. J i ? . .r--J i ? (cont.)

Its importance in the Shafi' ee school can be seen by the fact that this book has been abridged, commented upon and expanded by a number of scholars since the time of al-Nawawi. Many later scholars praised it and talked about how essential it is for any follower of the Shafi' ee school. 2 Unfortunately, in his abridgment, al-Nawawi left out the evidence for the different positions he states. Hence, the work may be of great use to strict followers of the Shafi' ee school but is not very beneficial for the one who is seeking to go beyond the school itself to understand the evidence and the proofs for the strongest position on a particular question. It seems that al-Nawawi noticed that there were some shortcomings in this work. He had the intention to review it and edit it. Unfortunately, he passed away before he was able to accomplish that task.3 Minhaaj al-Taalibeen Another one of the most important fiqh works among the Shafi' ees also came from the pen of Imam al-Nawawi. This work is Minhaaj al­ Taalibeen. In this work, al-Nawawi abridged al-Rafi'ee's al-Muharrar. Since the time of al-Nawawi, it has become standard practice for the Shafi'ees to memorize this work. This work has been commented upon by a number of scholars. One of the most important of these commentaries is Mughni al-Muhtaaj ila Marifat Maani Alfaadh al-Minhaaj by Shams al-Deen Muhammad al-Sharbeeni (d. 977 AH). An English translation, based on the French translation, by the Orientalist E. C. Howard is also available. His Students Besides his writings, of course, al-Nawawi cast his influence over numerous students. He taught for many years and many people benefited from him. Some of his better known students include ibn al-Attar, the great scholar of hadith Jamaal al-Deen al-Mizzi, Abu al-Abbaas ibn Faraah, al-Badr Muhammad ibn Jamaah and Abu al-Rabi al-Haashimi.4 1 Zuhair al-Shaweesh, introduction to Yahya al-Nawawi, Raudhat al-Taalibeen wa Umdat al­ Mufteen (Beirut: al-Mak.tab al-Islaami, 1991), vol. 1, p. i!· See also al-Nawawi's own introduction to that work, p. 5. 2 See al-Diqr, pp. 78-80. Al-Diqr also discusses the criticisms of the work on pp. 81-83. 3 Al-Diqr, p. 82. 4 For a more extensive discussion of al-Nawawi's students, see al-Haddaad, pp. 129-139. The Life of Imam al-Nawawi His Bravery and Sacrifice for the Sake of Allah Al-Nawawi understood very well the evil of disobeying Allah. He would not accept or remain silent in the presence of any evil, no matter who or what the source. He stood up for the sake of Allah and he feared the punishment of no one but Allah. He once stated that he considered dying for the sake of Allah an act of worship. Hence, he would stand up to the king, the other scholars, the powers that be and anyone else for the sake of Allah. At the same time, he understood very well the words of the Prophet (peace be upon him), "The religion is sincere advice." He took it upon himself to advise those who were doing wrong. He tried his best to guide them to what is best and proper. He would use soft speech and convincing arguments from the Quran and sunnah whenever appropriate. If this had no affect, then he would take a harsher approach to try to correct the wrong that appeared around him. Al-Nawawi, the Ruler and the Masses The leader of the Muslims during much of al-Nawawi's lifetime was al-Sultan al-Dhaahir. He was a war hero. He was the one who fought the Mongols and handed them a great defeat. However, his status and popularity did not prevent al-Nawawi from standing up to him when he was wrong. He would approach him personally in the Hall of Justice (Daar al-Adi) or write to him if necessary. On one occasion, al-Nawawi sent the Sultan a letter on behalf of the Muslim masses. It was also signed by a number of other scholars. These scholars, as mentioned by al-Nawawi's student ibn al-Attar, who delivered the letter, were from all of the different schools of fiqh represented in Damascus. It is interesting to note that they had al-Nawawi write the letter and send it as a letter from himself with the others signing it. This may be a sign that they accepted al-Nawawi as their leader in this kind of matter, that is, when it came to social reform and standing up to the ruler. Basically, this letter was a request from Imam al-Nawawi for the ruler to lessen the taxes that were placed on the inhabitants of Sham. Portions of that letter read as follows: In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful. From the servant of Allah, Yahya al-Nawawi. The peace, mercy and blessings of Allah be upon the righteous ruler, the king of the governors, may Allah make his good deeds long lasting and make him rule with goodness... and bless him in all of his affairs. Amen.