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Al-Maqasid: Nawawi's Manual of Islam
AL-MAQASID
FAMOUS FIQH BOOKS like al-Maqasid have stood the test of time because of their sheer usefulness. Compact enough to be memorized by students becoming scholars, al-Maqasid contains hundreds of rulings of personal Islamic law distilled from the most commonly asked and answered questions in schools and mosques from the time of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) down to Imam Nawawi. Widely considered the best medium-size handbook available in English for teaching the basics of Islam from a traditional perspective, this new edition has been revised and updated with a full complement of notes on a number of contemporary Muslim issues, and three major essays have been appended on why Muslims follow madhhabs, hadiths the mujtahid Imams lacked, and the place of Sufism in Islam.
NUH HA MIM KELLER has studied Islamic jurisprudence, hadith, and other traditional sciences with sheikhs in Syria and Jordan since 1981. He lives and teaches in Amman.
Cover: At the far Western end of Muslim lands, facing across the Atlantic, this maqam at Safi is a metaphor, in its way, of Sacred Knowledge as the redoubt of the believer between the land of this world and the sea of eternity
FAMOUS FIQH BOOKS like al-Maqasid have stood the test of time because of their sheer usefulness. Compact enough to be memorized by students becoming scholars, al-Maqasid contains hundreds of rulings of personal Islamic law distilled from the most commonly asked and answered questions in schools and mosques from the time of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) down to Imam Nawawi. Widely considered the best medium-size handbook available in English for teaching the basics of Islam from a traditional perspective, this new edition has been revised and updated with a full complement of notes on a number of contemporary Muslim issues, and three major essays have been appended on why Muslims follow madhhabs, hadiths the mujtahid Imams lacked, and the place of Sufism in Islam.
NUH HA MIM KELLER has studied Islamic jurisprudence, hadith, and other traditional sciences with sheikhs in Syria and Jordan since 1981. He lives and teaches in Amman.
Cover: At the far Western end of Muslim lands, facing across the Atlantic, this maqam at Safi is a metaphor, in its way, of Sacred Knowledge as the redoubt of the believer between the land of this world and the sea of eternity
226 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1992
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About the author
Yahya ibn Sharaf Al-Nawawi
219 books59 followersAbū Zakariyyā Yahya ibn Sharaf Al-Nawawi (Arabic: يحيى بن شرف النووي ; 1233–1277), popularly known as al-Nawawī or Imam Nawawī (631–676 A.H./1234–1277), was a Sunni Shafi'ite jurist and hadith scholar. He authored numerous and lengthy works ranging from hadith, to theology, biography, and jurisprudence. Al-Nawawi never married.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
September 3, 2024
+5 stars for being a thorough and useful manual for the proper practice of religion.
-2 stars because it's a bad religion.
-2 stars because this is the most tedious book I've ever had the misfortune of reading.
-2 stars because it's a bad religion.
-2 stars because this is the most tedious book I've ever had the misfortune of reading.
April 5, 2021
An essential read, plain and simple. AlNawawi's manual is concise yet with so much detail packed into so little. Furthermore Nuh Keller's essays at the end are essential to every muslim of this time, as we have clearly lost way with what traditional Islam is, what it entails, and more importantly what it requires of us.
March 27, 2012
I'm not a scholar of the Hadith or the Qur'an or Shari'a. I still learned a lot from this text and recommend it for others who seek deeper and greater understanding of Islam, particularly the Shafi'i school Imam Nawawi is part of. I appreciated the clarity of teaching in each section and especially the section on Sufism.
October 12, 2009
Great book onShafi'i jurisprudence
October 2, 2017
A succinct manual for the shafiis with excellent additions on the common problems faced by a common muslim in this world today. A definite recommendation for all the muslims out there. May the author be rewarded greatly for this book
March 16, 2011
Detailed, but reads like it was written in a hurry. Sometimes a whole act of worship is whittled down to one sentence with a few of the words being completely vague. Would be much better if it were better organized. A new version is necessary.
I felt the additions at the back of the book were unneeded, and in my estimation if those additions can be included (that Imam Nawawi never wrote) then Shaykh Nuh could definitely toss in some commentary and footnotes, for the countless but all too common 'what-if' scenarios that crops up daily. A much more organic explanation would be very helpful. Comparable to Za'd al-Ma'ad of Ibn Qayyim in approach.
Nonetheless, this is one of the few Islamic books that attempts to cover a great deal of ground so its a welcomed but necessary addition to fiqh books.
I felt the additions at the back of the book were unneeded, and in my estimation if those additions can be included (that Imam Nawawi never wrote) then Shaykh Nuh could definitely toss in some commentary and footnotes, for the countless but all too common 'what-if' scenarios that crops up daily. A much more organic explanation would be very helpful. Comparable to Za'd al-Ma'ad of Ibn Qayyim in approach.
Nonetheless, this is one of the few Islamic books that attempts to cover a great deal of ground so its a welcomed but necessary addition to fiqh books.
April 10, 2016
What can I say? It's a great book, and very helpful especially for followers of the Shafi'i school. Worth reading straight through, including the end notes at least once. Also worth keeping close by for a quick reference if you're not looking for something super-detailed like you might find in the Reliance.
February 2, 2008
Good resource to have on your shelf
Want to read
August 11, 2010Soon to own, ordered from BookDepository.com.
Updated 11 August 2010: Received my copy from BD.
Updated 11 August 2010: Received my copy from BD.
October 25, 2019
Indispensable
January 29, 2015
Concise yet good resource on Shafii fiqh.
Written by Imam Nawawi, translated by Shaykh Nuh Ha Mim Keller.
Written by Imam Nawawi, translated by Shaykh Nuh Ha Mim Keller.
June 4, 2007
A fantastic primer for anyone interested in the basics of Islam.
January 16, 2015
It is a good start and beneficial to those seeking sacred knowledge. I highly recommend it.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews