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The Secrets of Ascetism
By Imam Muhammed al-Qurtubi,
Translated By Ahmad 'Ali al-'Adani,
Paperback 152 Pages
ISBN: 978-0-9552359-6-2
Amal Press UK 2008
Being the third part of al-Qasru'l-Hirs, al-Qurtubi deals with the issue of zuhd
or “doing-without.” Zuhd is a central dimension of Islam, but Muslims in every
age have faced the ingrained peril of distorting its meaning and its demands,
and veer away from a sound understanding of it. This book not only restores a
balance in the understanding of zuhd but offers practical advice of how to bring
it into our lives. Special attention is given to the central issue of wealth,
from the viewpoint of how to employ it legitimately, and of its being a test to
Muslims.
In explaining this sacred state, al-Qurtubi explores many themes, including:
The linguistic meaning of zuhd and the clarification of its essence;
The means to attain control over the earthly plain and to
exercise zuhd in it;
The virtue of zuhd, and the fruits it produces;
The states of those who exercise zuhd in this world;
Some examples of zuhd by the Prophet Muhammad, upon whom be peace and blessings;
Some examples of zuhd by the Prophet’s companions;
The virtue of those who acquire ownership of wealth rightfully, and who spend
out of it rightfully;
The explanation of the Prophetic hadith: “Every nation has its peculiar test,
and the test of my community is “belief lies in wealth.”
This book will be of interest to readers who wish to understand the centrality
of zuhd to the Islamic tradition as written by one of the greatest Qur’anic
commentators belonging to the Islamic civilisation.
About the Imam Qurtubi: He is Muhammad b. `Ahmad
al-`Ansari al-Khazraji al-`Andalusi al-Qurtubi, `Abu 'Abdillah.
He was one of the greatest Qur'anic commentators in Islamic history and a man of
great modesty who disdained worldly honours and throughout his life wore the
simple gown and cap of the ordinary Muslin.
He was an eminent Maliki scholar who specialised in fiqh and
hadith. The breadth and depth of his scholarship are evident in his writings.
The most famous of then is his twenty-volume Qur'anic commentary, al Jami'
li-ahkam al-Qur'an. He was from Cordoba as the noun of ascription denotes, and
he travelled to the Islamic east, eventually settling down in a village close to
'Asayut (in Egypt) where he passed away.
His Qur'anic exegesis is renowned amongst Muslims of all inclinations, as it has
always been. Building on the commentary of his fellow Andalusian, Ibn 'Atiyyah,
it is panoramic without being verbose. It deals with all the essential sciences
of interpretation, and it is in particular a most reliable text on the judgments
of the Qur'an, as its own title indicates. He died in the year 671 H and is
revered by the Muslims universally.
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