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al-Nawwas ibn Sam'an

النواس بن سمعان

A Companion who transmits 'righteousness is good character, and sin is what wavers in your soul and you dislike for people to see it', one of the two hadiths al-Nawawi gathers under the twenty-seventh number of the Forty, transmitted by Muslim (2553) through Abd al-Rahman ibn Jubayr ibn Nufayr from his father from him — a chain Muslim alone of the two Shaykhs carried.

Depth

At a glance

Roles
Companion
Counted among
Sunni
Review
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Overview

Al-Nawwas ibn Sam'an al-Ansari al-Kilabi, counted among the Syrians. His hadith is related through Jubayr ibn Nufayr, Abu Idris al-Khawlani, Yahya ibn Jabir al-Ta'i, Raja' ibn Haywa, Bishr ibn Ubayd Allah and Makhul. 1

On righteousness and sin

He related that the Prophet ﷺ was asked about righteousness and sin, and he said: "Righteousness is good character, and sin is what stirs in your breast and you dislike that people should see it." 1

The hadith on betrayal

Jubayr ibn Nufayr related from him a hadith in which the Prophet said: "It is a great betrayal to tell your brother a story that you believe to be true while you are lying to him." 1

For young visitors

Al-Nawwas ibn Sam'an was one of the Ansar. He related from the Prophet that righteousness is good character, and sin is what you feel in your chest and dislike that people should see.

Notes for researchers

  • The text of the hadith on righteousness and sin is given in summary here; it should be checked in Sahih Muslim before it is relied on.
  • The attribution to the Kilab follows Abu Nu'aym; it should be checked.

Connections

Explore the connections

Mentioned in
Arba'un 27 — righteousness is good character / consult your heart· Muslim 2553 — Piety is good character; sin is what stirs in your chest

People and things also explored

Righteousness (birr)· Husn al-khuluq (good character)· Muhammad· Wabisa ibn Ma'bad· Arba'un 27 — righteousness is good character / consult your heart· Muslim 2553 — Piety is good character; sin is what stirs in your chest

Sources

  1. Ma'rifat al-sahaba — Abu Nu'aym al-Isfahani , p.2735
  • Jami' al-Ulum wal-Hikam — Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali
Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “al-Nawwas ibn Sam'an”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/person/al-nawwas-ibn-siman/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-16.

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Related

Righteousness (birr)

In the twenty-seventh hadith of the Forty, righteousness (birr) and sin (ithm) are defined through conscience and character together: in al-Nawwas ibn Sam'an's report in Muslim (2553), 'righteousness is good character, and sin is what wavers in your soul and you dislike for people to see it' — righteousness reduced to sheer character, and sin marked by inner unease joined to dislike of public exposure; and in Wabisa ibn Ma'bad's report in Ahmad and al-Darimi, the Prophet commanded 'consult your own soul' while poking his chest with three fingers: righteousness is what the heart and soul are at peace with, and sin is what wavers in the heart and hesitates in the breast even if people give verdict upon verdict — inner rest and expansiveness made the sign of righteousness, and inner hesitation the sign of sin even against the muftis' rulings; Abu Umama's route 'if something wavers in your breast, leave it' and Abu Tha'laba al-Khushani's 'righteousness is what the soul rests in and the heart is at peace with … even if the muftis give you verdicts' corroborate it, both chains sound for Ibn Rajab.