Hifz al-Umr li-Ibn al-Jawzi
- Author died
- 597 AH
- Editions
- Dār al-Bashā’ir al-Islāmiyyah
Hifz al-Umr (Preserving One's Lifespan) is an ethical and hortatory treatise by the Hanbali polymath Ibn al-Jawzi (508–597 AH / 1116–1201 CE) on the value of time and the imperative of safeguarding human lifespan for the Hereafter .
Purpose and Themes
In the introduction, Ibn al-Jawzi states that human lifespan is a person's principal capital and journey toward the Hereafter, expressing astonishment at people's neglect of it . He emphasizes that the world is an arena of exertion where people differ in their resolve according to the strength of their belief in the Hereafter; those with firm certainty strive earnestly, while those deficient in knowledge falter and lose direction .
Structure and Contents
The author arranged the book into three main chapters:
- Chapter One: On the nobility of lifespan and the encouragement to seize it in doing good deeds (fī bayān sharaf al-umr wa-al-hathth ala ightināmihi fī al-khayr) . In this section, Ibn al-Jawzi transmits prophetic narrations and reports from early figures, including Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, Umar ibn al-Khattab, Abdullah ibn Mas'ud, and Al-Hasan al-Basri, reminding the reader of the fleeting nature of life and the accountability of the Hereafter .
- Chapter Two: On those who hastened to utilize their lifespan and went to great lengths to preserve its moments (fī dhikr man kāna yubādiru al-umr wa-yubālighu fī hifz lahazātih) . It documents the diligence of early Muslim figures—such as Abdullah ibn Umar, Abu Muslim al-Khawlani, and Amir ibn Abd Qays—in organizing their days and nights between prayer, teaching, fasting, and worship to avoid wasting any part of their time .
- Chapter Three: On the causes of squandering lifespan (fī dhikr sabab tadyī' al-umr) . Ibn al-Jawzi identifies the core reasons for wasting time, highlighting limited knowledge, weak faith in ultimate compensation, low ambition, prolonged worldly hopes (tūl al-amal), and procrastination (sawfa) .
Publication
The work was edited and annotated by Muhammad ibn Nasir al-Ajami and published in a single volume by Dar al-Basha'ir al-Islamiyyah in Beirut (first edition, 1425 AH / 2004 CE) .
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