Riyad as-Saliheen
New Series: Explanation of Riyad as-Saliheen
Bismillah
Abdullah ibn Al-Mubarak used to often stay at home, so he was asked, “Don’t you get lonely?” He replied, “How could I get lonely when I am with the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) (i.e. I read his hadith)?” [Reported by ibn ‘Asaakir]
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Hadith have become a controversial topic these days with many Muslims claiming that we cannot follow these narrations because of the lack of authenticity. A cause of this lack of connection with hadith may be from the fact that we do not learn or honor the narrations of the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) as we should. The goal of this series insha’Allah is to bring to light why Muslims should honor the narrations of the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) and seek to comprehend them.
To increase our love for the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) and to gain comprehension of his narrations, we will be starting a new series on the famous hadith collection “Riyad as-Saliheen.”
What is Riyad as-Saliheen and why did we select it?
Riyad as-Saliheen (Gardens of the Righteous) is a collection of ahadith by Imam Nawawi (rahimahullah). It is a compilation of ahadith for the every day life of a Muslim. It covers the three spectrums of akhlaq (character) which is with yourself, with Allah and with others. It has ahadith on the actions of the heart, deeds of the limbs and statements of the tongue. It has ahadith and ayat that lead to a person’s success in this life and the next. Riyad as-Saliheen is the perfect book of hadith for laymen. Imam Nawawi (rahimahullah), who is known for his 40 hadeeth collection, set it up in a way that the one who reads it does not need extensive knowledge of hadith or its sciences to understand. He says in his introduction to this collection:
Hence, I deemed it appropriate to compile an abridgement of authentic traditions, depicting a path for its master to tread upon towards the Hereafter. Acquiring manners and etiquettes, concealed and apparent. [In addition] to the inclusion of a provision for awakening a desire and providing a source of fear [impelling action]. [Incorporating] all the categories of manners and etiquettes for those treading upon this path. [Extracted] from the traditions pertaining to asceticism, the spiritual refinement of the soul, and the perfection of good character. the purification and treatment of the heart, and preservation of the limbs. The elimination of deviation and crookedness, in addition to other [matters] from [amongst] the objectives of the cognisant [TN – Those amongst creation who are acquainted with the objective].
I have obligated myself not to mention save a sound tradition from the unambiguous, selected from the authentic and distinguished books [of Prophetic tradition].
I have introduced the chapters with the noble Verses from the Honoured al-Qur’an, adorning [the book] with what is needed from vowelization, amendment or explanation of obscure meanings [by means of] precious gems from pointers of elucidation.
If I have mentioned at the end of the tradition ‘Mutafiqun ‘Alayhi – متفقٌ عليه it denotes: Narrated by al-Bukhari and al-Muslim.
I hope that if [what is contained] in the book is executed, it [provides] an indicator [for the attentive] towards virtuous deeds and actions, and [provides] an obstacle for the individual [hindering his passage] towards the [various] categories of shameful deeds, and places of destruction.
I ask the brother who derives benefit from a matter contained within [this book], that he supplicates on my behalf, [including] my parents, my teachers, all those beloved to me, and the entire Muslim population.
Upon Allah the Most Noble is my reliance, and to Him is my entrustment and dependence. Sufficient unto me is Allah, and He is the Best of Disposers. There is no power or movement except by Allah the Dignified, the Wise.
(An Explanation of Riyadh al-Saliheen from the words of the Master of the Messengers. Translated by Sajad ibn AbdurRahman. The Qur’an and Sunnah Society: 1998. p. xvii, xviii)
What will we cover?
Insha’Allah this series will go through the collection, chapter by chapter, selecting various narrations and explanations to translate. We will be translating the explanation (sharh) by Shaykh ibn Uthaymeen (rahimahullah). We’ve chosen his explanation for many reasons, the main reasons being that his explanation is easy to follow and contains many points of benefit. He is well known in the Arab world as a teacher for the everyday Muslim. He is an expert at taking something complex and detailed and teaching it to the people in an easy to digest manner.
Translation Disclaimer
As many of you know, translating from one language to another is a difficult task, and it becomes even more difficult when translating from a language as rich as Arabic. We would like to explain to the readers that we will not be translating word-for-word, but rather translating the interpretation of the meanings. There are many nuances, sentence structures, phrases and idioms in Arabic that do not translate well into English so in order to preserve the meanings and convey them properly, we will not do direct translations.
Allah Knows Best, we ask Allah to give us the success and ability to start and complete this series and to make it beneficial for us and others. Ameen.
Look out for the first post coming soon inshaAllah :-)
Keep supporting MuslimMatters for the sake of Allah
Alhamdulillah, we're at over 850 supporters. Help us get to 900 supporters this month. All it takes is a small gift from a reader like you to keep us going, for just $2 / month.
The Prophet (SAW) has taught us the best of deeds are those that done consistently, even if they are small. Click here to support MuslimMatters with a monthly donation of $2 per month. Set it and collect blessings from Allah (swt) for the khayr you're supporting without thinking about it.
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Ayesha
November 17, 2010 at 7:08 AM
Splendid!!…barak Allahufeeki for your efforts.Great initiative!!
May Allah help us to learn , practice and spread knowledge.
Faizan
November 17, 2010 at 7:09 AM
This is something I was waiting for long time. I have heard many scholars recommending to read this book regularly. But I was always discouraged by the translation. Many times I read the hadiths to my family and was unable to answer the meaning or the essence of the Hadith. I am looking forward to read your series so I can share with my wife and kids and can make it a nice bedtime story time
Nikhat
November 17, 2010 at 8:52 AM
AssalamoAlaikum
May Allah S.W.T. grant you the Ilm and tawfeeq to share with us this unique and beautiful collection of Ah-hadith
I had earlier read this collection but couldn’t understand .some points.I will be eagerly waiting for your next post InshAllah……..
Sajid
November 17, 2010 at 11:00 AM
In your own words,
“Hadith have become a controversial topic these days with many Muslims claiming that we cannot follow these narrations because of the lack of authenticity”
So, how does a better translation of this great book suppose to resolve this problem ??
Amatullah
November 17, 2010 at 3:29 PM
The translation will not be of the book, but of the explanation of the narrations in the book. Riyad as-Saliheen is only a collection of ahadith, no explanations are in it rather we will be translating the explanation by shaykh ibn Uthaymeen (rahimahullah). The book has already been translated by a number of publishers.
As Imam Nawawi (rahimahullah) said in his introduction, he selected ahadith that were authentic to give the average Muslims the tools they need to be successful in the hereafter. The point of this series is to give the English speaking audience something that we’ve been lacking which is access to explanations of authentic ahadith. We are not setting out to prove the authenticity in these ahadith or resolving this problem, that is a whole different area that requires the study of Hadith sciences. I believe that this issue is present because we do not have a proper connection with hadith nor do we raise it to its proper status. We do not understand the amazing blessing Allah has given us by protecting the Qur’an and Sunnah. We hope that with this series, the English speaking Muslims will be able to connect with the hadith of the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) and give these narrations their proper due.
Allah knows best
Cucumberr
November 17, 2010 at 12:03 PM
Looking forward to it! Jazakillah Khair :)
Nida
November 17, 2010 at 1:43 PM
Great!! I cannot wait. I have both volumes that are collecting dust in my cupboard, I need to run and pull them out – and I cannot wait to follow along. Subhanallah! :)
abu Abdullah
November 17, 2010 at 5:06 PM
may Allah bless your intentions and accept your efforts and grant you understanding of his Deen. Ameen.
Will your explanation be an explanation of Riyad Saliheen or its sharh?
Amatullah
November 17, 2010 at 3:31 PM
Jazaakum Allahu khayran for the responses everyone. Just to let you know, I’ll be doing this series with sister Mariam E. inshaAllah, not on my own :) May Allah bless us both with tawfeeq.
sisterfiddeen
November 17, 2010 at 5:35 PM
Assalamu alaikum, HOW EXCITING MASHALLAH! I can hardly wait :DDDDDD
someone
November 17, 2010 at 7:25 PM
Cant wait, Mashallah
may Allah bless you and reward you for this
shiney
November 17, 2010 at 9:47 PM
JZK for the efforts, i can’t wait to buy the book!
Abu Zayd
November 17, 2010 at 11:42 PM
Asalamu alaikum. I wanted to congratulate you on your efforts, for English-language based commentaries on hadith are a dire necessity for our communities in the West. We have been working on a similar project in NJ, i.e. producing a modern commentary of Riyadh al Saliheen, primarily based on al-Uthaymeen’s work but also others. These sessions are delivered in MCMC in Piscatawy NJ, with the audio uploaded to my website. I am also compiling a written version, some of which is being serialized in The Message Magazine and some of it appearing in various posts on my site.
We have reached up to Chapter 10. Feel free to go through our work and submit any suggestions, corrections etc.
May Allah grant us tawfeek.
Amatullah
November 18, 2010 at 7:16 AM
wa alaykum salam wa rahmatullah,
Jazaak Allahu khayran. May Allah reward you and those who are working with you. This is a terrific initiative mashaAllah. InshaAllah I will go through your site.
Zulander
November 18, 2010 at 12:55 AM
Alhamdulilah this is very good to see. May Allah bless the initiative.
Faatimah
November 18, 2010 at 12:59 PM
Jazaak Allaah Khayran.
May Allaah Grant all of us the correct understanding of the Deen
HadithCheck
November 19, 2010 at 4:11 PM
Jazakum Allah kheir for this wonderful series!
Abu Ikrimah
November 20, 2010 at 2:35 AM
Salamualaykum to one and all
very good project, may Allah make it a complete success but i think it would have being far better to start with arbain nawawi though i do not think its too late, we could start by first taking those hadiths in arabain nawawi that are also in riyadul, may Allah make it easy
Amatullah
November 20, 2010 at 7:08 PM
wa alaykum salam wa rahmatullah,
Jazaak Allahu khayran. The reason why we chose this collection is because there aren’t any complete English commentaries on it. Alhamdulillah there are quite a few in English for the Arba’een, notably shaykh Jamal Zarabozo’s comprehensive explanation of it.
fatima
November 22, 2010 at 12:28 PM
Jazakumullahu khayran! How exciting! Can’t wait for the first post….
I am so pleased at the prospect of having the translation….barakallahu feek =)
Amatullah
November 23, 2010 at 9:36 AM
wa iyyakum wa feeki barak Allah, here’s the first post :) http://muslimmatters.org/2010/11/18/riyadh-as-saliheen-series-hadith-1-reward-for-intentions/
abu udhayfah
March 21, 2016 at 2:55 AM
as-salaam alaykum
may almighty Allah reward you for all your effort to spreading the words of allah
Abu Hudhayfah
April 11, 2018 at 8:20 AM
Assalam Alaikum. I remembering coming across this a few years back and found it really beneficially and amazing. Allah bless you all for you efforts and cause it to be heavy on toy scales of good deeds.
I noticed there is only a few chapters uploaded? Is that because you only selected a few chapters or are the other chapters available somewhere? Would luv to read more.