Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya on the Invocation of God: Al-Wabil al-Sayyib

Written in the fourteenth century by the renowned theologian Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya, "Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya on the Invocation of God" is a translation of one of his most popular works, "al-Wabil al-Sayyib", which movingly details the many blessings of the remembrance of God. Through discussions of the ego, the nature of the body, the ephemerality of the world, the degrees of prayer, fasting, charity, and the purification of the heart, this beautifully written work is a genuine contribution to Muslim spirituality. What makes "Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya on the Invocation of God" of great interest is that it illustrates the spiritual life of Ibn al-Qayyim and of his teacher, the Hanbalite reformer Ibn Taymiyya. As Ibn al-Qayyim says in the "al-Wabil al-Sayyib", "We have mentioned [in it] nearly one hundred benefits of remembrance of God [dhikr], and the secrets of remembrance... This is a book of great usefulness."---Translated for the first time into English by Michael Abdurrahman Fitzgerald and Moulay Youssef Slitine, "Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya on the Invocation of God" is a significant addition to the knowledge of this important thinker; it sheds light on an aspect of his personality that is not often recognised and helps to balance and do justice to his writings and his thought.