Ibn Abi Dunya and Yaqin - Librande

Maisonneuve & Larose
Ibn Abī al-Dunyā: Certainty and Morality

Author(s): Leonard Librande
Reviewed work(s):
Source: Studia Islamica, No. 100/101 (2005), pp. 5-42
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Studia Isl?mica, 2005
Ibn Abi al-Duny?: Certainty and Morality
The Kit?b al-yaq?nx by Ibn Ab? al-Duny? (208/823-281/894)2 is a

classical text on what is certain (yaq?n),3 published now several times
by presses in theMiddle East.4 Ibn Ab? al-Duny? sworks have recently
been getting significant attention from Muslim scholars.5 There is a
steady interest to edit manuscript copies of his works.6 According to
1. In what follows, Imust thank Dr. Christoph Melchert of the Oriental Institute
at Oxford for his most remarks on a draft of this article,
helpful
2. His full name isAbu Bakr 'AbdAllah b. Muhammad b. 'Ubayd b. Sufy?n b.
Qays al-Qurash? al-Baghdad?. His father was Abu al-Duny? Muhammad.
3. See The OxfordDictionary, On-Line (London:Oxford University Press, 2004),
for three terms to what is certain: certainness, because it is obsolete,
pertaining
has remained neutral as regards the other two terms' meanings; certainty refers
to
"The quality or fact of certain"; and for certitude the dictio
being (objectively)
nary reports that "there has been a growing tendency since the time of Hobbes to
restrict the word to this sense ;which, not
[subjective certainty] though etymolo
gically founded, is practically useful".
4. The most recent was edited in 2004 by Y?s?n Muhammad al-Saww?s in
Damascus. Two earlier editions are Kit?b al-yaq?n, ed. Abu H?jir Muhammad
al-Sa?d b. Basy?n? Zaghl?l, Beirut: Dar al-Kutub al-'Ilmiyya, 1987; and al-Aal
wa-fadlu-hu; wa-al-Yaq?n, ed. Majd? al-Sayyid Ibr?h?m, Maktabat al
Bulaq:
Qur'?n, 1988.
5. It should be observed, as Franz Rosenthal has written in A
History ofMuslim
Historiography (Leiden:E.J. Brill, 1968), 433, fh. 1, that IbnAb? al-Duny? s popu
larity also extended to earlier times, the fourteenth and fifteenth cen
particularly
turies. See also Alfred Wiener, "Die Farag bad ai^/dda-Literatur," Der Islam, 4
(1913), 282-283, where Wiener provides examples of keen and continuing interest
in Ibn Ab? al-Duny? from the sixth/twelfth century to the twelfth/nineteenth.
6. The list of edited and published titles by Ibn Ab? al-Duny? has grown to
well over
thirty. Still the number of known titles in manuscripts exceeds by far
those already in print. The editor of Ibn Ab? al-Duny?'s Kit?b al-ashr?f (Dar

Leonard Librande
publishers' and editors' introductory remarks,7 they look to Ibn Ab?

al-Duny? as a fresh authority from out of the formative period of
Islam8 on issues relevant to Muslims. Thus he is pre
contemporary
as a conventional - a
sented to modern readers, not scholar muhaddith
or mutakallim or faylas?f or faq?h ? but as a pious teacher, an early
champion for a particular approach to the conduct of a moral life, and

an author of an number of works advice and
extraordinary offering
admonition. Nevertheless, from the standpoint of western scholarship,
IbnAb? al-Duny? is aminor figure.9 Until three decades ago, only a few
of his works had been edited and so made accessible to scholars.10
al-Thaq?fa, 1993) lists 215 different titles of works in manuscript and printed
form. See Reinhard Weipert and Stefan Weninger, "Die erhaltenen Werke des
Ibn Ab? d-Duny?. Ein vorl?ufige Bestandsaufnahme," der Deutschen
Zeitschrift
Morgenl?ndischen Gesellschaft, 146 (1996), 415-455 which cautions thatmany of
the lists of works included with recent editions "... are not worth the paper they
are on."
printed
7. Yas?n Muhammad al-Saww?s, the editor of the Kit?b al-yaq?n, claimed in
his edition of the Kit?b al-zuhd (Damascus, 1999), 17-18, that its publication
to the ill effects of this world on the hearts of scholars: "Love of this
responded
world is the root of every sin; this world is the sorceress which bewitches the
hearts of scholars." He continues that the book "... is a delight full of uplifting
moral transmissions and the sayings of leading scholars and the venerable salaf
Those who have come after it have from it, such as Abu Nu'aym in
gained profit
his Hilyat and al-Ghazal? in his ?hy?\."
8. This is a term made popular by W. Montgomery Watt with his The Formative
Period of Islamic Thought (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 1973).Watt
this term as part of his argument
employed (p. 1) that the history of Islamic
needed to be rewritten in the of his critique of the heresiographical
thought light
tradition. The period intended stretches from 632 when Muhammad died to 950,
close to the death the rise of the B?yid
of al-Ash'ar? and in Baghdad. By
dynasty
as
sunnl
ShV? as well so for
the mid-tenth century thought enjoyed stability and
Watt (pp. 316-318) the year 950 marked the conclusion of the formative period
of Islamic thought.
9. C. Brockelmann, "Ibn Ab? '1-Duny?," EJ. Brills Encyclopaedia of Islam 1913
1936 (Leiden: EJ. Brill, 1987), III, 355; A. Dietrich, "IbnAb? '1-Duny?,"The
New Ed. H.A.R. et alii
of Islam: Edition, Gibb (Leiden: EJ. Brill,
Encyclopaedia
1960-2002), III, 684.
10. Alfred Wiener, "Die Farag bad as-Sidda-Literztur" Der Islam, 4 (1913), 270
A. Tracts on toMusic,
293, 387-420; Ed.
James Robson, Listening being Dhamm
al-mal?hl Ibn ab? 'l-Duny? and Baw?riq al-ilnwt byMajd al-D?n al-T?s? al
by
Ghazal?, (Oriental Translation Fund: New Series, XXXIV), London: The Royal

Ibn Abi al-Dunya: Certainty and Morality
Ibn Ab? al-Duny? wrote during a period critical for the forma
tion of Islam. His floruit fell within an era which Michael Cook
described as a "debate-culture".11 Ibn Ab? al
recently exhibiting
Duny? actually lived at the center of this culture, in Baghdad. The
emerging Muslim society, engendered by the rapid Arab conquests
and a prospering economy, allowed itself an extremely wide range
of interests,12 in advance of when such variety and difference would
have to give way before conventional forms of Islam. The time was
marked by a wealth of religious views, intense intellectual as well as
artistic curiosity and interest, and bold confidence not prone to the
fits of suspicion and exclusivity characteristic of a more conservative
and traditional era. In truth, the Umayyad and much of the 'Abb?sid
was a cultural
period greenhouse, fertile for the peoples of the Fertile
Crescent and fecund with ideas and views favouring the emergence
of the Muslim peoples in particular.
Within the debate-culture of 'Abb?sid Baghdad, Ibn Ab? al
Duny? achieved success in his career as a tutor and teacher. Particular
mention is made of two of his students who would become the
future caliphs Mutadid (d. 291/902) and al-Muktaf? (d. 295/908).
He lived out a long life of some seventy years in Baghdad until his
death in 281/894. He attended teaching sessions on a regular basis,
indulging his intellectual interests. What biographical materials
exist pronounce him an honoured teacher, one respected for his
moderacy13 and broad learning. The ruling family apparently did
Asiatic 1938; A.J. Arberry, "Ibn Abi 1-Duny? on Penitence," Journal

Society, of
theRoyalAsiatic Society ofGreat Britain and Ireland, (1951), 48-63; Sal?h al-D?n
al-Munajjid, "Morceaux choisis du Livre des moines," M?langes de l'Institut d'?tu
des orientalesdu Caire, 3 (1956), 349-358; IbnAb? al-Duny?, TheNoble Qualities
ed. James A. Bellamy, Wiesbaden: Franz Steiner Verlag, 1973; and
of Character,
ones
several theses including by Joseph J. Schwartz (Yale University, 1927), Ella
A. of California at Los 1973), and Leah Kinberg
Almagor (University Angeles,
(University ofMichigan, 1977).
11. Michael Cook, "Ibn Qutayba and the monkeys," Studia Isl?mica 89 (1999),
43-44.
12. Munajjid, 349, where the author writes: "... les musulmans de la premi?re
?poque ?taient curieux de tout ce qui pouvait enrichir leurs connaissances."

13. Wiener (280) summarized: "Er wird uns als ein Mann der sich
geschildert,
von allem Verbotenen oder Zweifelhaft fernhielt (wart') und ein zur?ckgezoge
nes, gottgeweihtes Leben r?hrte (z?hid). Und dieses Leben f?llte er mit seiner sehr
ausgebreiteten gelehrten T?tigkeit aus."

Leonard Librande
not object to the many tutor was

edifying works which their chosen
producing.14
In his person and his writings, he probably saw himself as repre
sentative of a of his what was
segment society favouring presented
- even now
as an filtered
early perhaps pre-Islamic, though through
the Qur'?n and almost three centuries of history - emphasis on the
conduct of a moral life marked by zuhd and its correlatives.15 From
his position in the ninth century, Ibn Ab? al-Duny? adhered to what
he viewed as an early and persistent understanding of the Qur'?n s
message. On this basis as a teacher he a moderate approach
publicized
to morality, even as his anecdotal style was
being superseded by other
fashions and
approaches.16
Muslim biographers situate Ibn Ab? al-Duny? within the circle of
ninth century literary and scholarly output, using two categories to
describe his style of writing, zuhd ana raqaiq}1 They point to a form
of anecdotal writing in the adab style of the miscellany still common
up to this period.18 This style lacks the continuous commentary or
informative discussion which modern readers are accustomed to. But
it does mark Ibn Ab? al-Duny? as an ad?b and a moralist.19

Here zuhd is best not translated as asceticism,20 but as
moderacy.
It is one of the virtues supportive of a restrained approach to life that
14. Cf Deladri?re, 279: "(Abd Allah ibn Muhammad ibn Abi-l-Duny?, n. 380
= Abu Bakr ibn Ab?-1-Duny?, n. 651. Traditioniste et c?l?bre erudite de
Bagdad,
mena une vie et Il fut le pr?cepteur de plusieurs
qui pieuse asc?tique. princes
abb?sides et en de ceux qui allaient devenir les califes al-Mu'tadid et
particulier
al-Muktaf?. lui doit des ouvrages
On appartenant ? la literature ?difiante...."
15. Various could be chosen to define the way elements are situated
descriptives
in Ibn Ab? al-Duny? s on yaq?n. The term "correlative"
presentation hopefully
does not overly interpret his material, but indicates fairly the complementariness,
mutual and normal the elements cor
dependence conjunction apparent among
related to yaq?n.
16. Bellamy, ix.
17. Genevi?ve Gobillot, "Zuhd," Islam: New Edition, XI, 560.
18. Bellamy, vn.
to Ibn Ab? al-Duny?
19. See Jacqueline Chabbi's reference (p. 24) in "Remarques
sur le d?veloppement des mouvements et au
historique asc?tiques mystiques
Khurasan, ine/ixe si?cle-rWxe si?cle," Studia Isl?mica, 46 (1977), 5-72.
20. Julian ed. Jane D?mmen
Baldick, "Asceticism," Encyclopaedia of the Qur'?n,
McAuliffe (Leiden: EJ. Brill, 2001?), I, 181. In the early days, another term
more served to translate asceticism; this was nask or nusk, especially
appropriately
in the case of the hermit, the monk or the in Christianity. See Baldick,
priest

Ibn Ab? al-Duny?: Certainty and Morality
from the earliest days inMecca appealed to some Muslims and could
be grounded simply in the Qur'?n and the reports of the Prophet.21
Majid Fakhry termed this particular outlook "ethical traditionalism".22
Fakhry found examples of this traditionalism in the writings of Hasan
al-Basn (21/642-110/728)23 and Ibn Ab? al-Duny?. The approach is
said to be restrained or evenhanded because it encourages moral beha
viour without resorting to extremes in practice or falling into casual
disregard. It is also so termed because, once the way is explained, it
not
appears overly complicated and relatively easy to follow.
In her study of zuhd Kinberg24 understood the term in this broa
der sense, not as ascetic or but as the moderation
austerity discipline,
and restraint shown toward this world and attainable by the ordinary
Muslim who would be moral. She approached the meaning of zuhd
from the perspective of the Qur'an itself and not from that of con
temporary Christian coenobitism or laterMuslim asceticism. Kinberg
particularly praised the translation, suggested by Josef van Ess, for
zuhd as "the inner turn away from this world" {Weltverzichtes).25 In
terms of the Qur'an s
spirituality, the moral individual, by his mode
rate behaviour in this world, can still be in and of this world, without
having to refrain from possessing it or abandoning it outright.26
Mystical Islam:An Introduction to Sufism (London: LB. Tauris & Co Ltd, 1989),
15-20 on the influence of eastern on Sufism. Both Nimrod Hurvitz
Christianity
in his The Formation ofHanbalism: Piety intoPower (London, 2002) andWael B.
Hallaq in his review of it {Journalof Islamic Studies 15:3 (2004) 345-347] make
use of the
phrase "mild asceticism".
21. Recall the an inMecca that urged an overly
episode of early group of Muslims
rigid ascetic
interpretation of religion on the Prophet. In order to avoid conflict
over this issue, he removed them to for several years. See Maxime
Abyssinia
Rodinson, Muhammad (Penguin, 1971), 113-116.
22. Majid Fakhry,Ethical Theories in Islam (Leiden: EJ. Brill, 1991), 151-157.
23. H. Ritter, "Hasan al-Basr?," Islam: New Edition, III, 247-248.
24. Leah Kinberg, "What ismeant by zuhd," Studia Isl?mica, 61(1985), 27-28.
25. Die GedankenweltdesHarital-Muhasib? {Bonn:SelbstverlagdesOrientalischen
Seminars der Universit?t Bonn, 1961), 105: "Wesentlich ist nicht das Mass des
?u?eren Besitzes, sondern der Grad der inneren Abkehr von den irdischen
des Weltverzichtes {zuhd). Zuhdhzx mit Armut nichts mehr zu tun; es
Dingen,
ist eine Eigenschaft, die auch der Reiche erwirbt,wenn ihm dieWelt gleichg?ltig
geworden ist, er braucht deswegen nicht auf seinen Besitz zu verzichten." Also
"VERZICHT," Deutsches W?rterbuch von Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm auf CD
ROM und im Internet (Version 2, 2003), XXV, 2578-2587.
26. Wiener commented that most of Ibn Ab? al-Duny?'s writings, lost and still

Leonard Librande
Wagtendonk's research on fasting27 helps visualize the kind of

and restraint meant. focused on the
moderacy Wagtendonk unpres
cribed forms of fasting in the Qur'an as acts of piety. For him these
forms contributed to the qur'?nic evidence in favour of a moderate
approach to the conduct of life by the devout Muslim. Wagtendonk
rejected Tor Andrae's belief that at the root of qur'?nic piety is the
asceticism of the Syrian Christians. Instead he argued for a much less
extreme, more reserved for zuhd:
meaning
Although here [atwhich point he refers to various verses from

the Qur'an28 which describe the whole conduct of life for the
devout Muslim] we are dealing with humility, penitence, chastity,
perseverance and voluntary acts of piety like fasting and giving
all of which can also be understood as of
sadaqas, expressions
asceticism, nevertheless the Koran does not - to mention the most
-
important condemn and the possession of property
marriage
as such, which is of monastic asceticism, but it condemns
typical
materialism which takes no account of God.29
dealt with zuhd. He continued (p. 281): "Das is wohl nicht Askese
preserved,
im strengen Sinne, sondern mehr ein weltabgeschiedenes, frommer Betractung
gewidmetes Leben, und unter Schriften az-zuhd wird man gewi? solche zu vers
tehen haben, die aus diesen fromm-erbaulichen heraus zusammen
Stimmungen
gestellt sind, die den Gen?ssen der Welt nicht gerade freundlich gegen?berstehen,
diese Welt vielmehr als Vorbereitungsort fur den jenseitigen betrachten."
27. K. Wagtendonk, Fasting in theKoran (Dissertationes ad Historiam Religionum
Pertinentes, ed. CJ. Bleeker, 2), Leiden: EJ. Brill, 1968, 128-140.
28. These verses of the Qur'an (as quoted from Arberry's are:
interpretation)
33.35 ("Men and women who have surrendered, believing
men and believing
women, obedient men and obedient women, truthful men and truthful women,
men and enduring women, humble men and humble women, men and
enduring
women who give in charity, men who fast and women who fast, men and women
-
who their private parts, men and women who remember God oft for
guard
them God has prepared forgiveness and a mighty wage."); 66.5 ("It is possible
will in
that, if he divorces you, his Lord give him exchange wives better than
you, women who have surrendered, obedient, devout,

believing, penitent, given
to
fasting, who have been married and virgins too."); 9.112 ("Those who repent,
those who serve, those who pray, those who journey, those who bow, those who
prostrate themselves, those who bid to honour and forbid dishonour, those who
God's bounds?and thou to the believers."); and 3.16
keep give good tidings
("And God sees His servants who say, 'Our Lord, we believe; forgive
us our sins,
and guard us against the chastisement of the Fire'?men who are patient, truthful,
obedient, in alms, God's at the
expenders imploring pardon daybreak.").
29. Wagtendonk, 129.
10

According to this, moderacy is still an occasion for being serious at

the moral life, but not to an extreme:
Therefore, what Mohammed may have taken from Syrian

Christianity was the austere spirit of taking earthly life seriously in
contrast to the unconcern of the unbelievers, as well as the fear of
God's Judgement and the practice of voluntary fasting, the giving

of alms and the nocturnal recitation of the Scripture, but not its
extreme
aspects.30
Thisvery much reflects Kinberg s argument31 that Ibn Ab? al

Duny?'s writings were addressed to Muslims who were seeking to
discover in the Qur'an an effective and manageable way to be moral,
now that Muhammad and the Qur'?n had convincingly shown the
to be outdated. It is for this reason, she
pre-Islamic ways argued, that
Ibn Ab? al-Duny?'s writings more often than not employed a popular
format and persuasive style. He had no ambition to emulate either the
or or formats which in the third/ninth
legal theological philosophical
century were becoming mainstream, if only to retain and protect the
moderacy and simplicity characteristic of his approach to morality.
The second descriptive applied to Ibn Ab? al-Duny?'s writings,
raq? 'iq, refers to what is capable of softening or restraining the heart.
Gobillot understood the term to mean either actions or exhortations
which elevate the individual.32 In its proper sense the term reflects the
30. Ibid., 131.

in the Guise A
31. Ed. Leah Kinberg, Ibn Ab? al-Duny?: Morality of Dreams:
Critical Edition of Kit?b al-Man?m with Introduction. Ed. H. Daiber and D.
Pingree, Islamic Philosophy Theology and Science: Texts and Studies, vol. XVIII.
(Leiden:EJ. Brill, 1994), 31-33.

32. The Arabic root r-q-q refers to thinness and fineness much as "subtle"
coming
from Old French means something "finely woven" and because of its tenuity it is
said to be penetrating and pervasive (The Oxford Dictionary, "subtle"). As Gobillot
{Islam:New Edition, XI, 559) has indicated, Roger Deladri?re {L'Anthologiedu
renoncement Paris: Verdier, 1995) these as "exhortations
defined qui attendrissent
les coeurs" based on
remark aux dictionnaires
(p. 8, 330), Dozy's [Suppl?ment
1981 Reprint)
I, 545] that raq?iq seems to
Arabes, (Beirut: signify "exhortations
attendrit les auditeurs" in a sentence where raq? ?q ismatched with maw?Hz.
qui
A frequent of raq? ?q in translations of had?th collections is
rendering "softening
of hearts" and when it appears combined with mawaiz the two are translated
often as "sermons and tales". A. De Biberstein Kazimirski {Dictionnaire
edifying
1860,1, 904) defines raq?qa al-irtiqa as "... des actions
arabe-fran?ais, Beyrouth,
l'homme et le mettent en rapport avec Dieu."
qui ?l?vent
11

Leonard Librande
rhetorical interest of Ibn Ab? al-Duny?'s works to persuade and edify

his readers.
Ibn Ab? al-Duny?'s intent, to persuade and edify, is reflected in his
use of the transmitters he listed before each of his reports. He imitated
the established form of authentication for ahad?th. But clearly his
chains were not able to and so could not be intended to meet the exac
ting standards required by the lawyer for mutaw?tir materials.33 He

appears to have viewed the transmission of his materials as sufficiently
authentic - even if deficient by the standards of the professionals ? to
reflect the essential validity of their contents. What each contained
and the affect this content would have, namely, its validity, held grea
ter importance for him as a teacher. No doubt this is one reason why
after his death his works did not assume major prominence and why
his biographers34 rate him as only trustworthy or sad?q?5
In order to help create a sustained rhetoric, Ibn Ab? al-Duny? deli
berately arranged his sources, at times by rank and by selecting those
on the moral life. For instance, Ibn Ab? al-Duny?'s
sharing his views
text starts off with three reports of the Prophet, the most persuasive
material he could call on after the Qur'?n. To demonstrate the breadth
of on these materials from the earliest Muslims, he has the
agreement
first delivered from a Companion, the second from a Follower, and
the third from a follower of a Follower.
In addition, the fourth to speak is 'Al? b. Ab? T?lib (d. 40/660),
the esteemed son-in-law and cousin. He is cited as an
Prophet's
B. Hallaq, "The of Had?th: a Pseudo

33. Cf. Wael Authenticity Prophetic
problem," Studia Isl?mica, 89 (1999), 75-90. Harald Motzki, Had?th:
Origins
and Developments, (Aldershot: Ashgate Variorum, 2004), fn. 71, has noted that
assessment does not apply to Western scholars who would use reports
Hallaq's
as historical sources, but does to Muslim scholars of us?l al-fiqh who viewed
the majority of reports as less than certainly authentic. The case seems similar
for those authoring works of edification where the materials' authenticity is left
vague, but their validity is attested on the grounds of their apparent appro
openly
priateness and relevancy.
34. Al-Khat?b al-Baghd?d?, Tar?kh Baghdad (Beirut: Dar al-Kutub al-'ilmiyya,
1986), X, 89; Tahdh?b (Haydarabad: D?'irat al-Ma'?rif, 1968), VI, 12; al
Dhahab?, Tadhkirat (Haydarabad: Dar Ihy?' al-Tur?th al-'Arab?, 1956) II, 677.
35. G.H.A. Juynboll, Muslim tradition: Studies in chronology, provenance and
authorship of earlyhad?th (Cambridge:Cambridge University Press, 1983), 184,

where it is explained that qualifications such as sad?q, h?fiz and s?lih were freely
used, "... even if [the transmitter s] activities in had?th were on the whole frowned
12

authority two more times further on in the book. Later the Christian
prophet Jesus the son of Mary is quoted three times36 and the legen
dary sage Luqm?n is also heard from three times.37 The preacher and
moralist Hasan al-Basr? who lived during the Umayyad period is the
second most often named source in the book, some six times in all.38
At the same time, the vast majority of his primary sources - that
is, those individuals cited as the earliest source in the chain and who
-
seem closest to the event are individuals for views and
reported
life styles supportive of the moral outlook promoted by Ibn Ab? al
Duny?. Many are personages who receive mention in Abu Nu'aym
al-Isfahan?s (336/948-430/1038) Hilyat al-awliy?\39 Though this
is often viewed as a source on contribu
biographical dictionary early
tors to asceticism and mysticism in Islam, in the context of this text it
is preferable to emphasize their kinship with the moderate approach
to the moral life which Ibn Ab? al-Duny? encouraged and promo
ted.40 Taken as a whole the mention of such serves more to
personages
validate than to authenticate the reports of the Kit?b al-yaq?n.
Invariably Ibn Ab? al-Duny? relied on associations and linkages
among his anecdotes. These act as threads running through the text
and so help clarify what the author had in mind as he selected tales
and testimonies and established their order.What follows is a sketch
of these threads, a suggestion of Ibn Ab? al-Duny? s views and inte
rests in this book.
The First Report. Ibn Ab? al-Duny? starts out with a report of the
Prophet transmitted from the first of the rashid?n caliphs, Abu Bakr
- who for this
(d. 13/634).41 The Prophet is speaking to Abu Bakr
terms were
upon." Juynboll suggests (p. 185) that ?ad?q and $?lih among other
little more than euphemisms for individuals "... who were of as having
thought
spread traditions of their own making, the contents of which, however, were such
as tomollify had?th critics and only delight the general public who were advised
to collect these traditions li 'l-?tibar, i.e. in order to contemplate
cautiously, only
them."
36. Ka^7?,#ll,#39and#40.
37. Yaq?n,nA, #28 and #30.
38. Yaq?n,#13, #16, #30, #33, #34 and #42.
39. Hilyat al-awliy?' wa-tabaq?t al-atfiy?y (Cairo: 1932-1938), 10 vols.
40. See J. Pedersen, "Abu Nu'aym al-Isfah?n?," Islam: New Edition, I, 142, where
the many persons entered in the dictionary are termed "... {nuss?k)
pious people
reckoned as s?f?s ...."
41. Hilyat, I, 28-38.
13

Leonard Librande
report is conveniently known by the descriptive al-sidd?q meaning

truthful"42 - about the for truthfulness
"entirely obligation {sidq).
The report pairs truthfulness with pious goodness {birr), as virtues
that lead to paradise. They are contrasted with lying {kadhiB) and
immorality (fuj?r) respectively, vices that are related to hell.
At the mention of hell, the Prophet urges Abu Bakr to ask for
Gods protection {mi?afah), remarking that "after yaq?n no one will
be brought anything better than Gods protection." Set at the begin
ning, this report establishes the primary importance of yaq?n for the
pursuit of a moral lifestyle, in that it provides a basis for the confi
dence and trust in God which are requisite for all the other virtues
and works.43
Thereport also provides the first example of yaq?n s correlation

with other virtues. Here Ibn Ab? al-Duny? established the pattern of
correlation, on behalf of the interplay of yaq?n with several virtues
correlated as mu?f?h is to yaq?n. This pattern can be paraphrased
as follows: If a person seeks to do
good and to avoid wrong, the ack
nowledgement of what is certain is essential. With the confidence that
arises from yaq?n, Gods protection can be sought reliably But God's
protection must be sought without anticipating God's choices for the
individual's protection. And with God's protection, the moral life can
be
pursued.
The Prophet concludes by urging Ab? Bakr and the other listeners
not to part from each other {l? taq?tatu), not to stand back from
each other {l? tad?baru), and not to envy one another {l? tah?sad?),
but instead to serve God as brothers to one another.44 Yaq?n and
then mu?f?h are the first instruments to assist the moral life and the
strengthening of community.
42. See Toshihito Izutsu, Ethico-Religious in the Quran (Montreal:

Concepts
McGill University Press, 1966), 92-95, for his discussion of the intensive sidd?q
and its two possible meanings, based on the episode where Muhammad used it of
Ab? Bakr and other instances honorifics used for Jesus' mother Mary
involving
and the patriarchs Abraham and Joseph. Itmay mean "one who speaks the truth"
or "one who testifies to the truth of
something".
43. Seereports #30, #31, and #36 on the necessity of yaq?n for works Carnal)
to be effective.
44. See Bellamy, 26 (#120) in the Arabic text, where Ibn Ab? al-Duny? quotes
same report in a chapter on sidq. Also a
this reports #13 and #35 below where
like theme on the community occurs.
maintaining
14

Ibn Ab? al-Dunya: Certainty and Morality
All the key terms in this first report, excepting notably the term
mu'?f?h, are found in the Qur'?n. ?idq should be read as
spoken
truth or veracity and is employed to effect contrast with lying. In the
context of this report, speech is truthful when it is in conformity with
what is certain.45 The term birr, often translated simply as piety, is
more properly rendered as virtue or pious
goodness, especially given
its uses in the Qur'?n.46 Birr should be differentiated from other terms
further on in the text, the non-qur'?nic term ward
employed namely,
and the qur'?nic term taqw?. Though both of these are sometimes
translated as the two share a root sense of caution and
piety, apprehen
sion not found in birr.What joins the three terms is their common
out of some form of to the of
capacity, "piety", promote performance
duties and works.
What links them to mu?f?h is the encouragement each receives
from God's protection.47 So, when individuals acquire yaq?n, they
then have a reason to protect the opportunity it affords by taking
care to behave
rightly and fulfill God's obligations. Hence responses
such as piety, fear, caution, and scrupulosity describe positive attitu
des. They build on the initial fear of God48 as the Lord of the Last
Judgment balanced with the confidence in God gained from yaq?n.49
These links and responses to mu?f?h offer reasons to be serious
and responsible, similar to what Wagtendonk found in zuhd. It also
makes the concern for God's protection {mi?afah) critical.50 Though
not a qur'?nic term, it is employed in this first report and so assumes
an importance for the a
description of the moderate approach to moral
45. Izutsu, Concepts, 89, 97. Yaq?n is closely correlated to haqq as the truth. ?idq
in this context means "to speak the truth".
46. See A. Kevin "Ethics
the Qur?'n," and
Reinhart, Encyclopaedia of the Quran,
II, 60. Izutsu, Concepts, the piety of birr as what "... manifests
207, defines itself in
various to
by the will
works motivated practice justice and love toward others."
47. See report #28 where ward occurs twice and report #14, then reports #8 and
#22 where taqw? appears, next reports #8 and *15 for birr, and reports
finally
#2, #6, and #13 formu?f?h.
48. Lane (I, 310) renders taqw? as "... the preservation, or
guarding of oneself from
in the world to come, and acts
punishment from of disobedience, by righteous conduct
...," hence another form of protection.
49. Izutsu, Concepts, 195.
"
50. Lane (V, 2093) that '?f?-hu All?hu means God granted him [health,
reports
or soundness, and i.e.] defence from diseases and trial, or {restored
security, from
him to health, or soundness, and to i.e.] effaced from him
security from punishment,
diseases, and sins."
15

Leonard Librande
life. Yaq?n provides the confidence with which to call for God's protec
tion. With these two in a can move ahead with assurance
place, person
to acquire and practice the other virtues for living a moral life.
The Second Report This51 is another petition from the Prophet,
requesting three things for his Companions and himself: (1) fear of
God {khashyd)52 to counter acts of disobedience {ma1as?); (2) obe
dience {t?'a) so as to reach paradise; and (3) yaq?n so that with it the
Companions can recognize that this world's misfortunes {masaib) are
of little consequence or threat to them. The petition continues with a
series of further requests: (4) that God have the Companions enjoy53
whatever he enlivens them with through their eyes and ears - a theme
that will occur several more times in this text in connection with the
provisions God determines to supply
{rizq) and the important role
of seeing and hearing -; (5) that God avenge the Companions for
those who mistreat or attack them; (6) that God not let misfortune
{mus?ba) befall them in their religion; (7) that he not let them make
this world their focus {hamrn) or the measure of their knowledge
{'Urn); and (8) that God not let anyone have power over them who
will not show compassion.
For the first time here yaq?n is identified as a knowledge which
offers a reliable basis for dealing with the hardships and challenges
of this world. Though the term mu?f?h does not appear expressly,
the idea of God's protection and the desire and need for it extends to
this report. At the mention of khashya and in the light of the series
of requests to God, it is understood that God might act to prevent
certain things and not let other things occur to those on whose behalf
the Prophet is petitioning.
The Third Report This report of the Prophet54 introduces yaq?n
with moderacy {zuhd) its correlative as a means to salvation. This is
demonstrated in the way they serve to counteract the vain hope {amal)
and greed {hukht) for this material world which lead to ruin.
51. The second report comes from 'AbdAllah b. 'Umar (d. 73/693) [Tahdh?b,
V, 328-331 (#565)]. He was a member of the first generation of Muslims and son
of the second caliph and Companion 'Umar and much admired
rightly guided
for his moral qualities.
52. Izutsu 196-198) identified in the Qur'?n as a synonym of
{Concepts, khashya
taqw?.
53. The text is explicit that enjoyment is physical, through their ears and eyes.
54. The source isMuhammad b. 'AbdAllah [Tahdh?b,IX, 266-268 (#443)], the
of 'Amr b. al-'?s the conqueror of Egypt.
grandson
16

The Fourth Report Here the famous relative of the Prophet and
fourth caliph, 'Al? b. Ab? T?lib (d. 40/660),55 speaks about four
occasions of intellection wherein yaq?n becomes apparent. The four
are depicted as occurring (1) with understandings
{fahm) plunge, (2)
with knowledge's {'Urn) profusion, (3) with wisdoms' {hikam) flowe
ring, and (4) with civility's {hilm) cultivation. The report links the
four instances in an ascending order, so that understanding is said to
lead to knowledge, knowledge creates wisdoms, and wisdoms produce
civility. It follows from this that, where yaq?n may initially be revealed
in simple understanding, it is in civility that yaq?n ismost apparent
and most effective. This is so because the individual displaying civility
is the one who best performs the religious duties and remains most
satisfied with whatever provisions God grants.
The term hilm56 was adopted from the pre-Islamic Arabs and
made the central point of Islam's new moral system. The term conveys
a for human character and behaviour that resists
complex meaning
or translation. Nevertheless words such as
any simple interpretation
are
forbearance^ patience^ and civility frequently employed.57 For our
purposes, hilm is an attitude marked by tolerance and moderacy,
balance and restraint. It represents ano
offering through persistence
ther virtue that is effective in correlation with yaq?n within Ibn Ab?
al-Duny?'s vision for the moral life.
The Fifth Report Some anonymous masters declare that civility
- mentioned in the previous report - is seldom divvied out {qusima)
among people and that yaq?n is rarely sent down {nuzila) to them.
These remarks are more than a note on the and
just rarity preciousness
of these two virtues.
Thechoice of the two verbs in the context of these terms clearly

a
distinguishes between civility and yaq?n. Civility is virtue achieved
in degrees by effort and habit - qusima is related to qisam or the por
tions of fate determined and created by God. For the first time in this
text certainty is -
depicted by nuzila referring to yaq?n as "sent down"
55. Hilyat, I, 61-87.

57. See Ch. Pellat, "Hilm," Islam: New Edition, III, 390: "... a complex and
delicate notion which includes a certain number of qualities of character or moral
attitudes, from serene and moderation to forbearance and lenien
ranging justice
cy, with self-mastery and dignity of bearing standing between these extremes."
17

Leonard Librande
like the Qur'?n58 ? not just as any knowledge, but as an objective,

religious knowledge of what is certain.
The Sixth report. Here the Companion Abu Bakr asks God for
four things: faith {?man), yaq?n, protection against evil {mu?f?h),
and right intention {niyya). This is the first mention of ?man and niyya
in the text. It is also the first time that yaq?n is correlated to faith.
Forty years ago Izutsu wrote that in Islam "[t]he genuine faith
must work as the most motive that actuates men to
powerful good
works_"59 Islam consistently views faith as a form of knowledge
which requires yaq?n to establish itself. This is borne out in the des
cription M.M. Bravmann provided for ?man, emphasizing its root
"God and to man, and man trusts
meaning: gives security protection
(believes in) God and is not afraid."60 More recently William C.
Chittick has written:
In English, 'faith' is normally understood as volitional rather
than cognitive. People think of faith as related to supposition and
rather than to and In contrast, faith
opinion knowledge certainty.
in Islam pertains primarily to knowledge and the commitments
that make on the basis of It stands above
people knowledge.
not below it. It adds to a dimension of
knowledge, knowledge
commitment, an with the truth that one
personal engagement
knows. As Smith puts it, "The object of faith being thought of as
pellucid and incontrovertible, the issue is,what does one do about
what one knows."61
Theobject of ?man is certain because it is revealed in the very

Speech of God, the Qur'?n and in God's creation. Denying this
does not change its certainty. This may be one reason why the new
no article
Encyclopaedia of theQuran has specifically on yaq?n, though
its forms do occur some 28 times in the Qur'?n.62 Islam's emphasis on
58. W. Watt, Bells Introduction to the Quran

Montgomery (Edinburgh:
Edinburgh University Press, 1970), 144.
60. The Islam: Studies in Ancient Arab
Spiritual Background of Early Concepts.
Leiden: Brill, 1972, 29.
61. Faith and Practice of Islam:ThreeThirteenthCentury Sufi Texts, (SUNY Series in
Islam, ed. Seyyed Hossein Nasr), Albany: State University of New York, 1992, 7.
62. The occurs some 35 times in the
English word "certainty" Encyclopaedia of
the Quran and mention of its significance for faith is to be found in the article
on "Faith".
18

certainty is entirely appropriate in its case. As a religion Islam did not,

and still does not, view ?man s object as anything but certain.
Wilfred Cantwell Smith, half a century ago called the Qur'?n s
view on faith {?man) theocentric while the modern western view he
termed anthropocentric.63 For Muslims faith exhibits certainty while
in the modern world faith is subject to questioning and doubt. So
it is no surprise, given the change in times, to see that Eliade's The
Encyclopedia of Religion which replaced Hastings fifty year old
Encyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics65 abandoned the inclusion of
an entry on In volumes was described
certainty. Hastings' certainty
in terms of the religious tenants and beliefs of individual groups of
- tenants and
Christians beliefs which they claimed to be absolutely
true. Eliade's work assumed a modern
"transreligional" perspective,
where religious views, when held to be were seen
absolutely certain,
historically to have only provoked religious contention and debate, if
not and war.
persecution
The western
usage of words such as "faith" and "belief" is chan
ging, noticeably in the last half century. This change is reflected in
two articles recently published in the
Encyclopaedia of theQur'?n, one
on "Belief and Unbelief"66 and another on "Faith".67The terms belief
and unbelief are employed where Smith would have disparaged their
use. He would have or more
employed faith likely the act of faith68
for ?man and sought specific translations for a range of contrary des
criptives including the most forceful, kufr. Smith would have argued
that there is no word in the Qur'?n that is appropriately translated as
belief. Certainly he would not have used "faith" to mean a system of
religious belief.
Ifwe assume from Smith's point of view that "belief" is his "faith"
and "faith" as ?man is certain ? since the knowledge which God provi
des Muslims is certain, no matter how much one doubts or questions
-
it then we need to realize various shifts of that have occur
meaning
red with the term "certain". This
is represented best in the differences
of meaning frequently associated with the substantives "certainty" and
"certitude". Certainty according to Hastings' Encyclopaedia of
Religion
63. On Understanding Islam (New York:Mouton Publishers, 1981), 133.

64. Ed.Mircea Eliade,New York:MacMillan Publishing Company, 1987,Vol. IV.
65. Ed. James Hastings, Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1908-1926, 9 vols.
66. Encyclopaedia of theQuran, I, 218-226.
67. Encyclopaedia of the Qur'?n, II, 162-172.
68. Smith preferred to convey the verbal quality of the term ?man.
19

Leonard Librande
and Ethics is objective or logical certainness while certitude relates to

the certainness that is subjective or psychological.69 In this context
therefore certainty rightly qualifies "faith" in Smith's sense for Islam
while certitude is appropriate for the more recent meanings of belief.
Ibn Ab? al-Duny?, writing from a fairly broad point of view, seems to
have provided a meaning for yaq?n that conforms with Smiths views
on faith and certainty.
As the term there is an association between this non
regards niyya,
qur'?nic word used here by Ibn Ab? al-Duny? and the qur'?nic ikhl?s.70
Ikhl?s or sincerity is the term which best approximates right or "heart
felt" intention {niyya) in the Qur'?n.71 Niyya only became a technical,
term in the as
legal second/eighth century.72 Its earlier usage right inten
tion is apparent in the had?th literature. The usage here differs from the
declared intentionality jurists required for the validity of acts.
The Seventh Report. This73 follows up on Abu Bakr's previous
request to God for faith, yaq?n, etc. It advises that individuals must
school themselves in yaq?n if they are to recognize it, just as one has
to learn the Qur'?n after God has sent it down. This
likening of lear
ning yaq?n to learning the Qur'?n recalls the distinctiveness of yaq?n
apparent in the verb nuyila in the fifth report. It further suggests that
what is certain is the Qur'?n.
The Eighth Report. This report addresses again the issue of lear
access to yaq?n. It describes the
ning and learning apparent in the
case of quick-witted {aky?s) Muslims who with certainty (yaq?n) and
out of fear {taqw?) properly break their Ramadan fast in the evening
and then rest for the next day. They are not like the stupid people
{hamq?)74 who stay up to party and feast.
69. Hastings, III, 320. Hastings' elsewhere uses the term

Encyclopaedia certainty
in a context as the assurance of salvation (III, 325), again meant
religious personal
as certainness.
objective
70. See Toshihito Izutsu, The Structure of the Ethical Terms in theKoran: A Study in
Semantics (Tokyo,The Keio Institute of Philological Studies, 1959), 189.
71. Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd, "Intention," Encyclopaedia of theQuran, II, 549-551.
See also Izutsu, Concepts, 192-193.
72. AJ. Wensinck, "Niyya," Islam: New Edition, VIII, 66-67.
73. This isfromKh?lid b.Ma'd?n b.Ab? Kurayb (d. between 103/721 and 108/727)
[Hilyat, V, 210-221 (#318)]. He is identified as a Syrian ascetic who, like Hasan al
Basr? in the same period, promoted amoderate form of the Qadar? doctrine as a rule
of practical piety (Josef van Ess, "Qadariyya," Islam: New Edition, IV, 369).
74 See Franz Rosen dial's Knowledge The in
Triumphant: Concept of Knowledge
20

Thus, as the Companion Abu al-Dard?' (d. 32/652)75 relates

here, this speck of pious goodness {birr) in quick-witted Muslims
outweighs even repeated religious practice ?ibada)76 when it comes
from those who otherwise neglect what is required {mughatarr?na).
This exemplifies how theMuslim who has certainty confidently seeks
God's protection. Secure with his protection, he is prompted out of
respectful fear to behave morally {taqw?).77
The Ninth Report. This78 reports the Prophet's fear that his com
munity might suffer weakness {duf) in its yaq?n. But how can yaq?n
if it is certainty be said to diminish or weaken? This is so, especially
given the image in the previous report of the speck of pious goodness
outweighing the massive weight of religious practice and given the
earlier use of the verb nuzila to describe yaq?n.
The Tenth Report. Here Ibn Ab? al-Duny? offers a second version
ofc Al? b. Ab? T?lib's earlier listing of occasions for the emergence of
yaq?n. It cites the occurrences of yaq?n: (1) in intelligence's (fitna)79
clarifying,80 (2) in wisdom's {hikma) interpreting, (3) in admonish
Islam (Leiden: EJ. Brill), 1970, 24, where ham?qa is cited as the opposite
oVaql
Also Lane, VII, 2640 where aky?s and hamq? are antonyms in the
(intelligence).
report, "The most acute of acuteness is piety and the most
stupid of stupidness is
vice" {akyasu al-kaysi al-tuq? wa-ahmaqu al-humqi al-fuj?ru).
75. Abu al-Dard?' 'Uwaymir b. Malik {Tahdh?b,VIII, 175-177) was claimed as
one of the ahl al-$uffa who are described as the early
traditionally exemplifying
ideals of piety. See W. Watts article "Ahl al-suffa," Islam: New
Montgomery
Edition, I, 266-267.
76. See G.-H. Bousquet, '"ib?d?t," Islam: New Edition, III, 647, where the author
this term as to the or acts commanded
interprets referring religious practice by
God. Bousquet also notes that the terms synonym is obedience (t?'d).
77. As Izutsu has explained {God and Man, 235-237), taqw? refers in its earliest
sense to the fear of God, a fear that the individual to seek
prompts protection
from God. Scott C. Alexander, "Fear," Encyclopaedia the Quran, II, 195, cites
of
Pickthalls translation of al-muttaq?n as "... 'those who themselves from
protect
harm' their duty to God'."
specifically by 'keeping
78. This report comes from Abu Hurayra (d. 589/678) (JamesRobson, "Abu
Islam: New Edition, I, 129), a and the most trans
Hurayra," Companion prolific
mitter of accounts on what the Prophet said and did. He also enjoyed a reputation
for piety.
79. Lane, IV, 2418. Fitna refers to an or (see report
intelligence understanding
#4) that is instinctive in character rather than
virtually acquired.
80. This is translated from tab?ira, a verbal noun from the second form as in "...
ba$sara-hu al-amra ...He rendered it evident..." (Lane, I, 210).
21

Leonard Librande
ment's ?ihra) counselling, and (4) in the first ones' well-trod path
{sunna). As before, these are associated in order, with clari
starting
fication coming from the intelligence and ending at the sunna. The
content of this report suggests that yaq?n ismost influential when the
individual has achieved success at following the path of the sunna.
The fourth report above cited hilm's cultivation as the most effec
tive occasion. There is of course a connection between hilm and sunna.
Islam appropriated the meanings of both terms to its particular vision

of the moral life pursued. Hilm or "the moral reasonableness of a reli
a sunna theMuslim pursues.
giously cultural man"81 is part of the
This report also offers some response to the question raised in the
previous report. According to the fourth and the tenth reports'
listings
yaq?n comes forth in stages. Thus the issue of diminishment relates to
yaq?n as certitude which from a subjective point of view is capable of
increase and decrease.
The Eleventh Report. This report82 recounts the familiar story of

Jesus' miraculous walk on water. The disciple Peter attempts to show
how certain he is about the prophet Jesus. He attempts to walk on
water as he did, only to sink pathetically into the waves. Ironically
Jesus addresses him as "you of little faith" {qas?r al-?man). What
he must mean is that Peter does not possess yaq?n at all, since Jesus
immediately offers that even the tiniest bit of real yaq?n would have
him to walk on the water.
permitted
This remark helps further contextualize yaq?n s possible diminish
ment in the ninth since the tale of Peter treats no matter
report, yaq?n,
what its size, as of a walk on water. So a
capable sustaining weakening
of yaq?n can not imply a diminishment in the certainty that is yaq?n.
What the Prophet feared can be interpreted as the weakening or lesse
as indicated in 'All's two
ning of the individual's subjective certitude
descriptions of the emergence o? yaq?n. The individual's hold on cer
titude can wax and wan, while in reference to God's
mercy
certainty
and lordship does not. In 'Alfs two
listings, each instance marks the
reception of increased certitude regarding certainty.
The Twelfth Report. Next83 Ibn Ab? al-Duny? sets out yet a third
- this time not from ' but from an unnamed source - which
listing Al?,

82. The report is transmitted from Bakr b. 'Abd Allah al-Muzan? (d. 106/724
or 108/726) [Hilyat, II, 224-232 (#181)]. He is labelled an '?bid or devotee who
obeyed God humbly and submissively.
comes from an anonymous source. It and
83. This report the earlier listings from
22

differs very much from the previous two.84 Instead of detailing a range
of intellections that result in growing certitude and the disclosure of
a series of activities, each of which is
certainty, this listing describes
the source for the next one,85 from an initial, observation
superficial
to the very encounter86 with God - yaq?n being a step in the process.
The listing starts off with (1) how paying attention to works {al-ihti
m?m bi-al-amal) prompts thought {fikra)F Thought in turn brings
about (2) admonishment {'ibra)88 that occasions (3) an attitude of
resolve {hazm) ,89This produces (4) determination ?azm) that affirms
(5) yaq?n that secures (6) freedom from want {ghin?). It results in (7)
unselfish love {hubb) that will finally win the (8) encounter {liqa)
with God in paradise.
Besides
confirming the effectiveness and the ultimate goal of
yaq?n, this report includes the first citation of the non-qur'?nic term
ghin? which will be further defined in report eighteen. Its applied
force here is entirely the opposite of other forms derived from this root
in the Qur'?n.90 So the term ghin? ought to be linked operationally
to terms such as mu?f?h and in particular to zuhd as it occurred in
report three.
'All recall the issue of uncreated faith in Islam and the question whether faith
increases or decreases. See L. Gardet, "?man," Islam: New Edition, III, 1172-1173.
84. Previous lists are found
in Yaq?n, #4 and #10.
85. The verb portraying the passage from one step to another is y?rithu, literally
"the one causes the other to be inherited".
86. The encounter {liq?') is a very common term in the Qur'an, referring
to
themeeting with God that the individual should seek and prepare for while in
this world.
87. The term lamal which occurs often in the Qur'?n is viewed as referring to any
activity or behaviour that is advanced for example, supererogatory

intentionally,
works. See Lane, V, 2159. Also Izutsu, Structure, 205-210, where lamal in the
Qur'?n is presented as either

good {c?lih) or bad (sayyf). Fikra denotes the out
come See L. Gardet, "Fikr," Islam: New Edition, II, 891.
offikr.
88. Lane (V, 1938) notes that 'ibra comes from ?tibar, literally a being admo
nished, and can mean an indication, or evidence ... one passes
whereby from igno
rance to
knowledge.
89. Lane (II, 561) provides evidence of the relationship between hazm to lazm in
the proverb qad ahzimu lawdzimu {CertainlyI makefirm my determination if I
determine upon a
doing thing).
90. For example, the term ghan? can be used of an individual who thinks himself
so self-sufficient and without need that he believes himself absolutely indepen
dent and denies his status. Istaghn? relates to this as
creaturely presumption
"unbounded confidence in one's own (Izutsu, 151).
power" Concepts,
23

Leonard Librande
The Thirteenth Report. This report from the moralist Hasan

al-Basr? marks a boundary in the text, in that the Prophet's remarks
here closely mirror the message of the first report. It is as if Ibn Ab? al
Duny?, having finished a first section on yaq?n,91 now would remind
his readers where he started, and then takes up a further and deeper
exploration of his subject matter. As in the first report, the Prophet
cites yaq?n and protection from evil {mu?f?h) ? in this order - as the
best items in this world which God brings someone if requested.
So yaq?n assures that heaven is sought and the fire fled, that duties
(faraid) commanded by God are discharged and that the individual
is constrained to persist {subira) at the pursuit of what is required
{haqq). At the same time mu?f?h and the resultant freedom from evil
{'afiya)92 encourage communal behaviour, just as the Prophet urged
in the first report.93
There is a kinship between the term ghin? in the previous report
and 'afiya here. The one is a wealth that forms the basis for freedom
from want and the other is a defence that translates into freedom from
evil. So the two are linked, since the want of the one finds its object
in the evil of the other.
The Fourteenth Report. This report, the first here from Luqm?n,94
reflects the mention just before of yaq?n and protection from evil. It
commends that one good {min husn) arising from yaq?n is patience
{sabr) in the face of adversities {mak?rih). This is a recurring note in the
book. It is found already in the second report where yaq?n is sought so
that the world smisfortunes are recognized to be of little consequence.
This is also the second mention of sabr, a term earlier correlated to
civility {hilm).95As observed in the previous report, the moral individual

needs to be patient and persistent in the performance of duties.
91. Up to this
point Ibn Ab? al-Duny? has mentioned such key terms as mu?f?h,
sidq, birr, khashya with taqw?), zuhd, ?man, hilm, sunna, and ghin? as
(along
well as the related terms niyya, Hb?da, and ?ata.
92. The term mu?f?h is the verbal noun of the third form while 'afiya is a subs
tantive formed from the third or fourth forms.
93. Report #1: "Do not part from each other, do not stand back from each other,
do not envy each other, but serve God as brothers to one another." Also report
#35 for a similar request.
94. B. Heller [N.A. Stillmann], "Lukm?n," Islam: New Edition, V, 811-813. This
is the mythic sage Luqm?n of pre-Islamic fame.
in the previous see report #4
95. See subira report. For hilm and also reports
#19 and #28.
24

The fourteenth report also recommends that another good coming

from yaq?n is religious practice gibada) when it is accompanied by
religious scrupulousness {warn'). This is the first mention of the non
qur'?nic term warn* in the text. As suggested with the first report, it
refers to a scrupulosity in religion motivated by fear of the illicit.96
Gobillot employed the phrase scrupulous piety for warn'?1 This
comes from Deladri?re who translated taqw? as vigiliant piety98 in
the sense of staying on guard in one's duty to God. When taqw? is
rendered as fear of God as it often is, it expresses the "... state of an
individual who is reverent, devout, and solicitous in his or her service
to God."99 Izutsu noted the much earlier finding of Tor Andrae:
... the
deep ethico-religious value of the fear of God, the Lord
of the Day of Judgment, is largely due to the fact that it cannot
but arouse in the mind of the believer a clear consciousness of
the tremendous seriousness of life and thus incite him to moral
earnestness and responsibility.100
As stated previously, itsmeaning relates to both mu?f?h and the

Qur'?n's taqw?, in that all three prompt the performance of religious
duties, if only for protection or out of fear for what is illicit. The term
Hb?da, as noted earlier, is synonymous with obedience {??ca).The text
sets obedience or the performance of duties as a goal {gh?ya) in the
interplay between yaq?n and wara\
The Fifteenth Report. This report101 expands on the relationship of
yaq?n with faith already introduced in the sixth and eleventh reports.
Here the two are
part of a request to God for a series of virtues, where each
is required in an attendant circumstance: (1) resolve {hazrri)when life is

easy {layyiri),102 (2) strength {quwwa) when professing religion {d?ri), (3)
faith when certain {yaq?n), (4) energy {nash?t)m when divinely guided
96. D. Urvoy, "Wara," Islam: New Edition, XI, 141-142.

97. "Zuhd," Islam: New Edition, XI, 560.
98. Deladri?re, 221ff.
99. Scott C. Alexander, "Fear," Encyclopaedia of the Qur'?n, II, 195.
100. Izutsu, 54
Concepts,
101.This is from Y?nus b.Maysara b. Halbas (d. 132/749) [Hilyat,V, 250-253
(#322)]. Though blind he was heard to petition God to die amartyr and in fact
was killed for the cause of God.
102. This is in the sense of layyin al-'aysh.
103. This may be related to the qur'?nic phrase wa-al-n?shi?ti
nashtan (79.2)
which is interpreted to refer to those who exert themselves in the
energetically
25

Leonard Librande
{hud?),m (5) pious goodness {birr) when proceeding straightly {isti

q?ma), and (6) gain {kash) as regardswhat is permitted {hal?l).
Istiq?ma and the form istaqama which occurs below in the six
teenth are understood as to the al-sira?
report referring qur'?nic
al-mustaq?m ("the straight path"). This is a fitting phrase for Ibn

Abi al-Duny?'s moral way, in that it points to the right path or the
to paradise and God. The term kasb is
path proceeding straightaway
and in the context of conventional means the acqui
qur'?nic theology
rement of reward or punishment as the fruit of a moral act, hence
out an action".105 Here the request ismore likely in favour
"carrying
of the increase or income that follows when dealing with what is licit.
In the same vein, is as a condition
yaq?n presented again necessary
creating the opportunity for faith.

The Sixteenth Report. Here, in the fashion of the previous report,
Hasan al-Basr? advises the reader that no one true
possesses certainty
(the Qur'?n s haqq al-yaq?n) about heaven and hell106 unless a person
(1) is humble {khasha'a),107 (2) trembles with fear {wajila), (3) is sub
missive {dhalla),108 (4) proceeds straightly {istaqama),109 and (5) acts
of their duties.
performance
104. Izutsu, 194, refers to hud? as the guidance"
Concepts, "accepting
105. L. Gardet, "Kasb," Islam: New Edition, IV, 692.
106. This occurs
twice in the Qur'?n, 56:95 and 69:51. Franz Rosenthal
phrase
253, 273) writes that "Yaq?n always serves to refer to
{Knowledge Triumphant,
at itsmost certain." The mystics of course developed their lexique on the
knowledge
back of such terminology. See Annemarie Schimmel, Mystical Dimensions of Islam
of North Carolina 141-142 and Martin
(Chapel Hill: The University Press, 1975),
Lings,What isSufism? (London:George Allen & Unwin Ltd., 1975), 61-62.

107. This is a common term for humility in the Qur'?n and is in meaning related
to the fear in the Qur'?n with the verb wajila (Izutsu, Concepts, 71).
expressed
108. There is a difficulty when working with texts that do not rely
published
on the critical tradition of western In this case the editor Yas?n
scholarship.
Muhammad al-Saww?s retained the verb dhabula handwritten Syrian in his
as (it is in fact probable) the variant
manuscript copy, but footnoted possible
dhalla. The earlier editor Muhammad al-Sa'?d b. Basyun? Zaghl?l found the
latter verb handwritten in his Egyptian and made no mention of any
manuscript
the western critical tradition are intent
variant reading. Too often editors outside
to a a set of manuscripts which meet their
reproduce printed version of particular
criterion for verified transmission. Unfortunately this methodology does not solve
or argue for an text or an
disagreements among manuscripts original posit expla
extent manuscript arose.
nation how differences among various copies
109. Another is "follows the straight path (al-sira? al-mustaq?mY
rendering possible
26

{iqtasada) .110These manners are required "until death

moderately
comes", a terminus ad in the nineteenth
quern repeated report.
The Seventeenth Report. This111 is about an unnamed individual's
dream inwhich he asks Abu Fir?sh 'Abd Allah b. Gh?lib112 where he
is going. Abu Fir?sh responds "to paradise". The means for his jour
ney, he explains, is in the goodness {husn) that comes with yaq?n and
the length of supererogatory night vigils. This husn is the same term
to describe sabr and Hb?da as goods that
employed in report fourteen
result from yaq?n.
Assuredly this goodness113 applies to the many virtues which yaq?n
encourages and calls forth aswell as to voluntary activities like keeping
to which husn is related is one
night vigils. Izutsu noted that ahsana
of the key terms in the Qur'?n smoral outlook.114
are
The Eighteenth Report. Three companions reported discus
the of the terms and ghin? (freedom
sing meaning faqr (poverty)
from want). This second term has already come up in the twelfth
report where it is linked to yaq?n and its correlatives. Two of the com
- the
panions115 explain poverty and freedom from want latter they
as in Qur'?n 1.6, 2.142, 6.12 and many other verses.

110. Lane, VII, 2531, renders the verb iqtasada as"... he followed the middle and
most in the affair."
just way
111. Mugh?ra b. Habib (n.d.) [Ibn Hibb?n, Kit?b al-thiq?t (Beirut: Dar al
Kutub al-'ilmiyya, 1981), VII, 466] transmitted this report. He was a student of
Malik b. Dinar, the preacher and moralist who transmitted report #24.
112. Tahdh?b,V, 354-355 (#607): Abu Fir?sh is cited as an '?bidwho served
God by his behaviour.
l\3. Cf Izutsu, Concepts, 221-226 on the root h-s-n in the Qur'?n. The
generally
particular form husn does not appear in the Qur'?n.
114. Concepts, 224-225. This therefore relates to the fourth form's verbal noun
ihs?n or the good which is seen to be what islam (submission to
doing perfects
God) and ?man (trust to God) inGabriel's had?th (Bukhar?, ?man, 37; Muslim,
?man, 1). See Sachiko Murata and William C, Chittick, eds., The Vision Islam
of
(New York: Paragon House, 1994), xxv-xxvii.
115. These are Hudhayfa al-Mar'ash? b. Qat?da (d. 207/822 or 823) {Hilyat,
VIII, 267-271 [#607]) who was known as an ascetic, a pupil of IbnAdham and
Sufy?n al-Thawr?, and Y?suf b. Asb?t (d. 199/814 or 815) {Hilyat,VIII, 237
253 [#401]) known as an ascetic from also a of Sufy?n al-Thawr?.
Syria, pupil
Junayd cited both men along with Sulaym?n al-Khaww?s and Ibrahim b.
Adham as the four best of wara1 in their time. See Deladri?re,
representatives
227-228 where he referred to this in his translation of al-Bayhaq?'s Kit?b al-zuhd
al-kab?r and cross-references Junayd's remark in Hilyat, X, 116.
27

Leonard Librande
sense as wealth ? in terms of satisfying physical

obviously view in its
needs. But the third person, Sulaym?n al-Khaww?s,116 objects and
offers a different interpretation, for ghin? in particular.
Al-Khaww?s interprets the root meaning of this term, propo
that ghin? means true wealth, the kind that a person has even
sing
if starving and indigent. This is so if the heart117 possesses yaq?n.
When made confident with certainty, one is free from want {ghin?).
On account of knowledge one trusts in God {tawakkul),118
{mdrifa),
s
There is satisfaction (rida) with God gifts Ca(?y?) and the portions
are more to yaq?n and
of fate {qisarri) from him. These goods related
fall under themes by now well rehearsed in this text.
Note should be taken of the term md rifa. As knowledge it is rela
ted to the mention of yaq?n in the sentence; at the same time
previous
it relates to the gifts and portions of fate this person has from God,
in their sense as what has become known {ma'rUf) to be approved by
God and therefore to be obeyed. The term mdrifa is used similarly in
the report.
twenty-eighth
The Nineteenth Report. This report119 interprets the qur'?nic
verse 15.99, "Serve your lord until certainty comes to you." It explains
that this verse is to be understood as "until death", a
meaning meaning
already proposed in the sixteenth report. This exegesis implies that

ones need to rely on certainty is not over until death. Thus in this
world effort and works must continue.
The Twentieth Report. This report, from another anonymous

person of wisdom, harkens back to the ninth report. There itwas said
that, if yaq?n weakens, those aspiring to certainty (muridln) will be
ruined. Here, however, the situation is reversed and yaq?n is strong
a person to become
{quwwa). But in this case, certainty will prompt
eager (jidd) and industrious {ijtih?d), if ones demand for what is due
is spoken sincerely {sidq mut?labd). In the same context, when yaq?n
is strong and fear and caution are expressed sincerely {sidq al-khawf
116. Hilyat, VIII, 276-277 (#407): He was known as an ascetic in Syria and a
friend of Ibrahim b. Adham.

117. Jane D?mmen McAuliffe, "Heart," Encyclopaedia of the Qur'?n, II, 407-410:
The heart is the seat of knowledge and the place where understanding
arises.
118. This is the first mention of the qur'?nic term tawakkul which serves as a
synonym for ?man (Izutsu, Concepts, 70-71).

119. This is from S?lim b. Abd Allah b. 'Umar b. al-Khatt?b (d. 106/724)
[Tahdh?b, III, 436-438 (#807)], the grandson of the second of the rashid?n caliphs.
28

wa-al-hidhr), then the self will become

longingsfree of its carnal
{shahaw?t).120
Additional terms correlated to mu?f?h are introduced here.
'is a known synonym in the Qur'?n for taqw?.nx Hidhr is also
Khawf
correlated to taqw? in the Qur'?n, but in the sense of caution or wari
ness.122 These terms fall under the general sense of khashya mentioned
in the second report.
The Twenty-First Report. This picks up on the recurring theme
of yaq?n's capacity to provide confidence in the face of adversities
{mak?rih), sins {ma'?si), and misfortunes {Mas?'ib). A teacher123
before getting up from his lecture petitions God for yaq?n in him.
This yaq?n will make difficult things {mus?bat) easy for the petitioner.
It will let the petitioner know that only what God has allotted {m?
kataba All?hu) will befall him and only what God has assigned {riza)
will he receive. This foreshadows God's commission toAdam in report
twenty-nine.
The Twenty-Second Report. This is a report124 that reads much
like an account of the shifts Islam brought to the pre-Islamic culture,
commenting as it does on the alterations made to earlier ideas of
nobility, honour and certainty. So under Islam nobility {kar?m) is
to be found in the fear of God {taqw?), honour {sharafi in humi
lity {tawadi?), and yaq?n in freedom from want {ghin?). Yaq?n has
already been linked to freedom from want {ghin?) in reports twelve
and eighteen.
The nobility intended here of course is not the wasteful genero
sity ostentatiously exercised in the days before Islam to prove one's
nobility,125 but the pious benevolence exemplified in almsgiving and
120. Shahaw?t is another qur'?nic term, to haw? (Izutsu,

equivalent Concepts,
142).
122. Scott C. Alexander, "Fear," Encyclopaedia II, 197.
oftheQur?'n,
123. The petitioner here, 'At?'b. Ab? Muslim Maysara al-Khurasan? (d. 135/757)
[Hilyat, V, 193-209 (#317)], was known for his commentary on the Qur'?n. Abu
Nu'aym reported that, when there was no one else to tell ahad?th to, he would
tell them to the poor.
124. This is a report from the Prophet, transmitted by Yahy? b. Ab? Kath?r (d.
129/746) [Hilyat, III, 66-75 (#210)] who is said to have possessed insight, gui
dance, diligence, and fear of God. Note the similarity of al-Khur?s?nfs behaviour
with the Prophet's in report #2.
125 Izutsu, Concepts, 75-83.
29

Leonard Librande
encouraged by one's fear of God and desire for protection. The verse
(49.13) "Surely the noblest {akram) among you in the sight of God is
the most god-fearing {atqa) of you" is very clear on this.
Izutsu described two ways nobility was altered in Islam. First,
Islam situated personal qualities like honour and generosity in the
individual, not the tribe. Second, Islam introduced humility, a con
cept mentioned in report sixteen, in contrast to the earlier role
already
played by the show of pride and haughtiness.126

Finally, yaq?n is not the arrogant assuredness acquired with wealth
and power, but the modest self-confidence discovered a
through
moderate attitude toward wealth and power. Thereby an individual
achieves freedom from the wanting, desiring, and vain hoping after
this world. One becomes a z?hid in the sense explained earlier with
Ibn Ab? al-Duny?'s view of the moderate way to the moral life.
The Twenty-Third Report. This report127 contrasts yaq?n and
satisfaction ? last mentioned in report eighteen where al
{rid?)
Khaww?s argues for his definition of poverty and wealth - with
doubt {shakk) and anger {sukht). This is the first mention of doubt
which might be thought the contrary of certainty.
In Qur'?n 40.36-37, shakk occurs in the context of the clear signs
delivered by the prophet Joseph, signs which his people continued
to doubt. Their doubt however did not diminish the certainty of the
case shakk in the
signs; only their certitude became weak.128 In this
Qur'?n is not the opposite o? yaq?n when standing for certainty, but
is the opposite of knowing and its equivalents and therefore akin to
zann or
opinion.129
report continues. On the one hand yaq?n and satisfaction
The
sorrow
bring about refreshment {rawh)m and freedom from {farafi.
On the other hand doubt and anger lead to grief {ghamm) and sorrow
126. Ibid., 65.

127. This report is fromAbd Allah b. Mas'?d (d. 32/652) (J.-C. Vadet, "Ibn
Mas'?d," Islam: New Edition, III, 873-875). He is said to have been a supporter
of the more style of Islam.
inward
128 Izutsu, 176.
Concepts,
129. A.K. Reinhart, "Shakk," Islam: New Edition, IX, 250. Rosenthal, Knowledge
299, writes that in Islam there are two views, one in
Triumphant, contending
which doubt stands to and the other where doubt contends
opposite knowledge
with faith.
130. Cf Qur'?n 12.87 and 56.89 where rawh indicates the comfort or ease God
provides the individual.
30

{hazan).m Here, as in report rid? is as correlative

eighteen, presented
to yaq?n. The term does not occur as such in the Qur'?n,
though
derivatives of its root do. Hasan al-Basr? reported that "...[rid?] is a
moral state, contentment with the divine and decrees, and the
precepts
reciprocal contentment of the soul and God."132 The virtue o? rid?,

at
though introduced this point, occurs often in the rest of the text
and so should be seen as another term like mu'?f?h and zuhd having
a in his approach to morality.
special role for Ibn Ab? al-Duny?
The Twenty-Fourth Report. This report133 employs an uncom
mon that further clarifies the role o? yaq?n espoused in this
expression
text. Malik b. Dinar describes his yaq?n as
"night blind" {shabk?r) in
the sense of hemeralopia.134 It refers to a failing in the eye, because of
which a person only sees clearly or without pain by day or with a light.
Hence this is termed day sight or night blindness. By this is meant
that yaq?n like light135 provides vision of the real world, and does so
on God.
through absolute reliance
can be seen at
Nothing night, without God's light. To claim to see
this world at to assert its
night would be reality separate from God
and his light. This would be contrary to what is certain as expressed
clearly in the Qur'?n and contrary to the illumination which God
alone for the eye to see.
provides
The Twenty-Fifth Report. The text continues the night image. It
someone overheard who at travel even it is a
quotes persists though
dark night and while hampered by a clubfoot. The situation obviously
leaves the traveller to and accident.
open danger
131. Cf. Qur'?n 3.153, 20.40, and 35.34 for the usage of this term.
132. Editor, "Rid?," Islam: New Edition, VIII, 509.
133. The editor al-Saww?s footnotes a correction the source of
possible regarding
this report. Instead of the juristM?lik b. Anas (d. 179/795) [Hilyat,VI, 316-355
(#386)], the transmitter could be M?lik b. Dinar (d. ca. 130/747-748) [Hilyat,
II, 357-389 (#200)]. Muhammad Zaghl?l in his earlier edition noted a correction
in the margin of the manuscript copy in favour of M?lik b. Dinar whom he cited
in his edited text as the corrected source. M?lik b. Dinar (Ch. Pellat, "Malik b.
Dinar," Islam: New Edition, VI, 266-267) was a Several short
preacher. pieces
from him are extant advice on moral behaviour.
offering
134. Dozy I, 724.
135. The popular belief of how sightworked judged that light coming from the
eye illuminated objects. So the speaker in requesting for the eye is
light seeking
the means for his eyes to illuminate see it.
reality and
31

Leonard Librande
In an effort to counter these possibilities, the traveller is heard to

petition God for yaq?n, as so often in the previous reports, in order
to make difficult things {mus?bat) in this world easy. As before, yaq?n
supplies certain knowledge of God's planning. So the difficulties
a even if not understood or foreseen, are at least to
afflicting person,
be seen as actively determined by God and not by chance.
The Twenty-Sixth Report. There follows another petition from the
Prophet,136 asking that God provide him with faith {?man) to make his
heart {qalh) happy,137 yaq?n to know that no provision {rizq) allotted
will be withheld, and satisfaction {rid?) in life with what is assigned.
This is very reminiscent of the twenty-first report and is the first time
the term qalh ismentioned. It is in this context with the heart being
the seat of understanding that Qur'?n 3.6 speaks of the hearts of those
firmly rooted in (certain) knowledge {r?sikh?nfi al-'ilm).158
This report repeats the content of the twenty-third report, with
yaq?n and rid? correlated in sustaining refreshment and freedom from
sorrow. It also echoes the petition of the
night traveller overheard in
the report.
previous
The Twenty-Seventh Report. There is another tale,139 not of a
but of a person suffering an illness that leaves him
night traveller,
unable to eat or sleep regularly. One particularly difficult night he
hears a loud noise in his chamber and begins hearing voices. Out of
a petition to God, requesting freedom from malady
fright, he makes
{shiftf) in the body, yaq?n in the heart, light {nur) in the eye, grati
tude {shukr) in the breast, and remembrance {dhikr) on the tongue.
As in the previous report, the petition concludes with a request for a
one that is neither prohibited
provisioning {rizq), but here {mamnu)
nor forbidden {mahz?r).m
136. The transmitter is al-Al?' b. 'Utba [Tahdh?b, VIII, 188-189 (#338)].

137. Lane (I, 207) reports the use of the verb b?shara in a similar context. This is
in a tradition about rawh ... And the joy
certainty: "fa-b?shar? al-yaq?n they felt
and happiness that arise from to come in contact and thereby
certainty" meaning
give pleasure.
139. This comes from 'UbaydAllah b. Ab? Ja'far (d. 135/752) [Tahdh?b,VII,
an He was z?hid
5-6 (#10)], early historian of Egypt. called '?lim, "?bid, and
(Al-Dhahab?, Tadhkirat, 136).
140. This is the sort of provisioning that is licit and so meets the demand of a
virtue like zuhd.
32

The mention of the heart as the abode of yaq?n in the previous

report is here expanded to other significant parts of the body partici
pating in the pursuit of amoral life. This is the only place reference is
made to gratitude {shukr). This is a frequent term in the Qur'?n, the
opposite of kufr, representing the thankful response to God appro
priate for his signs. Izutsu described shukr as a synonym for faith
and paired it with taqw? in making the proper response to God's
messages.141
The Twenty-Eighth Report. The sage Luqm?n is here again invo
ked for a report142 that reflects the various correlations and linkages
cited previously. Faith {?man) has seven realities {haq?'iq): (1) yaq?n,
(2) fear {makh?fa), (3) knowledge {ma1rifa), (4) right guidance
{hud?), (5) works Carnal), (6) reflection {tafakkur), and (7) religious
scrupulousness {warn1). Each of these in turn is correlated to another
reality: yaq?n to patience {sabr), fear to obedience {(a1a), knowledge
to faith {?man), to discernment {bas?ra), works to
right guidance
right intention {niyya), reflection to intelligence Una),
if and religious
scrupulousness to abstinence from what is unlawful ?afaf).
The description of the seven true correlatives of faith and their
own true forms can be read to mean, for
example, that faith (the first
?man) without works is not real faith and that works without right
intention are not real works. These terms can be imagined organized
in a circular with ?man at the center, faith's truths set around
diagram
it and beyond them in a third circle the correlatives to each of the
seven truths.
Theterm ?man appears both at the top of this
listing and within
the third level of the listing. These two usages cannot have exactly the
same meaning. The first use of the term must be correlated to faith
informed with certainty, while the second use of the term refers to this
faith in practice. Again, faith in the first sense is not real faith without
knowledge of what God has made known to be obeyed {mdrifa). This
knowledge without the faith-based behaviour required by God (in the
second sense) is not real knowledge.
141. Izutsu, 200-202. In this same context Reinhart lists three

Concepts, prin
cipal motivations for moral behaviour: the covenant's to
keeping promise obey
God; thankfulness for his benefits; and fear of God ("Ethics and the Qur'?n,"
Encyclopaedia of the Qur'an, II, 57-58).

142. See Yaq?n, #14. This isfrom Awn b. Abd Allah (d. 120/738) [Hilyat, IV,
was well known as an
240-272 (#274)] early forerunner of the ascetic in Kufa.
33

Leonard Librande
This comes as close as any in this text to the modern sense

thing
of belief as sense still entails faith as
regards practice, though the
knowledge that informs the moral person. Izutsu outlined a summary
of the sort of works the moral person does which would correspond
to this second use of ?mam:
... the basic attitude of hilm; constant devotional exercises; the
fear of the Last as the most of the
Judgment; almsgiving important
works of without however, to the extreme
genuine piety, going,
of the impulsive and boastful generosity of Jahil?yah; keeping
away from the Jahil? acts which God has sternly forbidden, such
as polytheism, the slaying of a living being without right, forni
cation; avoidance of perjury and idle talk; a delicate sensitiveness
to the deep import of the revealed words; and serene and restful
happiness in the life of this present world, based on the expecta
tion of the Hereafter.143
The term makhafa is not found in the Qur'?n, though khawfis.

Here it can be viewed as inclusive of the many qur'?nic terms relating
to fear, caution and wariness, much as was earlier.144 As for
khashya
or
mdrifa knowledge,145 it is the recognition of what God has revealed
and so is to be obeyed. Tafakkur in the Qur'?n refers to reflection on
God's signs or messages because of which individuals are urged to
behave
morally.146
The qur'?nic term bas?ra is usually interpreted as "clear evidence"
or what is seen In this report the term means the mental acti
clearly.
vity of seeing clearly, hence discernment. Fitna is not found in the
Qur'?n but was used previously in report ten with tabsira (to render
evident). Words related to 'afaf do occur in the Qur'?n.147 In addition
the meaning of 'af?f (abstinence from what is unlawful) can be related
to the argument made earlier by Sulaym?n al-Khaww?s regarding
the meaning of ghin? and poverty.
The Twenty-Ninth Report. This
report repeats the theme regar
ding rizq and rid?. The first prophet Adam is quoted petitioning God
for faith in his heart, for true certainty {yaq?nan s?diqan) to know
144. Cf. Scott C. Alexander, "Fear," Encyclopaedia of the Quran, II, 194-198.
145. See report #18 above and its explanation regarding mdrifa and ma'ruf.
146. See Qur'?n 2.219, 3.191, and 45.13 for instance.
147. See Qur'?n 2.273, 4.6, 24.33, and 24.60.
34

that no provision allowed will be withheld, and for satisfaction with

what is
assigned.148
The report ends with a special commission God assigns to Adam.
Adam is required to see that his descendants stop repeating Adam's
petition for faith, true certainty, and satisfaction, even ifGod should
choose neither to deliver them from this world's difficulties nor to
fill them up with wisdom. Certainty does not extend to what God
will provide, determine and create, only that he will. In all possible
even when God not fulfill Adam's
circumstances, apparently will
requests, faith and yaq?n as well as satisfaction must be maintained.
The Thirtieth Report. Hasan al-Ba?r? again cites Luqm?n the
wise's declaration ?i&t yaq?n is an absolute condition forworks Carnal),
without which all works are diminished (yad'uf). Luqm?n s advice
continues: Where Satan encourages doubt {shakk) and hesitation
{r?ba), overpower him with yaq?n-, if it is laziness {kasal) and boredom
{s?ma), then respond by mentioning the grave and the resurrection;
and if it is desirousness149 {raghba) and fear {rahba),m then respond by
abandoning and distancing yourself from this world.
The use of doubt and hesitation together reflects the general sense
of doubt in the Qur'?n, as "hesitation in response to a summons".151
The mention of death and the resurrection are significant motivations

for the Muslim who would behave morally. Death under Islam is
viewed as a moment a period
appointed by God, not by fate, to end
established for testing the individual. The resurrection is an antici
pated reward, made accessible with death and promising eternity in
paradise.152 Desirousness and fear, like greed and vain hope previous
are contraries to zuhd which is an antidote to them.
ly,153
The Thirty-First Report. This154 repeats the message of report
148. This is by now a familiar request, as in reports #18, #21, #26, and #27.
the term "desirousness" as the state of is
149. Unfortunately being full of desires
obsolete, but here best fits the sense of the Arabic term
raghba.
150. Alexander, "Fear," the Quran, II, 197. Also Izutsu,
Encyclopaedia of
Concepts, 199.
151. Reinhart, "Shakk," Islam: New Edition, IX, 250.
"Death and the dead,"
152. Jacques Waardenburg, Encyclopaedia of the Qur'?n,
I, 507-509.
153. See report #3 above.
154. This comes from the Companion Amm?r b. Y?sir (d. 37/657) [Tahdh?b,
VII, 408-410 (#664)] who from a very
early time was known for his piety and
devotion to Islam.
35

Leonard Librande
eighteen that yaq?n is the best wealth {ghin?), in the previously

sense of freedom from want. It adds that death is the best
explained
-
reminiscent and of the remarks earlier about
preacher supportive
death and yaq?n155 - and that religious practice which is obligatory
gibada) is the best occupation This last statement recalls
{shughla).
the earlier connection made in the fourteenth report between yaq?n
and religious practice.
The Thirty-Second Report. 'Abd Allah b. Mas'?d repeats the
commission God on Adam in report twenty-nine. He
special imposed
relates that, just because there is yaq?n, one should not expect either
to see people pleased where God is not or to praise people for what
God has provided or to censure people for what God did not bring.
In the context o? yaq?n it is reliable that God brings forth all things,
but not that he will bring forth reliably what people desire or expect.
Where people display anxiousness {hirs) and displeasure {kar?hiya),
this has no affect on God's offering of rizq in any form he pleases. It is
his provisioning which remains certain, not the provision itself.
The final sentence of this report repeats the content of report
twenty-three, where yaq?n along with satisfaction {rida) is the basis
for the refreshment {rawh) and joy (farah)156 which God will award
as he wishes. But doubt {shakk) and anger {shukht) result in anxiety
{hamm) and sorrow {hazan) which he will inflict as he wishes. This
to the issue of rizq and the understan
brings additional information
ding of God's provisioning. It presupposes that God will provide as
he has said, but avoids any assertion that individuals will understand
the way God provides.
This issue of God's power and interest to determine and create is
often present in the background of the Kit?b al-yaq?n since the issue
is directly related to the meaning of yaq?n. Earlier in the eighteenth
one free from
report the individual described as truly wealthy was the
want {ghin?), trusting in God {tawakkul), and satisfied with God's
determination and creative activity {rid?). But God's determination
is not here or generally in the Qur'?n raised as a theological or phi
155. See report #19 above.

156. Al-Saww?s' edited text reads faraj in report #23, but farah in this report,
while Muhammad b. Basyun?s
al-Sa'?d text reads in both instances. Ya'l? b.
faraj
'Ubayd, one of the transmitters of report #23, is quoted in the text of the report
instead of faraj. In Arabic the orthography of both is quite simi
calling for farah
lar and the two terms do share common meanings. A third variant of this occurs
in report thirty-three where both editors read farj.
36

texts focus on the

losophical question. Both reality of al-qadS wa
al-qadar in God's case which moral choice and promises a
requires
divine
response.157
The Thirty-Third Report. Hasan al-Basr? offers a list of the fea
tures that characterize a Muslim.
Among the signs for the Muslim are strength {quwwa) when
professing religion {din), resolve (hazm) when circumstances are
easy (layyin), faith {Man) when certain (yaq?n), civility {hilm)
when learned {'ilm), quick-wittedness (kays) when circumstances
are comfortable (rifq), giving Cita')158 when
something is requi
red (haqq), pursuit of the middle course (qasd)159when wealthy
{ghin?), patience (tajammul) when poor (f?qa),m doing good
(ihs?n) when able (qudra), obedience (ta'a) when well advised
(nas?ha), caution (tawarru) when desirous (raghba), restraint
(ta'affuf) when trying hard (jahd), and patience (?abr) in mis
fortune (shidda). His desirousness (raghba) does not destroy
him; his tongue {Usan) does not speak before he does; his sight
(basar) does not grasp before he does; his freedom from sorrow
(faraj) does not overwhelm him; his passion (haw?) does not
deviate; what iswithin him (batn) does not put him to shame; his
anxiousness (hirs) does not see him belittled; and his right inten
tion (niyya) does not fall short of what he required.161
This serves as a fair summation of most of the keywords met

earlier in this book, including of course the mention of faith (?man)
based on yaq?n. The term rifq is not found in the Qur'?n, but recalls
the term layyin, noted above and in report fifteen. Tawarru is related
to warn. Raghba does occur in the Qur'?n and was just mentioned in
report thirty with rahba, a qur'?nic term related to taqw?.
157. See Ahmet T. Karamustafa, "Fate," Encyclopaedia of the Qur'?n, II, 185
187.
158. The term *i#F is often to ?ta' and so here to be in the
equivalenced appears
sense of Qur'?n 5.60, wa-yut?na al-zak?ta ("... and pay the alms ...").
159. Lane, VII, 2531, where is instanced Qur'?n 16.9, 'al?All?hi qasdu al-sab?li
... God it rests to show the direct, or ...." See the verb
Upon right way iqtasada
above in report #16.
160. Lane (II, 460) notes the saying, wa-idh? tusib-ka kha?a?atun fa-tajammali
"And when or straitness, then be patient, or restrain
meaning poverty, befalls thee,
thyself ...T
161. Lane, VII, 2533, col. A on the sense of the phrase l? tuqas?iru bi-hi.
37

Leonard Librande
The Thirty-Fourth Report. Another report from Hasan reflects

the outcome expected ifyaq?n becomes weak. This matter has already
been noted in reports three, nine, and thirty. This report adds that
yaq?n is diminished when the individual regards what he has in hand
as firmer than what is in the hand of God.
The report teaches that certainty is found with God; otherwise, as
is true here, it is just certitude. This also agrees with the view on rizq
apparent in the previous reports. It is certain that God will provide,
but how he will determine and create the provision is not certain.
The Thirty-Fifth Report. The report162 revolves around another
petition, in the form of a listing that is broken into four pairs. The peti
tioner asks (1) for the yaq?n ofthose who speak the truth (sadiq?na)
and the truthfulness (sidq) of those who are certain (muqin?na); (2)
for the works Carnal) of the obedient (ta'i?na) and the fear (khawf)
of those doing works ?amil?na); (3) for the religious practice ?ibada)
of the humble (khashV?na) and the humility (khush?') of religious
practitioners ?abid?na); (4) for the return to God (in?ba) of the sub
missive (mukhbit?na) and the submissiveness (ikhb?t) of the repentant
(mun?b?na); and finally (5) for fellowship (ilh?q) through God's mercy
with the living who have been provisioned (marzuq?na).
The the correlation between several virtues, cer
listing displays e.g.,
tainty spawns truthfulness and truthfulness implies certainty. The final

request for fellowship163 is not posed within a pairing and so serves here
as the outcome
sought. It asks for membership in the company of those
whom God has provisioned. The provisionings meant are of course the
to in the four previous pairings.
eight virtues referred
The Thirty-Sixth To The Thirty-Eighth Report. These three
reports are from Bil?l b. Sa'd (d. ca. 150/767).164 In this first report
he advises his readers:
O servants of theMerciful! Know that you areworking in the
short days for the sake of the long days, in the passing abode for
the sake of the fixed abode, and in the house of sorrow (hum) and
hardship (nasab) for the sake of the house of happiness (na'?m)
and eternity (khula).
162. This comes from Amr b. (d. ca. 737/120) (Watt, Formative, 121, 343),
Qays
an
early murji 'a, said to be an '?bid who served God by his behaviour.
163. See a similar request for community in reports #1 and #13.
164. Bil?l b. Sad [Hilyat, V, 221-234 (#319)] was a popular preacher from
Damascus of whom it is said that he was to Syria as Hasan al-Basr? was to
Iraq.
38

The knowledge called for here is the certain knowledge which can
be had regarding this world and the hereafter. Anyone who does not
act with yaq?n in this matter can not act
effectively and thereby will
not gain paradise. This is a repeat of Luqm?n s remark that yaq?n is
absolutely necessary for works, but here attaches more detail on the
goal sought.
In the next report Bil?l laments that "... it is as ifwe are a peo
ple without understanding (l? ya'qil?na) and without certainty (la
y?qin?na)."
Bil?l begins the final report:
Worshippers of theMerciful! You spend whatever God entrus
ted you with and you seekwhatever he guaranteed for you. So God
has described his servants as those who are certain
(m?qin?na).
This sets Bil?l to wondering how some people can at one moment
be mindful (dhaw? 'uq?l)165 in their pursuit of this world and at ano
ther be stupid (bulh) in the face of what God has created them for.
So he cautions that, just as people hope for God's mercy in return for
their obedience, they should be wary of God's punishment in return
for their disobedience.
These three reports focus on the need to acquire yaq?n, to succeed
in passing through this world and gaining paradise. Yet individuals
too often act without the requisite understanding and certainty. Bil?l
reminds them to be cautious (ashfiq?) of God's punishment, a consi
deration that described elsewhere in this text is seen to prompt works
and obedience.
The Thirty-Ninth Report. In this report166 a monk advises that
certain knowledge {Him al-yaq?n)167 is learned by erecting a wall of
iron between the individual and his carnal longings (shahaw?t) for
this world. Though this image, coming from a Christian monk, could
elsewhere be read to advise an extreme asceticism, in the context of the
previous three reports and report twenty it speaks for moderate and
165. This is reminiscent of the phrase ul? al-alb?b which occurs in

frequently
the Qur'?n and also of report #8 on the quick-witted and stupid observers of
Ramadan.
166.This comes from Abd al-W?hid b. Zayd (d. 177/793) [Hilyat,VI, 155-165
(#364)], a disciple of the Sufi R?bia al-Adawiyya and an ascetic figure in Basra.
167. Similar to the in report #16, the phrase Him al-yaq?n
phrase haqq al-yaq?n
comes from Qur'?n 102 and means "certain knowledge".
39

Leonard Librande
purposeful restraint. This matches Bil?l 'scall for people to be wary of

God's punishment, on this basis to perform works and avoid wrong.
The Fortieth Report. This report168 builds on the reference to the
Christian monk just above. Jesus is once more speaking to his disciples
about walking on the water. They sink down because of their fear of
the waves. Surely ? he points out ? they should fear the lord of the
waves more. Then he
brings forth pieces of gold and clay in his hands
and asks which mean more to their hearts. They reply that it is the
are all the same to one certain as he is.
gold. He scolds that they Again
the heart iswhere certainty is found. Certainty is evenly disposed to
the things of this world, even gold.
The Forty-First Report. Here al-Hasan, the son of ?Al? b. Ab?
T?lib, takes up the previous query about the measure of gold and clay.
'Al? asks how much distance separates faith (?man) and yaq?n. The
reply is the width of four fingers. Then yaq?n iswhat the individual
sees with his eye and faith iswhat he hears with his ear. Having heard
and seen it, he accepts it as truthful (saddaqta bi-hi).
By way of explanation, the width of four fingers is the actual phy
sical distance between each of an individual's eyes and ears. Because
of his reply, cAl? b. Ab? T?lib acknowledges that his son al-Hasan is
truly conceived from his seed, citing the qur'?nic verse AI 'Imr?n 34.
This confirms the role of the senses in what is certain and
ascertaining
It accords too with the of the Qur'?n as cer
trustworthy. experience
tain when heard and God's signs as trustworthy when seen. By hearing
and seeing the individual acquires what is certain.169
The Forty-Second Report. Hasan al-Basr? compares yaq?n in
which there is no doubt (shakk) to the doubt inwhich there is no yaq?n.
In this he confirms that yaq?n is absolutely certain and without room
for doubt, while doubt simply is unable to hold even the smallest bit of
certainty without being transformed. This repeats the view noted pre
means certainty.
viously that shakk is not the opposite of yaq?n when it
168. The reporter is Fudayl b. 'Iyad (105/723-187/803) [Hilyat,VIII, 84-140

(#397)], a pupil of Sufy?n al-Thawr?.
169. The senses' role is confirmedin the report of the Prophet: servant draws
"My
near to me that I love more than what I have made for
through nothing obligatory
him. My servant never ceases near to me works
drawing through supererogatory
until I love him. Then, I love him, I am his
hearing with which
when he hears,
his sees, his hand with which he grasps, and his foot with
sight with which he
which he walks" (Bukh?r?, riq?q, 38). SeeWillam C. Chittick, The Sufi Path of
(New York: The State University of New York Press, 1989), 325-331.
Knowledge
40

The Forty-Third - A Poem. The item is the

Report concluding
only poem in this text.170 It describes how yaq?n comes not from
ritually shirting the hands about or speaking prayers aloud. Rather it
comes forth from the heart and, much as it is for the individual in
the forty-first report, God will view the individual's response from
the heart as certain and hear it as trustworthy. So he will accept it as
truthful.
This accords well with the description of the heart in the Qur'?n.
As noted earlier it is the special site where God acts on the individual
and occurs.
understanding
Indeed I pray to him who fashioned the heavens
covering all and who created me,
without my two hands moving
when I pray nor my
tongue,
but with a heart certain (bi-qaibin m?qiniri),
that the one I pray to sees me.
He sees and hears what I say.
If I trust (wathiqtu) in him, it is enough for me.171
This poem brings to a finish the tour of Ibn Ab? al-Duny?'s text on
the role which certainty (yaq?n) plays, to inspire and foster a range of
correlative virtues, from trust (?man) to satisfaction (rid?)}72 Ibn Ab?
al-Duny? described a role for yaq?n that reflects a complete about
face from the pre-Islamic Arabian culture that three centuries earlier
accepted the force of fate or chance and resigned itself to uncertainty
170. This is from Ish?q b. Suwayd b. Hubayra (d. 131/749) [Tahdh?b, I, 236
(#338)] who transmitted from the Followers.
171. The reference to seen and heard is reminiscent of the had?th of Gabriel
being
mentioned earlier, where Muhammad defines ihs?n to mean "that you should
God as if you see him, for even if you do not see him, he sees
worship you." On
this see The Vision of Islam, 267-317.
172. Based on the text of the Kit?b
al-yaq?n, the correlatives of yaq?n are
patience (sabr), religious scrupulousness (ward), refreshment (rawh), freedom

from sorrow (faraj), thankfulness (shukr), resolve (hazm), strength (quwwa),
energy (nash?t), being humble (khashda), trembling with fear (wajila), pro
(istaq?md), (iqtasada), in God
ceeding straightly behaving moderately trusting
(tawakkul), satisfaction (rid?), fear of God (taqw?), fear (khawf), and caution
(hidhr). Vices noted in the text include vain hope (amal), (bukhl),
greed
doubt (shakk), anger (shukht), anxiousness (hirs), displeasure (kar?hiya), grief
(ghamm), sorrow (hazan), desirousness fear (rahba), and carnal
(raghba),
longings (shahaw?t).
41

Leonard Librande
at every fork in the road. For Ibn Ab? al-Duny? in the third/ninth
century, the Qur'?n s message had altered forever the view of fate as
fickle and unpredictable, declaring God's interest in this world to be
certain and reliable.
But Ibn Ab? al-Duny?'s approach differs from the conventional
understanding of the Qur'?n s message. The Muslim here is not first
the mumin who acknowledges reasons in the Qur'?n to trust, but the
m?qin who finds reasons in the Book and God's signs to be certain.
Im?n is not the primary virtue for a moral life; yaq?n is. Trust or
faith is only possible when the individual recognizes even a "speck" of
certainty regarding God's willingness to determine and sustain reality.
Out of this certainty comes the confidence to ask God for protection,
to turn one's fear of God into a for works, to mode
prompt practice
racy toward this world, to be and etc.
patient persevere,
Ibn Ab? al-Duny? viewed yaq?n to possess a fundamental role in
a
providing footing for the other moral virtues. This relates directly to
the special attention he paid here to virtues aimed at the moral beha
viour of individuals. So godly virtues like shukr and its opposite kufr
which are responses to God are not prominent in Ibn Ab? al-Duny?'s
on he most of his time on the
presentation yaq?n; spent commenting
moral virtues that are practicable for the individual and the vices that
are avoidable.
He singled out the human propensity for fear, caution, trembling,
doubt, anger and anxiousness in the face of the
wavering, challenge
to be moral. These were all to the of fate that
responses uncertainty
were common in pre-Islamic times. Simply stated, Ibn Ab? al-Duny?
held up a effective approach to morality inwhich a new certainty, one
based on God's revealed role in contradistinction to fate's, is the reason
to be moral. The outcome is an approach to moral behaviour which is
to the human situation and on the extra
responsive typical capitalizes
ordinary shift which the Qur'?n had prompted in pre-Islamic views.
Dr. Leonard Librande

(Carleton University)
42


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Maisonneuve & Larose

Ibn Abī al-Dunyā: Certainty and Morality

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Ibn Abi al-Duny?: Certainty and Morality

The Kit?b al-yaq?nx by Ibn Ab? al-Duny? (208/823-281/894)2 is a

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publishers' and editors' introductory remarks,7 they look to Ibn Ab?

champion for a particular approach to the conduct of a moral life, and

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Asiatic 1938; A.J. Arberry, "Ibn Abi 1-Duny? on Penitence," Journal

?poque ?taient curieux de tout ce qui pouvait enrichir leurs connaissances."

ausgebreiteten gelehrten T?tigkeit aus."

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not object to the many tutor was

it does mark Ibn Ab? al-Duny? as an ad?b and a moralist.19

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Wagtendonk's research on fasting27 helps visualize the kind of

Although here [atwhich point he refers to various verses from

you, women who have surrendered, obedient, devout,

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According to this, moderacy is still an occasion for being serious at

Therefore, what Mohammed may have taken from Syrian

God's Judgement and the practice of voluntary fasting, the giving

Thisvery much reflects Kinberg s argument31 that Ibn Ab? al

30. Ibid., 131.

(Leiden:EJ. Brill, 1994), 31-33.

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rhetorical interest of Ibn Ab? al-Duny?'s works to persuade and edify

ting standards required by the lawyer for mutaw?tir materials.33 He

B. Hallaq, "The of Had?th: a Pseudo

authorship of earlyhad?th (Cambridge:Cambridge University Press, 1983), 184,

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report is conveniently known by the descriptive al-sidd?q meaning

Thereport also provides the first example of yaq?n s correlation

42. See Toshihito Izutsu, Ethico-Religious in the Quran (Montreal:

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Thechoice of the two verbs in the context of these terms clearly

55. Hilyat, I, 61-87.

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like the Qur'?n58 ? not just as any knowledge, but as an objective,

Theobject of ?man is certain because it is revealed in the very

58. W. Watt, Bells Introduction to the Quran

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certainty is entirely appropriate in its case. As a religion Islam did not,

63. On Understanding Islam (New York:Mouton Publishers, 1981), 133.

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and Ethics is objective or logical certainness while certitude relates to

69. Hastings, III, 320. Hastings' elsewhere uses the term

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Thus, as the Companion Abu al-Dard?' (d. 32/652)75 relates

ba$sara-hu al-amra ...He rendered it evident..." (Lane, I, 210).

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Islam appropriated the meanings of both terms to its particular vision

The Eleventh Report. This report82 recounts the familiar story of

81. Izutsu, Concepts, 31.

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activity or behaviour that is advanced for example, supererogatory

Qur'?n is presented as either

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