Riyad as-Salihin — Gardens of the Righteous

Overview

Riyad as-Salihin (رياض الصالحين, Gardens of the Righteous) is one of the most widely read and beloved hadith compilations in the Muslim world. Compiled by Imam Abu Zakariyya Yahya ibn Sharaf al-Nawawi (631-676 AH / 1233-1277 CE), the Syrian Shafi'i scholar, it contains approximately 1,900 hadith drawn primarily from Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, and the four Sunan collections. The book was designed to be a comprehensive guide to Islamic ethics, worship, and daily living.

Structure

The book is organized into 372 chapters grouped into 19 books. Each chapter begins with relevant Quranic verses, followed by hadith that illustrate the topic. The books cover sincerity, repentance, patience, truthfulness, watchfulness, piety, certainty, steadfastness, reflection, hastening to do good, jihad (striving), knowledge, praising Allah, supplication, prohibited actions, miscellaneous topics, seeking forgiveness, the Quran, and remembrance of Allah. This structure makes the book both a moral guide and a practical reference for daily Muslim life.

Why It Endures

Several qualities explain why Riyad as-Salihin has remained one of the most popular Islamic books for over seven centuries. Al-Nawawi selected hadith that are practical and directly applicable to everyday situations. The chapters progress logically from inner states (sincerity, patience) to outward actions (worship, social conduct). The hadith are predominantly from Bukhari and Muslim, ensuring authenticity. The book is accessible to scholars and laypeople alike, making it ideal for home reading, mosque study circles, and Islamic school curricula. It has been translated into virtually every major language.

Al-Nawawi's Legacy

Imam al-Nawawi died at age 45 but left behind a body of work that is extraordinary in both quantity and quality. His commentary on Sahih Muslim, his Forty Hadith collection, al-Adhkar (a comprehensive supplication guide), al-Minhaj (a major Shafi'i fiqh text), and Riyad as-Salihin are all still widely studied today. He lived an ascetic life of scholarship, never marrying, spending his days teaching and writing. His works are distinguished by their clarity, precision, and practical orientation, qualities that have made Riyad as-Salihin a staple of Islamic education worldwide.