The great scholar, hadith master, biographer, lexicologist, and
saintly mystic Imam Nawawi is perhaps best known for his hadith books Riyadh al-Saliheen (The Gardens of the Righteous), Kitab al-Adhkar (Book of Remembrance), and his eighteen-volume Sharh Sahih Muslim (Commentary on
the Sahih Muslim). But Imam Nawawi was also one of the foremost students and
intellectual heirs of Imam al-Shafi'i, and his texts are referenced more often
than the early works of Imam al-Shafi'i himself.
One of Imam Nawawi's most accessible texts is Al-Maqasid: ma
yajibu ma'rifatuhu min al-din (The Objectives, what is necessary to know of
the religion). Filled with hundreds of rulings on some of the most commonly
asked questions, this book has stood the test of time because of its utter
usefulness. And the lucid translation into English by Shaykh Nuh Ha Mim Keller
has been critically praised for its clarity, brevity, practicality, and
precision and has been acclaimed as an extremely valuable textbook for courses
on Islam.
This course on intermediate Shafi'i fiqh will use Al-Maqasid
to give you a solid grounding and understanding of the rulings of Zakat, fasting, Hajj, and Umra, as well as the place of Sufism in Islam. In accordance with traditional modes of teaching, the instructor will unpack the words of Imam Nawawi, explaining his intent and adding important details from classical works such as Bushra al-Karim and the Hashiya of Imam Bajuri. By the end of the course, you will develop an appreciation for the intricacy of the science of
Islamic law (fiqh) as recorded by the imams of the Shafi'i school.