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In the name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Ever Merciful

PREFACE

We live in a time when people can spread their views around the globe at the touch of a button. Yet such views may come from people of little knowledge who can confuse and even misguide others. This is a concern that has become particularly acute with the widespread misrepresentation of Islam, both by those hostile towards it, and, unfortunately, even those who claim to profess it. Through their evil but eloquent schemes, such people can misrepresent the sacred teachings of this religion, and direct the ignorant and the ill-fated to perpetrate heinous crimes against both an innocent public and an innocent religion. Such deception and misinterpretation has sadly become all too common in our day, and among its causes is, undoubtedly, the relative inaccessibility of sound Islamic scholarship and literature in the English language. An additional cause is the suggestion that there is no difference between experts and non-experts. It is as though God never declared in His Book: ‘How can those who know be equal to those who do not know?’ (39: 9)

A plethora of problems can arise when non-experts begin to consider themselves experts on a subject matter. One can vividly illustrate with the example of a person who requires medical attention . A sensible individual would choose to be treated by a medical professional—an expert in the field—rather than risk their health by consenting to a medical procedure from someone who fancies themselves a doctor simply because they have read a medical textbook in their spare time. Indeed, there are serious legal consequences for those who claim to practice medicine without a recognized licence—one which is granted because they have been through rigorous training and examination. Such legal repercussions are entirely appropriate of course, for such frauds place people ’s worldly lives at risk. Yet why is it that when it comes to our health we seek an expert opinion, but when it comes to our everlasting Hereafter so many of us prefer to follow someone who considers himself an expert after reading just a couple of books? Simply put: why do we risk our eternity by following those who are not qualified? Why do we not seek out recognized experts? As God the Almighty says: ‘ask the people of knowledge if you do not know.’ (16: 43) It is precisely to address this gap between scholarly works and non-scholarly opinions that we have endeavoured to produce this invaluable resource.

After reading the entirety of al-Minhaj in Turkish, the Director of Organisational Management at Islamic Community Milli Gorus (ICMG) Youth Australia, Adem Temel, conducted a meeting with our small team in which we studied the book and recognized how blessed we were to have access to such a stupendous work. It was evident that the renowned scholar and author of al-Minhaj, Imam al-Nawaw i, may God have mercy on him, had wisdom and knowledge many today are in desperate need of. Indeed, al-Minhaj is one of the greatest and most respected commentaries on Sahih Muslim. While an English translation of a hadith can struggle to convey its apparent meaning, let alone the appropriate context and other subtleties, commentaries by experts like Imam al-Nawaw i can shed light on hadiths more comprehensively and thus give us greater access to the intended meaning while guarding us against misunderstanding. During a subsequent meeting, our team compared the Turkish translation of Fi Zilal al-Qur’an with the English translation by Dr Adil Salahi and were impressed by the remarkable consistency between the two translations. Immediately thereafter, the team made the decision to contact Dr Salahi with a view to proposing that he translate Imam al-Nawawi’s al-Minhaj into English. We were overjoyed to hear his positive response.

A number of people and organizations have contributed to this project. Firstly, this work would not have been possible without Adil Salahi ’s mastery of both the Arabic and English languages. His love of Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, and his dedication to making knowledge accessible has led to the translation of significant works from the Islamic literary heritage. Second, the ICMG Youth Australia and Kube Publishing (UK) teams worked closely to meet all project timelines. Third, many individuals and groups volunteered to support this project both physically and financially. Lastly, and most importantly, God, the Almighty, guided us, brought ease, and opened closed doors to make everything possible.

‘… and my success can only come from God. In Him I put my trust, and to Him I will return.’ (11: 88)

Halim Erbasi

ICMG Youth Australia

Director of Education