Discussion of Imam al-Nawawi and his creed.

The Shaykh : Let us take Shaykh al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) as an example. Al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) was of the Asha'irah school regarding the attributes, because whenever you come across his commentary on Sahih Muslim, you find that he engages in figurative interpretation of the attributes. However, this man possessed noble standing and great contributions that are rare to find in anyone else, whether in hadith, jurisprudence, language, or the biographies of hadith narrators. Moreover, the sign of acceptance is that his works are indeed widespread and accepted; they are read by both the young and the old. The Forty Hadith of al-Nawawi: few Muslims, young or old, have not memorized it. Riadh al-Salihin is read in all the mosques. Sharh al-Muhadhdhab is a reference for Sahih Muslim, and his commentary is also a reference. Does this not create a problem? It creates a problem: how can the Asha'irah, whose school is false, include someone like this?
Answer: We must look at the school of thought, not at the person who follows it. The person may have good intentions and seek the truth, but things may have become confused for him, is that not so? Yes, things may become confused even for the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them), and they are the noble Companions. For example, some of them permitted usury of excess in a like-for-like exchange, and some of them permitted temporary marriage, either absolutely or in cases of dire necessity.
The important point is that the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) differed on these matters. We do not look at the person who follows the school, but rather at the school itself. The school is false, but it may become confusing for a person, leading him to follow this school.