Heartfelt Advice to a Friend

A short but substantial tract in which Ibn al-Qayyim sets down a message of heartfelt advice and appreciation for a friend named 'Ala' al-Din, invoking Allah's kindness, guidance and blessing upon him. The letter explains the need to seek that guidance in every affair and the means of holding to the straight path, and includes six weighty elements by which a Muslim reaches happiness and by which righteousness is perfected. Its argument is summed up in the author's own line: that ultimate pleasure, perfect delight, grace and a good life are found only in knowing Allah, worshipping Him alone, finding comfort in Him, longing to meet Him, and devoting the heart and one's efforts to Him. Eighty pages from Dar as-Sunnah.