Yahya ibn Sharaf al-Nawawi (;‎ (631A.H-676A.H) (October 1230–21 December 1277) was a

Sunni Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr () rightfully succeeded him as the caliph of the Mu ...

Shafi'ite The Shafi'i school or Shafi'i Madhhab () or Shafi'i is one of the four major schools of fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence), belonging to the Ahl al-Hadith tradition within Sunni Islam. It was founded by the Muslim scholar, jurist, and traditionist al ...

jurist and

hadith scholar Hadith studies is the academic study of hadith, a literature typically thought in Islam, Islamic religion to be a record of the words, actions, and the silent approval of the Muhammad as transmitted through chains of narrators. A major area of ...

Ludwig W. Adamec Ludwig W. Adamec (10 March 1924 – 1 January 2019) was an Austrian scholar on the Middle East and Afghanistan. He was a professor emeritus in the School of Middle East and North African Studies at the University of Arizona.

(2009), ''Historical Dictionary of Islam'', pp.238-239. Scarecrow Press. . Al-Nawawi died at the relatively early age of 45. Despite this, he authored numerous and lengthy works ranging from

hadith Hadith is the Arabic word for a 'report' or an 'account f an event and refers to the Islamic oral tradition of anecdotes containing the purported words, actions, and the silent approvals of the Islamic prophet Muhammad or his immediate circle ...

, to

theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

biography A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or curri ...

, and

jurisprudence Jurisprudence, also known as theory of law or philosophy of law, is the examination in a general perspective of what law is and what it ought to be. It investigates issues such as the definition of law; legal validity; legal norms and values ...

that are still read to this day. Al-Nawawi, along with

Abu al-Qasim al-Rafi'i Abd al-Karīm b. Muḥammad Ibn 'Abd al-Karīm b. al-Faḍl b. al-Ḥusayn b. al-Ḥasan Imām al-Din Abū al-Qāsim al-Rāfi'i al-Qazwini, who was better known as Abū al-Qāsim al-Rāfi'i () was a Sunni Muslim scholar based in Qazvin. He was a ...

, are leading jurists of the earlier classical age, known by the

Shafi'i The Shafi'i school or Shafi'i Madhhab () or Shafi'i is one of the four major schools of fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence), belonging to the Ahl al-Hadith tradition within Sunni Islam. It was founded by the Muslim scholar, jurist, and traditionis ...

school as the Two Shaykhs (''al-Shaykhayn'').

Early life

He was born at

Nawa Nawa may refer to: Places * NAWA, abbreviation of "North Africa and West Asia" Afghanistan * Nawa District, a district in Ghazni Province, Afghanistan * Nawa, Afghanistan, a town in the central part of Nawa District, in Ghazni Province, A ...

near

Damascus Damascus ( , ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in the Levant region by population, largest city of Syria. It is the oldest capital in the world and, according to some, the fourth Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. Kno ...

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

. As with

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

and other

Semitic languages The Semitic languages are a branch of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. They include Arabic, Amharic, Tigrinya language, Tigrinya, Aramaic, Hebrew language, Hebrew, Maltese language, Maltese, Modern South Arabian language ...

, the last part of his name refers to his hometown. Yasin bin Yusuf Marakashi, says: "I saw Imam Nawawi at Nawa when he was a youth of ten years of age. Other boys of his age used to force him to play with them, but Imam Nawawi would always avoid the play and would remain busy with the recitation of the Noble Qur'an. When they tried to domineer and insisted on his joining their games, he bewailed and expressed his no concern over their foolish action. On observing his sagacity and profundity, a special love and affection developed in my heart for young Nawawi. I approached his teacher and urged him to take exceptional care of this lad as he was to become a great religious scholar. His teacher asked whether I was a soothsayer or an astrologer. I told him I am neither soothsayer nor an astrologer but Allah caused me to utter these words." His teacher conveyed this incident to Imam's father and in keeping in view the learning quest of his son, decided to dedicate the life of his son for the service and promotion of the cause of

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

Life as a scholar

He studied in Damascus from the age of 18 and after making the pilgrimage in 1253, he settled there as a private scholar.

Notable teachers

During his stay at Damascus, he studied from more than twenty teachers who were regarded as masters and authority of their subject field and disciplines they taught. An-Nawawi studied Hadith, Islamic Jurisprudence, its principles, syntax and Etymology. His teachers included Abu Ibrahim Ishaq bin Ahmad AI-Maghribi, Abu Muhammad Abdur-Rahman bin Ibrahim Al-Fazari, Radiyuddin Abu Ishaq Ibrahim bin Abu Hafs Umar bin Mudar Al-Mudari, Abu Ishaq Ibrahim bin Isa Al-Muradi, Abul-Baqa Khalid bin Yusuf An-Nablusi, Abul-Abbas Ahmad bin Salim Al-Misri, Abu Abdullah Al-Jiyani, Abul-Fath Umar bin Bandar, Abu Muhammad At-Tanukhi, Sharafuddin Abdul-Aziz bin Muhammad Al-Ansari, Abul-Faraj Abdur-Rahman bin Muhammad bin Ahmad Al-Maqdisi, and Abul-Fada'il Sallar bin Al-Hasan Al Arbali among others.

Creed

He did

ta'wil Esoteric interpretation of the Quran () is the allegorical interpretation of the Quran or the quest for its hidden, inner meanings. The Arabic word ''taʾwīl'' was synonymous with conventional interpretation in its earliest use, but it came to ...

on some of the Qur'an verses and ahadith on the attributes of

Allah Allah ( ; , ) is an Arabic term for God, specifically the God in Abrahamic religions, God of Abraham. Outside of the Middle East, it is principally associated with God in Islam, Islam (in which it is also considered the proper name), althoug ...

. He states in his commentary of a hadith that:

Relationship with Baybars

Al-Nawawi drew the ire of

Mamluk Mamluk or Mamaluk (; (singular), , ''mamālīk'' (plural); translated as "one who is owned", meaning "slave") were non-Arab, ethnically diverse (mostly Turkic, Caucasian, Eastern and Southeastern European) enslaved mercenaries, slave-so ...

Sultan Sultan (; ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be use ...

Rukn al-Din Baybars twice. Once, at a time when the people of

sought relief from a heavy tax burden after a years-long drought, Al-Nawawi wrote that if Baybars did not stop taxing its residents abusively then Allah will tax his misdeed in the

afterlife The afterlife or life after death is a purported existence in which the essential part of an individual's Stream of consciousness (psychology), stream of consciousness or Personal identity, identity continues to exist after the death of their ...

. This prompted Baybars to threaten to expel him from Damascus. To this, he responded:

"As for myself, threats do not harm me or mean anything to me. They will not keep me from advising the ruler, for I believe that this is obligatory upon me and others."

Sheikh Navaid Aziz stated a popular tale of when Al-Nawawi addressed Sultan Baybars when the latter wanted the ulama to issue a fatwa that decreed that the

waqf A (; , plural ), also called a (, plural or ), or ''mortmain'' property, is an Alienation (property law), inalienable charitable financial endowment, endowment under Sharia, Islamic law. It typically involves donating a building, plot ...

be collected solely for the ruler, despite originally being meant for the people. Al-Nawawi in response scolded him, urging him to fear Allah and rein in his greed, which the Sultan accepted. Some people asked Baybars why he did not imprison Al-Nawawi in retaliation, to which Baybars replied that whenever he thought of locking up Al-Nawawi, a fear flowed through his heart. In both encounters, Baybars abided by Al-Nawawi's counsel.

Death and legacy

In the last third of the night of Wednesday, 25

Rajab Rajab () is the seventh month of the Islamic calendar. The lexical definition of the classical Arabic verb ''rajaba'' is "to respect", which could also mean "be awe or be in fear", of which Rajab is a derivative. This month is regarded as one ...

676 AH, corresponding to 22 December, 1277 AD, Al-Nawawi passed away at relatively young age of 45. He was buried the next morning. Forty hadith nawawi taught by Sheikh Usama al Azhari in Sultan Hassan Mosque

Forty hadith nawawi taught by Sheikh Usama al Azhari in Sultan Hassan Mosque

An-Nawawi's lasting legacy is his contribution to hadith literature through his momentous works Forty Hadiths and

Riyadh as-Saaliheen ''Riyad as-Salihin'', ''The Meadows of the Righteous'', or ''The Gardens of the Righteous'' (), is a compilation of verses from the Quran, supplemented by Hadith narratives by Al-Nawawi of Damascus. The Hadith is part of the canonical Arabic col ...

. This made him respected in all

madhabs A ''madhhab'' (, , pl. , ) refers to any school of thought within Islamic jurisprudence. The major Sunni ''madhhab'' are Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i and Hanbali. They emerged in the ninth and tenth centuries CE and by the twelfth century almost all ...

, despite him being of

jurisprudence. According to

Al-Dhahabi Shams ad-Dīn adh-Dhahabī (), also known as Shams ad-Dīn Abū ʿAbdillāh Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad ibn ʿUthmān ibn Qāymāẓ ibn ʿAbdillāh at-Turkumānī al-Fāriqī ad-Dimashqī (5 October 1274 – 3 February 1348) was an Atharism, Athari ...

, Imam Nawawi's concentration and absorption in academic love gained proverbial fame. He had devoted all his time for learning and scholarship. Other than reading and writing, he spent his time contemplating on the interacted and complex issues and in finding their solutions. Ulama's praise him for 3 characteristics: # His level of scholarship. Writing more than 40 pages daily from age 18-45. Studying continuously for 12 hours and then teaching for another 12 hours at age 18-20 in

. # His

asceticism Asceticism is a lifestyle characterized by abstinence from worldly pleasures through self-discipline, self-imposed poverty, and simple living, often for the purpose of pursuing Spirituality, spiritual goals. Ascetics may withdraw from the world ...

. Not marrying in fear of faltering his wife's right, lack of love for

dunya In Islam, ' () refers to the temporal world and its earthly concerns and possessions. In the Quran, "dunya" is often paired with the word "life" to underscore the temporary and fleeting nature of the life of this world, as opposed to the eternal r ...

, constant worshipping of Allah, constant

zikr (; ; ) is a form of Islam, Islamic ibadah, worship in which phrases or prayers are repeatedly recited for the purpose of remembering God in Islam, God. It plays a central role in Sufism, and each Sufi tariqa, order typically adopts a specific ...

. # His keenness in enjoining good and forbidding evil. As done with Sultan al-

Baibars Al-Malik al-Zahir Rukn al-Din Baybars al-Bunduqdari (; 1223/1228 – 1 July 1277), commonly known as Baibars or Baybars () and nicknamed Abu al-Futuh (, ), was the fourth Mamluk sultan of Egypt and Syria, of Turkic Kipchak origin, in the Ba ...

Destruction of tomb

In 2015, during the ongoing Syrian Civil War, his tomb was demolished by

rebels A rebel is a participant in a rebellion. Rebel or rebels may also refer to: People * Rebel (given name) * Rebel (surname) * Patriot (American Revolution), during the American Revolution * American Southerners, as a form of self-identification; ...

linked to

Al Nusra Al-Nusra Front or Jabhat al-Nusra or Jabhat Nusrat Ahl al-Sham, also known as Front for the Conquest of the Levant, and also later known as Jabhat Fatah al-Sham was a Salafi-jihadist organization that fought against Ba'athist regime forces ...

Works

During his life of 45 years he wrote "at least fifty books" on Islamic studies and other topics. Some scholar counted pages he written and calculated that he wrote 40+ pages daily from age 18 till his death. Some his writings is still reached vastly as no author has superseded him in those writing. These include: * ''

Al Minhaj bi Sharh Sahih Muslim Al-Minhaj bi Sharh Sahih Muslim is a book by Islamic scholar Yahya ibn Sharaf al-Nawawi, a commentary on Sahih Muslim. See also *List of Sunni books This is a list of significant books in the doctrines of Sunni Islam. A classical example of a ...

'' (), making use of others before him, and is considered one of the best commentaries on Sahih Muslim. It is available online. * ''

'' (); collection of

on ethics, manners, conduct, popular in the Muslim world. * ''al-Majmu' sharh al-Muhadhab'' (), is a comprehensive manual of

Islamic law Sharia, Sharī'ah, Shari'a, or Shariah () is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition based on scriptures of Islam, particularly the Qur'an and hadith. In Islamic terminology ''sharīʿah'' refers to immutable, intan ...

according to the

school has been edited with

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

translation by

van den Bergh Van den Bergh, Van Den Bergh is a Dutch surname, a variant of Van den Berg. Notable people with the surname include: *Arnold van den Bergh, Arnold van den Bergh (notary) (1886‒1950), Amsterdam civil law notary *Dave van den Bergh (born 1976), Dut ...

, 2 vols., Batavia (1882–1884), and published at

Cairo Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...

(1888). * ''Minhaj al-Talibin'' (), a classical manual on Islamic Law according to Shafi'i

fiqh ''Fiqh'' (; ) is the term for Islamic jurisprudence.Fiqh
Encyclopædia Britannica ''Fiqh'' is of ...

. * '' Tahdhib al-Asma wa'l-Lughat'' (), edited as the
Biographical Dictionary of Illustrious Men chiefly at the Beginning of Islam
' (Arabic) by F. Wüstenfeld (Göttingen, 1842–1847). * ''Taqrib al-Taisir'' (), an introduction to the study of

, it is an extension of

Ibn al-Salah Abū ‘Amr ‘Uthmān ibn ‘Abd il-Raḥmān Ṣalāḥ al-Dīn al-Kurdī al-Shahrazūrī () (c. 1181 CE/577 AH – 1245/643), commonly known as Ibn al-Ṣalāḥ, was a Kurdish Shafi'i hadith specialist and the author of the seminal '' Intro ...

's ''Muqaddimah'', was published at Cairo, 1890, with

Suyuti Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti (; 1445–1505), or al-Suyuti, was an Egyptian Sunni Muslim polymath of Persian descent. Considered the mujtahid and mujaddid of the Islamic 10th century, he was a leading muhaddith (hadith master), mufassir (Qu'ran e ...

's commentary "Tadrib al-Rawi". It has been in part translated into French by W. Marçais in the ''Journal asiatique'', series ix., vols. 16–18 (1900–1901). * ''al-Arbaʿīn al-Nawawiyya'' () - ' Forty Hadiths,' collection of forty-two fundamental traditions, frequently published along with numerous commentaries. * ''Ma Tamas ilayhi hajat al-Qari li Saheeh al-Bukhaari'' () * ''Tahrir al-Tanbih'' () * ''Kitab al-Adhkar'' (); collection of supplications of prophet

Muhammad Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...

. * ''al-Tibyan fi adab Hamalat al-Quran'' () * ''Adab al-fatwa wa al-Mufti wa al-Mustafti'' () * ''al-Tarkhis fi al-Qiyam'' () * ''Manasik'' () on

Hajj Hajj (; ; also spelled Hadj, Haj or Haji) is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest city for Muslims. Hajj is a mandatory religious duty for capable Muslims that must be carried out at least once in their lifetim ...

rituals. * ''al-Hatt ala al-Mantiq'' () - 'The Insistence upon Logic,' written to address epistemological and historical criticisms of logic * ''Sharh

Sunan Abu Dawood ''Sunan Abi Dawud'' () is the third hadith collection of the Six Books of Sunni Islam. It was compiled by scholar Abu Dawud al-Sijistani (). Introduction Abu Dawood compiled twenty-one books related to Hadith and preferred those (plural of ...

'' * ''Sharh

Sahih al-Bukhari () is the first hadith collection of the Six Books of Sunni Islam. Compiled by Islamic scholar al-Bukhari () in the format, the work is valued by Sunni Muslims, alongside , as the most authentic after the Qur'an. Al-Bukhari organized the bo ...

'' * ''Mukhtasar

at-Tirmidhi Muhammad ibn Isa al-Tirmidhi (; 824 – 9 October 892 CE / 209–279 AH), often referred to as Imām at-Termezī/Tirmidhī, was an Islamic scholar, and collector of hadith from Termez (early Khorasan and in present-day Uzbekistan). He wr ...

'' * ''Tabaqat ash-Shafi'iyah'' * ''Rawdhat al-Talibeen'' * ''Bustan al-`arifin'' * ''Al-Maqasid''

Recent English language editions

* ''Bustan al-ʿarifin'' (The Garden of Gnostics), Translated by Aisha Bewley

Minhaj al-Talibin

*''Minhaj et talibin: A Manual of Muhammadan Law; According To The School of Shafi'', Law Publishing Co (1977) ASIN B0006D2W9I *''Minhaj et talibin: A Manual of Muhammadan Law; According To The School of Shafi'', Navrang (1992) *''Minhaj Et Talibin: A Manual of Muhammadan Law'', Adam Publishers (2005)

The Forty Hadith

*''Al-Nawawi Forty Hadiths and Commentary''; Translated by Arabic Virtual Translation Center; (2010) *''Ibn-Daqiq's Commentary on the Nawawi Forty Hadiths''; Translated by Arabic Virtual Translation Center; (2011) *''The Compendium of Knowledge and Wisdom''; Translation of Jami' Uloom wal-Hikam by Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali translated by Abdassamad Clarke, Turath Publishing (2007) *''Al-Nawawi's Forty Hadith'', Translated by Ezzeddin Ibrahim, Islamic Texts Society; New edition (1997) *''The Forty Hadith of al-Imam al-Nawawi'', Abul-Qasim Publishing House (1999) *''The Complete Forty Hadith'', Ta-Ha Publishers (2000) *''The Arba'een 40 Ahadith of Imam Nawawi with Commentary'', Darul Ishaat *''Commentary on the Forty Hadith of Al-Nawawi'' (3 Vols.), by Jamaal Al-Din M. Zarabozo, Al-Basheer (1999)

Riyad al-Salihin

*''Gardens of the righteous: Riyadh as-Salihin of Imam Nawawi'', Rowman and Littlefield (1975) *''Riyad-us-Salihin: Garden of the Righteous'', Dar Al-Kotob Al-Ilmiyah *''Riyadh-us-Saliheen'' (Vol. 1&2 in One Book) (Arabic-English) Dar Ahya Us-Sunnah Al Nabawiya

References

External links

Biodata at MuslimScholars.info

A short bio on Imam Nawawi

Imam Nawawi
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nawawi 1234 births 1277 deaths 13th-century biographers 13th-century jurists 13th-century Muslim scholars of Islam 13th-century Syrian historians Asharis Bibliographers Biographical evaluation scholars Encyclopedists of the medieval Islamic world Hadith scholars Historians from the Ayyubid Sultanate Shafi'is Sharia judges Shaykh al-Islāms Sunni fiqh scholars Sunni Muslim scholars of Islam Supporters of Ibn Arabi Theologians from the Mamluk Sultanate People from Nawa