The Shaykh's commentary on al-Nawawi's words in the introduction to *Riyad al-Salihin*

The Shaykh : Finally, Imam al-Nawawi says in the conclusion of the introduction to his book: "I hope that if this book is completed, it will be a driver for the one who attends to it toward good deeds, and a barrier for him against various types of ugliness and ruin. And I am asking my brother who benefited from something of it to make du'a for me, for my parents, for my shaykhs, for all our loved ones, and for all the Muslims. My reliance is upon the Generous Allah, and to Him is my entrustment and my support. Allah is sufficient for me, and He is the best Disposer of affairs. And there is no power and no strength except by Allah, the Mighty, the Wise." Here, we can mention something that I think Imam al-Nawawi is referring to. I say "I think" because two positions can be attributed to Imam al-Nawawi regarding this issue. Here, he specifically asks those who read his book and benefit from it, from among his brothers in his lifetime and those who read it after his death, to make good du'a for him. He does not ask, for example, for the recitation of al-Fatihah or the completion of a khatmah or the like. Rather, he asks for something upon which the Muslims are in agreement regarding its legitimacy, which is that a Muslim makes du'a for his Muslim brother, especially for one who has done good to him, and particularly for one who was the cause of his guidance or whose guidance he attained through reading his book. I say this is possible because Imam al-Nawawi, as all those present know, if Allah wills, is of the Shafi'i school. And Imam al-Shafi'i explicitly states the opposite of what the Shafi'is today do in their rush to recite the Qur'an for the souls of the dead. This is contrary to the madhhab of Imam al-Shafi'i. Then, something else was added to this, and although it is narrated from Imam al-Shafi'i, they derived a conclusion that Imam al-Shafi'i would not approve of. It is mentioned that Imam al-Shafi'i permits taking a wage; he permits the permissibility of taking a wage for teaching the Qur'an and for reciting the Qur'an. If it is in the path of teaching, it is a matter of scholarly disagreement, and the correct view is that it is not permissible. I do not want to dwell here for too long, but Imam al-Shafi'i explicitly stated, as Imam Ibn Kathir transmitted from him in his tafsir of His saying, the Exalted: that a person does not... from his recitation to anyone other than a shaykh. Explicit in this verse: As for du'a, it is prescribed by the explicit text of the Noble Qur'an: , and we hope that Imam al-Nawawi is among those who preceded us in faith. So we make good du'a for him, and we ask Allah to reward him for his book and what he benefited the Muslims with, with the best reward.