Risalat Ibn al-Qayyim ila Ahad Ikhwanihi
- Author died
- 751 AH
- Editions
- T al-Sharq al-Awsat · T Ataat al-Ilm
Risalat Ibn al-Qayyim ila Ahad Ikhwanihi (Letter of Ibn al-Qayyim to One of His Brothers) is a concise spiritual and advisory epistle written by the Hanbali scholar Ibn al-Qayyim (691–751 AH / 1292–1350 CE) to an acquaintance on the cultivation of piety, the pursuit of divine guidance, and the inner reality of prayer.
Title and Addressee
The author did not provide a formal title for the treatise. In manuscript catalog records, it was indexed under various descriptions, including Risala li-Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya, Risala arslaha Ibn al-Qayyim ila ba'd ikhwanihi, Risala fi al-Irshad (named after its advisory purpose), and Risala fi al-Baraka (reflecting its opening discussion on blessing). The contemporary scholar Bakr Abu Zayd titled it Risalat Ibn al-Qayyim ila Ahad Ikhwanihi, which became its common title among modern scholars.
The identity of the recipient remains unidentified in biographical sources. Manuscript copies transmit varying forms of the addressee's honorific: the Cairo exemplar reads "‘Ulahinn" (علاهن), another manuscript gives "‘Allam al-Din", and two other copies give "‘Ala' al-Din".
Contents and Themes
The letter begins with an exhortation to teach beneficial knowledge, advise companions, and spread goodness, warning that neglecting this duty causes the loss of blessing (barakah), corruption of the heart, and spiritual heedlessness (ghaflah), especially when heedlessness is paired with following base desires (hawa). Ibn al-Qayyim then elaborates on several interconnected theological and spiritual themes:
- Need for Guidance: He details the servant's continuous need for divine guidance (hidayah) from nine distinct aspects.
- Spiritual Leadership: He examines the highest category of guided believers—those described in the Quranic verse وَاجْعَلْنَا لِلْمُتَّقِينَ إِمَامًا ("And make us leaders for the righteous" [al-Furqan: 74])—and outlines four paths through which this spiritual leadership is attained.
- True Pleasure and Bliss: He analyzes human pursuit of happiness, enumerating six conditions necessary for the completion of pleasure, and asserts that ultimate pleasure and true life reside solely in knowing God, affirming His unity (tawhid), feeling intimacy with Him, and longing to meet Him.
- The Six Scenes of Prayer: He explains that prayer becomes a source of supreme delight and tranquility when it encompasses six spiritual stations (mashahid):
- Ikhlas (Sincerity): performing prayer solely out of love for God, desiring His pleasure, and seeking proximity to Him without worldly motives.
- Sidq wa-Nush (Truthfulness and Devotion): directing the heart wholly toward God and uniting outer movements with inner humility and attentiveness.
- Mutaba'ah (Emulation): adhering strictly to the prophetic model in prayer while avoiding innovations.
- Ihsan (Spiritual Excellence): worshipping God with full mindfulness as if seeing Him.
- Minnah (Recognition of Divine Grace): acknowledging that enabling one to stand in prayer is purely God's favor, which guards against vanity.
- Taqsir (Shortcoming): recognizing one's deficiency in fulfilling God's due rights, which prompts continuous repentance and humility.
The epistle concludes by identifying four governing foundations of religious endeavor: sound intention, lofty resolve, fervent desire (raghbah), and reverent awe (rahbah).
Manuscripts and Editions
Several manuscript copies of the treatise have survived across different libraries:
- A copy in Dar al-Kutub al-Misriyyah in Cairo (Majami‘ no. 13), preserved in ten folios within a manuscript compendium alongside Ibn al-Qayyim's al-Da' wa-l-Dawa' and an extract from Ighathat al-Lahfan titled Radd al-Quburiyyah.
- A copy in al-Maktabah al-Mahmudiyyah in Medina.
- A copy in King Saud University Library in Riyadh (no. 1656), bearing the title Risala fi al-Irshad in nine folios.
- A copy in the Saudi Public Library in Riyadh.
The text has been published in critical editions, including one edited by Abdullah ibn Muhammad al-Mudayfir.
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