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Imam an-Nawawi: Scholar of Hadith and Fiqh

Dar al-Hadith al-Ashrafiyya, Damascus

Snapshot

  • Full name: Yahya ibn Sharaf an-Nawawi
  • Born: 631 AH (c. 1233 CE) in Nawa, near Damascus
  • Died: 676 AH (c. 1277 CE) in Nawa
  • Fields: hadith, Shafi’i fiqh, tazkiyah

Early life and education

Imam an-Nawawi was raised in Nawa and memorised the Quran as a boy. He later moved to Damascus to study and was known for his discipline, long study hours and simple living. He studied under many teachers, especially in hadith and fiqh.

Works

  • Al-Arba’in an-Nawawiyyah (the Forty Hadith), a short collection of foundational hadith.
  • Riyad as-Salihin, a widely used collection of hadith on character and worship.
  • Al-Minhaj, his commentary on Sahih Muslim.
  • Al-Majmu’, a large work of Shafi’i fiqh, left unfinished at his death.

Legacy

His books are taught in mosques, schools and universities across the Muslim world, including in Nigeria and West Africa. Many students of knowledge begin their hadith study with the Forty Hadith.

Lessons for students of knowledge today

  • Consistency over bursts of effort.
  • Sincerity: he wrote to benefit readers, not to be praised.
  • Humility: he gave clear, careful answers and said when matters were differed upon.

Sources

  1. Encyclopaedia Britannica and Encyclopaedia of Islam entries on an-Nawawi
  2. Introductions to editions of the Forty Hadith and Riyad as-Salihin

Dates are given as c. where sources differ slightly. May Allah have mercy on him.