Part 1

DAR AS-SUNNAH CLASSIC COLLECTION

Ibn al-Jawi (4.597 AH)

al-Hafiz Abi’l-Faraj ibn al-Jawzi [d. 597AH]

being a translation of his ‘Zibb a/-Ribani’

Every breath we take is taking us closer to

death. The time we spend in this world is

short, the time we are held in our graves is long, and the punishment for following

out lowly desires is calamitous. IBN JAWZi

al-Hafiz Abi’l-Faraj ibn al-Jawzi

Translated from the original Arabic by Ayman ibn Khalid

BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR

CHAPTER ONE The Virtue of the Mind. icccssecsseecsseesseeseesneeseeneeess21

CHAPTER TWO Dispraise of Hawa (desites)..csssccccssssssseessesseseccsesnsens23

CHAPTER THREE The Difference Between the Perspective of

Mind and the Perspective Of Hawa.26 CHAPTER FOUR

Averting Passionate Love (‘Ish@) ssn28 CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX Refusing to take a Position of Authority in this Worhde...ceccsccccccscsssscscssesssssssssssssssssserseseessseseeseeseess35

CHAPTER SEVEN Averting Stinginess

Prohibition on Squandeting....seeeeesssssseeeeNesseenesansnsnneeee40 CHAPTER NINE

Elucidation on the Amount of Earnings

and Expenditure..ccccccsccssssssesscssssssssssssseessssssssssessesssesesee41 CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN Averting Envy.

Section One: Dispraise En

Section One: Arrogance in the Heart,

CHAPTER FIFTEEN Averting Conceit.

CHAPTER NINETEEN Averting Ghamm (Gtief) and Hamm (Worry)

Section One: Treating Sorrow, Sadness and Grie

CHAPTER TWENTY Averting Excessive Fear and Cautiousness Section One: Excessive Fear. Section Two: Curing the Whispers... Section Three: Increase in Anguish Section Four: Repentance... Section Five: Being Optimistic

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO. Averting Indolence.

Section One: The Cure for Laziness.

Identifying Orne’s FlawSve.ssecsssseecsssecsssseesssesetssnecsssneesees89 CHAPTER TWENTY FOURTH

Motivating a Low Endeavot..eseccsssesssseessssecssseccsssese92 CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE

Section One: How to Di

CHAPTER TWENTY SIX Disciplining Children Section One: Taking Care of the Trus} Section Two: Future of your Child.

Section One: Being Cautious.

CHAPTER THIRTY Flawlessness of Charactet...sescssecsesecsneeseennes109-112

THE BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR

al-Hafiz Abi’l-Faraj ‘Abdu’l-Rahman ibn Jawzi

His Name and Lineage

He is Abi’l-Faraj Jamal al-Din ‘Abdu’l-Rahman ibn ‘Ali ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Ali Ibn ‘Ubayd Allah Ibn al-Jawzi al-Qurashi alTamimi al-Baksi from the family of Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr a/- Siddiq, al-Baghdadi al-Hanbali.'

His Birth and Upbringing

He was born in 509 or 510 A.H. Upon reaching adolescence, his aunt took him to Ibn Nasir from whom he learned a great deal. He came to love preaching while barely having reached the age of puberty, and from then started to give sermons to the peo-

His father passed away when he was three years old so his aunt

' Thail al-Randatain, p.21, al-Bidayah wa’l-Nibéyab, p. 13/26.

al-Hafiz Abi’l-Faraj ‘Abdu'l-Rabman ibn Jawzi

took care of him. His relatives were copper merchants so at times in hadith hearings he would write his name as ‘Abdu’l-Rahman ibn ‘Ali al-Saffar [ie. The Coppersmith].

His first hadith hearing was in 556 A.H., as cited by al-Dhahabi?

While still very young he became known as a religious person who would not socialise with anyone and would not eat from any food whose source was doubtful. He would only leave his house for prayer and he would not play with other similar to his age. He was a person of very great determination, ambition and he spent all his life busy in seeking knowledge, preaching and authoring,’

Al-Hafiz Ibn al-Jawzi has already introduced his teachers in his book Mashyakhat Ibn al-Jawz {i.e. the scholars who taught Ibn alJawzi] where he listed many of them. In the field of hadith he benefitted from accompanying Ibn Nasir , in Quran and Adab ie. Manners] from Sibt al-Khiyat and Ibn al-Jawaliqi. He was the last to narrate from al-Dinawari and al-Mutawakkili.*

Those who narrated from him include his son and companion, the great scholar Muhyi al-Din Yisuf who was a teacher in the

2 Thail al-Randatain, 21, Thail ‘ala Tabagat al-Hanabila, 1/401, Sbatharit al-Thabab,

> gl-Bidayah wa’l-Nibayab, 13/29, Said al-Khétir, 238.

* Siar al-A'lam al-Nubula’, 21/366, 367.

His grandson Abi al-Muzfir and majority of those who wrote his biography say that he had three sons:

1. The oldest of them, Abi Bakr ‘Abd al-‘Aziz: He became a jurist in the school of Ahmad and took knowledge from Abi al-Waqt, Ibn Nasir, al-Armawi and a group of his father's teachers. He traveled to the city of al-Musul where he preached and held sermons there for which he earned the people full acceptance. It is said that the family of alZahrazuri used to be jealous of him so they made someone poison and put it in his drink which caused him to die in alMusul in 554 A.H. during the lifetime of his father.’

2. Abd al-Qasim Badr al-Din ‘Ali al-Nasikh’

3. Aba Muhammad Yisuf Muhyi al-Din’: He was the most

” ef. Siyar al-A lam al-Nubull’, 23/372, al-'Ibar, 5/237, Ditwal al-Islam, 2/122, alBidayab wa'l-Nibayab, 13/203, Tail Tabagat al-Hanabila, 2/258-261, al:'Usind alMasbik, 635, Shatharit al-Tbabab, 5/286287, Ibn Shatti: Mukbtasar Tabagat alHanabila, 9.57.

al-Hafiz Abi'l-Faraj ‘Abdu’l-Rabmdn ibn Jaz

intelligent and youngest son as he was born in 580 A.H. He became involved in preaching, he held sermons after his father, in which he excelled and by which he was looked up to by his confreres. He then was appointed to control and supervise markets of Bagdad, after that he was assigned to deliver the messages of the caliphs to kings of other different regions peculiarly to the Ayyiibi family in the Sham region. He held the position of teacher in the institute of caliph al-Musta‘sim in 640 A.H. till he was killed in prison in 656 A.H. by Hulaku who occupied Bagdad and destroyed it. His three sons Jamal al-Din, Sharaf al-Din and Taj alDin were killed with him. He has authored many works, including Ma‘adin al-Abriz fi Tafsir al-Kitab al-“Aziz and alMadbab al-Abmad fi Madhab Abmad. Unlike his brother Abu al-Qasim, he was a dutiful son who honored his father and treated him well.

His grandson mentioned that Ibn al-Jawzi had many daughters; Rabi‘a, Sharaf al-Nisa’, Zainab, Jauhara, Sitt al-Ulama al-Sughra and Sitt al-“Ulama al-Kubra.*

His Uniqueness as a Preacher

Excellent indeed are the words of al-Hafiz al-Dhahabi about him: ‘He was the leading figure in reminding the people and had no equal. He would recite pleasant poetry, eloquent prose spontaneously, he spoke fine words and moving speech, which was abundant. There has never been anyone like him, not before him and not after him. He is the carrier of the flag of exhortation in its various forms. He had a pleasant appearance, a good voice and his talks had an impact on peoples’ hearts. His lifestyle in general

8 Mirat al-Zaman, 8/503, Abii Shamma: Thail al-Raudatain, 26.

was beautiful.” He also said: ‘I believe there will not be another one like him.”

Al-Hafiz Ibn Rajab said: ‘So we conclude that his gatherings of exhortation were one of a kind and nobody had heard of anything like them. They were gatherings of great benefit where the heedless would be reminded, the ignorant would come to know, the sinners would repent and the polytheists would become Muslims.”

His Works and Effects

Shaikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah said in a/-Ajwiba al-Misriyyah: ‘Shaikh Abi’l-Faraj excelled in many sciences and has many writings to his account. He would write on many topics, I counted his works I found them to be over one thousand in number. Later, I found out about other works as well.”!”

Having mentioned some of his books, al-Dhahabi said: ‘I don’t know of a scholar who has written what this man has.””?

"| Thail Tabagat al-Hanabila, 1/410.

"? [hail Tabagat al-Hanabila, 1/415, al-Taj al-Mukallal, 70.

alHafiz Abs'l-Faraj Abdu’ l-Rabmin ibn Janz

and put them in alphabetic ordet. Whoever wishes to know about these books should refer to this work, keeping in mind that many of the manuscripts mentioned therein by al-‘Alaji have now been printed.

He authored approximately 300 books, some of his printed works include:

* Talgih Fubim Abii al-Athar fi Mukhtasari al-Syyari wal Akhbar." (Only a portion has been printed]

* ALAthkiya’ wa Akbbarabum.”> [Printed]

* Managib Umar ibn ‘Abdul ‘Aziz, [Printed]

* Rawhu al-Arwah."’ [Printed]

* Shudbar al-Ugad fi Tarikh al-‘Ubad.'* [Manuscript]

* Zaid al-Masir fi ‘Im al-Taftir.? [Printed]

= AlHamga wal Mughaffalin [Printed]

' The book mentions the historical reports concerning the Prophet (4g) and his companions.

'S A literature book in which he includes stories of intellectual pcople..

‘6 The book details the virtues of the Caliph, ‘Umar ibn ‘Abdul ‘Aziz.

" The book explains the concept of spirit and spirituality

'8 An abridged version of the known history book Tarikh a/-Mulik wal Umam. ” The book explains the science of Tafsir.

* The book mentions the history of nations and kings.

2! The book focuses on leaders and kings throughout history.

* Managib ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab2* (Printed

*~ Managib Abmad ibn Hanbal.* [Printed]

ALTahqig.” [Only the first volume has been printed]

And also a considerable number of works in other fields of knowledge.

The books of Ibn Jawzi available in the English language are;

1. Lhn Jawzee’s theDevils Deception - {edited trans. Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips, Al-Hidaayah Publishing and Distribution, 1995]

* The book explains one major aspect of the science of hadith i. the gharceb hadith.

” The book examines the authenticity of narrations used in the known book ‘al-Ta'lig al-kabir’ of al-Qadi Abii Ya’la, and how classification of hadith effected scholars views.

alHafiz Abn’ l-Faraj Abdi'l-Rabman ibn Jawz

Tbn al-Jawzi passed away on Friday the 12th of Ramadan in 597 A.H and was buried next to the grave of Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal in the cemetery of Bab Hatb.*