Risalatul Haq: A Discussion About Old Age and Death is a short thesis written by Habib Ali bin Isa bin Abdulkader Alhadad in the 1970s. Now translated for the first time in English and available in USA and South East Asia. Edited by Habib Ali’s son, Abdulkader Alhadad (editor and publisher of Treatise on Discipline in the Path of The Seeker (Risalatul Murid).

From the Foreword by Habib Ali’s son:

“A Muslim should not wait for the time when one is considered old to think that death is near. Whilst only Allah, the Exalted, knows when a person’s time is due, knowing the deeds to perform when one is sick, visiting the sick or approaching death helps us to remember Allah, the Most Merciful, and makes it easy for the sick and dying person to cope with the process of death. Everyone should be aware and be prepared for the unexpected death of his or her family member, young or old and the practices during such difficult times as conducted by the Prophet, may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him.”

This book includes some of the prayers and invocations that Imam Abdullah bin Alawi Alhaddad, may Allah be pleased with him, compiled.

Chapter titles:

1. The Sick – Manners and Conduct in Visiting
2. When Death Approaches
3. Prepare the Deceased Before Bath
4. The Funeral Prayers
5. Death and the Burial
6. Visiting the Grave
7. The Living may Help the Dead!
8. First Night in the Grave
9. The Spirit (Soul) [Ruh] Journey after Death

To order your copies, please send us a message here, include your mailing address and quantity: Book Reservation

UPDATE: You can now order the book online here: https://www.wepay.com/stores/al-haddad (US only). For international orders please provide your mailing address and contact information here: http://bit.ly/_contact_us

Price: US$10 + $5 shipping within USA. Canada & International shipping will vary.

Risalatul Haq and Risalatul Murid are available exclusively in North America through IslamCrunch.

These books are not sold for profit. All funds will be channelled into publishing more books from the Maqam of Imam Al-Haddad and the Charity of Habib Isa bin Abdulkader bin Ahmad Alhadad.

To donate: https://www.wepay.com/donations/Al-Haddad-Books 

A new English translation of a classic text from Imam Abdullah bin Alawi Al-Haddad is now available in the US in limited copies: Treatise on Discipline in the Path of The Seeker (Risalatul Murid). Translation by Muhammad Mmamali Adam, Edited & Published by Abdulkader Ali Esa Alhadad. This book was first translated 10 years ago and was given a new edit for this publishing.

This publishing has been approved by the Maqam of Imam Al-Haddad.

The first few copies are available in the San Francisco Bay Area. If you are interested, please send a message here, please include your Bay Area location: Book Reservation (cash only)

More copies will be made available and will be sold online. These books are not sold for profit. All funds will be channelled into publishing more books. The publisher intends to publish at least 1 book a year from the Maqam of Imam Al-Haddad.

UPDATE: You can now order the book online here: https://www.wepay.com/stores/al-haddad (USA only). For international orders please provide your mailing address and contact information here: http://bit.ly/_contact_us

From the author’s preface:

“… O dear student, seeker, who wish to present himself before your Lord; you should know, indeed, that when you ask me for advice in relation to the path that you are seeking, I feel at this point there is nothing ready for presentation. However, I do feel that I should forward a few points, short and simple, on the manners and the way in which a student seeker thread the path to Allah, the Exalted, with some brief uncomplicated statements.”

Table of Contents:

New book release, translation, commentary and notes by Imam Zaid Shakir!

The translation, notes, and commentary of Imam al-Harith al-Muhasibi’s Risala al-Mustarshidin (Treatise For The Seekers Of Guidance) by Imam Zaid Shakir is intended to serve as a layman’s guide to Islamic spirituality. Al – Muhasibi presents most of the major ideas that would both serve as the basis for a full program of spiritual development and comprise an insightful overview of a system of Islamic moral psychology. He examines in great depth and penetrating insight the psychological motivations and justifications for moral thought and action and correspondingly the associated bases of immorality. In so doing, he has provided a road map that any person can follow to overcome the guiles of his fundamental enemies: the world, the ego, the whims of the soul, and Satan.

Reviews
“There is no way to know how much of traditional Islamic scholarship has been lost forever in libraries that have been burned, looted or destroyed. Other manuscripts lay forgotten in dusty archives, unread and untranslated. New literary works such as “A Treatise for the Seekers of Guidance” seek to preserve a part of Islamic heritage and are astoundingly relevant to our homes and society today. –Dr. Noreen Kassem, July 25, 2008

Powerful and magnetic … it is difficult to put this book down. An essential primer for self-rectification and drawing closer to the divine, this is a highly accessible translation of a classical Islamic text that provides ample guidance and advice for souls longing for spiritual nourishment and refinement amid the prevailing state of social and moral disintegration. This book not only offers definitive counsels on rectifying the self and becoming responsible and dignified human beings, but it also showcases the moral and ethical standards which Islam calls to. Imam Zaid Shakir has done a tremendous service in rendering this crucial text into the English language. –Aftab Ahmad Malik, Visiting Fellow – DEPARTMENT OF CULTURE & ETHNICITY, UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM

About the Author
Imam Abu Abdullah al-Harith bin Asad al-Muhasibi was born in the important Iraqi port city of Basra. No one has ascertained the date of Imam al-Muhasibi s birth with certainty. It is considered to be between 165/781 and 170/786. Scholars are more certain concerning his death, agreeing that he passed away in 243/857 at Baghdad. At the time of his birth, Basra was a city whose bustling port and vibrant intellectual life rendered it a major cosmopolitan center of great significance. However, it is unlikely that Imam al-Muhasibi benefited from the intellectual life of the city for he appears to have moved to Baghdad at an early age. There he received a very thorough education. His writings not only reveal his mastery of Islamic orthodox scholarship and traditions, but also a deep knowledge of the philosophical and rational thought of both the heretical Muslim sects as well as a credible knowledge of Jewish and Christian theology. He would spend his career in Baghdad and be a full participant its tumultuous intellectual activity.

Cover design by IslamCrunch’s Creative Director.

Kitaba is a new website promoting the needs of visually impaired Muslims in their search of sacred knowledge. IslamCrunch is a big supporter of sacred knowledge and we would like to highlight the efforts of Kitaba. Check out their mission statement:

“We have established a social enterprise community project dedicated to empowering and promoting the growth and well-being of visually impaired Muslims and their communities through meeting their religious, educational and developmental needs, thereby advancing accessibility and awareness. Our primary focus is on providing accessibility to information and knowledge relevant to their Islamic needs. We also support families, teachers and other service providers who are supporting Muslims with a visual impairment.”

And about Kitaba:

“We at the Islamic Texts for the Blind believe that all people with visual impairments should be empowered and should be able to participate fully in cultural, community and religious activities. We recognise that Muslims with visual impairments have to overcome many barriers.”

To support Kitaba, become a member – it’s easy to do and it’s free. Membership is open to our service users, volunteers, network agencies, partners, voluntary organisations and mainstream service providers. As a member, you will be kept up to date with all the latest news and events and you will be invited to the Annual General Meeting.

To find out more about Kitaba, visit http://www.kitaba.org and add Sidi Adnan Tariq on Facebook (read his inspirational story here: http://www.kitaba.org/Stories/AdnanTariq.aspx). You can visit his personal blog here: http://www.adnant.wordpress.com/

Imam Zaid Shakir discusses the latest New Islamic Directions publication: Dear Self. This engaging book is written by Imam Zaid’s mother, Richelene Mitchell, with an introduction by Imam Zaid. Here is a video where Imam Zaid discusses the values, ideas and benefits of the book:

http://tv.muxlim.com/video/04wsGUm6iZe

Here is a description of the book:

Dear Self is the penetrating journal of Richelene Mitchell, a young African American mother of seven struggling to raise her children while wrestling with the burden of poverty, callous public policy, and both overt and subtle manifestations of entrenched, institutionalized racism America. Mitchell was born in the rural south, the daughter of an African American sharecropper. She would venture to the northern ghetto of Philadelphia to enhance her educational opportunities. Hence, her early life was shaped by the twin forces defining African America life in the twentieth century: the rural south and the urban north. Mitchell’s promising academic career was curtailed by an eventually failed marriage that rendered her a single mother of seven children living in a sprawling public housing project. Forced to deal with the humiliation of public assistance, she chronicled a year of her life, 1973, in this penetrating journal. Though written over twenty years ago, her intimate experience with and intricate insights into the informing and penetrating light on race reality faced by an expanding American underclass are as relevant today as they were then. She sheds light on poverty, mothering, gender relations and many other pertinent issues. This book is a valuable resource for all of those seeking to understand the reality faced by millions of Americans whose plight rarely finds an informed and articulate voice.

Read more about the book on Imam Zaid’s blog post: Dear Self – A Year in the Life of a Welfare Mother

Dear Self: A Year in the Life of a Welfare Mother has been selected as a Bronze winner for the Foreword Magazine Book of the Year Award. See the Family and Relationship category at: Foreword Magazine Book of the Year

And, 2008 Next Generation Indie Book Awards winner: Parenting/Family

IslamCrunch is honored that NID commissioned us to design the cover.

You can purchase a copy here: Dear Self: A Year In The Life Of A Welfare Mother

You can view the Youtube version here: Imam Zaid Presents Dear Self