TRANSLATOR'S INTRO DUCTION

TRANSLATOR'S INTRODUCTION In the Name of God, Most Merciful and Compassionate Throughout Islamic history, a Muslim's education started with the Quran. This education consisted of the student reciting the en­ tire Quran aloud to an instructor. Early on, the recitation would be from memory, and only later would the student read the text first and then memorize, for the norm at the beginning of Islamic educational history was for students to have the Quran recited to them and for them to memorize it that way, with their instruction entirely aural. In either case, the process takes months, even years. During this time, though, the instructor has duties to his or her students beyond the task of correcting the recitation and check­ ing the memorization. The instructor also has the responsibility of teaching the student about the Quran itself: its history, how to carry it, how and when to recite it, and how to apply it. He also has the task of nurturing the student's spiritual and ethical growth, so that his heart and limbs are made ready to transform this knowledge into righteous deeds and spiritual ascendance. In short, the instructor is responsible for teaching his pupil the required and recommended etiquette befitting the bearers of the Quran and making him one of their honored ranks. Scholars have written many books on what one must know about the Quran and the etiquette one must show the Book. Early works include Akhlaq l:Iamalat al-Qur'tin (The Refined Charac­ ter of the Bearers of the Quran) by Imam Abu Bakr Muham­ mad ibn al-I:-Iusayn al-AjurI (d. 360 AH) and a/-Tidhkar fi Afdal xv

ETIQUETTE WITH THE QURAN al-Adhkar (The Reminder of the Most Beautiful of Litanies) by Abu 'Abdallah Muhammad ibn Ahmad Farah al-Qurtubi (d. 671 AH). Earlier works tended to be quite comprehensive-often too long and detailed to benefit most readers. Seeing the need for a shorter book on the subject, Imam al-Nawawi (d. 676 AH) set out to write a condensed treatise suitable for novices and masters alike. He titled his work al-Tibyan fi Adah IJamalat al-Qur' an (An Exposition on the Etiquette of the Bearers of the Quran). Like so many of the Imam's works, it gained universal acceptance and became the standard reference for later books of its genre. Imam al-Nawawi included an abridged version of the Tibyan in his book al-Adhkar, in a chapter titled "Reciting the Quran" ("Kitah Tilawat al-Quran"). In his commentary on this chap­ ter in al-Adhkar, Ibn 'Allan mentions that Shaykh Abu al-I:Iasan al-Bakri wrote a condensed version of the Tihyan and that Ibn 'Imad al-Aqfahshi set the main points of the Tihyan into metered poetry. The Tibyan was also the basis for the 3 5th chapter of Imam al-Suyuti's encyclopedia of the Quranic sciences, al-Itqan fi 'Ulum al-Quran ( 1 :3 59-9 1 ), and was abridged by Qaqi Yusuf al-Nabhani in his l,ooo page encyclopedia on the miracles of the Prophet (God bless him and give him peace), titled Ijujjat Allah 'ala'/-'Alamin. In part 3 , chapter l , he says, "A glimpse of the immense merit of the glorious Quran and the merit and etiquette of its recitation, being a summary of the book al-Tihyan fi Adah IJamalat al-Quran by the major Imam Muhyi al-Din al-Nawawi in which I changed nothing except the order of presentation." Although the Tibyan has been published numerous times, no one has yet produced a critical edition. In Damascus alone, at least four different editions are in print, four of which deserve mention. Shaykh 'Abd al-Qadir al-Arna'ut's edition (Dar al-Bayan, 198 3 CE) gives detailed references for the hadiths mentioned in the book. Bashir Muhammad 'Uyun's edition (Dar al-Bayan, 2000 CE) gives more extensive references for the hadiths and adds biographical information for all.Put a few of the people mentioned in the book. Both of these editions made reference to manuscript number 3 26 in the Zahiriyya Libr՗ry in Damascus, a manuscript of 151 pagXVI

TRANSLATOR'S INTRODUCTION es, scribed by Muhammad 'Ali al-Basyi.ini in 89 r AH ( r486 CE). Shaykh Muhammad al-I:Iajjar's edition (Dar Ibn I:Iazam, r 996 CE) includes notes aimed at the modern reader-particularly with matters pertaining to law (foqh). There is also the edition edited by 'Abd al-'Aziz 'Izz al-Din al-Sayrawan (Beirut: Dar al-Nafa'is, r992 (3rd printing). Introduction to the Translation There are a few things the reader should know in order to derive the greatest benefit from the Tibyan. This book is the work of a polymath. Imam al-Nawawi's mastery of transmitted sources shows in his numerous citations of Quranic verses, prophetic had­ iths, and narrations from Companions, Successors (Tabi'un), and the Righteous Forebears (Sala{) after them. His encyclopedic mas­ tery of foqh and jurisprudence is manifest in his handling of rul­ ings from his own legal school (madhab) and other madhhabs that are still extant or now extinct. His mastery of biographies, geography, and Arabic philology are also demonstrated through­ out the text, particularly in the final chapter of the book. A good portion of the Tibyan is devoted to foqh, that is, to le­ gal rulings. For most .issues, the Imam gives the various scholarly opinions, the evidence for each, and then supports the strongest opinion. As an aid to I:Ianafi readers, I have included references to works of their school for further study pertaining to some topics raised in this book. While the individual rulings are of particular importance to Shafi'ls, there are still vital lessons for us all. Imam al-Nawawi does not promote his madhab, the Shafi'i school, at the expense of others. He does not intentionally weaken other opinions so as to gain victory for his own. The Imam, a scru­ pulous scholar of the highest order, does not treat this casually, which, in and of itself, is a vital lesson in foqh. Section titles are sparse in short Arabic texts, especially those like the Tibyan which were intended to be memorized. To serve the needs of English readers, I have added section titles to make the text more accessible and easier to follow. XVII

ETIQUETTE WITH THE QURAN Even though the Tibyiin is for laymen, its language, style, and concepts may be foreign to many English readers. Much of this is remedied through translation, though explanatory notes are nec­ essary in a few cases. Imam al-Nawawi quotes at least n5 individual prophetic hadiths. I have documented the sources of each, most of which is adapted from Bashir Muhammad 'Uyun's edition of the Tib­ yiin. No effort has been made to judge the hadiths since Imam al-Nawawi was himself qualified to do this, and he clearly defines his scholarly parameters for the transmitted evidence he includes. In short, his inclusion of a hadith indicates that he judged it to be sound enough for citation, whether it be for 'fiqhi rulings or morals and merits. The Imam mentions some two hundred individuals. I added an appendix with brief biographies for all but a few of the people mentioned. The biographies come in alphabetical order (Aland 'ayn are ignored). There are many cross-references since individu­ als are referred to in many ways. Whenever a name is preceded by an agnomen ( "Abu . . . "), the biography comes under the name­ not the agnomen. The last chapter of the Tibyiin is Imam al-Nawawi's lexicon of problematic names and places, organized in the order of their appearance in the text. Translation, transliteration, and biogra­ phies have rendered superfluous the lexicon and similar material mentioned elsewhere in the text. It was my decision nonetheless to keep this material intact. While the content itself may now be of minor utility, its inclusion, at the very least, demonstrates the meticulous care that scholars took to be sure that everything was as clear as possible without ambiguity or potential for misinter­ pretation. For the initial translation, I used Shaykh 'Abd al-Qadir al-Ar­ na'ut's edition. I compared later drafts to Bashir Muhammad 'Uyun's edition. The hadith references and biographies are largely adapted from this.,Jatter edition. On a personal not՘, this is my first published translation and I admit that in the art of translation I am a novice. Where I have XVIII

TRANSLATOR'S INTRODUCTION succeeded, it is only through the blessing and grace of God; and where I have faltered it is from my own shortcpmings. If the read­ er finds mistakes, I would like to know about them and correct them for future editions, and I hope that he or she bears in mind that it is noble to overlook the weak when they falter, and that good deeds cancel out the bad. So here presented is the translation of the entire text of Tibydn, with the exception of two paragraphs I chose to abridge. The people who helped me with this project are too numer­ ous to mention. I owe a great debt for the help I received from students further along in their studies, especially Hedaya, Omar, Talal, Zahir, Zaid, and M. Afifi for help with the manuscript. I especially owe much to my wife and children for their constant support. T his project would be markedly different without the aid of two individuals: Shaykh Nuh Keller, who suggested translating the Tibyan in 1999 and allowed me to benefit from his experi­ ence; also Gibril Haddad, who helped with two thorough revi­ sions of the work, added notes to my biographies, and provided the material for Imam al-Nawawi's biography. May God reward Imam al-Nawawi and the people he men­ tioned in the Tibydn. And may God make us worthy of being among the honored bearers of the Quran. MUSA FURBER DAMASCUS MARCH 30, 2003 XIX