The Greatest Imam Al-Nawawi

He is arguably the greatest Imam

When it comes to the devotion of seeking knowledge, there is arguably no one shines as bright as Imam Al-Nawawi. Abu Zakariyya Yahya ibn Sharaf Al-Nawawi otherwise known as Imam Al-Nawawi. He was born in the seventh century (AH) in the village of Nawa, Syria, considered to be one of the darkest centuries of Islamic civilization, which saw the sacking of Baghdad by the Mongols and the continued attacks on the Muslims by Crusader armies from the West.

From a young age, the Imam wasn't a typical child who liked to play. On one occasion, kids would come to taunt and tease him as he sat on the side forcing him to play with them but he would resist and cry because he hated being away from reading the Quran. When a passing man saw this happen in front of him he explained:

"A special love and affection developed in my heart for young Nawawi. I approached his teacher and urged him to take exceptional care of this lad as he was to become a great religious scholar"

His teacher then relayed this to his father who he himself was a pious and virtuous man. The imam's father decided to dedicate the life of his son to the pursuit of Islamic knowledge. When he became 18 years old, he left Nawa to Damascus which was by then  the center of learning at the time. During this time Imam Al-Nawawi studied Hadith and Islamic Jurisprudence from some of the most famous scholars who were masters in their own respects. And by the age of 24, he was already teaching students of his own. His life was consumed with reading, studying, and teaching that he would not sleep until sleep would overcome him. He would then wake up startled and continue studying. He even said about himself:

"I spent two years without lying on the ground to sleep my side."

He would not waste any moment of the day or night, but he would spend it busy with attaining knowledge. Even when he was walking in the streets, he will be busy going over what he had remembered and reviewing his notes. He continued gaining knowledge in that way for a period of six years. The Imam was famous for his austerity and lack of desire for the pleasure of this world. In fact, the only things that he possessed were a turban and a long gown and he would live his whole life without ever being married as he feared that he would not be able to fulfill the rights of his wife due to his learning desires.

In the span of twelve of thirteen years from when he started writing to his death, he wrote and compiled some of the most important works in the history of Islam. These works include: Garden of Righteous (Riyadh Al-Saliheen), his Commentary to Sahih Muslim (Al-Minhaaj), The Forty Hadith (Arba'een), and the Book of Remembrance (Kitab Al-Athkar). These are just some of the impressive works that the Imam completed in is short life. After returning to Nawa, he became ill and passed away in 676 AH at the age of 44. Imam Al-Nawawi's short life encompasses one major theme, that is: 

"Devotion to the pursuit of knowledge"

His endless nights of reading, studying, and learning serve as an inspiration for Muslims to devotee themselves to the Islamic sciences and fields of knowledge. May Allah have mercy on Imam Al-Nawawi and facilitate for us Muslims who are devoted to the pursuit of knowledge to uphold this religion.