sanctuary, and is about to graze within it. Indeed, every king has a sanctuary; indeed, the sanctuary of Allah is His prohibitions. Indeed, in the body there is a morsel of flesh: if it is sound, the whole body is sound; and if it is corrupt, the whole body is corrupt. Indeed, it is the heart.”

(٦) مسلم:١٥٩٩aحَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ نُمَيْرٍ الْهَمْدَانِيُّ حَدَّثَنَا أَبِي حَدَّثَنَا زَكَرِيَّاءُ عَنِ الشَّعْبِيِّ عَنِ النُّعْمَانِ بْنِ بَشِيرٍ قَالَ سَمِعْتُهُ يَقُولُ

سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ، وَأَهْوَى النُّعْمَانُ بِإِصْبَعَيْهِ إِلَى أُذُنَيْهِ: «إِنَّ الْحَلَالَ بَيِّنٌ، وَإِنَّ الْحَرَامَ بَيِّنٌ، وَبَيْنَهُمَا مُشْتَبِهَاتٌ لَا يَعْلَمُهُنَّ كَثِيرٌ مِنَ النَّاسِ. فَمَنِ اتَّقَى الشُّبُهَاتِ اسْتَبْرَأَ لِدِينِهِ وَعِرْضِهِ، وَمَنْ وَقَعَ فِي الشُّبُهَاتِ وَقَعَ فِي الْحَرَامِ، كَالرَّاعِي يَرْعَى حَوْلَ الْحِمَى يُوشِكُ أَنْ يَرْتَعَ فِيهِ. أَلَا وَإِنَّ لِكُلِّ مَلِكٍ حِمًى، أَلَا وَإِنَّ حِمَى اللَّهِ مَحَارِمُهُ. أَلَا وَإِنَّ فِي الْجَسَدِ مُضْغَةً، إِذَا صَلَحَتْ صَلَحَ الْجَسَدُ كُلُّهُ، وَإِذَا فَسَدَتْ فَسَدَ الْجَسَدُ كُلُّهُ، أَلَا وَهِيَ الْقَلْبُ».

Prohibitions from Allah are sacred so do not approach them

(6-2) bukhari:52Abū Nuʿaym > Zakariyyāʾ > ʿĀmir > al-Nuʿmān b. Bashīr

I heard Messenger of Allah ﷺ saying, 'Both legal and illegal things are evident but in between them there are doubtful (suspicious) things and most of the people have no knowledge about them. So whoever saves himself from these suspicious things saves his religion and his honor. And whoever indulges in these suspicious things is like a shepherd who grazes (his animals) near the Hima (private pasture) of someone else and at any moment he is liable to get in it. (O people!) Beware! Every king has a Hima and the Hima of Allah on the earth is His illegal (forbidden) things. Beware! There is a piece of flesh in the body if it becomes good (reformed) the whole body becomes good but if it gets spoilt the whole body gets spoilt and that is the heart.

(٦-٢) البخاري:٥٢حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو نُعَيْمٍ حَدَّثَنَا زَكَرِيَّاءُ عَنْ عَامِرٍ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ النُّعْمَانَ بْنَ بَشِيرٍ يَقُولُ

سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ الْحَلاَلُ بَيِّنٌ وَالْحَرَامُ بَيِّنٌ وَبَيْنَهُمَا مُشَبَّهَاتٌ لاَ يَعْلَمُهَا كَثِيرٌ مِنَ النَّاسِ فَمَنِ اتَّقَى الْمُشَبَّهَاتِ اسْتَبْرَأَ لِدِيِنِهِ وَعِرْضِهِ وَمَنْ وَقَعَ فِي الشُّبُهَاتِ كَرَاعٍ يَرْعَى حَوْلَ الْحِمَى يُوشِكُ أَنْ يُوَاقِعَهُ أَلاَ وَإِنَّ لِكُلِّ مَلِكٍ حِمًى أَلاَ إِنَّ حِمَى اللَّهِ فِي أَرْضِهِ مَحَارِمُهُ أَلاَ وَإِنَّ فِي الْجَسَدِ مُضْغَةً إِذَا صَلَحَتْ صَلَحَ الْجَسَدُ كُلُّهُ وَإِذَا فَسَدَتْ فَسَدَ الْجَسَدُ كُلُّهُ أَلاَ وَهِيَ الْقَلْبُ