7a] IMAM NAWAWI [631 - 676 A.H]

7a]
Birth and Birth place:
The complete name of Imam Nawawi is Abu Zakaria Mohiuddin Yahya, son of Sharaf An-Nawawi, son of Murry, son of Hassan, son of Hussain, sonof Muhammad , son of Juma, son of Hazam. Nawawi refers to Nawa, a place near Damascus, in the suburb of the city of Howran. One of his ancestors named Hazam had settled at this place. Imam Nawawi was born atNawa in the year 631 A.H. His father, a virtuous and pious man, resolved to arrange for proper and befitting education as he had discovered the symptoms of heavenly intelligence and wisdom inhis promising child at an early stage.
Shaikh Yasin bin Yousuf Marakashi, a saintly figure of Nawa says: “I saw ImamNawawi at Nawa when he was a youth of ten years of age. Other boys of his age used to force him to play with them, but Imam Nawawi would always avoid the play and would remain busy with the recitation of the Noble Qur’an. When they tried to domineer and insisted on his joining their games, he bewailed and expressed his no concern over their foolish action. On observing his sagacity and profundity, a special love and affection developed inmy 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 and most pious saint of future. His teacher asked whether I was a soothsayer or an astrologer. I told him I am neither soothsayer nor an astrologer but Allah caused me to utter these words.” His teacher conveyed this incident to Imam’s father and he keeping in view the learning quest of his son, decided to dedicate the lifeof his son for the service and promotion of the cause of Islamic Faith.
In a short period, Nawawi learnt to read the Holy Qur’an and by that time henearly had attained puberty. Nawa had no academic or scholarly atmosphere and there were no religious academies or institutes where one could earn excellence in religious learning, so his father tookhim to Damascus, which was considered the center of learning and scholarship, and the students from far and wide gathered there for schooling. During that period, there were more than three hundred institutes, colleges and universities in Damascus. Imam Nawawi joined Madrasah Rawahiyah which was affiliated with the Ummvi University. The founder and patron of this Madrasah was a trader named Zakiuddin Abul-Qassim who was known as Ibn Rawahah. Madrasah was named afterhim. Noted and eminent teachers of the period taught in that Madrasah. Imam Nawawi says, “I studied in this institution for two years. During my stay in Madrasah Rawahiyah, I never had complete rest and lived onthe limited food supplied by the institution.” As a routine he used to sleep very little at night. When itbecame irresistible as a human being, he would lean and slumber for a while against the support of books. After a short duration he would again be hard at his scholastic pursuits.
His Teachers and Guides:
During his stay at Damascus, he studied frommore than twenty celebrated teachers. These teachers were regarded as masters and authority of their subject field and disciplines they taught. Imam studied Hadith, Islamic Jurisprudence, its principles, syntax and Etymology from great scholars of his time. Abu Ibrahim Ishaq bin Ahmad AI-Maghribi, Abu Muhammad Abdur-Rahman bin Ibrahim Al-Fazari, Radiyuddin Abu Ishaq Ibrahim bin Abu HafsUmar bin Mudar Al-Mudari,Abu Ishaq Ibrahim bin Isa Al-Muradi, Abul-Baqa Khalid bin Yusuf An-Nablusi, Abul-Abbas Ahmad bin Salim Al-Misri, Abu Abdullah Al-Jiyani, Abul-Fath Umar bin Bandar, Abu Muhammad At-Tanukhi, Sharafuddin Abdul-Aziz bin MuhammadAl-Ansari, Abul-Faraj Abdur-Rahman bin Muhammad bin Ahmad Al-Maqdisi, Abul-Fada’il Sallar bin Al-Hasan Al Arbali etc.
His Students:
There were hundreds of Imam’s students, among them some notables are: Alauddin bin Attar, Ibn Abbas Ahmad bin Ibrahim, Abul-Abbas Al-Ja’fari, Abul-Abbas Ahmad bin Farah, Rashid Ismail bin Mu’allim Al-Hanafi, Abu Abdullah Al-Hanbali, AbulAbbas Al-Wasti, Jamaluddin Sulaiman bin Omar Az-Zar’i, AbulFaraj Abdur-Rahman bin Muhammad bin Abdul-Hamid AlMaqdisi, Badr Muhammad bin Ibrahim, Shamsuddin Muhammad bin Abu Bakr, Ash-Shihab Muhammad bin Abdul-Khaliq, Hibatullah Al-Barizi,Abul-Hajjaj Yusuf bin Az-Zaki etc.
His Desire and Crave for Learning:
Imam Nawawi had endlessthirst for knowledge, and it can be guessed from his daily practice of studies. Heused to read daily twelve lessons and write explanation and commentary of every lesson and also made important additions. Whatever the book Imam Nawawi read, he put down the marginal notes and explanations on that book. His intelligence, hardwork, love, devotion and absorption in his-studies amazed his teachers and they become fond of him and began to praise and admire him.
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If it is mustahab to recite(from memory) withwudhu then would it be makrooh to do so with out wudhu?.

Praise be to Allaah.
There is nothing wrong with reciting Qur'aan in a state of minor
impurity (without wudoo'), and some of the scholars havestated that
there is consensus on its permissibility. There are saheeh hadeeths
concerning this matter which demonstrate that itis not necessary to do
wudoo' if one wants to recite Qur'aan and is in a state of minor
impurity. Rather the difference of scholarly opinion has to do with
touching the Qur'aan and whether one who is in a state of major
impurity (janaabah) can recite it; the majority of scholars are of the
view that both of these mattersare not allowed.
It was narrated from 'Abd-Allaah ibn 'Abbaas (may Allah be pleased
with him) that that he stayed one night with Maymoonah, the Mother of
the Believers, who was his maternal aunt. I lay down across the width
of the mattress and the Messenger of Allaah (blessings and peace of
Allah be upon him) and his wife lay along its length. The Messenger of
Allaah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) slept until halfway
through the night, or just before or after that. The Messenger of
Allaah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) woke up and started
wiping thesleep from his face with his hand. Then he recited the last
ten verses of Soorat Aal 'Imraan, then he got up and went to a
waterskin that was hanging there, and did wudoo' from it and did it
well, then he stood and prayed.
Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 4295; Muslim, 763
Imam al-Bukhaari included this hadeeth in a chapter entitled: Chapter
on Reciting Qur'aan after Minor Impurity and otherwise.
Ibn 'Abd al-Barr (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
This indicates that Qur'aanmay be recited without wudoo', because he
slept for a long time, so there isno question that he woke up without
wudoo'; then he woke up and recited Qur'aan before he did wudoo', then
he did wudoo' after that and prayed.
End quote from al-Tamheed lima fi al-Muwatta' min al-Ma'aani wal
Asaaneed, 13/207
Al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
This indicates that it is permissible for one who isin a state of
minor impurity to recite Qur'aan;this is the consensus of the Muslims.
End quote from Sharh Muslim, 6/46
And Allah knows best.

1c] Saying takbeer from Soorat al-Duha to Sooratal-Naas

1c]
which he says:
From the above discussion of the reports, examination of their isnaads and biographies of their narrators, we could not find anything but the report of al-Bazzi – as the scholars said – and it is a report whose isnaad is filled with weak and majrooh narrators, and there is no other report apart from the report of al-Bazzi. This was stated clearly by many scholars of reports, although some of the most famous reciters, such as Ibn Mujaahid in his book al-Sab’ah, did notnarrate the takbeer, and neither did Abu’l-Qaasim al-Hudhali in his book al-Kaamil. This indicates that the report was not proven in their view. And Allaah knows best.
A Sunnah cannot be established by means of such a report, rather it is better not to do that, whether it is mentioned in the report of al-Bazzi orthe report of anyone else. That is so as to protect the Book of Allaah and to keep out of it anything that is not part of it, whether it is thought to be Sunnah or not. Praise be to Allaah, the Lord of the Worlds. End quote.
Secondly:
Many reasons for this takbeer have been mentioned, the most well known of which is that the Revelation to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) ceased for a while, and when it resumed after that, the first thing that was revealed was Soorat al-Duha, in which it says (interpretation of the meaning): “Your Lord (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) has neither forsaken you nor hates you” [al-Duha 93:3], and he said takbeer in joy at that.Even if this is saheeh, it does not indicate that it ismustahabb to say takbeeras suggested by some scholars of recitation, for several reasons:
1. It does not indicate that takbeer is to be said after every recitation of the soorah.
2. It does not indicate that takbeer is to be said until Soorat al-Naas.
3. The takbeer was said only once, because of the Revelation resuming afterit had ceased for a while.
4. The other soorahs donot have the same content as Soorat al-Duha.
Moreover, this report doesnot have any saheeh isnaad, or even any da’eef(weak) one.
Imam Ibn Katheer (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
With regard to saying takbeer after Soorat al-Duha, the reciters said that when the revelation was late in coming to the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and that went on for a while, then the angel came to him and brought the words (interpretation of the meaning): “By the forenoon (after sunrise). By the night when it darkens (and stands still)” [al-Duha 93:1-2], he said takbeer out of joy and happiness.
But this was not narrated with any isnaad that can be judged to be saheeh orda’eef. And Allaah knows best.
Tafseer Ibn Katheer (8/423).
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1b] Saying takbeer from Soorat al-Duha to Sooratal-Naas

1b]
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) told the majority of reciters to add an extra takbeer thenthey disobeyed the command of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and failed to do what he had commanded them to do, deserves to be punished severely as a deterrent to him and others like him.
With regard to the takbeer, the one who saysthat it is part of the Qur’aan has gone astray according to scholarly consensus and must be asked to repent; if he repents, all well and good,otherwise he should be executed. How could the one who does not recite itbe denounced for not reciting it? The one who regard a person who doesnot say this takbeer as an innovator or one who goes against the Sunnah or a sinner, is closer to kufr than Islam and should be punished; indeed if he insists on thatafter having the proof explained to him, then he should be executed.
If we assume [?] that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) told some of those who recited it to say takbeer, then at most this indicates that it is permissible or mustahabb. If it were obligatory, the majority ofreciters would not have neglected it and the imams of the Muslims would not have agreed that it is not obligatory. But none of the imams narrated that the takbeer is obligatory, rather the most that anyone who reads according to the recitation of Ibn Katheer can say is that it is mustahabb. This is unlike the Basmalah, recitation of which is obligatory according to those who regard it as part of the Qur’aan, but despite that the reciters allow not reciting it if one does not want to use it as a break between one soorah and another. So how could it not be allowed to omit the takbeer, which is not part of the Qur’aan? End quote.
Majmoo’ al-Fataawa (13/417-419)
And he (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
The takbeer that is narrated from Ibn Katheeris not narrated with an isnad from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and no one attributed it to theProphet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) except al-Bazzi,who thus went against allthose who narrated it, as they only narrated it as something optional that was done by some of those who came after the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and he was the only one who attributed it to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). His transmission was regarded as da’eef (weak) by the specialists in hadeeth and biography among the scholars of recitation and hadeeth, aswas mentioned by more than one of the scholars. End quote.
Majmoo’ al-Fataawa (17/130).
Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked:
Some of the reciters of Qur’aan separate one soorah from another by saying Allaahu akbar instead of the basmalah. Is that permissible, and is there any evidence for it?
He replied:
This is contrary to what the Sahaabah (may Allaahbe pleased with them) did, who separated one soorah from another by saying Bismillaah il-Rahmaan il-Raheem, and it is contrary to the scholarly view that the soorahs of the Qur’aan should not be separated by takbeer throughout the Qur’aan.
At the very most, there are some reciters who regard it as mustahabb for a person to say takbeer when he finishes every soorah from al-Duha to the end of the Qur’aan, along with the Basmalah between every two soorahs. But the correct view is that this is not Sunnah, because that was not narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Based on this, what is prescribed is to separate one soorah from another by saying the Basmalah, Bismillaah il-Rahmaan il-Raheem, except in the case of Soorat Baraa’ah (al-Tawbah), as there is noBasmalah between al-Anfaal and it. End quote.
Fataawa Islamiyyah (4/48).
Shaykh Bakr Abu Zayd (may Allaah preserve him)mentions in his Book Bida’al-Qurraa’ (p. 27) seven things that have to do reading the entire Qur’aan, of which we maymention:
Saying takbeer at the end of Soorat al-Duha until the end of Soorat al-Naas, both when praying and otherwise.
Then he said:
There are no saheeh reports about these seventhings from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) or from his companions (may Allaah be pleased with them). Most of that which is narrated about some of them cannot be taken as evidence. The correct view is that none of these things are prescribed in sharee’ah. End quote.
The Shaykh of the reciters in al-Madeenah al-Munawwarah, Shaykh Ibraaheem al-Akhdar, has written an essay entitled Takbeer al-Khatam bayna al-Qurraa’ wa’l-Muhadditheen, at theend of which he says:
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