Evaluation of İmam Al-Nawavi and his book named Al-Minhac in terms of hadith commentary

İn this dissertation titled "Evaluation of İmam al-Nawavi and his book named al-Minhac in terms of Hadith Commentary" we studied the life of İmam Nawavi, his writings and his annotation method used in the mentioned book. al-Minhac is the most recognized work on Sahih Muslim, the well-known collection of hadith compiled by İmam Muslim. We tried to define the annotation method in al-Minhac with its linguistic and stylistic features. İn accordance with this purpose we scrutinized historical and cultural background of the author's period and its social and intellectual reflections on the writing. We provided enough samples to demonstrate the approach of the author to the hadiths and his criticism about chains and texts of some hadiths (isnad and matn). Through the samples provided, we also pointed out his competence in legal matters. İn addition, when the occasion arises, we endeavoured to reveal the author's perception of prophecy and sunnah and his secterian attitude. İn conclusion, we found out that the author al-Nawavi generally adopted a balanced and temperate approach in "al-Minhac" : Avoiding from esoteric interpretations, he preferred to comment on hadiths on the basis of their literal meanings. İn the other hand, he pursued the balance between narrations and rational thougt on some contoversial issues. Consequently, we can say that "al-Minhac" is one of the best examples of İslamic commentary tradition.