| Honorific Prefix: | al-Madani |
| Nafiʽ (Arabic: نافع) | |
| Religion: | Islam |
| Birth Date: | 689CE 70AH |
| Birth Place: | Madina |
| Death Date: | 785CE 169AH |
| Death Place: | Madina |
| Other Names: | Abu Ruwaym Ibn ʽAbd ar-Rahman Ibn Abi Naʽim al-Laythi |
| Main Interests: | Quran |
Abu Ruwaym Ibn Abd ar-Rahman Ibn Abi Naim al-Laythi (70-169AH), better known as Nafi al-Madani, was one of the transmitters of the seven canonical Qira'at,[1] or methods of reciting the Qur'an.[2] Outside of Egypt, his method of Qur'an recitation is the most popular in Africa in general,[3] and his chain of narration returning to the companions of the Islamic prophet Muhammad is well-attested.[4]
Nafi was born in the year 689CE,[5] and he died in the year 785CE.[6] [4] His family was from Isfahan, though he himself was born and died in Medina.[4]
His method of recitation via his two most famous students, Qalun and Warsh, is the most common Quran reading mode in North Africa, West Africa and Qatar. He had a total of four canonical transmitters of his recitation; in addition to Qalun and Warsh, he also transmitted his reading to Isma'il bin Ja'far al-Ansari and Ishaq bin Muhammad al-Musayyabi.[7] Nafi's style of reading became so popular that it eventually eclipsed that of his teachers in Medina.[4]