The Forty Hadiths of al-Nawawi
On the authority of Abu Tha'labah al-Khushani
Jurthum ibn Nashir, may Allah be pleased with him,
who reported that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"Allah the Almighty has ordained religious obligations, so do not neglect them;
He has set boundaries, so do not transgress them;
He has forbidden certain things, so do not violate them;
and He has remained silent concerning other things—out of mercy for you, not out of forgetfulness—
so do not go searching for them."
A hasan hadith narrated by al-Daraqutni and others.
This hadith clarifies that the religion is established upon four principles:
the fulfillment of obligatory duties and the avoidance of prohibited matters,
stopping at the boundaries set by Allah without transgression,
and refraining from over-complicating matters by searching for things about which Allah has remained silent.
Thus, it contains an invitation to balance and ease,
and to distance oneself from extremism and excess.