Sheikh Muhammad Nawawi al-Bantani is known as one of the most prolific Islamic scholars from the Nusantara. Many of his works have become essential references in Islamic boarding schools (pesantren) across Indonesia. However, one of his significant works, Al-Ibriz ad-Dani fii Maulidi Sayyidi Muhammad al-Adnani, remains largely overlooked.
Sheikh Nawawi, whose full name is Muhammad Nawawi al-Bantani al-Jawi Tsumma al-Makki, was born in Tanara, Banten, and has brought great honor to Indonesia on the international stage through his numerous writings.
In the study of sirah (biography) of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), in addition to his work Targhib al-Musytaqin, which is a commentary on the Maulid Barzanji, Sheikh Nawawi also authored another work on the Prophet’s life entitled Al-Ibriz ad-Dani fii Maulidi Sayyidi Muhammad al-Adnani.
While his renowned works, such as Tafsir al-Munir, Kasyifat as-Saja’, Mirqat al-Su’ud al-Tasdiq, Nihayat al-Zain, al-Maraqi al-Ubudiyyah, Lubab al-Bayan, and Fath al-Majid, are widely studied in Indonesian pesantren, Al-Ibriz has received little attention. According to available records, Sheikh Nawawi wrote approximately 37 books covering various Islamic disciplines, although the true number may be even greater.
Few scholars have studied this particular maulid text, and it is hoped that this brief introduction will inspire deeper research into this important work.
The maulid text was originally published by “Percetakan Al-Azhar Asy-Syarif Al-Munif” and contains a colophon at the end dated 15 Rajab 1399 H (Sunday, June 10, 1979). In October 2020, Gus Nanal Ainal Fauz from Pati, Central Java, in collaboration with Turats Ulama Nusantara, republished Al-Ibriz using a more modern Arabic script to make it accessible to a wider Indonesian audience.
In the final pages, Gus Nanal included a general sanad (chain of transmission), tracing the authorization of this maulid text through Sayyid Ahmad bin Idrus Al-Habsyi of Pasuruan, who received it from the world-renowned musnid Sheikh Muhammad Yasin bin Isa al-Padangi. Sheikh Yasin, in turn, obtained the sanad from two sources directly linked to the original author, Sheikh Jam’an bin Samun al-Tangerangi and Sheikh Muhammad Arsyad Thawil al-Bantani.