Riyad-us-Saliheen is the most widely read hadith collection in the Muslim world — and this is the commentary that opens all of it up, hadith by hadith. Sharh Riyad-us-Saliheen, by Shaykh Muhammad bin Salih Al-‘Uthaymeen (rahimahullah), is a complete explanation of every single narration in Imam An-Nawawi's classic: nothing is skipped, nothing is left for the reader to work out alone. In six English volumes, with the Arabic text, English translation, and commentary laid out together, it turns a book many Muslims already own into one they can finally study in depth.
What You Get
Each hadith is presented in three layers: the Arabic text, then the English translation, then Shaykh Al-‘Uthaymeen's commentary — not on selected narrations, as many abridged explanations do, but on every one across all 1,900-plus hadith of the original. The full Arabic edition runs to six volumes, and the English set follows the same division, so the size here reflects the completeness of the commentary rather than padding.
Why This Commentator
Shaykh Ibn Al-‘Uthaymeen was known above all for clarity, and for showing his reasoning rather than simply delivering a conclusion. Where a hadith touches on belief, worship, or daily conduct, he explains the wording, draws out the rulings and lessons, and often addresses related questions the hadith itself doesn't raise. A reader comes away understanding how a ruling was derived and where the difficulty lay — which is exactly what allows him to reason through a case the book never mentions. The explanation is written for a broad audience: easy to follow for a new student, yet dense enough in benefit to reward a scholar who returns to it again and again.
Production
Hardback binding across all six volumes, with crisp two-color printing — maroon for headings and the Arabic text, black for the English translation and commentary. That visual separation matters in a book with three distinct layers of text on every page; it lets the eye move between the hadith, its translation, and the explanation without losing place.
About the Sources
Imam Yahya ibn Sharaf An-Nawawi (rahimahullah, d. 676 AH) compiled Riyad-us-Saliheen — “The Gardens of the Righteous” — as a themed selection of authentic hadith drawn from Sahih Al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, and the other major collections, covering belief, worship, manners, and the purification of the heart. Few single volumes are read as widely across the Muslim world.
Shaykh Muhammad bin Salih Al-‘Uthaymeen (rahimahullah, d. 1421 AH) was among the most distinguished scholars of the modern era, known throughout the Muslim world for making detailed, technical matters accessible to the ordinary reader without diluting them. His explanation of Riyad-us-Saliheen, delivered originally as lessons and later compiled into this commentary, is treasured for that same clarity. This English edition was translated by Abrahim Abdur-Rauf and Muhammad Yaqeen. May Allah have mercy on both scholars and reward them for their service to the Ummah. Aameen.
Who Should Own It
Imams and khateebs, who will draw on it constantly for khutbahs and classes. Teachers and study circles working through Riyad-us-Saliheen chapter by chapter. And any serious reader who already owns the collection itself and is ready to go deeper into what each hadith actually means and how it applies.
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