This volume contains two concise treatises of the venerable Imam al-Haddad. The first treatise, Mutual Reminding, distills the ethic and content of offering good counsel to one another. The chief elements of counsel, says the Imam, are taqwa (an active fear and consciousness of God) and detachment from the material world. These elements connect well with the topic of the second treatise, Good Manners, which discusses the manners recommended of the spiritual wayfarer as he or she takes the path to spiritual felicity.

About the Author:
Imam 'Abdullah ibn 'Alawi al-Haddad lived at Tarim in the Hadramawt Valley between Yemen and Oman. He is widely accepted as the mujaddid (or renewer) of the 12th Islamic century. He is a direct descendant of the Prophet (God bless him and grant him peace) through Imam al-Husayn. His illustrious ancestors, the 'Alawi sayyids, had for centuries produced generation after generation of great scholars, gnostics and summoners to the Straight Path. A celebrated scholar of the Shafi'i School of Jurisprudence, Imam al-Haddad was renowned for the breadth of his knowledge and the profundity of insight. He is also known for compiling litanies of dhikr taken from the Quran and the Prophet. These litanies are widely practiced all over the world. His influence on the Islamic world is reflected by the fact that his books are still in print and have been translated into many languages. He endeavored to produce concise and clear texts. His concern for brevity is manifest throughout his books, many of which are abbreviated adaptations of Imam al-Ghazali's monumental work, Revival of the Islamic Sciences (Ihya 'Ulum al-Din).

Imam al-Haddad died in 1132 A.H., after having spent his life helping people draw closer to their Lord through the Imam's personal teachings, written works, and his exemplary life. He was buried in a simple grave in a cemetery at Tarim.

About the Translator:
Mostafa al-Badawi is one of the world's premier translators of Islamic spiritual texts. He is a Consultant Psychiatrist and member of the Royal College of Psychiatrists. He studied under many shaykhs, foremost among whom is the late Habib Ahmad Mashhur al-Haddad. His other translations include: Book of Assistance, The Lives of Man, Key to the Garden, The Prophetic Invocations, and Degrees of the Soul. He is also the author of Man and the Universe: An Islamic Perspective, recently published by Wakeel Books. He resides in Madinah.

Paperback, 96 pages