al-Thabat Inda al-Mamat
- Author died
- 597 AH
- Editions
- Mu’assasat al-Kutub al-Thaqāfiyyah
al-Thabat ‘inda al-Mamat (Steadfastness at the Time of Death) is a concise treatise by the Hanbali scholar and preacher Abu al-Faraj Ibn al-Jawzi (d. 597 AH / 1201 CE) on maintaining patience, faith, and composure during terminal illness and at the moment of death .
Content and Structure
According to Haji Khalifa in Kashf al-Zunun, the book is an abridged work arranged into five chapters, opening with the phrase: "Praise be to God Who was bountiful to the one to whom He gave..." (al-hamdu li-llah alladhi ahsana ila man wahaba lahu...) .
The text focuses on cultivating the inner virtues required for perseverance in times of severe affliction, foremost among them patience (sabr) . Ibn al-Jawzi addresses the spiritual trials faced by individuals upon bereavement and death, recounting incidents of those who lost composure or uttered objections against divine decree, while encouraging firmness, reliance on God, and pronouncing the testimony of faith (al-shahada) at life's end .
Transmission and Reception
The book was transmitted through audition chains in the centuries following its author's death:
- Ibn al-Jawzi's grandson, the historian Sibt Ibn al-Jawzi, directly heard al-Thabat ‘inda al-Mamat from his grandfather in Baghdad .
- The hadith master Zayn al-Din al-Iraqi studied and read the work under the Egyptian scholar Abu al-Fath al-Maydumi .
- The historian Taqi al-Din al-Fasi recorded hearing the work read to Ahmad ibn Kushtaghdi .
- It was also transmitted by the eunuch officer Shuja‘ al-Din ‘Anbar al-Khadim (d. 735 AH) .
- Murtada al-Zabidi cited the work in his commentary on the Ihya' for the narration of Abu Zur‘ah al-Razi regarding prompting the dying with the testimony of faith .
Manuscripts and Editions
Manuscript copies of al-Thabat ‘inda al-Mamat are preserved in several international libraries, including the Vehbi Efendi collection in Istanbul (MS 1316), the Egyptian National Library (Dar al-Kutub al-Misriyya) in Cairo (1/283, MS 1425), Leiden University Library in the Netherlands (MS 2158), and the Institute of Arabic Manuscripts in Cairo (MS 115, from the Taymuriyya collection, 270 Akhlaq) .
The text has been published in modern printed editions, including:
- An edition edited by Abd Allah al-Laythi al-Ansari, published by Mu’assasat al-Kutub al-Thaqafiyya in Beirut (1986 / 1406 AH) .
- An edition edited by Muhammad Abd al-Qadir ‘Ata, published by Dar al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyya in Beirut (1986 / 1406 AH) .
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