Disciplining the Soul

Now, dear reader, a new phase begins. We are going to delve into the teachings of Ibn al-Jawzi and his wisdom for Disciplining the Soul, a translation of his work Tibb al-Ruhani.

First, a little about the author. He is Abu’l-Faraj Jamal al-Din ‘Abdu’l-Rahman ibn ‘Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Ali’ Ibn ‘Ubayd Allah Ibn al-Jawzi al-Qurashi al-Tamimi al-Bakri. He was born in 509 or 510 A.H. His father passed away when he was three and he was raised by his aunt, who took him to study the scholar Ibn Nasir when he reached adolescence. He learnt a great deal from him, and came to love preaching whilst still at a young age. He was a child who loved the religion of Islam and would not spend time socializing, only leaving his house for prayer. He was known for his great determination and ambition and he spent his time seeking knowledge, preaching and writing. Shaikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah said in al-Akwiba al-Misriyyah, that Ibn al-Jawzi excelled in many sciences and would write on many topics, having more than a thousand works to his name. He passed away on Friday the 12th Ramadan 597 AH and was buried next to the grave of Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, may Allah have mercy on their souls. Ameen

 “Every breath we take is taking us closer to death. The time we spend in this world is short, the time we are held in our graves is long, and the punishment for following our lowly desires is calamitous.” Ibn al-Jawzi