Majmuat al-Qasaid al-Zuhdiyat
- Author died
- 1422 AH
- Editions
- Maṭābi‘ al-Khālid lil-Ūfsīt
Majmuʿat al-Qaṣāʾid al-Zuhdiyyāt (The Compendium of Ascetic Odes) is a two-volume poetic anthology compiled by the Saudi scholar ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn Muḥammad al-Salmān (d. 1422 AH / 2001 CE), gathering classical and later Islamic poetry on asceticism (zuhd), admonition, and spiritual reflection .
Background and Purpose
The compiler, a former instructor at Maʿhad Imām al-Daʿwah in Riyadh, explained in his introduction that the reception of poetry in his other published works motivated him to assemble a dedicated collection . He gathered verses from his own writings and other sources that contain wisdom, legal rulings, moral exhortations, manners, and edifying narratives .
The stated objectives of the compilation were to encourage adherence to the Quran and the Sunnah, rectify creed (ʿaqīdah), remind readers of the Hereafter, warn against excessive immersion in worldly desires, urge righteous deeds, and promote the preservation of time .
Contents and Scope
The anthology comprises two volumes containing a wide range of rhymed verse and didactic odes covering:
- Asceticism and Death: Poems warning against attachment to transient worldly pleasures, recalling the certainty of death, the solitude of the grave, and the reckoning on the Day of Judgment .
- Theological and Doctrinal Works: Didactic poems such as the Mīmiyyah attributed to Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah and an urjūzah on the foundations of monotheism and worship by Isḥāq ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān Āl al-Shaykh .
- Exhortation and Character: Verses encouraging nightly devotion, contentment with sustenance, patience during affliction, sincere repentance, and sound ethical conduct .
Publication and Endowment
Following the compiler's general practice with his works, the book was established as a charitable endowment (waqf) for the benefit of Muslims . Al-Salmān explicitly permitted anyone to print and distribute the collection without copyright restrictions, provided it was distributed solely as an endowment and not sold for commercial profit . An edition of the work was printed in 1409 AH .
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