Ibn Abi al-Dunya

Al-Uqubat (The Punishments) is a classical hadith and ethical work compiling prophetic traditions, statements of early Muslim figures, and historical narrations. It addresses divine punishments and worldly retributions visited upon individuals, communities, and prior nations for committing sins and neglecting moral responsibilities.

Al-Riqqa wa al-Buka' (Tenderness of Heart and Weeping) is a devotional work on spiritual heart-softeners and asceticism. It compiles traditions and narratives centered on godly sorrow, the virtue of shedding tears out of fear and reverence of God, and the spiritual states of early Muslim ascetics.

Al-Hawatif, also titled Hawatif al-Jinan (Voices of the Unseen), is a specialized compilation of hadiths, historical narrations, and spiritual anecdotes. It documents accounts of unseen voices and supernatural callers that deliver warnings, advice, poetry, or moral exhortations.

Hilm Muawiya (The Forbearance of Muawiya) is a biographical monograph that collects historical reports and sayings dedicated to the clemency, composure, and political forbearance of the Umayyad caliph Muawiya ibn Abi Sufyan.

Maqtal Amir al-Mu'minin Ali ibn Abi Talib is a historical monograph that documents the events surrounding the assassination and death of the fourth caliph, Ali ibn Abi Talib.

al-Nafaqa ala al-Iyal (also known as Kitab al-Iyal) is a third-century AH hadith and narration-based work on the virtue and duty of financially supporting and raising one's family and dependents.

al-Qana'a wa al-Ta'affuf is a classical ethical treatise on the moral virtue of contentment and abstaining from begging.

Istina al-Maruf is an ethical and hadith treatise compiled to encourage charity, kindness, and assisting others.

Kitab al-Yaqin is a devotional hadith treatise focusing on spiritual certainty and steadfast faith.

Kitab al-Ahwal is an eschatological work that compiles prophetic traditions and early reports detailing the events and trials of the Day of Judgment.

Qada al-Hawaij (The Fulfillment of Needs) is a hadith treatise dedicated to the virtues of assisting others, performing good deeds, and relieving the necessities of fellow Muslims. It compiles 117 textual units consisting of prophetic hadiths, statements of the Companions, and narrations from early Muslim figures regarding beneficence and fulfilling personal and communal needs.

al-Amr bil-Maruf wal-Nahy an al-Munkar (Enjoining Good and Forbidding Evil) is a monograph compiling prophetic traditions and reports from early generations on the obligation, virtues, and rules of enjoining good and forbidding evil. Arranged in the traditional hadith format, it presents narrations with complete chains of transmission addressing the communal and individual necessity of this duty.

al-ʿUmr wa al-Shayb (The Lifespan and Gray Hair) is a treatise addressing the themes of old age, the onset of gray hair, human lifespan, and related legal and ethical reports. It assembles hadiths, early legal traditions, and historical anecdotes with their chains of transmission to explore longevity, senescence, and the moral and physical implications of aging.

Sifat al-Janna (The Description of Paradise) is a specialized hadith compilation focusing on the attributes of Paradise and the delights prepared for its inhabitants. It gathers prophetic traditions and early narrations with full chains of transmission, describing the unseen realities, physical characteristics, and blessings of Paradise.

Mudarat al-Nas (Treating People with Tact) is a monograph dedicated to the ethics of social tact, affability, and enduring interpersonal harm. Organized with chains of transmission, it gathers prophetic hadiths, reports from the Companions and Successors, wisdom sayings, and poetic verses illustrating the virtue of social diplomacy and maintaining an accommodating demeanor.

Muhasabat al-Nafs (Self-Reckoning), also referenced as Muhasabat al-Nafs wa-l-izraș ȣalayha (Self-Reckoning and Self-Reproach), is a treatise on moral introspection and spiritual vigilance. It compiles prophetic traditions, statements of early Muslims, and anecdotes that urge individuals to examine their conduct, reproach their own shortcomings, and prepare for divine accountability in the afterlife.

Dhamm al-Dunya (The Dispraise of the World) is a treatise on asceticism (zuhd) and spiritual admonition. It gathers prophetic traditions, statements of early Muslim figures, moral anecdotes, and poetry to censure attachment to the material world and highlight the primacy of the afterlife.

Al-Samt wa Adab al-Lisan (Silence and the Manners of Speech) is a work on moral discipline and asceticism. It compiles transmitted reports, hadiths, and wisdom maxims concerning the restraint of the tongue, the avoidance of idle talk, and the virtues of silence.

Islah al-Mal (The Proper Management of Wealth) is a ninth-century treatise on lawful livelihood, financial management, and wealth preservation. It addresses the ethical and practical dimensions of wealth in Islam, presenting financial self-sufficiency, lawful economic enterprise, and the stewardship of material resources as religious virtues.

Makarim al-Akhlaq (Noble Character Traits) is an early ethical and hadith treatise devoted to virtuous conduct, moral virtues, and noble deeds in Islam. Framed around prophetic traditions and reports of early Muslims, the work illustrates the essential link between commendable moral character and religious faith.

Dhamm al-Malahi (The Condemnation of Diversions) is a treatise addressing the prohibition and censuring of musical instruments, singing, and idle amusements. It brings together prophetic hadiths, statements of the Companions, and reports from early authorities regarding various forms of diversion and pastimes.

Kitab al-Muhtadarin (The Book of the Dying) is a collection of hadith and ascetic biographical reports documenting the deathbed scenes, final counsels, and spiritual states of early Muslims at the point of death. The narrations, arranged with individual chains of transmission, record the final hours and utterances of figures across several generations, including the Prophet, Companions, rulers, and early ascetics.

Kalam al-Layali wal-Ayyam (The Speech of Nights and Days) is a short devotional and ascetical treatise focusing on the relentless passage of time, the fleeting nature of worldly existence, and the spiritual necessity of utilizing days and nights for righteous deeds before death arrives. It is arranged as a collection of transmitted reports, narrative traditions, aphorisms, personal letters, and poetic selections.

al-I'tibar wa A'qab al-Surur (Taking Heed and the Aftermath of Joy) is an ascetic and hortatory treatise centered on admonition, renunciation of worldly attachment, and patience. Constructed from transmitted traditions, historical anecdotes, and verses of poetry, the work illustrates how worldly pleasures and happiness are inherently unstable and fleeting, inevitably followed by grief, adversity, or death.

Kitab al-Zuhd (The Book of Asceticism) is a compilation belonging to the early genre of renunciation and moral exhortation. It systematically documents prophetic traditions, statements from the Companions and Successors, and sayings of early ascetics with their supporting chains of transmission, addressing contentment, the definition of renunciation, and the disparagement of worldly distraction.

al-Uzla wal-Infirad (Seclusion and Solitude) is a treatise that compiles prophetic traditions, narrations of the early generations, and ascetic maxims on the virtue of spiritual retreat and avoiding harmful socializing.

al-Hilm (Forbearance) is an ethical monograph dedicated to the virtue of forbearance, tolerance, and restraint against anger.

al-Qubur (The Graves), also known as Akhbar al-qubur (Reports of the Graves), is a treatise on asceticism (zuhd), the state of the deceased in their graves, and the remembrance of death.

al-Marad wal-Kaffarat (Illness and Expiations) is a monograph devoted to the spiritual meaning of illness, suffering, and the expiation of sins.

Fada'il Ramadan (Virtues of Ramadan) is a hadith treatise that compiles Prophetic traditions and early narrations concerning the merits of fasting, prayer, and devotion during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

al-Manamat (The Book of Dreams and Visions) is a work that compiles transmitted accounts of pious dream visions, encounters with the deceased, and spiritual lessons revealed through sleep.

al-Aql wa Fadhluhu (The Intellect and Its Virtue) is a monograph that compiles prophetic traditions, statements of early Muslims, and poetic verses on the merits, nature, and practical manifestations of the intellect.

Sifat al-Nar (The Description of Hellfire) is an eschatological and hortatory treatise that compiles prophetic traditions and early reports describing Hellfire, its topography, intensity, and the punishments endured by its inhabitants.

Mujabu al-Dawa (The Answered Supplications) is a biographical and devotional work that compiles narrated reports and historical accounts of early Muslim figures whose supplications were answered by God.

al-Rida ʿan Allah bi-Qadaʾihi (Contentment with God in His Decree) is an ethical and devotional treatise dedicated to the virtue of contentment (al-rida) with divine destiny and acceptance of God's ordainments during trials and prosperity.

al-Ishraf fi Manazil al-Ashraf (The Survey into the Stations of the Nobles) is a biographical and moral-narrative work that documents historical anecdotes, sayings, and reports concerning prominent and eminent figures (ashraf) from early Arab and Islamic history.

Kitab al-Mutamannin (The Book of Those Who Wished) is a thematic compilation of traditions focusing on the spiritual aspirations and wishes expressed by the early generations of Muslims.

Kitab al-Ju’ (The Book of Hunger) is an ascetic treatise that gathers prophetic traditions, narrations of the Companions, poetry, and sayings of early figures concerning voluntary hunger, the censure of overeating and satiety, and the spiritual disciplines associated with renunciation (zuhd).

Husn al-Zann Billah (Thinking Well of Allah) is a treatise dedicated to the virtue of harboring positive expectations, hopeful trust, and reliance upon Allah's mercy.

al-Tawadu wa-l-Khumul (Humility and Obscurity) is an early Islamic ethical and ascetical treatise that gathers prophetic traditions, statements of early Muslim figures, and moral narratives dedicated to cultivating personal humility and embracing obscurity and anonymity while shunning pride, arrogance, and the pursuit of public renown.

al-Tawakkul ala Allah (Reliance upon God), also known as Kitab al-Tawakkul, is a short treatise on reliance upon God and trust in divine provision. Arranged as a single part, the work brings together prophetic hadiths, traditions from the Companions and Successors, and sayings of early ascetics with full chains of transmission to define the spiritual nature, degrees, and practice of reliance.

Dhamm al-Ghiba wa al-Namima (The Censure of Backbiting and Tale-Bearing) is a treatise on Islamic ethics and moral conduct. Transmitted in 278 AH, the work gathers prophetic traditions and early reports arranged across thematic chapters to condemn verbal misconduct—such as backbiting, calumny, disputatiousness, and mockery—while offering guidance on protecting communal harmony and defending the reputations of others.

al-Hamm wa al-Huzn (Worry and Sorrow), also cited as Kitab al-Huzn, is an ascetic and devotional treatise focusing on the spiritual nature of grief, anxiety, and distress in Islam and their role in expiating sins and refining the heart. It compiles prophetic traditions, accounts of earlier prophets, and sayings of the Companions and early ascetics to explore the distinction between worldly distress and sorrow for the Hereafter.

Kitab al-Wara' (The Book of Scrupulous Piety) is an ethical and hadith treatise dedicated to the virtue of wara', or the scrupulous avoidance of doubtful and forbidden matters. Forming part of a broader series of works on asceticism, personal ethics, and heart-softening traditions, it compiles prophetic hadiths, statements of the Companions, and anecdotes of early figures to examine the definitions, practical applications, and spiritual benefits of scrupulousness.

Qasr al-Amal (The Shortness of Hope) is a classical treatise on asceticism, heart-softening traditions, and spiritual vigilance. Transmitted in two parts, the text compiles prophetic hadiths, narrations from the Companions, sayings of early ascetics, and illustrative verses to warn against prolonged worldly expectations and encourage the constant remembrance of mortality and the afterlife.

Dhamm al-Baghy (The Condemnation of Transgression) is a treatise on Islamic ethics and morals. It belongs to the genre of ethical monographs dedicated to single moral topics, focusing on the dispraise and spiritual dangers of al-baghy (injustice, arrogance, and wrongful aggression), its definition, its ruinous effects on individuals and societies, and the certainty of divine retribution against the oppressor.

al-Wajal wa al-Tawaththuq bil-Amal (Apprehension and Diligence in Action) is a devotional and ethical monograph that compiles traditions concerning reverent fear (wajal) and earnestness in righteous deeds. It is counted among thematic treatises on asceticism (zuhd), moral refinement, and piety.

Dhamm al-Kadhib - Min al-Samt wa Adab al-Lisan (The Dispraise of Lying - From "Silence and the Etiquette of Speech") is an ethical treatise compiled from prophetic traditions and early reports condemning untruthfulness. It represents a specific section extracted by its modern editor from the larger encyclopedic compilation on speech ethics, al-Samt wa Adab al-Lisan, transmitting reports on the consequences of deceit through sequential chains of transmission without commentary.

al-Matar wa al-Rad wa al-Barq (Rain, Thunder, and Lightning) is a thematic compilation of hadiths and early traditions. The work gathers prophetic narrations, companions' statements, and early scholarly reports on weather and meteorological phenomena, including rain, thunder, lightning, clouds, and wind.

al-Sabr wa al-Thawab ‘Alayh (Patience and Its Reward) is an ethical and devotional treatise focusing on the virtues of patience and the spiritual rewards promised for enduring trials and afflictions. It is structured around transmitted reports, prophetic traditions, and moral sayings regarding steadfastness during hardships, loss, and sickness, recorded with chains of narration.

*Dhamm al-Muskar* (*The Censure of Intoxicants*) is a hadith treatise addressing the prohibition of wine and intoxicating drinks in Islamic law and ethics. Arranged around narrated reports and prophetic traditions with their chains of transmission, the work illustrates the harms, legal status, and spiritual perils of consuming alcohol, emphasizing the comprehensive ban on intoxicants and the severe warnings directed at their consumption.

*al-Awliya* (*The Friends of God*) is a hadith and ascetic treatise focusing on the virtues, descriptions, and traditions concerning God's righteous allies and spiritual elite. Through prophetic traditions and early narrations provided with formal chains of transmission, the work explores themes such as divine protection, hidden devotion, and the spiritual qualities of the pious.

*Makaid al-Shaytan* (*The Plots of Satan*) is a hadith and narration-based treatise dedicated to examining the nature of the devil and jinn, their schemes to mislead humanity, and the spiritual means of protection against them. It compiles prophetic traditions, reports from early Muslims, and anecdotes illustrating demonic whisperings, historic encounters with spirits, and recommended spiritual defenses.

*Kitab al-Tawba* (*The Book of Repentance*) is a treatise on Islamic ethics, spiritual refinement, and repentance. Centered on the concept of turning back to God, the collection compiles textual traditions, ethical exhortations, anecdotes, and verses of poetry that highlight the necessity of remorse, seeking forgiveness, and God's acceptance of sincere penitence.

*al-Ikhwan* (*Kitab al-Ikhwan*, "The Book of Brothers") is a classical treatise on the virtues, etiquettes, and spiritual obligations of friendship and brotherhood in Islam. Documented with chains of transmission, its narrations and moral aphorisms center on the practice and merits of establishing brotherhood solely for the sake of God, offering guidance on choosing righteous companions and upholding mutual rights.