Part 1

HEARTFELT ADVICE TOA FRIEND

Imam ibn Qayyim al-Jawztyyah (d. 7514

Imam Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah [d. 751H] HEARTFELT ADVICE TO A FRIEND

being a tranlation of his work ‘Risalatu Ibn al-Oayyim ila Ahadi Ikhwanihi’

‘I have never regretted anything as much as my regret over a day on which the sun sets and my life span decreases while my good deeds have

Ibn Mas‘tid (radiyAlahu ‘anbi)

Heartfelt Advice to a Friend

by Imam Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah

W: www.darassunnah.com J E: [email protected] E: [email protected]

British Library Cataloguing in publication Data. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Title: Heartfelt Advice to a Friend by Imam ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah Translated from the original Arabic

Short Biography of Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah

INTRODUCTION fi. The Value of Tim" [ii. Heedlessness (a/-xafla) and Desire (a/-hawa)| fii. The Favoured Ones]

CHAPTER ONE [Patience (a/-sabr) and Certainty (a/-yaqin)|

CHAPTER TWO [Guiding People and Calling them to Allah

CHAPTER THREE [Steps in Attaining Happiness]

CHAPTER FOUR [True Happiness and Delight]

fi. Religion revolves around four rules]

CHAPTER FIVE First Element: Sincerity (a/-7kh/as)

CHAPTER SIX Second Element: Truthfulness’ (a/-sidq)

Third Element: Compliance (a/-mutaba‘ and Adherence (a/-igtida’)

Fourth Element: Station of Excellence (a/ihsan) and Vigilance of Allah (a/-muragaba)

Fifth Element: . nowledgment of the Favour (a/-minna) of Allah

Sixth Element: Blaming One’s Self for Inadequate Efforts

‘CHAPTER ELEVEN [The Four Pillars]

APPENDIX ONE The Virtues of Patience

May Allah have mercy upon him

HE IS THE IMAM, THE HAFIZ, the exegete, the legal jurist, Shaykh al-Islam: Abi ‘Abdullah Shamsu-d-Din Muhammad Ibn Abi Bakr - better known.as 1 Qayyim al-Jawziyyah.

His Birth and Education:

From an early age he set about acquiring knowledge of the Islamic sciences from the scholars of his time. Describing his desire for knowledge, al-Hafiz Ibn Rajab, Dhay/ Tabagqat-l-Hanabilah [4/449] said, ‘He had an intense love for knowledge, for books, publications and writings.’

Ibn Kathir, al-Bidayah wa-n-Nihayah (14/235] said, ‘He acquired

HEARTFELT ADVICE TO A FRIEND

from such books what others could not acquire, and he developed a deep understanding of the books of the Salaf and of the Khalaf.’

His Teachers and Shaykhs:

They include Shihab an-Nablusi, Qadi Taqi ad-Din ibn Sulayman, from whonrhe studied hadith; Qadi Badr ad-Din ibn Jama‘ah; Safi ad-Din al-Hindi; Isma‘il ibn Muhammad al-Harrani, from whom he studied figh and usul; and also his father, from whom he learnt the laws of inheritance.

However, the most notable of his teachers was Shaykh al-lslam\ Ibn Taymiyyah, whom he accompanied and studied under for sixteen years. Al-Hafiz Ibn Kathir (14/234) said, ‘He attained great proficiency in many branches of knowledge; particularly knowledge of tai..., hadith, and usil. When Shaykh Tagi ad-Din ibn Taymiyyah returned from Egypt in the year 712H, he stayed with the Shaykh until he died; learning a great deal of knowledge from him, along with the knowledge that he had already occupied himself in attaining. So he became a unique scholar in many branches of knowledge.’

His Manners and Worship:

Many of his students and contemporaries nave born witness

to his excellent character and his manners of worship. Ibn Rajab

He - may Allah have mercy on him - was constant in worship and performing the night prayer, reaching the limits in lengthening his prayer and devotion. He

was constantly in a state of dhikr and had an intense love for Allah. He also had a deep love for turning to Allah in repentance, humbling himself to Him with a deep sense of humility and helplessness. He would throw himself at the doors of Divine obedience and servitude. Indeed, I have not seen the likes of him with regards to such matters.

Ibn Kathir (14/234) said,

His Students and Works:

Amongst his most prominent students were: Ibn Kathir

(d.774H), adh-Dhahabi (d.748H), Ibn Rajab (d.751H) and Ibn ‘Abdu-I-Hadi (d.744H), as well as two of his sons, Ibrahim and

Ibnu-l-Qayyim authored over sixty works. His books and writings are characterised by their touching address to the heart and

HEARTFELT ADVICE TO A FRIEND

soul, as well as their accuracy, precision, strength of argument and depth of research.

In the field of figh and usil, his writings include: [‘limu-/- Muwaqgibin; Turuqu-l-Hukmiyyah; Ighathatu-l-Lahfan; Tubfatu-lMawlid; Abkam Ahlu--Dhimmahk, and al-Furisiyyah.

In the field of hadith and sirah they include: Zahdhib Sunan Abi Dawid, al-Manaru-l-Munif; Fawa’id al-Hadithiyyah; Jala’u-LAfham; and Zadu-l-Ma‘ad.

In the field of beliefs: Jitima‘ al-Juynsh al-lslamiyyah; as-Sawa tqu-lMursalah; Shifa‘u-l-‘Alil; Hadiyu-l-Arwah; al-Kafiyatu-sh-Shafiyah;, and Kitab ar-Ruh.

In the field of akhlag (morals) and tazkiyah (purification): Madariju-s-Salikin; a. 0@ wa-d-Dawa; al-Wabilu-s-Sayyib; al-Fawa@ id; Risalatu-t-Tabukiyyah; Miftah Dar as-Sa‘adah; and ‘Uddatu-s-Sabirin.

In the sciences of the Qur’an: at-Tibyan fi Aqsami-l-Ouran; and Amthal al-Quran.

In language and miscellaneous issues: Bada’ al-Fawa’id.

Two books have also been written collating the exegetical comments of ibn al-Qayyim from his various works: Tafsir al-Oayyim

A few of his works have also been translated into the English

language: Paragons of the Qur'an; Trails and Tribulations; Characteristics of the Hypocrites and Inner Dimentions of the Prayer.

Statements of the Scholats about him:

Ibn Rajab (4/44) said,

He had deep knowledge concerning tafsir and the fundamentals of the religion, reaching the highest degree concerning them both. Similar was the case in the field of hadith, with regards to understanding its meanings, subtleties and deducing rulings from them. Likewise was the case in the field of figh and its usil, as well as the Arabic language. He did a great service to these sciences. He was also knowledgeable about rhetoric, grammar, and sw/#k as well as the subtleties and details

that occur in the speech of the people of /asawwuf. Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar, ad-Durarn-/-Kaminah (4/21),

He possessed a courageous spirit as well as vast and comprehensive knowledge. He had deep knowledge concerning the di!” --ences of opinions of the Scholars and about the ways of the Salaf.

Ibn Hajar also said in his commendation to ar-Raddu-l-Wafir,

And if there were no virtues of Shaykh Taqi ad-Din [Ibn Taymiyyah], except for his famous student, Shaykh Shamsu-d-Din ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah - the author of many works, which both his opponents and supporters benefited from - this would be a sufficient indication

of his [Ibn Taymiyyah’s] great position. al-Hafiz Ibn Nasir ad-Dimishqj, ar-Raddu-/-Wafir [p. 69] said,

He possessed knowledge of the sciences, especially ~

HEARTFELT ADVICE TOA FRIEND

Aba Bakr Muhammad Ibn al-Muhib said, as found in his letter, “I said in front of our Shaykh, al-Mizzi, ‘Is Tbnu-l-Qayyim at the same level as Ibn Khuzaymah?” He replied, ‘He is in this time, what Ibn Khuzaymah

As-Suyati, Bughyatu-l-Wiat [1/62] said,

His books had no equal and he strove and, became one of the great Imams in [the field of] tafsir, hadith, the Book, the Sunnah, furi', and the Arabic language.

they [Ibn Taymiyyah and Ibnu-l-Qayyim] are from the great ones of Ahiu-s-Sunnah wa-l-Jama‘ah, and from the

awliya’ of this Ummah.

Qadi Burhan ad-Din az-Zur‘a said as quoted from him in Dhay/ Tabaqat al-Hanabilah, -\

. There is none under the heavens who has greater knowledge than he.

Imam Ibnu-l-Qayyim passed away at the age of sixty, on the 13" night of Rajab, 751H, may Allah shower His Mercy upon him.

With the Name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Most Merciful

IMAM MUHAMMAD IBN ABI BAKR Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah, may Allah bestow His Mercy upon him, said:

Task Allah, in Whom I have hope to answer our prayers, to embrace the brother ‘Ala’ Al-Di.. with His Kindness in this life and ‘the Afterlife; to make him a source of benefit [to others]; and to make him blessed wherever may he be - for indeed, the barakah of a man lies in his teaching of the good wherever he may land and in his advices to every person he meets. In the Qur’an, the ayah wherein Allah, Most High, informs us of what Prophet ‘Isa (‘alayhis-salam) said about himself, reads as follows:

LE CSO 5 “And He has made me blessed wherever I am”

This is to'mean, He made me [i.e. ‘Isa] a teacher of goodness, a caller to Allah, and an advocate who reminds people of Allah

and spurs them to obey Him. Truly, all those qualities are from the

barakah of aman! If a person lacks the said qualities, not only is he devoid of barakah, but also there will be no such barakah when meeting him or being with him.

(i. The Value of Time]

Further, the absence of barakah will extend to throw its shades on whoever meets him or be in his company because such a person wastes his time talking about [trivial] current affairs and past events that cause the heart [of his company] to be ruined and clouded for it is the waste of time and the corruption of the heart (fasad al-galb) that ate the prime causes of all types of harm befalling people. Not only does that make a person lose his share of reward, but it will also lower his rank (darajah) arid status (wanzila) in the sight of Allah.