Qasr al-Amal li-Ibn Abi al-Dunya
- Author died
- 281 AH
- Editions
- Dār Ibn Ḥazm
Qasr al-Amal (The Shortness of Hope) is a classical treatise on asceticism (zuhd), heart-softening traditions (raqa'iq), and spiritual vigilance by the Baghdadi scholar and traditionist Ibn Abi al-Dunya (208–281 AH / 823–894 CE; another report gives his death in 282 AH) .
Subject and Structure
The book is devoted to curbing extended worldly expectations (tul al-amal) and cultivating the constant remembrance of mortality and the afterlife (qasr al-amal) . It was arranged and transmitted in two parts (juz'an) .
As is typical of Ibn Abi al-Dunya's compilations, the text consists of transmitted prophetic hadiths, narrations from the Companions, sayings of the Successors and early ascetics, and illustrative poetic lines, all arranged under specific chains of transmission (asānīd) .
Contents and Themes
The work gathers textual warnings illustrating the perilous consequences of being deluded by long-term worldly hopes and neglecting preparation for death . Among the reports preserved in the book:
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Prophetic Traditions:
- A hadith narrated on the authority of Ibn Umar where the Prophet ﷺ looked toward the setting sun on palm branches and said: مَا بَقِيَ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا إِلَّا مِثْلُ مَا بَقِيَ مِنْ يَوْمِنَا هَذَا فِي مِثْلِ مَا مَضَى مِنْهُ ("There is nothing remaining of this world except like what remains of this day of ours compared to what has passed of it") .
- A parable from Abu Sa'id al-Khudri where the Prophet ﷺ planted three twigs into the ground to represent human life, the appointed term (ajal), and distant hope (amal), showing that the appointed term intercepts man before his hope can be attained .
- An exhortation on the authority of Zayd al-Sulaymi stating that whenever the Prophet ﷺ sensed heedlessness among his Companions, he would raise his voice and proclaim: أتتكم المنية راتبة لازمة إما بشقاوة وإما بسعادة ("Death has come to you, inevitable and bound, leading either to misery or to felicity") .
- A narration on the sign of inner spiritual illumination corresponding to the Quranic verse in Surah al-An'am, defining it as turning away from the abode of delusion, turning toward the eternal abode, and preparing for death before its descent .
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Sayings of Early Figures:
- Statements attributed to Ali ibn Abi Talib warning that following worldly desires diverts a person from the truth, whereas extended hope causes one to forget the Hereafter .
- Maxims from Al-Hasan al-Basri, including: "No servant prolongs hope except that he commits bad deeds" .
- Aphorisms by Al-Fudayl ibn Iyad, such as: "Part of misery is prolonged hope, and part of bliss is the shortness of hope" .
Transmission
The text was transmitted down through major hadith scholars via continuous chains of auditory transmission (sama'). In his compilation of received transmissions, Salah al-Din al-Ala'i documented receiving Kitab Qasr al-Amal in two parts through a chain via Abu Tahir al-Silafi, Ja'far ibn Ahmad al-Sirraj, and al-Hasan ibn Ahmad ibn Shadhan, reaching back through Abd Allah ibn Isma'il ibn al-Mansur to Ibn Abi al-Dunya . Later hadith critics such as Zayn al-Din al-Iraqi frequently drew upon Qasr al-Amal for authenticating and sourcing hadiths related to asceticism and mortality .
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