Purity Is Half of Faith: Hadith 23 of an-Nawawi
Purity is half of faith. That one line opens Hadith 23 of Imam an-Nawawi’s collection, and it is followed by a string of short sayings about praising Allah, prayer, charity, patience and the Quran. Each line is a small lesson on its own. Here is the hadith in full, what each part means according to the scholars, and how to bring it into your day.
At a glance
- Source: Sahih Muslim 223 (Hadith 23 of an-Nawawi’s 40)
- Narrated by: Abu Malik al-Ash’ari (may Allah be pleased with him)
- Grade: Sahih (Sahih Muslim)
- Topic: Purity, praise of Allah, prayer, charity, patience and the Quran
- Put it into practice: Make your next wudu slowly and carefully, then say alhamdulillah.
The hadith
Abu Malik al-Ash’ari (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
الطُّهُورُ شَطْرُ الإِيمَانِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ تَمْلأُ الْمِيزَانَ . وَسُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ تَمْلآنِ – أَوْ تَمْلأُ – مَا بَيْنَ السَّمَوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ وَالصَّلاَةُ نُورٌ وَالصَّدَقَةُ بُرْهَانٌ وَالصَّبْرُ ضِيَاءٌ وَالْقُرْآنُ حُجَّةٌ لَكَ أَوْ عَلَيْكَ كُلُّ النَّاسِ يَغْدُو فَبَائِعٌ نَفْسَهُ فَمُعْتِقُهَا أَوْ مُوبِقُهَا
“Cleanliness is half of faith and al-Hamdu Lillah (all praise and gratitude is for Allah alone) fills the scale, and Subhan Allah (Glory be to Allah) and al-Hamdu Lillah fill up what is between the heavens and the earth, and prayer is a light, and charity is proof (of one’s faith) and endurance is a brightness and the Holy Qur’an is a proof on your behalf or against you. All men go out early in the morning and sell themselves, thereby setting themselves free or destroying themselves.”
Sahih Muslim 223 · Narrated by Abu Malik al-Ash’ari · Translation from Sunnah.com
Imam an-Nawawi gives it as Hadith 23 of his 40 Hadith. His text says “heaven” in the singular where the narration in Sahih Muslim says “the heavens”; the Arabic above is Muslim’s.
What “purity is half of faith” means
The Encyclopedia of Translated Prophetic Hadiths (HadeethEnc) explains the hadith line by line:
- Purity is half of faith (الطُّهُورُ شَطْرُ الإِيمَانِ): outward purity comes through wudu and washing, and it is required for the prayer. HadeethEnc adds that there is also inward purity, through tawhid, faith and righteous deeds.
- Alhamdulillah fills the Scale: praising Allah will be weighed on the Day of Judgment and fill the Scale of deeds.
- SubhanAllah and alhamdulillah fill what is between the heavens and the earth: they declare Allah far above every deficiency and ascribe to Him complete perfection.
- Prayer is light: in a person’s heart, on the face, in the grave and on the Day of Judgment.
- Charity is proof: evidence that a believer’s faith is sincere.
- Patience is radiance: a light that comes with heat, like the light of the sun, because patience is hard and takes self-struggle.
- The Quran is a proof for you or against you: for you when you recite it and act on it, against you when you abandon it.
- Every person goes out and sells himself: some save themselves by obeying Allah, and some ruin themselves through sin.
In Arabic, the middle three are short enough to memorize: وَالصَّلاَةُ نُورٌ وَالصَّدَقَةُ بُرْهَانٌ وَالصَّبْرُ ضِيَاءٌ, “prayer is a light, and charity is proof, and endurance is a brightness”.
Purity in the Quran: the wudu verse
The outward purity the hadith begins with is described in the Quran, in the verse of wudu:
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ إِذَا قُمْتُمْ إِلَى ٱلصَّلَوٰةِ فَٱغْسِلُوا۟ وُجُوهَكُمْ وَأَيْدِيَكُمْ إِلَى ٱلْمَرَافِقِ وَٱمْسَحُوا۟ بِرُءُوسِكُمْ وَأَرْجُلَكُمْ إِلَى ٱلْكَعْبَيْنِ ۚ وَإِن كُنتُمْ جُنُبًا فَٱطَّهَّرُوا۟ ۚ وَإِن كُنتُم مَّرْضَىٰٓ أَوْ عَلَىٰ سَفَرٍ أَوْ جَآءَ أَحَدٌ مِّنكُم مِّنَ ٱلْغَآئِطِ أَوْ لَـٰمَسْتُمُ ٱلنِّسَآءَ فَلَمْ تَجِدُوا۟ مَآءً فَتَيَمَّمُوا۟ صَعِيدًا طَيِّبًا فَٱمْسَحُوا۟ بِوُجُوهِكُمْ وَأَيْدِيكُم مِّنْهُ ۚ مَا يُرِيدُ ٱللَّهُ لِيَجْعَلَ عَلَيْكُم مِّنْ حَرَجٍ وَلَـٰكِن يُرِيدُ لِيُطَهِّرَكُمْ وَلِيُتِمَّ نِعْمَتَهُۥ عَلَيْكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ
“O you who have believed, when you rise to [perform] prayer, wash your faces and your forearms to the elbows and wipe over your heads and wash your feet to the ankles. And if you are in a state of janābah, then purify yourselves. But if you are ill or on a journey or one of you comes from the place of relieving himself or you have contacted women and do not find water, then seek clean earth and wipe over your faces and hands with it. Allāh does not intend to make difficulty for you, but He intends to purify you and complete His favor upon you that you may be grateful.”
Surah Al-Ma’idah 5:6 · Translation: Saheeh International, from Quran.com
Reflection: the hadith ends with a picture of the morning: every person goes out and “sells” himself. Most of us do leave home each day to sell our time and effort, at work or at school. The hadith asks a deeper question about the same walk out of the door: by the end of the day, has that trade set us free or held us back? The earlier lines of the hadith read like the answer: purity, praise, prayer, charity, patience and the Quran.
How to put it into practice
The hadith does not set a routine, so these are suggestions:
- Take care with wudu. Learn the steps from the verse above and make each wudu unhurried. For detailed rulings, ask a qualified scholar.
- Fill the Scale. Say alhamdulillah and subhanAllah often; see four heavy phrases of dhikr and hamdan kathiran taiyiban.
- Guard the prayer as a light you carry, not a task you rush.
- Give a little charity as proof of your faith; charity does not decrease wealth.
- Keep the Quran on your side by reading a little and acting on what you read.
Key lessons
- Purity, outward and inward, is half of faith.
- Simple words of praise carry great weight on the Day of Judgment.
- Prayer is light, charity is proof and patience is radiance.
- Each day we either free ourselves through obedience or harm ourselves through sin.
Questions people ask
What does “purity is half of faith” mean?
The Prophet ﷺ said it in Sahih Muslim 223. The Encyclopedia of Translated Prophetic Hadiths (HadeethEnc) explains that purity is of two kinds: outward purity through wudu and washing, which is required for the prayer, and inward purity through tawhid, faith and righteous deeds.
Is “cleanliness is half of faith” a hadith?
Yes. It is the same hadith: Sunnah.com translates the opening of Sahih Muslim 223 as “Cleanliness is half of faith”, while other translations say “purity”. It is Hadith 23 of an-Nawawi’s 40.
What does “prayer is light” mean?
HadeethEnc explains that prayer is light for a person in the heart, on the face, in the grave and on the Day of Judgment.
A question to reflect on: tomorrow morning, as you head out, which of these will you take with you: a careful wudu, a word of praise, the prayer, a small charity or a little patience?
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