IMAM NAWAWI [SYRIA 1255 - 1300]

RIYADH US SALIHIN: The Garden of the Righteous: A Collection of Hadith

Yahya ibn Sharaf al-Nawawi popularly known as al-Nawawi, an-Nawawi or Imam Nawawi (631 - 676 A.H. / 1255 - 1300 CE) was a Sunni Muslim author on fiqh and hadith.

He studied inDamascus from the age of 18 and after making the Hajj in 1253 he settled there as a private scholar. From a young age he showed signs of great intelligence, and so his father paid for a good education.

As a qadi (judge), he was much sought after for advice and adjudication of disputes. During his short life of only 45 years he wrote many books on Islamic studies and other topics. He collected and sourced 40 hadiths back to one of the shahabaeen(companions of Muhammad), which was no small task. In 1267 he succeeded Abu Shama as professor of hadith at the Ashrafiyya school in the city.

Riyadh al-Salihin: The Gardens of the Righteous - is a collection of hadith on ethics, manners, conduct, and is still quite popular in the Muslim world today.

Useful Links on Imam Nawawi:

Fighting the Ego (Jihad an-Nafs)
By Imam Nawawi (may Allah be pleased with him)

http://www.tasawwuf.org/basics/fighting_ego.htm

http://www.witness-pioneer.org/vil/hadeeth/riyad/default.htm

http://qa.sunnipath.com/issue_view.asp?HD=1&ID=790&CATE=3