The Compiler of this short book of hadith (the sayings of the Prophet Muhammed) was the Imam an Nawawi. Born in 1233 A.D in the Syrian village of Nawa, south of Damascus, he enjoyed during his lifetime a high reputation as a jurists and scholar of hadith. Having lived a Frugal life dedicated to scholarship, an-Nawawi died at his birthplace in the year 1277.
The present selection is generally regarded as the most popular anthology and the best introduction to the study of the Prophet’s sayings which, together with the Holy Qur’an, contain the essential teaching of Islam.