Three Treatises : New

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Three Treatises : New,
Mutual Reminders, Good Manners, The Aphorisms,
*[A5+] Paperback - 168 pages,
by Imam 'AbdAllah ibn Alawi al-Haddad [d.1132h],
Translation & Introduction by Dr. Mostafa al-Badawi,
by Ihya Publishing.

Description :

This volume contains three concise treatises of the venerable Im?m al-Hadd?d. The first treatise, Mutual Reminding, distils the ethic and content of offering good counsel to one another. The chief elements of counsel, says the Im?m, are Taqw?, an active fear and consciousness of God, and detachment from the material world.

These elements connect with the topic of the second treatise, Good Manners, which discusses the manners recommended of the spiritual wayfarer as he or she takes the path to spiritual felicity. The third treatise, The Aphorisms, is a compilation of Im?m al-Hadd?d’s wise insights on a broad range of topics and includes the commentary of Shaykh Muhammad Hay?t al-Sind?.

Imam Abd Allah ibn Alawi al-Haddad was born in 1634 CE (1044 Hijri). He lived his entire life in the town of Tarim in Yemen’s Valley of Hadramawt and died there in 1720 CE (1132 Hijri). In Islamic history, he was considered one of the great Sufi sages. He was an adherent to the Ashari Sunni Creed of Faith (Aqidah), while in Islamic jurisprudence (Fiqh), he was a Shafi'i.

He lived at Tarim in the Hadramaut valley between Yemen and Oman, and is widely held to have been the ‘renewer’ of the twelfth Islamic century. A direct descendant of the Prophet, his sanctity and direct experience of God are clearly reflected in his writings, which include several books, a collection of Sufi letters, and a volume of mystical poetry. He spent most of his life in Kenya and Saudi Arabia where he taught Islamic jurisprudence and classical Sufism according to the order (tariqa) of the Ba'Alawi sayids.

In spite of being a major source of reference among the Sunni Muslims (especially among Sufis), only recently have his books began to receive attention and publication in the English-speaking world. Their appeal lies in the concise way in which the essential pillars of Islamic belief, practice, and spirituality have been streamlined and explained efficiently enough for the modern reader. Examples of such works are The Book of Assistance, The Lives of Man, and Knowledge and Wisdom.

Table of Contents :

---Translator's Introduction,
---Preface to the Second Edition.

Mutual Reminding :

---Prologue,
---The Meaning of Taqwa,

---[1]. The Recompense of Works,
---[2]. God's Satisfaction and His Wrath,
---[3]. The Reward of the Pious,
---[4]. The Abasement of the Corrupt,
---[5]. Delight in Obedience,
---[6]. The Four Obstacles of Obedience,
---[7]. Ignorance,
---[8]. Weakness of Faith,
---[9]. Long Hopes,
---[10]. Illicit and Suspect Food,
---[11]. Sincerity,
---[12]. Ostentation,
---[13]. Conceit,
---[14]. Love of This World.

---Conclusion,
---Afterword.

Good Manners :

---Prologue,

---[1]. The Beginning of the Path is a Powerful Urge of Divine Origin which should be Strengthened, Protected and Responded to,
---[2]. Repentance, its Conditions, and Protecting Oneself from Sins,
---[3]. Guarding the Heart against Insinuations, Ailments and Ill-Thinking,
---[4]. Guarding the Senses against Transgressions and against Being Deceived by this World,
---[5]. Remaining in a State of Purity and Preferring Hunger to Satiety,
---[6]. Directing One's Whole Attention to God and Devoting,
---[7]. Excellence in the Performance of Ritual Prayers;
----------Presence with God is the Essence of all Acts of Worship,
---[8]. Caution against Neglecting the Friday Prayer and Other Congregational Prayers;
----------Exhortation to Perform the Regular Supererogatory Prayers,
---[9]. Exhortation to Persevere in Remembrance and Reflection,
---[10]. Obedience and Inclined Towards Disobedience,
---[11]. On the States of the Soul and Being Patient,
---[12]. Heeding the Example of Provision is Apportioned the People of Fortitude,
---[13]. Moving toward God being Compatible with Earning;
------------Divesting Oneself of the Means of Livelihood is not Requisite,
---[14]. Patiently Enduring the Harm from Others,
------------Also Remain Wary of being Tempted by Them,
---[15]. Getting Rid of the Need to Obtain Other People's Approval,
---[16]. Rebuking the Seekers of Unveilings and Supernatural Events,
---[17]. Seeking Provision and Striving for it,
---[18]. Keeping the Company of the Best of People;
------------The Good Manners of the Disciple with His Shaykh;
------------The Attributes of the Perfect Shaykh.

---Conclusion.

The Book of Aphorisms, Kitab al-Hikam,

---Introduction,
---Author's Preface,
---Introduction by Shaykh Muhammad Hayat al-Sindi,

---The Aphorisms,

---Commentator's Afterword,

---Translator's Appendix I,
---Translator's Appendix II,
---Endnotes.

More works from Imam al-Haddad,
Also see Self Development,
Also see the works of Imam al-Ghazali.