Nawawi al-Jawi
- Died
- 1316 AH
- Born in
- -
Nawawi al-Jawi (d. 1316 AH / 1898 CE) was a Javanese Quranic exegete, Shafi'i jurist, theologian, and Sufi scholar based in Mecca, best known for his Quranic commentary Marah Labid and his legal manual Nihayat al-Zayn.
Name and Origin
His full lineage is recorded as Muhammad ibn 'Umar ibn 'Arabi ibn 'Ali Nawawi, with variants giving his name as Muhammad Nawawi ibn 'Umar or Muhammad Nuri ibn 'Umar. His primary kunya was Abu 'Abd al-Mu'ti, though Abu 'Abd Allah is also cited. His geographic nisbas trace his origin to the island of Java (al-Jawi), the region of Banten (al-Bantani), and the town of Tanara (al-Tanari).
Life, Scholarly Activity, and Standing
He resided for a period in Egypt before emigrating permanently to Mecca, where he established himself and taught. His scholarship encompassed Shafi'i positive law, theology, Sufism, and Quranic exegesis. He earned broad recognition among contemporaries, and the scholar Ahmad Taymur characterized him as "the scholar of the Hijaz" ('alim al-Hijaz).
Among his prominent contributions is Marah Labid li-Kashf Ma'na al-Qur'an al-Majid (also known as al-Tafsir al-Munir), a comprehensive two-volume commentary on the Quran. In jurisprudence, he authored Nihayat al-Zayn fi Irshad al-Mubtadi'in, an extensive commentary on Zayn al-Din al-Malibari's Shafi'i primer Qurrat al-'Ayn. In spiritual ethics, he composed Maraqi al-'Ubudiyyah, an exposition of Abu Hamid al-Ghazali's Bidayat al-Hidayah ("The Beginning of Guidance"), which he completed in 1289 AH.
Death
He died in Mecca in 1316 AH (1898 CE), while another biographical report places his death in 1315 AH.
Answer updated
List of Works
Nihayat al-Zayn (fully titled Nihāyat al-Zayn fī Irshād al-Mubtadiʾīn) is a single-volume legal manual in Shafi'i jurisprudence. It serves as an extensive commentary on Zayn al-Din al-Malibari's primer Qurrat al-ʿAyn bi-Muhimmāt al-Dīn, written to guide beginning students and provide an exposition of substantive legal rulings across positive law.
Marah Labid li-Kashf Mana al-Quran al-Majid (The Resting Place of the Intelligent in Unveiling the Meaning of the Glorious Qur'an) is a comprehensive commentary on the Quran. Also known by the alternative title al-Tafsir al-Munir li-Ma'alim al-Tanzil al-Mufassir 'an Wujuh Mahasin al-Ta'wil, the work aims to unveil the meanings of the sacred text by drawing upon principal classical commentaries.