The 40 Legacy of Imam Nawawi
Time is not the same for all of us. Nor is it measured the same way. Although we appear to be moving through it all the same. We don’t feel its constrictions or expansions at a physical level but they are a reality. The concept of time and barakah (blessing or increase) coincide a lot in the Islamic tradition. So one may ask for an increase in our wealth, health, livelihood, knowledge, careers, etc. This Arabic word however is not limited to a physical increase. It may be that God permits a person to achieve more with fewer resources, or accomplish a lot over a small period. It is this increase that creates a mystery about time and its relation to achievement. So begs the century old question, why are some people able to achieve so much more in short periods of time while others cannot?
Understanding the concept of barakah in Islam can help shed some light on this mystery. Today, we would like to share some highlights of the life of an incredible person in history, Muhyi al-Din Abu Zakariya Yahya bin Sharaf al-Nawawi or also known popularly as Imam Nawawi. He was born in the village of Nawa near Damascus in 631 A.H. From a young age, Abu Zakariya was known for his interest in the pursuit of knowledge and did not have any inclinations for play like his peers. Therefore, his father facilitated his interest and the young lad studied with the most prominent teachers of the time in Damascus mastering diverse sciences in a short period of time including hadith, tafseer, fiqh, and more. He was much loved and celebrated by his teachers because of his capacity for learning and disseminating knowledge. Imam Nawawi is described by his teachers and students as simple, modest, grateful, honest and just. He did not live a long life but he lived an expansive life.
He passed away around the age of 44 but those 40 odd years of his life were filled with incredible achievement and success. Allah gave him barakah in almost everything. Although he wrote dozens of books including the popular Riyaad as-Saliheen, he is most famous for his compilation of the Arba’ian or the 40 Ahadeeth of Imam Nawawi. In this 40 hadith compilation, the Imam captures a condensed version of knowledge that every Muslim is at minimum obligated to know. The subject matter of the hadiths are diverse yet relatable in a timeless manner making them relevant to any age and time. His legacy of 40 years stands tall in Islamic history. It’s no coincidence that he became most known for the compilation of 40 hadith. Less can be more. It depends on what you do with what you are given. Some may be given a lot but they waste it so it never amounts to much. Others are given a little yet they expand its impact in unimaginable ways.
In this day and age, time is what everyone seems to complain about or not have enough of. But is it really time that we do not have, or is it that we no longer have barakah in it? What can we do to achieve this barakah in our time and our lives extending beyond our breathing moments on earth?
Maybe what we do with our time makes a difference. Maybe the company we keep in the time makes a difference. Maybe the intentions we have for a given time make a difference. Maybe the commitment we make with our wealth, health and resources in a time makes a difference. Even in our brief overview of Imam Nawawi’s life, we see the embodiment of so much that Allah mentions in the Qur’an about barakah. Allah truly blessed Imam Nawawi with barakah. In his time. In his life. In his knowledge. And in his legacy. So much so that even after 40 generations since he left the world, we continue to benefit from the barakah Allah provided for him.
As we conclude the 40 series, we invite you to join this legacy and pass this barakah on to the next generation. At Sanad Trust Foundation, our focus remains inculcating prophetic principles and values into the next generation. We are filling the gaps so guidance never fades away. Today, we invite you to build a legacy. For Allah, His messenger, our faith and the hope for our children’s collective future. Together, let’s make history, build a legacy, get connected.
This is a test bio for the widget style