Imam al-Nawawī
أبو زكريا يحيى بن شرف النووي
Muḥyī al-Dīn (Reviver of the Religion)
Abū Zakariyyā Yaḥyā ibn Sharaf al-Nawawī
- Birthplace
- Nawā, Syria
- Madhhab
- Shāfiʿī in fiqh, Ashʿarī in ʿaqīdah
- Reference
- Wikipedia ↗
The Forty Hadith, Riyāḍ al-Ṣāliḥīn, and the most widely read commentary on Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim — all produced in a life that lasted barely forty-four years.
al-Nawawī lived a life of astonishing discipline. He studied in Damascus from dawn to midnight — eighteen disciplines a day — took a single meal each evening, wrote standing up to avoid falling asleep. He refused every offered post of leadership. He never married. He died at forty-four, in Nawā, leaving a body of work that took later scholars centuries to catch up with.
The Forty Hadith — which is actually forty-two — became the universal entry point into the hadith sciences. Riyāḍ al-Ṣāliḥīn organised nearly two thousand authenticated hadith by the virtue they cultivated, and is still one of the most commonly recited books in Sunni Islam. His commentary on Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, the Sharḥ, remains the working reference for scholars of that collection.
- Al-Arbaʿīn al-Nawawiyyah (The Forty Hadith)
- Riyāḍ al-Ṣāliḥīn (Gardens of the Righteous)
- Sharḥ Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim (Commentary on Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim)
- Al-Adhkār (The Remembrances)
- Al-Majmūʿ (fiqh)
No serious Muslim library — classical or modern — is without al-Nawawī on the shelf. The Forty Hadith remains, seven centuries on, the first hadith collection most students ever memorise.
Imam al-Nawawī, from the books.
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"son, backquote Abdullah, said, The one who is overly lenient in seeking knowledge will find his knowledge diminished. This means that one who is shy in seeking knowledge will end up with little knowledge. Mujahid said, Knowledge is not learned by the shy or the arrogant. Backquote Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, said, The best women are the women of the Ansar. They did not let modesty prevent them from understanding religion. Backquote Omar, may Allah be pleased with him, said, Seek understanding before you become leaders. This means striving to master knowledge and diligence"
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"A sincere person has no ostentation, and a truthful person has no self-admiration. Abu Yaqub al-Susi, may God be pleased with him, noted that when people witness sincerity in their sincerity, it requires a new level of sincerity. Dhu al-Nun, may God be pleased with him, identified three signs of sincerity, the equality of praise and blame from common people, forgetting the visibility of deeds amidst the deeds, and seeking the reward of deeds in the hereafter."
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"He also said, Knowledge is contingent upon acting upon it. This means that beneficial knowledge is that which is acted upon. As Imam al-Shafi'i, may God be pleased with him, said, Knowledge is not what is memorized. Knowledge is what benefits. Qasim the Hungry, may God be pleased with him, said, Piety is religion. The best worship is enduring the night, and the best path to paradise is through the purity of the heart."
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"One seeks forgiveness with a corrupt heart, and the silent one has a heart remembering God. Abu Abdullah Ahmed ibn Ata'a, may God have mercy on him, said, Whoever seeks knowledge for the sake of knowledge, his little knowledge will benefit him. He also said, Knowledge is contingent upon acting upon it. This means that beneficial knowledge is that which is acted upon."
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"– peace and blessings be upon him – and he said, Did you come to ask about righteousness? I said, Yes. He said, Consult your heart. Righteousness is that which brings tranquility to the soul and comfort to the heart, and sin is that which troubles the soul and causes hesitation in the chest, even if people give you fatwas and advise you. 28."
