Wisdom and Zuhd

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Collections, not treatises

This section gathers works in which the author stands aside: he does not develop a thought, he reports. Sayings of Companions, Followers and imams on detachment, fear and the brevity of this passage, transmitted with their chains, often in a line or two. These books are not read through: you open them anywhere, and a page is enough.

The reference collections

Al-Zuhd by Abd Allah ibn al-Mubarak: among the earliest and the most cited.
Al-Zuhd by Imam Ahmad: large, arranged by generation.
Al-Zuhd by Waki' ibn al-Jarrah and by Hannad ibn al-Sari: early collections of the same kind.
Hilyat al-awliya by Abu Nu'aym: a compilation in about ten volumes, mixing biography and reported sayings.
Sifat al-safwa by Ibn al-Jawzi: conceived as a sifting and abridgement of the previous one, more manageable.

Wisdom or reminders: which do you need

The distinction fits in a sentence, and it prevents buying the wrong thing. Here they are sayings reported with their chains, where the point is the source. In Reminders and exhortations they are authored works, where the point is what the author says. If you want a book to read in the evening, take the second; if you want an early scholar's words on a given subject, take the first.

What to check

The editor above all, since the value of these collections rests on the state of the chains, and not every narration is authentic. The volume count next, as Hilyat al-awliya and the large Zuhd works are sometimes sold broken up. Finally the indexes, indispensable for locating a saying. These points appear on every listing.

Related sections

For authored exhortation, Reminders and exhortations. For methodical work on the heart, Purification of the soul. For biographies of the early generations, Narrator biographies and History.

Ordering and shipping

Real stock shown. Sets are wrapped volume by volume and packed in a rigid box. Dispatched within 24 to 48 working hours, shipped across Europe and worldwide. For a complete set, write to us: we weigh the collection and give the exact rate to your country.

How does this differ from Reminders?

Here, sayings reported with their chains, where the point is the source. In Reminders and exhortations, authored works, where the point is what the author says. To read in the evening take the second; to look up an early scholar's words take the first.

Are all the narrations authentic?

No. These collections gather what reached their compiler, with the chains, and their value rests precisely on the state of those chains. The editor of the edition therefore accounts for much of the book's worth.

Which should I start with?

With Ibn al-Mubarak's Al-Zuhd, among the earliest and most cited, or Ibn al-Jawzi's Sifat al-safwa, conceived as a sifting and abridgement of Hilyat al-awliya and far more manageable.