In the Name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful
Praise be to Allah, the One, the Ever-Subduing, the Almighty, the Ever-Forgiving. He makes the night overlap the day, to be a reminder to those who have lively hearts and minds, and an enlightenment to those with intellect and who ponder. He awakens a selected group of His creation and make them less inclined towards this world, and makes them heedful of Him and ever contemplating, and makes them adhere to learning from lessons. He guides them to be persistent in doing deeds of worship and being prepared for the Hereafter, and He makes them wary of the acts that incur His wrath and lead to Hellfire. He blesses them with being persistent on this despite changing situations and circumstances. I praise him in the best, most inclusive, and most blessed types of praise. and I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship but Allah, the Most Kind, the Bountiful, the Compassionate, the Most Merciful. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger, His favorite and beloved, the one who guides to the Straight Path, and the one who calls to the True Religion. May Allah’s peace and blessing be upon him and upon all the prophets and their families and all righteous people.
Allah, the Exalted, said: {And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me. I do not want from them any provision, nor do I want them to feed Me.} [Al-Dhāriyāt: 56-57] This verse explicitly states that they were created for worship. Consequently, they should tend to that for which they were created, and meet the pleasures of this world with abstention and asceticism, for it is an abode of perishing, not of eternal life, and a boat that carries them across to the abode of bliss and delight. And so, the most vigilant of its people are the worshipers, and the most rational amongst them are the ascetics. Allah Almighty says: {The example of [this] worldly life is but like rain which We have sent down from the sky that the plants of the earth absorb – [those] from which men and livestock eat – until, when the earth has taken on its adornment and is beautified and its people suppose that they have capability over it, there comes to it Our command by night or by day, and We make it as a harvest, as if it had not flourished yesterday. Thus do We explain in detail the signs for a people who reflect.} [Yūnus: 24] Verses that refer to this meaning are numerous. Well said were the following words:
Who divorced life and feared its trials
Verily Allah created some sagacious men
that it is not an (eternal) abode for the living
They pondered it and when they learned
Good deeds their arks
They considered it a wild sea and made
If this is how it is, as I described, and if this is our situation and why we were created, then it is the duty of every accountable person to take the path of the righteous, and follow in the footsteps of the wise and intelligent, and to prepare himself for what I pointed to and take care of that which I stressed. The soundest and wisest way for him to achieve that is to adopt the morals that were authentically reported from the leader of mankind, past and future, and the most honorable of the predecessors and successors, Muhammad, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him and upon all other prophets. Allah Almighty says: {and cooperate in righteousness and piety} [Al-Mā’idah: 2] It was authentically reported that Prophet Muhammad (may Allah's blessings and peace be upon him) said: “And Allah will aid His slave so long as he aids his brother.” And that he said: “Whoever guides to a good deed gets the same reward as the doer of that deed.” And that he said: “Whoever calls others to follow right guidance, his reward will be equivalent to those who follow him (in righteousness) without their reward being diminished in any respect.” And that he said to ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him): “...for by Allah, if Allah guides one single man (to the right path of Islam) through you, then that will be better for you than red camels (i.e. the most precious possessions)”.
So, I have decided to collect an abridged version of authentic Hadīths, to include what might guide people to the Hereafter, be a concise collection of internal as well as external etiquette, to be inclusive of invitation to earn the reward from Allah and intimidation of earning His punishment, and all other etiquettes which those aspiring to the Hereafter seek such as the Hadīths on asceticism, disciplining the self, refining the manners, purifying the hearts, and maintaining the senses and body parts and fixing their crookedness, and other objectives which the pious would deem wise.
I oblige myself therein to cite only authentic Hadīths from the well-known authentic Hadīth books. I start each chapter with holy verses from the Qur’an, and I explain the parts which need elaboration with worthy notes. And when I say at the end of a Hadīth: [agreed upon], this means that it was narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim.
I hope that when this book is completed it would drive the one who reads it well to all goodness and deter him from committing all evils. I ask my fellow Muslim who benefits of any part of this work to supplicate Allah for me, my parents, my teaching scholars, and all our loved ones and Muslims in general. On Allah I depend, and in Him I confide and trust; He is sufficient for me, and He is the best Disposer of affairs. There is no change nor power except by Allah, the Almighty, the Most Wise.