Customer Reviews

Al-Maqasid: Nawawi's Manual of Islam

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The main difference between this book and "Reliance of the Traveller" is simply their level of complexity and their purpose. The Reliance is an advanced reference book while the Maqasid is a manual for life to be learnt and lived. I believe that this book is much more important for the average person than the Reliance.

The text itself of written by Imam Nawawi and that is all that needs to be said about how good the actual text is. I do not personally like the way the commentary is set up as it just goes in brackets in the middle of the text. The commentary itself is outstanding however, clarifying many issues and even relating to the rulings of other madhabs on occasion (this book is for the Shafi'i madhab). The appendices are worth the price of the book by themselves and deal with many of the pressing issues of the day. The book looks attractive and unlike many recent books I have bought, it seems very well bound. Overall it is a great achievment that should not be overshadowed be the Reliance.

Al Maqasid of Imam Nawawi is an excellent primer for people learning the basics of Islamic practice and law according to the madhhab of Imam Shafi'i. The text covers basic beliefs, the five pillars, spirituality, and contains various essays in the appendix section that deal with current trends that need explanation from the traditional Islamic perspective.

This text is a required a in Shafi'i fiqh course offered at sunnipath.com.

Excellent book with notes and references from Reliance of the Traveler. Its written in a way that is very easy to understand. I really liked the notes added by the translator/author, especially the role of tasawwuf(sufism) in Islam. The explanation was simple and engaging.

This book is a must read for those who think madhab is bida'ah and Wahabbism is the best Islamic way of life. Although this book does not touch Wahabbism in particular, but you can sense it.

One point I must say that this book originally does not discuss about Wahabbism. But is just a topic added (together with many other topics such as Sufism) by Sheikh Nuh Ha Mim Keller. This book discusses largely about Iman, Salat, Fasting, Zakah, and Hajj in the point of view of Shafi'ie school.

If you are looking for an easy reference for daily Islamic practices for average Muslim or those who are only starting to learn about it (i.e. new reverts), this is a good starting book.

There is a lot to be confused about when it comes to Islamic jurisprudence (Fiqh). For one thing, the subject matter is huge, since we are talking about everything possible in human live. On top of that, there are various differences in opinion on many matters among the Islamic scholars (note however that the differences are mostly on branches, i.e. not core Islamic teachings)

Lastly, there are a lot of books out there, it is not easy to find the best and suitable one.

This is one of the gems out there. It is mainly concerned with daily matters and rituals that every Muslims will go through (i.e. cleanliness, praying, fasting, etc). You will not find discussion on other Fiqh matter like inheritance, business, etc. Which is good because it makes the book more focused.

The fact that it is originally written by Imam Nawawi gives it great credence. To the unitiated, Imam Nawawi was one of the great past Islamic scholars that has contributed a lot to the Islam. And Sheikh Nuh did a good job in annotating the book with reference to Riyadhus Sollehein (another more detailed book on Fiqh also by Imam Nawawi). He also made some notes of his own that greatly help the reader.

Need to mentioned that this book is of Mazhab Shafi'e (since Imam Nawawi was of Mazhab Shafi'e himself). However, there are plenty of discussion highlighting areas of differences in comparison with other Mazhab. As such, it still serve as a good reference to all.

Also worth mentioning are additional writings in the books on various topics which makes for good reading covering issues like sufism, the justification for mazhab, etc.

All in all, a worthy addition to any Muslims' bookshelf out there.

Very concise and simple. This is a must for anyone adhereing the Shafi'i madhab. Shaykh Nuh Keller's notes are an additional plus as well.

This is a perfect text for one's everyday life. It focuses on the fiqh regarding the five pillars of the faith, as well as a nice notes and appendix section.