Kitab al-Zuhd wa al-Raqaiq
Leipzig University Library Manuscripts | |
| Author | Abd Allah ibn al-Mubarak |
|---|---|
| Original title | كتاب الزهد والرقائق |
| Language | Arabic |
| Subject | Hadith |
| Genre | Asceticism |
| Published | 9th century |
| Media type | |
| ISBN | 978-90-6949-983-3 |
Kitab al-Zuhd wa al-Raqaiq (Arabic: كتاب الزهد والرقائق, lit. 'The Book of Piety and Softening of Hearts') is a Sunni Hadith collection compiled by Abd Allah ibn al-Mubarak, addressing asceticism (zuhd), ethics (akhlaq), and early Sufi thought. It is considered one of the earliest works devoted to these topics and is regarded as al-Mubarak’s Magnum opus. Scholars view it as a foundational source for the study of early Islamic asceticism. The work was first published from manuscripts by Habibur Rahman Azami in 1966.
Overview
The term raqaiq in the title comes from riqqa, meaning softness or tenderness of the heart achieved through purification.[1] The book compiles sayings of the Prophet Muhammad, along with reports concerning the ethical conduct and ascetic practices of the Companions (sahaba) and the Followers (tabiin). It includes hadiths addressing sadness, weeping, humility, fear, sincerity, contemplation, trust in God (tawakkul), contentment (rida), and poverty (faqr).[2] Some narrations are weak and may originate from Israʼiliyyat sources.[3]
The organization of the text is not entirely systematic, and narrations are arranged according to topic and chain of transmission, from marfu to maquf. al-Mubarak, who was also a skilled poet, included poetry in the work. Many of the hadiths cited were later referenced in the six canonical Sunni collections (Kutub al-Sittah).[3]
Feryal Salem notes that the book focuses on spiritual refinement rather than mere abstinence from the world.[1] Akmal Ziyodullayevich Ulugmuratov regards it as the first book devoted to asceticism.[4] Fuat Sezgin identifies it as the oldest surviving book on zuhd from that era.[5] According to Ibn Taymiyya, the work is one of the most comprehensive on the topic, and its chapter-based organization makes it more practical than other works.[3]
Azami Edition
Seven manuscripts of Kitab al-Zuhd are preserved in various libraries and have been published in multiple editions.[3] The first modern edition was published in 1966 by Habibur Rahman Azami at the Majlis Ihya al-Maarif institute in India.[1] Azami traced the sources of the narrations, added commentaries to difficult passages, referred to biographical sources not included in the Kutub al-Sittah, and created indices to facilitate use.[3]
This edition relied on three primary manuscripts: the Suleymaniye manuscript transmitted by Husayn b. Hasan al-Merwazi, the Alexandria manuscript transmitted by Nuaym b. Hammad, and the Zahiriya manuscript from Damascus. Al-Azami also added narrations transmitted by Nuaym b. Hammad, either alone or through other teachers.[3]
The text contains 1,627 hadiths transmitted by al-Husayn b. al-Hasan al-Marwazi: 358 attributed directly to the Prophet, 186 prophetic sayings with incomplete chains, 498 sayings of the Companions, 583 sayings of the Followers and their students, and 4 without chains.[1] Among these, 411 narrations were not originally transmitted by al-Mubarak but added later by other transmitters. Azami also included 436 additional narrations preserved by Nuaym b. Hammad, covering prophetic sayings, statements of the Companions, Followers, and a few reports without transmission chains.[1]
Other Editions and Studies
Yusuf Abdurrahman Marashli prepared a detailed index of the hadiths under the title Fihris Ahadith Kitab al-Zuhd li-Ibn al-Mubarak (Beirut, 1987). The work has been translated into Turkish by Muhammad Adil Teymur (Kitab al-Zuhd wa al-Raqaiq: Asceticism and Subtleties, Istanbul, 1992) and Ishaq Dogan (Zuhd Kitabi, Konya, 2006).[3]
Ahmad Farid republished the work as al-Zuhd wa al-Raqaiq (Riyadh, 1415/1995; Alexandria, 1419) with an extended introduction. This edition was based on the Merwazi manuscript but included revisions following Azami’s critical edition. Narrations from Nuaym b. Hammad were excluded, and those transmitted by Husayn b. Hasan al-Merwazi and Yahya b. Said via other teachers were removed to preserve al-Mubarak’s original works. As a result, this edition contains 1,203 narrations.[3]
The transmission chains are recorded at the beginning of the book, with subsequent narrations beginning from al-Mubarak’s teacher. Transmitters are listed alphabetically, evaluated for reliability, and their biographical sources are cited.[3] Footnotes provide assessments of authenticity, note weak narrations transmitted through alternate chains, and clarify the status of chains (marfu, maqtua, etc.). Scholarly opinions are included in cases of doubts or breaks in transmission. Ahmad Farid also corrected errors in copying, spelling, and printing from manuscripts and previous editions, removed expressions not attributable to al-Mubarak, and added multi-purpose indices to facilitate research.[3]
The book was translated into English by Aisha A. Bewley as Softening of the Heart, published by Turath Publishing in 2022.[6] It was also translated into Bengali by Abdus Sattar Aini as Muminer Pathey (Bengali: মুমিনের পাথেয়) and published by Maktabatul Bayan in 2020.[7]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e Salem, Feryal (2016). The Emergence of Early Sufi Piety and Sunnī Scholasticism: ʿAbdallāh b. al-Mubārak and the Formation of Sunnī Identity in the Second Islamic Century. BRILL. p. 114. ISBN 978-90-04-31448-1.
- ^ Baser, Hacı Bayram (2023). Ethics Literature in the Period Prioritizing Sufism: Kitāb al-Zuhd Works (PDF) (in Turkish). İlem Yayınları. p. 140. ISBN 978-6257800907.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j ÖZAFŞAR, MEHMET EMİN (1988–2016). "ez-ZÜHD ve'r-REKĀİK". TDV Encyclopedia of Islam (44+2 vols.) (in Turkish). Istanbul: Turkiye Diyanet Foundation, Centre for Islamic Studies.
- ^ Ziyodullayevich, Ulugmuratov Akmal (2024). "The Masterpiece of Abdullah Ibn Mubarak". Jurnal ISO: Jurnal Ilmu Sosial, Politik dan Humaniora. 4 (1). doi:10.53697/iso.v4i2.1889. ISSN 2798-8260.
- ^ Şimşek, İbrahim (2018). A Comparison of ʿAbdullāh ibn al-Mubārak's Kitāb al-Zuhd and al-Bukhārī's Kitāb al-Riqāʾiq Sections and Their Evaluation from the Perspective of the Science of Tafsīr (MA thesis) (in Turkish). Turkey: Department of Basic Islamic Studies, Ordu University. p. 11.
- ^ "Softening the Heart (Kitab Az-Zuhd ) By Ibn Mubarak". kitaabun.com. Retrieved 4 October 2025.
- ^ Affan, Abdullah (23 December 2020). "Abdullah Ibn Mubarak's Kitabul Zuhd's Bangla translation is now available in the market". Ourislam24.