Hadeeth Five -explanation part 1
The mother of the mu'mineen, Umm 'Abdullah 'Aishah said: "The Messenger of Allah said, 'Whoever introduces into this affair of ours that which is not of it, then it is rejected'."
Hadeeth Five -explanation part 1
Posted by Student in Hadeeth Four, The Decree (qadr)
Hadeeth Four explanation continued - part 2
This hadeeth explains to us the initial stages if creation. How the soul is placed into the foetus, it outlines the beginning stages of life as well as the final stages. After conception the first forty days of a human is initially a drop of sperm - (according to the Hanafi'a this is impure and according to the shafiees it is pure).
It is said that parts of the Qur'an explain each other, so before being a drop of sperm from other ayahs in the Qur'an we know that the sperm came from the earth.
Stages of a human before being given life are:
1. a drop of sperm (nutfah) ----->>> 2. a clot of blood ('alaqah) --------->>> 3.lump of flesh (mudhgah)
Through these three stages Allah ta'ala made creation. In the Qur'an the duration of each stage has not been mentionned, however we have evidences from the Ahadeeth that mention that each stage is around forty days each, and thereafter Allah sends an angel to blow life (rooh) into the fetus to become a human being. For this reason 'Ulema do not allow abortion after the passing of 120 days, it is totally haram and forbidden in Islam and it is considered to be murder in Islam.
There are certain cases in Islam when abortion is allowed in Islam. A detailed explanation has been pasted below from the Darul Iftaa website(http://www.daruliftaa.com/question.asp?txt_QuestionID=q-19031520):
In the name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful,
Abortion and the termination of pregnancy is the expulsion of a foetus from the womb of a woman. This may be carried out either by consuming of certain drugs or by emptying the womb through the process of suction.Life is sacred:
Islam regards human life to be sacred. Allah Most High says:
“And verily we have honoured the children of Adam.” (Surah al-Isra, V.70)
It does not matter where the life exists. Whether the life is extra-uterine or intra-uterine, its location has no significance on its sanctity. This sanctity applies not only to human life, but to the human body as well. Hence, according to Shariah, the physical body of a human after death is just as sacred as it was before death. The degree of sanctity of life is greater than that of the body. This is one of the reasons
why it is unlawful (haram) to consume the meat of a human, dead or alive.The Shariah ruling on abortion:
Abortion can be divided into two stages:
a) Abortion after the soul (ruh) enters the foetus,
b) Abortion prior to the entry of the soul into the foetus
Before mentioning the ruling on abortion with regards to these two stages, it must be remembered here, that according to Shariah, the soul (ruh) enters the foetus at 120 days (4 months) from conception.
The Jurists (fuqaha) have based this duration upon a Qur’anic verse and a statement of the beloved of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace). In the verse, Allah Almighty states the stages of development of the embryo in the womb of the mother. Allah Almighty says:
“And verily we did create man from a quintessence (of clay). Then we placed him (as a drop of sperm) in a place of rest, firmly fixed. Then we made the sperm into a clot of congealed blood. Then of that clot we made a (foetus) lump. Then we made out of that lump bones and clothed the bones with flesh. Then we developed out of it another creature (by breathing life into it). So blessed be Allah, the most marvellous creator.” (Surah al-Mu’minun, 12/13/14)
In the Hadith recorded by the two most authentic authorities, Imam al-Bukhari and Imam Muslim in their respective Sahih collections, the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) discussed in detail the periods elapsing between these stages, mentioned by the Qur’an.
Sayyiduna Abd Allah ibn Mas’ud (Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) said:
“The seed of one of you remains in the womb of the mother for forty days in the form of a Nutfa (sperm). Then it remains like a clot for another forty days, and then for a same number of days like a lump of flesh (when the formation of the limbs and the growth of the bones begin).” (Sahih al-Bukhari & Sahih Muslim)
The great Hanafi Faqih, Imam Ibn Abidin States in his Radd al-Muhtar:
“The soul enters the foetus at one hundred & twenty days (4 months), as established by the Hadith.” (Radd al Muhtar, 1/202)
The ruling on abortion in stage (a) i.e. after the entry of the soul into the foetus which is (as explained) 120 days, is that, it is totally unlawful and tantamount to murder, as it results in the taking out of an innocent life. All the scholars have unanimously condemned such a ghastly act.
Imam Ibn Taymiyyah states in his Fatawa collection:
“Aborting a foetus has been declared unlawful (haram) with the consensus of all the Muslim scholars. It is similar to burying an infant alive as referred to by Allah Almighty in the verse of the Qur’an: “And when the female infant, buried alive, will be asked as to what crime she was killed for”. (Surah al-Takwir, 8)” (Fatawa Ibn Taymiyya, 4/217)
Allama Ibn Abidin (Allah have Mercy on him) also states the prohibition of this gruesome act in his treatise ‘Radd al-Muhtar’:
“If a woman intends to abort her pregnancy, then the Fuqaha have said: If the period of the soul being blown into the foetus has elapsed, it will be impermissible.” (Radd al-Muhtar, 5/276)
However, some Fuqaha and contemporary scholars have given a dispensation to abort the pregnancy after 120 days, in the situation where the life of the mother is in certain and absolute danger. This is based on the Juristic principle stated in the books of Usul al-Fiqh and Qawa’id (juristic principles):
“If one is overtaken by two evils, one should choose the lesser of the two.” (al-Ashbah wa al-Naza’ir, P.98) They state that the mother’s life should be saved and the foetus aborted, as the mother is established in life, with duties and responsibilities, whereas the unborn child is still in the mother’s womb. But it should be remembered, that the mother’s life must be in certain danger, and that this should be advised by a qualified and experienced Muslim doctor.
With regards to stage (b) i.e. prior to the entry of the soul into the foetus (120 days), the ruling on aborting the pregnancy is that, even in this case it will be unlawful (haram) to abort it.
The reason why abortion prior to the soul entering the body will not be permitted is that, although there may not be life in the foetus, but the foetus is considered to be part and parcel of the mother’s body as long as it remains in the womb. Thus, just as one’s very own life and also all the limbs and organs of the human body are trust given by the Almighty Creator, so too is the foetus also a trust given to the mother by Allah, and she will not have a right to abort it.
The only difference here is that the sin of aborting the foetus will be of a lesser degree than aborting it after 120 days. It would not be regarded as murder, rather violating the rights of a human organ entrusted to the mother by Allah Almighty.
It stated in Radd al-Muhtar:
“It is not permissible to abort the pregnancy before and after the entry of the soul into the foetus.” (Radd al-Muhtar, 5/279)
However, in certain extreme circumstances, it would be permitted to abort the pregnancy before the entry of the soul (120 days), such as: when the woman conceives after being raped, the mother’s life or health is in danger, or repeated pregnancies severely damages her health, etc…
Imam al-Haskafi writes in Durr al-Mukhtar:
“Aborting the pregnancy will be permissible due to a valid reason, provided the soul has not yet entered the foetus.”It should be remarked here that pregnancy due to unlawful and illegal sex is no reason and excuse for abortion. The embryonic life farm in the mother’s womb is honoured and sacred even though it is a result of adultery. (Hidaya, 2/292)
In conclusion, abortion after 120 days is totally unlawful and tantamount to murder. Some Fuqaha, however, have given a dispensation only in the situation where the mother’s life is in certain danger. As far as abortion before the 120 days have elapsed is concerned, it will still be unlawful, though the sin will be of a lesser degree, and it will become permissible if there is a genuine and valid reason.
And Allah Knows Best
Muhammad ibn Adam Darul Iftaa Leicester , UK
An angel is commanded to write four things about each being given life in this world:
After going through the different stages of creation the hadeeth go on to talk about actions of a human. That verily he could be doing good all his life but one bad act may make his become from the dwellers of the hell-fire. Or a person could be really bad and just do one act that will allow him to enter paradise when destiny will over come these two types of people.
Our final actions before our death normally show what our final state will be when Allah sends the angel of death to remove our souls from us. It is said that your end is inheritance of how you spent your life. We should be very fearful of our final states as this will determine whether we will eneter Jannah or the hell-fire. The Pious Predecessors use to be extremely fearful of their final states, hence we should always pray:
'Allahummah innee as-saluka husnul khaatimah'
Some people have the misconception that due to the mention of Allah fixing our fate we do not have to act in the world in accordnace to shari'ah as whatever is written in our destiny is what will ultimately take place. We need to understand that as well as there being qadr, at the same time we have been given the abilty (istitaa'a) to do good deeds in the world. We can look at this from two perspectives and angles:
A great example to understand the above is a planned robbery. A group of people paln to rob, the information of the whole plan leaks to the police. So on one side the group plan to rob and on the other the police through much investigation and research plan to catch them in the act. The police go to the place they plan to rob before this group even arrive, they take up their positions in order to catch them red-handed in the act.
The robbers go to rob, but before they can even rob they are arrested. The robbers can say that how can you arrest us when you knew we were going to carry out this crime? This is an excellent example to make us realise that Allah knows our actions and still we will either be a inhabitant of the hell-fire to paradise.
I pray that Allah makes us all from the inhabitants of Paradise, true beleivers of fate from Allah ta'ala and ones who act in accordance to the will of Allah with a death in the state of imaan. Ameen.
Posted by Student in Hadeeth Four, The Decree (qadr)
Hadeeth Four:
Posted by Student in Hadeeth Three, Pillars of Islam
Hadeeth Three Explained *updated and complete*:
Each of these pillars hold an important position in Islam, hence we should strive to uphold each and every one of them.
I pray Allah ta'ala give us all the ability to carry out the duties commanded to us by the Qur'an and ahadeeth to the best of our ability. Ameen
Posted by Student in Hadeeth Two, Ihsaan, Imaan, Islam
Hadeeth Two (الحديث الثاني) : Explanation continued - part 4 - final part
Islaam, Imaan and Ihsaan
Islam relates to doing things with the external body parts - "a'amaal jawaarih". It concerns the actions of the physical body. Our mouth is the organ which bear witnesses and testifies our belief in order for us to be called Muslims. It is externally and verbally proclaiming the shahadah (an laa ilaaha illallah).
External actions can be divided into two categories:
All these things are included under the category of Islaam, malee and badnee acts. In a hadeeth it has also come that the Messenger of Allah صلي الله عليه وسلم said:
المسلم من سلم المسلمون من لسانه و يده
A complete Muslim is he whose mouth and tongue other Muslims are saved from.
This category of Islam even includes saying salaam to one another regardless of if you know a person or not.
Imaan relates to the internal actions, "a'amaal baatiyaan", even 'aqeedah. Islam is the most inclusive religion. As our 'aqeedah informs us to bring faith on not just Musa عليه السلام, or Easa عليه السلام, or Muhammad. However, it tells us to bring imaan on all the Prophets.
Under the category of Imaan falls qadr. We must believe in fate good or bad. This is a fundamental part of our 'aqeedah which comprises of two levels. The first that Allah has all knowledge of what an individual will do in his life from the good and the bad, whether he will be an inhabitant of the heaven of the hellfire. The second being that with the above being true we must strive to work hard in this world as we as not aware of what lies within our fate.
The question may arise that is there any difference between Islaam and Iman. There have been lengthy discussions on this amongst the 'ulema. There is this analysis that when Islaam and Iman are referred to an once and togethor, they are regarding different things. Imaan will mean tasawwuf and Islaam would refer to fiqh. However, if Islaam is mentioned alone or Iman is mentioned alone it will include both things.
The last thing here is Ihsaan. Ihsaan is from the word husn meaning excellency. Our whole deen is based on Ihsaan. It is a very important element and quality for one to be a muhsin. he Christians and Jews would say only they will enter Paradise, but where was their proof? Even some Muslims now think they will definately enter paradise. However, Allah warns us not to be like the Jews and Christians. As Muslims we must realise that to enter Jannah you have to work hard to get into it. A muhsin is one who has Islam and submits his whole self to Allah and is the doer of good internally and externally.
One must be good and undertake excellency with whatever take ho or she does. Even to the extent of when one slaughters an animal there should be excellency. One should not kill one animal in front of another and many other things. With talaq (divorce) also, come "tasreeh bil ihsaan", that if you want to maintain your relationship with your spouse maintain it properly. However, after much effort and compromise if you are not able to uphold the relationship then you may divorce as a final resort. But when divorce is given it should be done with ihsaan, in a good manner, not in a way that two individuals are now enemies. Being a muhsin and doer of good applies even more when relating to the rights of the servants of Allah. Bearing this in mind we should aim to become muhsin in all parts of life, not just on the masjid or in front of certain people.
Ihsaan is also to worship Allah is such a way as though you see him or vice versa that he sees you. Putting this and the above together is true excellency. Those who are excellent and ahsan, are the doers of good they will have husnaa good and the pleasure of seeing Allah Most High in the akhirah. Thinking that we will have the (ma'iyyat) nearness of Allah in the hereafter should be enough to make us want to become a muhsin and doer of good throughout our life.
In the second part of the explanation of this hadeeth it was stated that the sahabah found it very strange that this man who posed the question did not have any apparent signs of being a traveller nor was he a local. The reason why this incident occurred was to catch the attention of all those present on the gathering at that time. If something is normal people tend not to pay so much attention to it, whereas when somethings seems odd and strange people are more likely to pay attention. This man was Jibra'eel عليه السلام who had come to pose these questions so the sahabas could listen and learn the matters relating to deen which they themselves may have wanted to ask but for some reason or another had not.
Alhamdulillah the second hadeeth has now been completed. Next post shall be hadeeth three.
Posted by Student in Hadeeth Two, Ihsaan, Iman, Islam
Hadeeth Two (الحديث الثاني) : Explanation continued - part 3
Posted by Student in Hadeeth Two, Ihsaan, Iman, Islam
Hadeeth Two (explanation continued) - part 2 *UPDATED*
In this hadeeth that Hadhrat Umar رضي الله عنه is narrating, he is trying to indicate that when a person would come to the gathering, or masjid where our Prophet was present there were only ever two possibilities:
1 - The person was an outsider, who had travelled to meet the Prophet, and signs of travel would be visible and apparent upon such a person. The reason this would be known in the time of the Prophet , was because the community was very close knit. They knew the residents of their locality very well.
2- The person was well known from among the community, he was a local.
Hence, if a person were to attend a gathering of the Prophet صلي الله عليه و سلم there were two possibilities, a)the person had travelled from a distant place and signs of travel would be visible or b) the person was a local.
When this man mentioned in the hadeeth entered the Sahaba's found it very strange and were unaware of where he had come from. Nobody recognised the man and no signs of travel were visible or apparent.
Another thing that this man did was when he was seated he rested his hands on his own knees or the Prophet (p.b.u.h)'s knees (different narrations quote different situations). From this many 'Ulema derive the posture that a student should sit in whilst studying. A student (tilmeedh) should sit as he sits whilst performing tashahhud in salah. This is a highly recommended act. to sit in this manner is a form of submission in front of your teacher. Knowledge is truly in books, but the keys to those books lye at the hands of our teachers, the 'Ulema. Hence, it is important to sit and act with utmost respect in front of ones teacher. One could posses all the treasures possible, but what use and benefit would that be if one is not able to access it?
DEENWhen one studies all the teachings of the Qur'an and Sunnah, they find that the rulings are divided into three categories. However, in earlier generations (quroonul oola), no such distinction was made. Instead one comprehensive term "DEEN" was used. This term encompasses very form of Islamic guidance or "Fiqh". Nower days ther term fiqh is used in a complete different form to what it was used as in the time of Rasoolullah.
Many a times when one sees the term fiqh in the Qur'and and sunnah, they are mistaken with the term fiqh that we use now. In a hadeeth it has come:
من يرد الله به خير يفقه في الدين
Whomsoever Allah desires good for He bestows upon him understanding in the deen.
Here the term Fiqh means all of Islam.
'AQEEDAH, FIQH, TASAWWUF
As time passed and more people embrassed Islam after the demise of the Messenger of Allah صلي الله عليه و سلم, new issues arose and Islam spread to distant lands. As more and more new issues were introduced and brought to the forefront, scholars said and felt the need to divide rulings within the Qur'an and Sunnah. This was all for the sake of convenience. As Islam spread different types of people starting bringing new ideas and topics. Groups such as the Mu'tazilah and Jabariyyah were formed. So 'Ulema felt the need to structure and codify the science of 'Aqeedah. They used the Qur'an and Sunnah and searched for all things dealing with the belief and they dedicated their lives towards that field. They defended the 'Aqeedah of the Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jama'ah, they began with the beliefs dealing with Allah and the Messengers and covered all other issues and structured it and books were written in this science. Within these books many issues were dealt with regarding 'aqeedah like the do's and don'ts, unlawfulness of shirk (polotheism) the sifaat (attributes) of Allah etc.
The first category that some 'Ulema chose do dedicate their lives to was 'Aqeedah. This science has many names and la mashaahata fil istilaah. It is also known as:
Other 'Ulema looks at a field called Awaamir and Nawaahi in another category. The Awamir and Nawaahi (do's and don'ts) that dealt with the extrenal and physical body. The Awaamir were things like: Salah, Zakah and Hajj and the nawaahi like: Adultery, backbiting, stealing etc. Again like in the field of 'aqeedah the 'Ulema extracted all the rulings from the Qu'ran and Sunnah pertaining to this field, they codified it and dedicated their lives towards it. Some 'Ulema write books in this field, and this is how the four schools of thought (madhaahibs) came into existance.
All the ruling regarding the external body is called Fiqh as we know of the term today. However, as explained earlier in earlier times fiqh was a mere synonym of the word deen. However, now it has it's own exclusive meaning when used by 'Ulema.
The Awaamir and Nawaahi (do's and don'ts) that deal with the internal body, the inner self, the prohibitions of the heart like from amongst the awaamir of the heart would be to have sincerty (ikhlas - discussed in hadeeth one) and amongst the nawaahi would be hatred. Now this field also was given a branch of it's own. The name of this science is irrelavant it could be called:
The aim of this field is just to purify and rectify the inner self, hence whether it is called Ihasaan as this hadeeth calls it, or whether it is called tasawwuf makes no difference whatsoever. Some say tasawwuf originates from the word
The Qur'an and Sunnah deals with all three of these fields collectively. A great example is Suratul 'Asr:
سُوۡرَةُ العَصر
بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
وَٱلۡعَصۡرِ (١ إِنَّ ٱلۡإِنسَـٰنَ لَفِى خُسۡرٍ (٢ إِلَّا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ وَعَمِلُواْ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ وَتَوَاصَوۡاْ بِٱلۡحَقِّ وَتَوَاصَوۡاْ بِٱلصَّبۡرِ (٣
1.(I swear) by the Time,
2.man is in a state of loss indeed,
3.except those who believed and did righteous deeds, and exhorted each other to follow truth, and exhorted each other to observe patience.
In this Surah Allah says "except those who believe" this is regarding the first branch - 'aqeedah. Then Allah says "did righteous deeds" this the second branch - fiqh. And Finally Allah speaks of Sabr - this is the third branch - tasawwuf.
The Qur'an and Sunnah have not divided these branches not titled them, nevertheless they ae still covered and we do not refute them. When the three fields are discussed, we should never refute them just because of their titles. Just because some people may have given a bad name to these fields does not mean we associate that with Islam.
This hadeeth is another prime example of all three branches being covered collectively.
More to follow soon insha'Allah.
Assalamu Alaykum,
Respected Readers.....
The blog shall not be updated till the 18th of June. Insha'Allah posts shall resume from that date and we hope to complete all notes before part 2 of the Compendium of Knowledge course.
Du'aas requested
Wassalam
Posted by Student in Hadeeth e Jibreel, Hadeeth Two, Ihsaan, Imaan, Islam
Hadeeth Two:
Posted by Student in Hadeeth One, Sincerity
There are many practical benefits that can be derived from this hadeeth. The first is sincerity, we must ensure we have sincerity in everything that we do in all acts of worship.
Another thing we learn here is the juristic (فقهي) definition of intention: النية عمل القلب - Intention is an act of the heart. This is to the point that fuqaha say that if in you mind you have an incorrect intention, but in the heart you have a correct intention, then your act is still valid. However, if our heart were to have the wrong intention and our mind the correct one then that action would be deemed invalid. It is absolutely necessary that we learn the rulings pertaining to niyyah according to our madhab.
Lastly, the opposite to sincerity is ostentation (doing things for show), we must ensure we stop doing acts for ostentation and replace it with acts done with sincerity.
Posted by Student in Hadeeth One, Sincerity
Hadeeth One (explanation continued) - part 2:
Below are what some famous 'Ulama have to say about this hadeeth.
To correct the intention is necessary for every student of knowledge. Whilst we study we should not merely gather information, like done academically. What use is information of the Qur'an and Sunnah if it doesn't guide you. Any information attained should be converted into knowledge by fully understanding it's meaning and implementing the rulings within ones life.
When attaining knowledge we all need to correct our intention and study for the right reason. Anything we do it must be for the sake and pleasure of Allah alone, not like those mentioned in the following hadeeth:
"Whoever seeks knowledge in order to compete with the scholars or to prove himself superior to the foolish or to make the people look up to him, Allah will cause him to enter Hell".
Narrated by al-Nasaa'i, 2654
It is said by some that every action carried out without the intention of Allah's pleasure, those actions are باطل, devoid of any reward. For this reason when scholars begin a book they should commence with this hadeeth.
Posted by Student in Compendium of Knowledge and Wisdom, Imam Ibn Rajab Al-Hanbali
About The Compendium of Knowledge and Wisdom (part 2)
Imam ibn Rajab Al Hanbali رحمه الله and his book
Imam ibn Rajab Al Hanbali رحمه الله , like Imam Nawawi رحمه الله too was a great and unique scholar of this ummah. His full name is, Zayn-ud-Deen ‘Abdur-Rahmaan bin Ahmad bin ‘Abdir-Rahmaan (Rajab - nickname as his grandfather was born in the month of Rajab) bin al-Hasan bin Muhammad bin Abil-Barakaat Mas’ood As-Salaamee Al-Baghdaadee (due to his place of birth), Al-Hanbalee (due to his madhab), Ad-Dimashqee (due to his place of residence and death). He رحمه الله was born in 736 a.h a.h and passed away in 795 a.h. There is a difference of opinion as to where he was born, some say Damascus and others say Baghdad.
He رحمه الله studied under the likes of Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah رحمه الله, Zayn-ud-Deen al-‘Iraaqee رحمه الله, Ibn an-Naqeeb رحمه الله, Sadr-ud-Deen Abul-Fath al-Maydoomee رحمه الله, Naasir-ud-Deen bin al-Mulook رحمه الله as well as many more. Ibn Rajab رحمه الله's gatherings and durus were filled with many people and he had great effect on the hearts of the listeners.
Shaykh Nasurd Deen رحمه الله has related that a few days before Imam ibn Rajab رحمه الله passed away he went to the graveyard, he pointed out to the digger where he would like his grave. Imam ibn Rajab رحمه الله thereafter entered the grave rested in it and was content with it. A few days later he passed away and was buried in the exact same place he pointed out. Heرحمه الله passed away on the 4th of Ramadhan 795 a.h.
He رحمه الله was a master of many fields including; the science of the transmission of ahadeeth (اسانيد) and the names of narrators (اسماء الرجال). Imam Ibn Rajab رحمه الله has written books on ahadeeth, tafseer and fiqh. A few are listed:
Out of all the books he wrote, the one that was studied at the course was The Compendium of Knowledge and Wisdom. This book of Imam ibn Rajab Al Hanbali, is the most detailed and extensive commentary on the Al-Arba'oon (الاربعون) with many features that distinguish it from others:
The ahadeeth compiled within this book are from amongst the Jawaami'ul kalim (short collections of words with a very broad, comprehensive and vast meaning). Imam ibn Rajab رحمه الله added another eight to Imam Nawawi رحمه الله's forty-two ahadeeth to total fifty ahadeeth. He then named his book:
جامع العلوم والحكم في شرح خمسين من جوامع الكلم
One should make the effort to try and memorise these ahadeeth. Insha'Allah it shall prove to be very beneficial indeed.
May Allah give us all the inclination to study these ahadeeth well and have the ability to understand them the way Allah and Rasoolullah صلي الله عليه وسلم had wanted them to be understood.
Posted by Student in About the Book, Biography, Imam Ibn Rajab Al-Hanbali, Imam Nawawi
About The Compendium of Knowledge and Wisdom (part 1)
The Compendium of Knowledge and Wisdom is a commentary (شرح) of the famous ahadeeth collection of Imam Nawawi رحمه الله called Al-Arba'oon (الاربعون).
Imam Nawawi رحمه الله
Imam Nawawi's full name is Imam Muhyi al-Din Abu Zakariya Yahya bin Sharaf al-Nawawi رحمه الله. He was born in a village called 'Nawaa' which is approximately 45 kilometres from Damascus.
Imam Nawawi رحمه الله was born in 631 a.h and passed away at the age of 45 in 676 a.h. However, the amount of work Imam Nawawi رحمه الله carried out was such that it could take one two/three hundred years to complete. Despite such a short span of life Imam Nawawi رحمه الله was a great scholar, being one of the very rare and unique scholars of this ummah.
Imam Nawawi رحمه الله memorised the Holy Qur'an at a very young age, giving preference to this rather than fun and games. Later at the age of eighteen/nineteen Imam Nawawi رحمه الله moved to Damascus with his father to enrol at Madrassah Rawahiyyah which was affiliated with Jaami' Umawi. Here he studied to a high degree under the greatest of 'Ulema. At one point in his life he use to attend tweleve durus a day until he excelled and manifested all. Thereafter, Imam Nawawi رحمه الله taught at Madrassah Al Ashrafiyyah which was close to Jami Al-Umawi.
Later on, nearer to the end of his life, Imam Nawawi رحمه الله moved back to Nawaa where he passed away due to falling ill. His grave is still known to all today. Imam Nawawi رحمه الله is buried in Nawaa and people visit his grave till today. He is right in the centre of the graveyard he was buried in where a tree grew right on top of is grave. May Allah shower his endless mercy on Imam Nawawi رحمه الله's grave.
Imam Nawawi رحمه الله was an authority of ahadeeth as well as a reference of Shafiee fiqh. This showed he was a master in more than one field.
He was very punctual, eating only after 'ishaa salah and drinking only once at the time of suhoor. He dedicated his time towards attaining knowledge, reading, writing and teaching. History has recorded that Imam Nawawi رحمه الله did not even marry. His sacrifices and devotion to the knowledge of Islam is what made him such a great scholar. Allah bestowed upon him the understanding of his Deen and through this he was able to write numerous books. As mentioned one book he wrote was the Arba'oon (الاربعون) which was written over a very short period of time. Other books he wrote include:
Commentary on Sahih Al-Bukhari, Al-Minhaj fi Sharh Sahih Muslim Riyad-us-Saliheen Al-Majmoo' Raudhatus Saliheen Riaydhus Saliheen Kitab al-Adhkar Minhaajut Talibeen (a main reference for Shafi'i fiqh)
Imam Nawawi رحمه الله was a student of many of the greatest scholars of his time a few are:
Imam Nawawi رحمه الله was of such a high status that he was considered to be one of the Shaykhayn, the other being Imam Raafi' رحمه الله.
From the books he has written the Al-Arba'oon is studied extensively across the muslim world. Imam Nawawi collected forty-two ahadeeth altogethor although his intention was to collect only forty. However, the number forty-two is near forty so he still named his book Al-Arba'oon (الاربعون) keeping in mind the special reward for memorising and gathering forty ahadeeth.
Twenty-six of the forty ahadeeth were dictated to Imam Nawawi رحمه الله by his teacher Imam , the other sixteen ahadeeth were carefully selected and included by himself. It is said that the ahadeeth of this collection are considered to be some of the most comprehensive and important hadith for the individual Muslim. That is why many believe that if a person fully understands and implements these ahadeeth their oath to jannah will be made easy.
Due to the comprehensiveness of this collection ahadeeth many scholars feel that these ahadeeth must be studied and understood in light of the commentary and explanations of 'Ulema. Many have written commentaries on this book. A few are listed here:
However, it can be said that the most renowned and best commentary is of Imam ibn Rajab Al-Hanbali رحمه الله. Insha'Allah, in the next post Imam ibn Rajab Al-Hanbali رحمه الله 's biography and book will be discussed as well as his commentary's unique features.