Abu Zayd al-Balkhi's Sustenance of the Soul

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Sustenance of the Soul,Masalih al-Abdan wa al-Anfus,
'The Cognitive Behaviour Therapy of a 9th Century Physician,'
*[A5] Paperback - 77 pages,
by Abu Zayd al-Balkhi,
Transl. & Annotation by Professor Malik Badri,
Published by I.I.I.T
'International Institute of Islamic Thought.'

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Description :

Extracted from 'Masalih al-Abdan wa al-Anfus' - Sustenance for Bodies and Souls.

Lying preserved in the Ayasofya Library in Istanbul (Turkey) is an astonishing manuscript written by the ninth century [Common Era] polymath Abu Zayd Ahmad ibn Sahl al-Balkhi, [d. 934_CE] may Allah have mercy upon him. Centuries ahead of his time in realising the importance of both mental, as well as physical, health for human well-being, al-Balkhi discusses some very modern ideas, in a rather modern, self-help style manual.

Al-Balkhi explains symptoms and treatments giving advice on preventive measures and how to return the body and soul to their natural healthy state. In doing so he displays a keen understanding of the human condition and the medical nature of the human emotional state. An astonishing feat given that many of the conditions he discusses were left largely unknown and untreated for centuries before being clinically defined as such, only as relatively recently as the 20th century.

A creative genius, his insights on human psychopathology as well as diagnoses of psychological ailments including stress, depression, fear and anxiety, phobic and obsessive-compulsive disorders, together with their treatment by cognitive behaviour therapy, relate to us in every way and are in sync with modern psychology. Importantly they also incorporate a greater dimension to include the soul and the worship of God.

Entitled Masalih al-Abdan wa al-Anfus' - Sustenance for Bodies and Souls, al Balkhis manuscript is composed in two distinct parts. This work forms an English translation of the second (Sustenance of the Soul). The latter being perhaps of greater interest to readers given the worldwide increase in anxiety and mood disorders.

Table of Contents :---Foreword,
---Acknowledgement,
---Who was Abu Zayd al-Balkhi ?

Introduction,

---Sustenance of the Soul - The manuscript in brief,
---Al-Balkhi: A Pioneer in Psychosamatic Medicine,
---Al-Balkhi as a Modern Counseling Pyschologist,
---Al-Balkhi: The Pioneer of Cognitive Therapy,
---The First to Discover the difference between Endogenous & Recative Depression.

The Complete translation of Al-Balkhis 'Sustenance of the Soul'

---Al-Balkhi's Introduction to his manuscript,
---Exposing the great need for 'Sustenance for the Soul'
---Sustenance of Psychological Health,
---Ways of regaining Psychological Health when one loses it,
---Enumerating the Psychological Symptoms (disorders) & specifying their distinguished attributes,
---How to Counteract Anger and get Rid of it,
---Tranquilising Fear,
---Methods of Dealing with Sadness and Depression,
---Dealing with recurring Whispers of the Heart & the Obsessive inner speech of the Soul,

The close of this book was at the hands of the humble servant of Allah, Shams al-Din al-Qudsi, who strives for the forgiveness of his gracious Lord from his sins and who prays that Allah bestows his Prophet Muhammad, who was sent with the perfect infallible message of Islam, with his Prayers and Salaam.

[Includes Footnotes]. Decent Quality print!