A Handbook of Spiritual Medicine

About A Handbook of Spiritual Medicine

A Handbook of Spiritual Medicine by Ibn Daud is an English guide to tazkiyah, the purification of the self. Just as a medical handbook describes an illness and its treatment, this book of spiritual medicine describes the ailments of the heart one by one, acknowledges the struggles and insecurities that every person faces from time to time, and offers a remedy for each. The remedies are drawn from verses of the Qur’an and authentic hadith of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, with the aim of building mindfulness of Allah and of the Prophet ﷺ in daily life.

The book also draws on the classical works of Imam Abu Hamid al-Ghazali (RH), the great scholar of the late eleventh and early twelfth centuries whose writings on the heart have guided Muslims for generations. The material is presented so that a modern reader can apply it to everyday life.

The spiritual ailments covered

After opening sections on the continual cycle of self-purification and on how to use the book, it devotes a chapter to each of twenty-six diseases of the heart:

• Anger, hatred, envy and negative feelings towards others
• Boasting, arrogance, pride, vanity and showing off
• Seeking reputation and displeasure with blame or disapproval
• Love of the world, extravagance, miserliness, greed and fear of poverty
• Heedlessness, hard-heartedness, false hope and fantasizing
• Displeasure with the divine decree and relying on other than Allah
• Ingratitude for blessings, mockery, fraud and iniquity
• Antipathy towards death and blameworthy modesty

Why a handbook of spiritual medicine is needed

We usually notice quickly when the body is ill, but the illnesses of the heart can grow quietly for years. Envy, pride, anger or love of the world rarely announce themselves; they show up as restlessness, broken relationships, weak prayers and a feeling of distance from Allah Almighty. The Prophet ﷺ taught that there is a piece of flesh in the body which, if it is sound, the whole body is sound, and that is the heart. Tazkiyah is the work of keeping that heart sound. This book turns that work into something practical: it names the problem clearly and then shows the way to treat it.

Because each ailment has its own chapter, the book works like a reference. A reader struggling with anger can go straight to that chapter, and someone who keeps worrying about money can turn to the chapter on fear of poverty. Over time, working through the whole book becomes a thorough self-examination.

Who should read this book

• Anyone who wants a practical, organised guide to purifying the heart
• Readers who have benefited from al-Ghazali (RH) and want his teachings in an accessible modern form
• Study circles and halaqahs looking for a chapter-by-chapter text on tazkiyah
• Parents, teachers and counsellors who help others deal with anger, envy or anxiety
• Those who want a thoughtful Islamic gift with lasting value

How to benefit from it

Begin with the section on how to use the book, then choose one ailment at a time. Read the chapter, reflect honestly on whether it applies to you, and pick one remedy to practise for a week before moving on. Return to the book whenever you notice a disease returning, because, as the opening section stresses, purification of the self is a continual cycle rather than a single event. Make du’a to Allah for a sound heart and send salawat upon Prophet Muhammad ﷺ often.

Edition details

Title: A Handbook of Spiritual Medicine. Author: Ibn Daud. Language: English. For the exact edition, binding and page count of the copy in stock, please message us on WhatsApp at 9906523492. Same-day dispatch from Srinagar, with delivery in about 1 day in Srinagar and 3 to 10 days across the rest of India.

Frequently asked questions

What is this book about? It is a handbook of tazkiyah that describes twenty-six spiritual ailments, such as anger, envy and love of the world, and gives remedies for each from the Qur’an and authentic hadith.

Is it based on classical scholarship? Yes, it draws on the works of Imam al-Ghazali (RH) alongside the Qur’an and hadith.

Do I need to read it from cover to cover? No. Each ailment has its own chapter, so you can turn straight to the one you need.

How fast is delivery? Same-day dispatch from Srinagar, about 1 day in Srinagar and 3 to 10 days elsewhere in India.

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