The Book Of Remembrances [Kitab al-Adhkar] – By Imam Yahya ibn Sharaf an-Nawawi is the definitive compilation of words of remembrance and glorification of (dhikr), and supplicatory prayer to (du’a), the Lord of the Universe, as related from His final Emissary, the Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless and exalt him). Dhikr and du’a lie at the very heart of the din, the relationship between creature and Creator. As part of the Sunna or Prophetic Way, they are a divinely appointed means of approaching Allah Most High for all our needs, and of making use of all the moments of daily life to strengthen our tawhid, the existential and cognitive Unity that is the hallmark of Muslim spirituality. Also covered are the vital principles of speaking only what is good and avoiding the sins of the tongue.
The author
Muhy al-Din Yahya ibn Sharaf al-Nawawi (631-676/123-1277) devoted his entire life to the pursuit of sacred knowledge. He is revered throughout the Sunni world as one of its greatest authorities. Among his most famous writings are the Arba’in, a collection of forty Hadiths; a commentary on the Sahih of Imam Muslim; and Kitab al-Adhkar. Designed as a reference guide and a source of inspiration, this volume presents a clear and elegant English translation of Imam al-Nawawis classic, together with the text of every single prayer and invocation, both in Arabic letters and in romanisation. Also included are all the authors statements about those Hadiths which he related personally from his own teachers, and his guidance on the correct spelling and meanings of rare words and names. Finally, al-Nawawis comments on the sources of Hadiths are supplemented by further scholarly notes. Revised and edited by Muhammad Isa Waley.
Abdassamad Clarke was one of the translators and editors
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Asa Wr Wb,
Does this work contain extra hadith not found in the sahih sitta?
First of all, the term Sahih Sitta represents a mistaken concept: only Bukhari and Muslim are sahih (and of course the Muwatta of Imam Malik, but that is another story), i.e. in their own declared intention only to collect sahih hadith. As to the other authors and compilers, they did not intend to restrict themselves to the sahih, but collected hasan and weak hadith as well, according to their methodology. Apart from these six then al-Hakim, Ibn Hibban and Ibn Khuzaymah also made sahih compilations, although others do not always agree with them on that.
But, Imam an-Nawawi says about this compilation: “I have restricted myself to hadiths which are in the famous and well-known books and which are the basis of Islam: the Sahih of al-Bukhari, the Sahih of Muslim, and the Sunans of Abu Dawud, at-Tirmidhi and an-Nasa’i. I occasionally quote from other well-known books.
“I rarely quote from the juz’ collections and musnads, except in a few places, while the weak hadiths from the famous and primary books I only cite occasionally, and always with a mention of their weakness. I generally mention the sahih (authentic). I hope, therefore, that this book will be a reliable source. Furthermore, I cite only those hadiths which are relevant to the subject matter.”
Asa Wr Wb,
Thank you for your previous reply. I would like to ask whether it is ok to make our own “wird” using books like this, as opposed to using the wird of the Shadhili tariqa.
Yes it is fine to do so, but the wird of a tariqa implies something extra: acceptance of a living teaching Shaykh (Shaykh Murabbi).