Abu Zakariya Muhy al-Din Yahya ibn Sharaf al-Nawawi (631-676 AH / 1233-1277 CE) was one of the most influential Shafi'i scholars in Islamic history. Born in the village of Nawa near Damascus, he authored foundational works including Riyad al-Salihin, the commentary on Sahih Muslim, Al-Adhkar, and his famous Forty Hadith (Al-Arba'in al-Nawawiyyah), one of the most widely studied hadith collections in the world. Despite his short life of only 45 years, his scholarly output was extraordinary. He served as head of Dar al-Hadith al-Ashrafiyyah in Damascus and was renowned for his piety, asceticism, and dedication to sacred knowledge.