Gardens of the Righteous

Sheikh Nuh Keller

The complete Riyadh as-Saliheen of Imam Nawawi translated and explained by Sheikh Nuh Keller. Benefit from Sheikh Nuh’s commentary on the practical application of Hadith and Sunna in our lives.

At-A-Glance

• Study Imam Nawawi’s world-famous compilation of hadith with Sheikh Nuh Keller.
• Cover the foundational themes upon which our entire religion is based.
• Riyadh as-Saliheen covers the entire spectrum of topics—from states of heart and moral conduct to everyday activities.
• Sheikh Nuh’s commentary shall focus on practical steps toward embodying the Sunna in today’s modern world.
• Companion slides showing the hadiths will be provided so each student can read along in the original Arabic.
• Included is the entire 10-year program, encompassing approximately 250 hours of teaching.
• The entire book was covered across multiple terms, all of which you will have access to through a monthly subscription.

About the Course

In this course, Sheikh Nuh Keller shall read and provide explanatory commentary on Imam Nawawi’s classical Hadith text Riyadh as-Saliheen, The Gardens of the Righteous. Each chapter of the text is based around a core theme essential to the deen, and elucidates its practice according to the Sunna of our Prophet, Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him.

Sheikh Nuh’s commentary on the Hadith shall focus on providing actionable advice for Muslims in living the Sunna while navigating through today’s world. How can we correctly deploy the wisdom contained in the Hadith in the modern world? How can each of us incorporate the spirit of the Sunna into our lives? The focus is on practical steps to take to bring about a change.

Each set contains different themes that shall be explored, which are incumbent upon all Muslims to embody, as Sheikh Nuh progresses through the chapters of the text.

Course Format

The course runs as a self-paced course, where you will go through the material at your own pace.

These are lessons to sit in and benefit from entirely at your own pace—no assessments, exams, grades, or homework assignments. 

Monthly subscriptions are available.

Suggested Readings

There is no required text for this course. A soft copy of the Arabic text of Riyadh as-Saliheen shall be provided as part of the course material and the text of the hadith shall also be included in the course slides.

Sheikh Nuh shall translate the Arabic into English directly during the lesson. Students may purchase a copy of the English translation for their convenience, if they wish.

Recommended Background

No background is required: all are welcome!

FAQ:

Who is Imam Nawawi?

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). Imam Nawawi was one of the foremost students and intellectual heirs of Imam al-Shafi’i, and in the Shafi’i school his texts are referenced more often than the early works of Imam al-Shafi’i himself.

He was famed for his devotion to knowledge and learning, his great erudition, his simplicity, his unattachment to this world and Godfearingness. He would only sleep when overcome with fatigue and once said of himself: “I spent two years without lying on the ground [to sleep] on my side.” Some narrations state that apart from his books, his only worldly possessions were his turban and long gown. He was extremely scrupulous about only eating of the completely halal – he would refuse to eat even ordinarily permissible foods since he was never sure about whether the source of income that was used to produce it was halal in the Damascus of his day and age.

The Imam died at the age of only 45 years. But so great was the baraka that Allah placed in his time, that in his short lifespan he became one of the leading scholars of Damascus and published classical works of enduring value that have remained among the best books of the umma in their genre to this day.  

Why is Riyadh as Saliheen so famous?

Riyadh as Saliheen is unparalleled in its popularity for a work of hadith its size. Its widespread acceptance and popularity is attributable to its manner of compilation – Imam Nawawi compiled and arranged just short of 2000 ahadith pivotal to the spirit of Islam into various themed chapters.

Each chapter covers a mode of behavior, a way of life that is essential to being Muslim. The book covers almost every aspect of Muslim moral conduct – from beliefs, to states of heart such as repentance, gratitude and fear of Allah, to everyday activities such as how to behave with one’s spouse, the etiquettes of eating, drinking and going to sleep.

Throughout the book Imam Nawawi also begins his chapters by quoting from the relevant Quranic verses regarding the theme to be covered. He thus connects the hadith to their primary scriptural sources in the Book of Allah. This makes Riyadh as Saliheen an exceptionally arranged resource for every Muslim wishing to learn the very spirit of the deen.

Why is reading a text of hadith with a scholar an essential part of your Islamic studies?

The Quran tells us what to do: Pray. Fast. Pay Zakat. Encourage the good and forbid the wrong. The hadith tell us how to do it. The hadith practicalize the deen. However reading a text of hadith on your own can be quite confusing.

Reading the text with a scholar and asking your questions directly provides the key to gaining the correct understanding of the application of the hadith to life today. How do we reconcile between being abstinent of this dunya while taking the necessary practical means? Should we spend all of our wealth in charity like some of the Companions did? Does the application of the values espoused in the hadith change with circumstances and the times? What is too much? What is not enough?

This is the contextual knowledge that only a scholar with a deep understanding of the values of the deen can provide.

Sheikh Nuh Keller will read and explain this work and its proper application for Muslims in today’s world, chapter by chapter. Study this classical text with a scholar and start your journey in the science of hadith.

Who is this course designed for?

This course is designed for today’s Muslims who want to learn how to live the Sunna. Whether you are a full-time professional with hardly a moment to spare for your Islamic studies, or a full-time student of knowledge.