Riyadat al-Nafs

Riyadat al-Nafs (The Discipline of the Soul) is a treatise on Islamic spirituality and mystical psychology by the traditionist and mystic Abu Abd Allah Muhammad ibn Ali ibn al-Hasan, known as al-Hakim al-Tirmidhi (d. c. 320 AH / 932 CE; another biographical notice gives 255 AH) Kashf al-Zunun an Asami a…+1. The work outlines the spiritual anatomy of the human being, the corruptive impulses of the lower self, and the practical methods required to discipline the soul and polish the heart Adab al-Nafs+1.

Subject and Conceptual Framework

The treatise opens with praise to God, asserting that human beings were created for divine servitude while the rest of creation was subjected to serve them Riyadat al-Nafs. Al-Hakim al-Tirmidhi expounds a detailed spiritual anatomy of the human interior, mapping distinct faculties and loci:

• The spirit (ruh), located primarily in the head, carries luminous vitality throughout the body Riyadat al-Nafs+1.
• The intellect ('aql), seated in the brain, casts its light down toward the chest (sadr) to guide discernment between good and evil Riyadat al-Nafs.
• The heart (qalb), situated within the pericardium or outer heart (fu'ad), contains the light of divine oneness (tawhid) and knowledge of God Riyadat al-Nafs+1.
• The lower self (nafs), rooted in earthly dust and situated around the lungs and abdomen, is driven by desire (shahwah) and passion (hawa) Riyadat al-Nafs+1.

When passion flares up, it sends forth the "smoke of folly" (dukhan al-humq), and anger creates clouds that obscure the inner eyes of the heart from beholding the light of the intellect Riyadat al-Nafs.

Method of Discipline

Al-Hakim al-Tirmidhi derives the Arabic term riyadah (discipline or training) from radd (breaking), explaining that spiritual training entails breaking the soul's habituated attachment to worldly pleasure and whim Adab al-Nafs. He likens the discipline of the lower self to the weaning (fitam) of an infant: just as a nursling ceases to crave breast milk once it tastes solid foods, the soul ceases its longing for base desires once it experiences the sweetness of certainty (yaqin) and proximity to God Adab al-Nafs.

Through repentance and discipline, the heart is polished until it becomes like a clear mirror Riyadat al-Nafs. When the mirror of the heart meets the divine lights, the soul subsides and the limbs become still in humble reverence (khushu'), enabling the worshipper to attain spiritual excellence (ihsan) by worshipping God as though seeing Him Riyadat al-Nafs+1. Al-Hakim al-Tirmidhi divides practitioners into three classes: those who worship with direct spiritual presence and vigilance; those who are veiled from direct contemplation by residual desires yet remain sincere and strictly observant of legal limits; and those who perform deeds in heedlessness without keeping divine observation in mind Riyadat al-Nafs.

The text concludes by emphasizing inner piety (taqwa al-batin), which involves severing excessive worldly rejoicing and curbing the soul by visiting graves, observing prisoners, and contemplating intense fires, citing the prophetic report: ما عُبد الله عز وجل بمثل طول الأحزان ("God, Mighty and Majestic, is not worshipped with anything like prolonged sorrow") Riyadat al-Nafs.

Manuscript Tradition and Editions

The treatise has been transmitted in manuscript collections under both titles: Riyadat al-Nafs and Adab al-Nafs Mujam Tarikh al-Turath al…+1. Manuscript copies are preserved in several libraries, including the Chester Beatty Library in Dublin and the Esad Efendi collection in Istanbul Khizanat al-Turath - Fihr…. It has been published in modern editions, including one edited by Ahmad Abd al-Rahim al-Sayih under the title Adab al-Nafs (Cairo, 1993) and another edited by Ibrahim Shams al-Din under the title Riyadat al-Nafs (Beirut, 2005) Diwan al-Sunna - Qism al-….