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

Similarly, his life was not simply about standing up to the ruler and forgetting about the wrong that others did. Indeed, one must include among his acts of establishing good and eradicating evil the many writings that he has against different innovations that were practiced by the masses of his time. He objected to the innovation of bowing down to one's Sufi shaikh, the innovations that occurred at the grave of the Prophet (peace be upon him), the innovation of building mosques upon graves and many other issues. In his defense of the ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jamaah, he wrote against the Qadarriyah, Mutazilah, Khawaarij and Shia.2 All of this was part and parcel of his standing for the truth, establishing good and eradicating evil.3 His Death Shortly before al-Nawawi's death, he returned to his hometown of Nawa. There are two different stories given as to why he returned. Perhaps they are not contradictory. Basically, the ruler al-Dhaahir Bairbars became so enraged with al-Nawawi's refusal to accept any kind of wrong that he ordered al-Nawawi to be expelled from Damascus. The ruler's expelling of al-Nawawi could have been due to al-Nawawi's objections to more than one act that the ruler was doing. Al-Nawawi then went to visit his teachers and colleagues in Damascus, both alive and dead, at their cemeteries, to bid them farewell. Then he went to Jerusalem, and then back home to Nawa.4 Allah knows best. After a short period of time in Nawa, he fell ill and passed away. He died on the 24th ofRajab, 676 A.H. (1277 CE). He died at the age of forty-four. However, by the grace and mercy of Allah, his accomplishments during his short life span were equal to or greater than many who lived even twice as long 1 For the complete text of the letter, see Salmaan, al-Rudood, pp. 3 18-327; al-Diqr, pp. 149-158. 2 His discussions on these points may be found, for example, throughout his commentary on Sahih Muslim. However, Salmaan has combined a number of them together and eloquently presented them as a coherent whole. See Salmaan, al-Rudood, pp. 277-300. Although many people today seem to neglect the fact that it is just as important to eradicate the wrong of the masses as is eradicating the wrong of the rulers. The ruler is not the only one that needs to be advised and corrected. Sincere advice is also to be given to the Muslim masses. This can only be done if one corrects and guides them with respect to the many innovations and incorrect beliefs they hold. 4 See al-Diqr, p. 194. The Life of Imam al-Nawawi as he did. May Allah reward him greatly for all of his efforts and striving for the sake of Allah. When the news of his death reached Damascus, the people were very saddened. Tears flowed from their eyes. One of the greatest scholars and greatest leaders of the people had passed away. Indeed, one who was greatly beloved by almost everyone he touched in his life had died. As his student ibn al-Attar mentioned and as is clear from his commentary on Sahih Muslim, he wished that his grave would be according to the sunnah. That is, it was to be leveled and not prominent. However, the peopleperhaps one could say the ignorant peoplerefused that. They wanted to make his grave site prominent and a place for visitation. They decided to build a dome over his grave. However, Allah willed that al­ Nawawi 's wish be fulfilled. Every time they tried to build something over his grave, it was destroyed. His grave, after many attempts, was finally left flat, slightly marked and according to the sunnah.1 His grave is still well-known and recognized today. Conclusion This author does not claim that this short biography of Imam al­ Nawawi does justice to him. His student ibn al-Attar once stated that he saw many amazing things from al-Nawawi that if he were to write about all of them, it would fill volumes.2 All of the biographers who wrote about al­ Nawawi praised him greatly. They all accepted his status as a scholar, leader and ascetic. Perhaps one can sum up what the different scholars said about him by one statement from the scholar of hadith Abu al-Abbaas ibn Faraah. He stated, "The shaikh had reached the top in three areas. Every one of these areas is such that a person should be willing to mount his camel and travel in order to seek it. One is the level he attained when it comes to knowledge. The second is the level he attained when it comes to asceticism. And the third is the level he attained in ordering good and eradicating evil."3 1 Al-Diqr, pp. 1 95-196. 2 Quoted in al-Diqr, p. 182. 3 Quoted in al-Suyooti, al-Minhaaj, p. 49; al-Haddaad, p. 1 17. For quotations from numerous biographical dictionaries concerning al-Nawawi, see al-Haddaad, pp. 1 17-123; al-Diqr, pp. 173182.