Chapter 9
Riyadh as-Salihin of Imam Nawawi
Translated from the Arabic by Muhammad Zafrulla Khan
Gardens of Righteous
The salutation to the Holy Prophet in the words ‘upon whom be peace and blessings of Allah’ after his name, and the invocation ‘may Allah be pleased with him’ after the names of his companions are expressly set out in the manuscript but are omitted in print in order to accomodate the text to the modern reader. They should, nevertheless, be understood as repeated in each case.
In this translation the form ibn has been used in both initial and medial positions in the names of persons, in order to conform with current usage, although bin occurs medially in the originally text.
Allah, the Exalted, has said:
- Say to them: I exhort you to do one thing: and that is that you stand before Allah two and two or singly and reflect (34.47).
- In the creation of the heavens and the earth and in the alternation of the night and the day there are indeed Signs for people of understanding, who remember Allah standing, sitting and lying on their sides and ponder over the creation of the heavens and the earth, which impels them to supplicate: Lord, Thou hast not created this without purpose, Holy art Thou (3.191-192).
- Do they not observe the clouds how they have been created, and the heaven how it has been raised high, and the mountains how they are set up, and the earth how it is spread out? Then continue to admonish for thou art but an admonisher (88.18-22).
- Do they not travel in the earth so that they could observe what was the end of those who were before them? (47.11).