Spirituality

Books on Muslim spirituality in Arabic: how this section is organised

• What you will find here: works in Arabic on the purification of the soul, remembrance and invocations, conduct and the states of the heart, in their original editions and all new.
• Three types of work: the collection of invocations, which one uses; the book of admonition, read in short sections; the treatise on purification of the soul, which one studies. The listing states which.
• Three levels: beginner, intermediate, advanced, indicated on the listing according to the density of the text and its vocalisation.
• Formats: from the pocket collection to treatises in several volumes. This is the section with the widest range of formats.
• Classical and contemporary authors: from early treatises on the heart to collections of invocations compiled in the twentieth century for daily use.
• What you will not find: translations or bilingual editions. The catalogue is entirely in Arabic.
• Information on every listing: publisher, year, number of volumes, format, binding, vocalisation, type of work, level.

Three uses, and three ways of reading

This is the most useful distinction before buying, because it decides how the book will enter your day.

The collection of invocations is used more than it is read. It is arranged by situation, consulted in seconds, and its format matters more than its contents: a collection too large to carry serves no purpose. It is the most immediately useful purchase in the section.

The book of admonition is read in short sections. It gathers transmitted texts and sayings of the early generations on death, repentance, patience, the brevity of life. One does not read it through, and it is not exhausted: most readers return to it for years.

The treatise on purification of the soul is studied. It analyses the states of the heart, the ailments that reach it, the stages of the path, often over several hundred pages. It calls for time and a settled vocabulary. Every listing states which of these three uses the work falls under.

What the section covers

The purification of the soul and the ailments of the heart form its centre: sincerity, pride, envy, attachment, repentance. Around it, books of admonition treat death and the hereafter, patience and gratitude, the value of time.

Remembrance and invocations make up a set of their own, with collections arranged by time of day and by situation. Conduct, finally, covers the rules of behaviour towards others and in ordinary acts, an area where this section touches the hadith one, since many of these works are thematic collections of transmitted texts.

The works found at the head of the section

Here are the most widely circulated titles in each of the three uses, as they circulate in the Arab world.

Collections of invocations

Hisn al-Muslim by Sa'id ibn Ali al-Qahtani, a pocket collection arranged by situation, the most widespread. Al-Adhkar by Imam al-Nawawi, broader and older, giving the source of each text.

Books of admonition

Mukhtasar Minhaj al-Qasidin by Ibn Qudama, an abridgement of a longer work, arranged in chapters on conduct and the states of the heart. It is one of the commonest entry points to the section.

Treatises on the heart

Madarij al-Salikin by Ibn al-Qayyim, in several volumes, the most developed work on the stages of the inward path. By the same author, al-Fawa'id and al-Wabil al-Sayyib are far shorter, and sit well before it.

The section also holds the early works on renunciation, which gather sayings of the first generations. They are collections of sources rather than treatises, and are read after the preceding ones.

Three buying mistakes in this section, and how to avoid them

We see them come round again, and they all resemble one another.

The first is buying the largest treatise first. Several volumes on the states of the heart are not read like a bedside book: without a short work read beforehand, they stay closed. Start with an abridgement; the treatise comes next and serves for a long time.

The second is choosing a collection of invocations that is too large. It is a book of use: if it does not fit in a pocket or a bag, it stays on the shelf and does not do its work. Format outweighs breadth of content here.

The third is buying several books of admonition at once. These are works one rereads, not ones to accumulate: a single book, read in short sections over a year, gives more than four skimmed.

Buy books on Muslim spirituality in Arabic from My Maktaba

Every work in this section is in Arabic, in its original edition, and every one is new. For each title, the listing states the publisher, year, number of volumes, format, type of binding, vocalisation, type of work and level. On collections of invocations, check the format and the vocalisation, which matter more than on any other book in the shop.

If you do not know where to start, write to us stating your level of Arabic and the use you are looking for, a book to use, a book to read each day, or a treatise to study. We will suggest two or three titles, no more. And if the work you are looking for does not appear in the catalogue, send us the title: our network of booksellers covers most of the editions in circulation.