Jami' al-Ulum wal-Hikam

An Explanation of Fifty Hadiths from the Comprehensive Sayings of the Prophet

Author: Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali

Know, my Muslim brother, that Allah the Almighty has blessed us with this religion, and appointed for it messengers and prophets whom He chose from among mankind to call to Him and to act according to His will. And among the completeness of His blessings upon us is that He made heirs for the prophets and messengers who inherited from them knowledge, virtue, and character. Allah cast light into their hearts, and with it, they taught people the religion and called to Allah the Almighty. Among these scholars whose hearts Allah illuminated with knowledge and faith is the Hafiz Zayn al-Din Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali, the Imam, the Jurist, the Hadith scholar, the Preacher, the author of unique works in their subject matter, rich in content. Allah bestowed upon him, by His grace and mercy, an abundance of knowledge, soundness of mind, and broad horizons. Among his works that had a great impact on people is this book, which he named: "Jami' al-Ulum wal-Hikam fi Sharh Khamsin Hadithan min Jawami' al-Kalim" (The Compendium of Sciences and Wisdom in the Explanation of Fifty Hadiths from the Comprehensive Sayings of the Prophet). It is an explanation of al-Nawawi's "Forty Hadith" which originally contained forty-two hadiths. He – may Allah have mercy on him – added eight more hadiths to it, and then explained them all in this book which we are discussing. Ibn Rajab's book gathered the hadiths that scholars described as being the foundation of the religion, and he explained them in a unique style, combining the method of the hadith scholars – by quoting many hadiths and narrations, explaining the different versions and chains of transmission, and commenting on their narrators, criticizing and justifying, authenticating and weakening, and mentioning supporting evidence and follow-ups – with the educational approach for refining souls, which represents the methodology of educators; distinguished by quoting wisdom, admonitions, and delicate sentiments – and the like. And despite what this book contained of these treasures that we mentioned earlier, it also did not fail to mention many jurisprudential benefits and issues that a Muslim can hardly find compiled together in any other book. The author distinguished them by quoting most of the opinions on a single issue, so much so that the book became a reference for hadith scholars and jurists.