His full name is Syedna Al-Qadi An-Nauman Abu Hanifa An-Nauman bin Abi Abdillah Mohammed bin Mansoor bin Hayun At-Tamimi Al-Maghribi. All that is known about his youth is that his father, Abu Abdillah Mohammed, passed away in Rajab-ul-asab 351 h. and Syedna Qadi Nauman himself performed the janaza namaz and buried him in Qairawan.
Many historians write various things. Some say he was Maliki. Some say he was Hanafi, but the truth is that due to the circumstances, he did not openly declare his religion and way of life in the initial stages of his life.
Whenever his revered name is brought upon the tongue, the image of a great being comes to mind, who served four Imams:
He began his Khidmat of these Imams in 297 h. and continued to do so until he passed away in 363 h. During the long duration of 66 years of his Khidmat, his Khidamaat took on countless aspects. Fighting for the Hidayat of Nufus, withstanding bloodshed to organize majalis and bayanaat, working hard to write his books, his very important business of judgement as Chief Justice, the honor of spending day and night in the company and travels of Imams. The Imams themselves molded his being so that he became such an outstanding personality, that he was a Faqih, orator, eloquent, critic, psychologist, historian, poet, writer, and a turbulent ocean of knowledge and art, all in one.
He has 44 books on Fiqh, history, Vaaz, and religious beliefs and Taweel, most of which are present today in the archives of Dawat. Especially Daim-ul-Islam, which Iran has incorporated into their constitution. It has been translated into many, many languages. In it, one can get a complete picture of the ordinances of Islam. He has explained the importance Islam has given to manners and etiquette along with Ibadat, giving references to Imams.
Imams have relied on Daim-ul-Islam'. In 391, Imam Hakim (A.S.) ordered his Dai Harun bin Mohammed in Yemen in a letter that "your decisions" must be made in light of Daim-ul-Islam'.
Syedna Ahmed Hamiduddin Kirmani (R.A.), who has written the famous kitab of Rahat-ul-Aql, writes in it's introduction that before one begins to study this kitab, certain other kutub must be read as a prerequisite, including Daim-ul-Islam.
Syedna Moayyed Shirazee (R.A.) taught Daim-ul-Islam to Abu Kalijar of Shiraz. And the Duat of Satr have relied upon Daim-ul-Islam in matters of Fiqh.
Another important work is the kitab'Al Majaalis wal Musairaat'in which he has entailed in detail words of Imams in Majalis, or just while walking which he had taken note of, and the wisdom encased within them. Such a great kitab is this, that Syedna Taher Saifuddin (R.A.) would always keep it with him, whether at home, or on journeys, and would always look into it.
Imam Moiz (A.S.) verifies that the kitab Al Majaalis wal Musairaat' is such a kitab, that it brings peace to the heart.
Imam Moiz put a seal upon the Ikhlas of Syedna Qadi Nauman, he stated, "If anyone could come up with even one percent of the Ikhlas Nauman has, I will personally guarantee he will go to Jannat!"
One night Syedna Nauman (R.A.) was up writing, when all of a sudden he felt a pain in his stomach. So sharp was the pain that he felt he would die. Everyone else in the house was asleep. Then he remembered that Imam had given him a slice of an apple that day in a majlis, and had told him to take Barakat from it. "I should take it now", he thought. He took Barakat from that slice of apple and immediately his pain subsided. Such was his Ikhlas.
Some of his important kutub include:
Summary: Syedna Qadi Noman (R.A.) did the Khidmat of Imams for 66 years and became an example to follow in his Ikhlaas. Through his writings, he is present even today in thousands of Nufus. He became a guiding light for Duat-e-Izaam. He taught all how to serve and protect Dawat and Deen through the ups and downs of life. That the Imam of every age, and his Dai during Satr, and today, Ad-Dai-l Ajal Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin Saheb (T.U.S.), and Ikhlaas in his Ta'at, acting upon his every gesture, and following him is the philosophy of Fawz-e Azeem'. This, he made perfectly clear. In 363 H. he passed away in Misr. Imam Moiz (A.S.) performed the Janaaza Namaz, may Allah grant him Afzalul Jazaa in Janaat-un Naeem.
-by Shaikh Saifuddin Rasheed
Al-Jamea-tus-Saifiyah (Surat)