The Forty Hadiths of al-Nawawi
On the authority of Abu Dharr, may Allah be pleased with him,
from the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, regarding what he narrated from Allah, the Almighty and Majestic,
that He said:
"O My servants,
I have forbidden injustice for Myself,
and have made it forbidden among you,
so do not oppress one another.
O My servants,
all of you are astray except those whom I have guided,
so seek guidance from Me, and I shall guide you.
O My servants,
all of you are hungry except those whom I have fed,
so seek food from Me, and I shall feed you.
O My servants,
all of you are naked except those whom I have clothed,
so seek clothing from Me, and I shall clothe you.
O My servants,
you commit sins by night and by day,
and I forgive all sins,
so seek My forgiveness, and I shall forgive you.
O My servants,
you will never be able to harm Me so as to cause Me harm,
and you will never be able to benefit Me so as to cause Me benefit.
O My servants,
if the first of you and the last of you,
and all of your humans and jinn,
were to be as pious as the heart of a single man among you,
that would not add anything to My kingdom.
O My servants,
if the first of you and the last of you,
and all of your humans and jinn,
were to be as wicked as the heart of a single man among you,
that would not diminish anything from My kingdom.
O My servants,
if the first of you and the last of you,
and all of your humans and jinn,
were to stand in one place and ask of Me,
and I were to give every person what they asked for,
that would not diminish what I have,
any more than a needle decreases the ocean when it is dipped into it.
O My servants,
it is only your deeds that I record for you,
then I shall recompense you for them in full.
So whoever finds good, let him praise Allah,
and whoever finds otherwise,
let him blame no one but himself."
Narrated by Muslim.
This hadith illustrates the vastness of Allah’s mercy and His justice,
and that injustice is forbidden in all its forms.
It is not permissible for a person to transgress against others regarding their rights, wealth, or honor.
It also emphasizes the complete dependence of the servants upon Allah for guidance, provision, and forgiveness,
and that all goodness lies in the hand of Allah alone.