The Necessity of the Hadith in Islam (H/B)

This classical short commentary on Imam Nawawi’s famous collection of forty-two traditions of the Prophet Muhammad, may Allah bless him and give him peace, is an authoritative introduction to key Islamic principles and teachings, Accounted as hadith master, in this collection Imam Nawawi collected together those traditions that he considered were axial to the entire Islamic faith. As the first title in Kube’s new Treasury Series in Islamic Thought and Civilization, this accessible translation is presented in a beautiful gift format.

Ibn Daqiq al-‘Id (d.1302) was a Shafi’i mujtahid imam, who was educated in Damascus, Alexandria, and Egypt. Accounted as one of the greatest scholars in Islam in the fundamentals of law and belief, he wrote extensively in the areas of law, principles of jurisprudence, hadith, and tenets of faith. Imam Nawawi (d.1277) was accounted as an Imam of the later Shafi’i school and was known for his piety and knowledge.

This edition of Riyad-us-Saliheen has selected hadith from the full 2 volume edition. It has Arabic text, followed by English translation. It does not contain commentary like the larger editions.

Imam Nawawi was a great scholar of Hadith and Fiqh of his time. He compiled Riyad-us-Saliheen which acclaimed an important position in the Hadith Collections. It is an extremely popular and useful compilation of authentic hadith. Commentaries on the Ahadith were added by Hafiz Salahuddin Yusuf of Pakistan.

Keeping in view the problems of our times, we wished to print a concise volume of Riyad-us-Saliheen. For this volume, Sheikh Safi-ur-Rahman Mubarakpuri has made the selection of Ahddith.

This beautiful presentation of the Prophet Muhammad’s (s) teachings engages the reader in a moment of daily reflection. With 365 traditions covering the whole year, this is a must for every home. Apart from setting out the Islamic worldview, as reflected in the Prophet’s sayings, it is hoped that this work will serve as a useful volume for reflection, for soul-searching and for self -development as a single hadith appears on each of its pages, it has been designed to engage readers in a few moments of daily self-reflection throughout the year.

Abdur Raheem Kidwai is Professor of English at the Aligarh Muslim University in India and the well-known author of many works on the Qur’an and Islam.