Sayings of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ: a Selection of Authentic Hadiths

The sayings of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, handed down by his Companions, form together with the Quran the source of Islamic teaching. Short and practical, they deal with faith as well as everyday life: how to speak, how to treat one’s family and neighbours, how to work and how to behave towards animals. Here is a selection of authentic hadiths, grouped by theme, each with its reference and a brief explanation.

Before you read: what is an authentic hadith?

A hadith is a report of a saying, action or approval of the Prophet ﷺ. It consists of a chain of narrators (isnad) and a text (matn). Hadith scholars examined every chain – the reliability and memory of each narrator and the continuity of transmission – to grade the reports as sahih (authentic), hasan (good, also accepted) or da’if (weak). The two collections of Imam al-Bukhari and Imam Muslim are regarded as the most reliable, followed by the Sunan collections of Abu Dawud, al-Tirmidhi, al-Nasa’i and Ibn Majah, whose hadiths have been assessed one by one. The numbers below follow the numbering of the reference website sunnah.com.

Faith and intention

“Deeds are only by intentions, and every person will have only what he intended.” (Sahih al-Bukhari 1; Sahih Muslim 1907)

Al-Bukhari opens his collection with this hadith, a reminder that the worth of a deed before God depends on the sincerity behind it. The same act – working, eating, helping someone – can become worship when it is done for God.

“None of you truly believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.” (Sahih al-Bukhari 13; Sahih Muslim 45)

Faith is also measured by how we look at others: wishing for others the good we want for ourselves shuts the door on envy, deceit and selfishness. In one version in Muslim, the Prophet ﷺ says “for his brother” or “for his neighbour”.

“Allah does not look at your appearance or your wealth, but He looks at your hearts and your deeds.” (Sahih Muslim 2564)

Neither beauty, nor wealth, nor ancestry gives anyone worth in God’s sight: what counts is a pure heart and good deeds. The hadith echoes the verse: “Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you” (Quran 49:13).

“The deeds most beloved to Allah are those done consistently, even if they are small.” (Sahih al-Bukhari 6464; Sahih Muslim 783)

A small, regular practice – a few verses read every day, a modest but faithful act of charity – is better than a great effort that soon fades. Islam encourages perseverance rather than excess.

Good character

“I was sent to perfect good character.” (al-Bukhari, al-Adab al-Mufrad 273; graded authentic by al-Albani)

The Prophet’s mission was not limited to rituals: it also aimed to raise human morals, confirming the noble qualities people already knew and completing them.

“The most complete of the believers in faith are those with the best character, and the best of you are those who are best to their wives.” (Jami’ al-Tirmidhi 1162, graded hasan sahih by al-Tirmidhi)

Good character is not an optional extra to faith but one of its signs. And it is at home, where there is no one to impress, that character is truly tested.

“There is nothing heavier in the scale of the believer on the Day of Resurrection than good character.” (Sunan Abi Dawud 4799; Jami’ al-Tirmidhi 2002; authentic)

Patience, gentleness, honesty, modesty and generosity weigh more on the Day of Judgement than many spectacular deeds. This hadith invites each of us to work on ourselves as much as on our practice.

“The strong man is not the one who overcomes others in wrestling; the strong man is the one who controls himself when he is angry.” (Sahih al-Bukhari 6114; Sahih Muslim 2609)

True strength is inner strength: holding back a hurtful word or a gesture one would regret takes more courage than physically defeating an opponent.

“Allah is gentle and loves gentleness in all matters.” (Sahih al-Bukhari 6927; Sahih Muslim 2593)

The Prophet ﷺ said this to his wife Aishah, who had answered harshly some visitors who had come to insult him. Even in the face of hostility he preferred gentleness, which “adds beauty to everything it is in”, as he said in another hadith (Sahih Muslim 2594).

Speech

“Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, let him speak good or remain silent; whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, let him treat his neighbour well; and whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, let him honour his guest.” (Sahih Muslim 47; a similar version in Sahih al-Bukhari 6018)

Three practical signs of faith: controlling one’s tongue, treating one’s neighbours well, whatever their religion, and welcoming guests generously. In al-Bukhari’s version the wording is “let him not harm his neighbour”.

“The Muslim is the one from whose tongue and hand the Muslims are safe.” (Sahih al-Bukhari 10; Sahih Muslim 40)

Being a Muslim is not only a matter of religious practice: it also means harming no one, whether by deeds or by backbiting, mockery or lies.

“A good word is charity.” (Sahih al-Bukhari 2989; Sahih Muslim 1009)

This sentence comes from a hadith listing everyday acts of charity: reconciling two people, helping someone load their mount, every step taken towards prayer, removing an obstacle from the road. In the same spirit, the Prophet ﷺ said: “Every act of goodness is charity” (Sahih al-Bukhari 6021; Sahih Muslim 1005). For obligatory almsgiving, see our page on zakat.

Family

A man came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and asked: “O Messenger of Allah, who is most entitled to my good companionship?” He said: “Your mother.” “Then who?” “Your mother.” “Then who?” “Your mother.” “Then who?” “Your father.” (Sahih al-Bukhari 5971; Sahih Muslim 2548)

The mother is mentioned three times, in recognition of the pregnancy, childbirth and upbringing she bore: “His mother carried him, [increasing her] in weakness upon weakness,” says the Quran (31:14). The father comes next, and kindness to both parents is one of the duties Islam stresses most.

A man came to tell the Prophet ﷺ that he wanted to go out and fight, and to ask his advice. He asked him: “Do you have a mother?” “Yes.” “Then stay with her, for Paradise is beneath her feet.” (Sunan al-Nasa’i 3104; authentic)

This hadith is the origin of the popular saying “Paradise lies at the feet of mothers”. Caring for one’s mother can take precedence over deeds regarded as highly meritorious.

“The best of you is the one who is best to his family, and I am the best of you to my family.” (Jami’ al-Tirmidhi 3895; Sunan Ibn Majah 1977)

The Prophet ﷺ practised what he preached: according to Aishah, at home he busied himself serving his family until it was time for prayer (Sahih al-Bukhari 676). To find out more about the rights and place of women, see our article on women in Islam.

A poor woman came to Aishah with her two daughters. Aishah had only one date, which she gave her; the woman divided it between her daughters without eating any of it herself. When Aishah told him about it, the Prophet ﷺ said: “Whoever is responsible for daughters and treats them kindly, they will be a shield for him from the Fire.” (Sahih al-Bukhari 5995; Sahih Muslim 2629)

In a society where the birth of a daughter was sometimes met with dismay, which the Quran condemns (16:58–59), the Prophet ﷺ made raising daughters well a path to Paradise.

Solidarity and mercy

“The believers, in their mutual love, mercy and compassion, are like a single body: when one of its limbs aches, the whole body shares in its sleeplessness and fever.” (Sahih al-Bukhari 6011; Sahih Muslim 2586)

The image of the body reminds us that the suffering of one concerns all: we cannot remain indifferent to the pain of a relative, a neighbour or a people in distress.

“The merciful are shown mercy by the Most Merciful. Be merciful to those on the earth, and the One in the heaven will have mercy on you.” (Sunan Abi Dawud 4941; Jami’ al-Tirmidhi 1924, graded hasan sahih by al-Tirmidhi)

The mercy we show to creatures, human or animal, draws God’s mercy upon us. Scholars traditionally made this the very first hadith they taught their students.

“Do not belittle any good deed, even meeting your brother with a cheerful face.” (Sahih Muslim 2626)

A smile, a greeting, a kind word: nothing is too small to be a good deed. In a hadith reported by al-Tirmidhi (1956, hasan), the Prophet ﷺ also said: “Your smiling in the face of your brother is charity.”

“Whoever relieves a believer of a hardship of this world, Allah will relieve him of a hardship of the Day of Resurrection; whoever makes things easy for someone in difficulty, Allah will make things easy for him in this world and the Hereafter […]. Allah helps His servant as long as the servant helps his brother.” (Sahih Muslim 2699)

Helping someone in debt, ill or alone is never wasted: God returns that kindness to the one who did it, at the moment they need it most.

“Make things easy and do not make them difficult; give good news and do not drive people away.” (Sahih al-Bukhari 69; Sahih Muslim 1734)

This advice, given in particular to Companions sent to teach Islam, applies to anyone who passes on the religion: harshness and excess push people away, while kindness draws them closer.

“Whoever does not thank people does not thank Allah.” (Sunan Abi Dawud 4811; Jami’ al-Tirmidhi 1954; authentic)

Gratitude to God also means acknowledging those who have done us good: parents, teachers, neighbours, colleagues.

Animals and nature

“A man walking along a road became very thirsty. He found a well, went down into it and drank. When he came out, he saw a dog panting and licking the damp earth out of thirst. The man said to himself: ‘This dog is suffering from thirst as I was.’ He went down the well again, filled his shoe with water, held it in his teeth as he climbed up and gave the dog a drink. Allah thanked him for it and forgave him.” The Companions asked: “O Messenger of Allah, is there a reward for us in serving animals?” He replied: “There is a reward for kindness to every living being.” (Sahih al-Bukhari 2363; Sahih Muslim 2244)

A simple act of compassion towards an animal earned this man forgiveness. Conversely, the Prophet ﷺ told of a woman who was punished for locking up a cat without feeding it or letting it find its own food (Sahih al-Bukhari 3482).

“No Muslim plants a tree or sows a crop from which a bird, a person or an animal then eats, without it being counted as charity for him.” (Sahih al-Bukhari 2320; Sahih Muslim 1553)

Planting, farming and caring for the earth are rewarded deeds whose benefit continues for as long as others enjoy it.

Knowledge

“The best of you are those who learn the Quran and teach it.” (Sahih al-Bukhari 5027)

Learning to read and understand the Quran, and then passing it on, is among the noblest of deeds. To get started, see our guide to reading and reciting the Quran.

“Whoever follows a path in pursuit of knowledge, Allah will make easy for him a path to Paradise.” (Sahih Muslim 2699)

This passage, from the same hadith as the one on relieving hardship, encourages the pursuit of knowledge, religious and also worldly when it is beneficial. The often-quoted hadith “Seeking knowledge is an obligation upon every Muslim” (Sunan Ibn Majah 224) has a weak chain in Ibn Majah’s collection, but several scholars, including al-Albani, consider it authentic through the combination of its chains; it applies to women and men alike.

Work and honesty

“No one has ever eaten better food than what he has earned with his own hands. The Prophet of Allah David (Dawud) used to eat from the work of his own hands.” (Sahih al-Bukhari 2072)

Honest work is a source of dignity, even for prophets: Prophet Muhammad ﷺ himself was a shepherd and then a merchant before his mission.

“Give the worker his wages before his sweat dries.” (Sunan Ibn Majah 2443; graded authentic by al-Albani on the strength of its various chains)

Paying what is owed, without delay or unfair deductions, is an obligation. In a hadith qudsi reported by al-Bukhari (2227), Allah says that on the Day of Resurrection He will be the opponent of “one who hires a worker, takes full work from him and does not pay him his wages”.

Checking a saying attributed to the Prophet ﷺ

Many sentences presented as hadiths circulate on social media without any reference, and some are weak or even fabricated. The Prophet ﷺ warned: “Whoever lies about me deliberately, let him take his seat in the Fire” (Sahih al-Bukhari 110; Sahih Muslim 3). Before sharing a saying, make a habit of looking up its exact source (collection and number) and its grade, on reference websites or with a qualified scholar. To place these teachings in context, read our biography of the life of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.