Arabic: Sharh Al-Maqasid Al-Nawawiyyah

Imam Nawawi’s classic manual of Islam, al-Maqasid, was first composed as a fiqh matn, or synopsis of the practical requirements of Islam—faith, purification, the prayer, charity, fasting, and pilgrimage—for students to memorise. The handbook’s clear and concise style will help anyone seeking to learn the essentials of Islamic practice and spirituality from a reliable, traditional source. Although best known for his work on hadith, Yahya ibn Sharaf al-Nawawi (d. 676AH/1277AD) was also the Imam of the later Shafi’i school of jurisprudence, and widely acknowledged as the intellectual heir of Imam Shafi’i. He was a great scholar and jurist who dedicated his life to the pursuit of Islamic learning.
Famous fiqh books like al-Maqasid have stood the test of time because of their sheer usefulness. Compact enough to be memorized by students becoming scholars, al-Maqasid contains hundreds of rulings of personal Islamic law distilled from the most commonly asked and answered questions in schools and mosques from the time of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) down to Imam Nawawi. Widely considered the best medium-size handbook for teaching the basics of Islam from a traditional perspective.