Part 26

‘This first masterpiece in the series deals with many spiritual diseases - such as envy, greed, uncontrolled lust, sexual appetites, arrogance, gluttony, anger, stinginess, squandering, vanity and attachment to this world just to mention a few - and the qualities that the seeker of God must acquire - such as love, self discipline, humility, identifying one’s flaws, preliminaries of spiritual struggle, improvement of character, patience, truthfulness and treading the path of discipline. He explains in a simple but very powerful and effective way to the wayfarers how to have their spiritual diseases healed and what qualities they need to acquire for their journey to Allah. This marvellous masterpiece has been divided into thirty chapters to facilitate for the reader comprehensive study of each chapter with extensive antidotes from the early righteous predecessors.

Sincere Council to the Seekers of

Sacred Knowledge al-Hafiz Abi’l-Faraj ibn al-Jawzi [d. 597AH] being a translation of his ‘Laff al-Kabid ila Nasiha al-Walad’

The challenges of parenthood are experienced by all and many times a patent is hard put to ascertain the correct course of action in bringing up a child in the correct Islamic manner, or, when required, disciplining that child. This treatise is a moving and pertinent advice which Imam Ibn al-Jawzi, himself a great scholar and parent, directed to his carefree and disobedient child. It is important for evety parent and child to read since it lays down the principles for providing a solid religious and spiritual education for oneself and one's family, thereby providing the foundation that evety Muslim needs in his journey through this world to the next.

The main concept running throughout the work is on acquiring knowledge which is of spiritual benefit, purifying the intention, the challenges,

the pitfalls and obstacles the seeker confronts, and acting on the basis of the acquired knowledge.

SEEDS OF ADMONISHMENT AND REFORM

The Disturber of the Hearts al-Hafiz Abi’l-Faraj ibn al-Jawzi [d. 597AH] being a translation of his ‘Kitab al-Mugliq’

It is known that preachers are specialists in treating the illness of sins and experts in mending the moods of hearts. Therefote, if they find a person falling into despair, they instigate hope in his heart, and if they find a person in a reckless and fearless state, they provoke the fear of Allah in his heart, this how they treat sickness by using its opposite as a cure.

‘This third masterpiece in the series deals with the realisation that overindulging in hope, lacking the fear of Allah and drowning in wishful thinking are diseases, [which have become a widespread epidemic] infecting people’s hearts. Consequently curing these diseases cannot be except with the medicine of intimidation and deterrence. Because when the heart is static and suffers this distracted state, treating it with doses of serenity would be like treating a person who suffers hypothermia with a medication that would lower his body temperature.

Therefore, the author, ibn al-Jawzi collected herein intimidating narrations, warnings against wrongdoings, narratives portraying the punishment and stories that bring discontent to hearts in order to facilitate: the assured to become anxious; the hardened hearts to become softened; the dried tear ducts to become flowing; and the slothful to become motivated.

Awakening from the Sleep of Heedlessness al-Hafiz Abi’l-Faraj ibn al-Jawzi [d. 597AH] being a translation of his ‘Tanbib al-Na’im al-Gamr ‘ala Mawasim alUmar’

All praise be to the One who made the different stages of life. During these stages, there are those who submit to Allih’s orders and thereby advance, and others who ate a wasteful of this time and thereby struck with loss and regret. Indeed, life has been designated so that people [use] to reach the sought after [i.e Paradise] and to remove all that which causes loss and defect. Whoever lives his life appropriately [as per Allih’s commands}, his life will be a trade generating for him Abundant multiplied profits, whereas the corrupt one who does not act accordingly will find his soul ruined. A good deed is written as ten full deeds to seven hundred and more, and a sin makes the upright return to the state of disturbance he was at before.

‘The eternal life in Paradise and the never-ending immortality which can be obtained by investing this short life appropriately, as whoever wastes his life is indeed a loser. Therefore a sensible person should know the value of his life and should reflect on his state, so that he captures what cannot be restored if it is missed and because of which he might be ruined for wasting,

This fourth masterpiece in the series expounds on the five stages of life: the first stage starts from birth until puberty and this is the stage of encouraging the disciplining of children; the second stage starts from puberty until the end of youth, this is deemed as the stage of youthfulness and protecting the self and struggling against Desires; the third

SEEDS OF ADMONISHMENT AND REFORM

stage is the stage of maturity; the fourth stage is the stage of old age; the fifth stage starts from seventy years of age until death, and that is the stage of decrepitude. The start and end of these ages may fluctuate from person to person. Nonetheless their stages ate five, a truly magnificent work of genius.