Table of Contents

Introduction Part One—The Paths to Happiness    The Two Wings    Love of God and Respect for His Commandments    Signs of Veneration for God’s Commandments    How Good Deeds Amend Wrongs    Ostentation in Worship and in other Good Deeds    Signs of Veneration for the One Who Prohibits    Avoiding Extremes    The Ego [Nafs], the Physical Nature and the Members of the Body    The Ephemerality of this World Part Two—A Commentary on the Hadith of al-Harith al-Ash'ari    Divine Oneness (Tawhid) the Key to Heaven    Prayer    Five Degrees of Prayer    Three Kinds of Hearts    Fasting    Charity    God Acts towards His Servant as His Servant Acts towards Others    Remembrance    Cleansing the Hearts of Tarnish Part Three—The Many Benefits of Remembrance Part Four—Two Kinds of Remembrance    Remembrance and Supplication    Remembrance, Recitation and Supplication Notes Appendix I: The Arabic Text of Recommended Invocations and Supplications Appendix II: Selected Biographical Notes Appendix III: Concerning the Breath of the One Fasting Index to Qur'anic Quotations Bibliography General Index

About the Author

Born in 1292 near Damascus, Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya obtained a classical Islamic education, specialised in jurisprudence and became a renowned theologian and jurist. In 1312, he met the Hanbalite reformer Ibn Taymiyya and remained his disciple until the latter’s death in 1327. Ibn al-Qayyim died in 1350 in Damascus. Among his other works translated by the Islamic Texts Society are Medicine of the Prophet, Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya on Knowledge and Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya on Divine Wisdom and the Problem of Evil.

Reviews

'This book is a spiritual book, and it goes a long way towards making a hard, cruel and oblivious heart become lenient, compassionate, kind and merciful...'