"Wer meiner Gemeinde vierzig Hadithe bewahrt..."

„‘Whoever preserves forty hadiths for my umma…‘ A type of hadith collection’s rise and development“ Being widely spread within and beyond the Arabic speaking world, the Forty Hadiths still belong to one of the most popular and varied types of hadith collection. Based on a quantitative research of more than nine hundred relevant collections, this study opens up the so far less regarded field of Forty Hadith collections and demonstrates their importance in Muslim belief and life praxis from the ninth century onwards. Dealing with the upbringing of children, religious practices, Jihad, etc., the selected traditions of the prophet Muhammad in the Forty Hadiths cover a wide range of topics. The motivation to compile such a collection derives from a saying ascribed to Muhammad, promising high rewards to those who collect forty hadith. The collections function as useful handbooks, an overview of specific aspects, as well as religious edification; therefore, they are accessible to academics and non-academics alike.