al-Muhasibi

Abu Abdallah al-Harith ibn Asad al-Muhasibi al-Basri (165-243H) was an early Islamic scholar of Baghdad known for his pioneering work in Islamic psychology and spiritual ethics. His name al-Muhasibi (self-accountant) reflects his central teaching: constant self-examination (muhasabah). His major work, al-Ri'ayah li Huquq Allah, is considered the first systematic Islamic treatise on spiritual psychology and moral psychology. He was a student of Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal's contemporaries and taught al-Junayd al-Baghdadi. Note: Imam Ahmad criticized some of his works for using philosophical terminology, so his writings should be read with scholarly guidance.