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Disciplining The Soul
Know that all the facets of mankind's disposition are for their benefit - either directly such as the desire for food, or indirectly by preventing harm, such as the capacity for anger. However, when these natural impulses are not moderated it culminates in harm. If the desire for food is excessive it leads to gluttony. Similarly when anger is uncontrolled it leads to transgression. The aim should be to achieve equilibrium of the soul, to allow the faithful to approach God without distraction. The author addresses many spiritual diseases - such as envy, greed, uncontrolled lust, sexual desire, arrogance, gluttony, anger, stinginess, extravagance, vanity and attachment to this world. He also discusses the qualities that the seeker of God must acquire - such as love, self discipline, humility, self-criticism, improvement of character, patience and truthfulness. In a simple yet effective way he shows the wayfarers how to cure their spiritual diseases and acquire the necessary qualities for their journey to Allah. This masterpiece has been divided into thirty chapters to facilitate the reader's comprehension. Important points are highlighted using anecdotes from the early righteous predecessors. The author, Ibn al-Jawzi (d. 597 AH) was an erudiate scholar of the Hanbali madhab.
112 pages, Paperback
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
September 10, 2023
“ It (the worldly life) is founded on distress yet you want it, free of harm and distress.”
March 29, 2023
"Al-Hasan al-Başri said, "Death has exposed this dunya (world). It did not leave any happiness in it for the sane."
SubhanAllah, pertinent read.. all on the dispraise of bad characteristics that we people are tested by. It's especially helpful for me because of some of my own struggles lately with trying to learn things, make more use of time, give up what is futile, and how to react in patience testing situations. It's also beneficial to know how to address other feelings that creep in, so if they do then they cannot persist. The man has been made with intellect, desire drives him mad until it overpowers the mind and make the man's drive animalistic, removing from him his nobility, honour, and dignity thereby. It is upon us to fight all that attempts to get in the way of the fact that we are the best of creation, above all else, and to not let desire reduce us to behaving like animals, who act on impulse and without deliberation, but to also have courage and fight fear and negative emotions like that when necessary too.
Ibn Jawzi رحمه الله is a timeless author (for the most part), even reading his 1056 page book, Captured Thoughts, cannot satisfy the wisdom that he was clearly blessed with.
"Know that what calls to sorrow and sadness is Hawa not the mind, simply because the mind does not call to that which is not useful. One should know that the matter, eventually, will after some time, get easier after some time, therefore he should strive to bring forward that which is supposed to happen then (i.e. comfort) so that he relaxes during the time of difficulty until such ease and comfort is achieved. One of the things that make sorrow and sadness disappear is knowing that it is useless, believing in its reward and remembering those who are afflicted with worse misfortunes."
SubhanAllah, pertinent read.. all on the dispraise of bad characteristics that we people are tested by. It's especially helpful for me because of some of my own struggles lately with trying to learn things, make more use of time, give up what is futile, and how to react in patience testing situations. It's also beneficial to know how to address other feelings that creep in, so if they do then they cannot persist. The man has been made with intellect, desire drives him mad until it overpowers the mind and make the man's drive animalistic, removing from him his nobility, honour, and dignity thereby. It is upon us to fight all that attempts to get in the way of the fact that we are the best of creation, above all else, and to not let desire reduce us to behaving like animals, who act on impulse and without deliberation, but to also have courage and fight fear and negative emotions like that when necessary too.
Ibn Jawzi رحمه الله is a timeless author (for the most part), even reading his 1056 page book, Captured Thoughts, cannot satisfy the wisdom that he was clearly blessed with.
"Know that what calls to sorrow and sadness is Hawa not the mind, simply because the mind does not call to that which is not useful. One should know that the matter, eventually, will after some time, get easier after some time, therefore he should strive to bring forward that which is supposed to happen then (i.e. comfort) so that he relaxes during the time of difficulty until such ease and comfort is achieved. One of the things that make sorrow and sadness disappear is knowing that it is useless, believing in its reward and remembering those who are afflicted with worse misfortunes."
December 29, 2022
a beneficial book that i hope to return to casually as i found the chapters on excessive sadness, excessive anger, excessive fear, and excessive happiness (and much more) very interesting.
however, i think it is the job of the translator in the translator's foreword or in the footnotes to make clear terms which may be hard to translate and the eng translation can be problematic in today's age, or a non Muslim/ a Muslim without basic knowledge on old customs, reading a passage which mentions slave girls might raise some alarms for them and go down a dangerous path.
i believe the Arabic would'v been a 4 star, but this one is a 3.75.
however, i think it is the job of the translator in the translator's foreword or in the footnotes to make clear terms which may be hard to translate and the eng translation can be problematic in today's age, or a non Muslim/ a Muslim without basic knowledge on old customs, reading a passage which mentions slave girls might raise some alarms for them and go down a dangerous path.
i believe the Arabic would'v been a 4 star, but this one is a 3.75.
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March 14, 2024particularly enjoyed reading the Islamic perspective on excessive thinking, worrying and fear since this is something I could relate to lmao😭 but overall this was a nice read since it covered a lot of topics but kept it short and concise, however it was a little wordy at times
July 9, 2023
I was truly enjoying this and finding it really helpful and knowledgable, until I reached the chapter on “disciplining” wives. I found it extremely uncomfortable and distasteful the way the author wrote about how husbands should treat their wives. For example, they should not joke with them, they should not give them their money, not let them leave the house, make sure their wife is a virgin (doesn’t matter if the husband himself is a virgin or not), and if the husband is still not satisfied with her he can buy as many slave girls as he wants and “enjoy” himself as much as he wants.
As a book centred around the teachings of the Holy Prophet (saw) and Islam, I was appalled when I read what the author wrote about women. He wrote about them like they were objects that should be played with and should not be given any responsibility of their own; which by the way goes against everything Islam says about women.
The chapter on how to discipline children also made me uncomfortable. Mostly because of the fact that it solely focused on how a father should treat his son. There was no mention of mothers or daughters. Apparently a father should forbid his son from wearing colourful clothes as they are “girly” and he should not read love poetry as it would make him “weak”. That sounds like the origin story of every misogynistic and abusive man.
I understand that this book was written during the time when women were seen as nothing more as a means to have children and had no rights. But someone who was as knowledgable about Islam and the Holy Quran as the author was, I expected a lot more. You would think that a person who has deeply studied the Quran would be the one who has the most knowledge on the rights of women and children.
Another thing that bothered me was how the author treated everything like a disease. Happiness, sadness, joy, failure etc etc are all diseases that need to be “cured”. And to an extent I understand that. It is in human nature to feel these things. All of us are in one way or another stubborn, arrogant, selfish, greedy etc and we should always strive to let go of these attributes. However, the author pointed out that if one does not overcome these flaws they will be cast into the Hellfire. Honestly, I find that demotivating. As someone who is trying to work on herself, being told that if I don’t succeed in become 100% perfect I will be thrown into hell is not a fun thought; it just makes me feel like “well what’s the point of working so hard on myself if I’m gonna go to hell anyway?”
I have no doubt that the author had the best intentions whilst writing this book, and may Allah (swt) grant him jannah and forgive him if he made any mistakes (and forgive me too if my judgement is incorrect).
As a book centred around the teachings of the Holy Prophet (saw) and Islam, I was appalled when I read what the author wrote about women. He wrote about them like they were objects that should be played with and should not be given any responsibility of their own; which by the way goes against everything Islam says about women.
The chapter on how to discipline children also made me uncomfortable. Mostly because of the fact that it solely focused on how a father should treat his son. There was no mention of mothers or daughters. Apparently a father should forbid his son from wearing colourful clothes as they are “girly” and he should not read love poetry as it would make him “weak”. That sounds like the origin story of every misogynistic and abusive man.
I understand that this book was written during the time when women were seen as nothing more as a means to have children and had no rights. But someone who was as knowledgable about Islam and the Holy Quran as the author was, I expected a lot more. You would think that a person who has deeply studied the Quran would be the one who has the most knowledge on the rights of women and children.
Another thing that bothered me was how the author treated everything like a disease. Happiness, sadness, joy, failure etc etc are all diseases that need to be “cured”. And to an extent I understand that. It is in human nature to feel these things. All of us are in one way or another stubborn, arrogant, selfish, greedy etc and we should always strive to let go of these attributes. However, the author pointed out that if one does not overcome these flaws they will be cast into the Hellfire. Honestly, I find that demotivating. As someone who is trying to work on herself, being told that if I don’t succeed in become 100% perfect I will be thrown into hell is not a fun thought; it just makes me feel like “well what’s the point of working so hard on myself if I’m gonna go to hell anyway?”
I have no doubt that the author had the best intentions whilst writing this book, and may Allah (swt) grant him jannah and forgive him if he made any mistakes (and forgive me too if my judgement is incorrect).
February 6, 2025
This book covers a lot of spiritual issues like envy, greed, and anger. In my opinion,it felt a bit rushed at times, and I would have liked it to dive deeper in certain parts. A few things towards the end made me feel uncomfortable.
November 25, 2021
Consider my soul disciplined. الحمد لله
March 12, 2025
Though the book provides firm moral guidance, it often lacks emotional depth. The later chapters, especially in how they portray women and others outside the male experience, felt dehumanizing and hard to reconcile with.
March 26, 2025
it was cool to see some takes and was definitely also cool seeing that some human traits are timeless. the ending of the book felt extreme, but maybe that's something i have to deal with.
November 9, 2025
Amazing book, never knew I could rate the religious books I’ve read. 10/10. The book dwells deeply into the dangers of excessiveness. Things we do everyday like eating, which is definitely an issue at hand right now. We have mukbangers everywhere!! I feel like this was more of a book i took some wisdom from. Had to jot some notes down and highlight rather unlike other book I read for entertainment, I found it highly beneficial :)!
January 13, 2025
"Discipling the Soul" by Ibn Jawzi provides invaluable guidance for a meaningful life, both in this world and the hereafter. It offers practical insights for navigating personal, emotional, and social dimensions. A truly inspiring read that I will undoubtedly revisit for motivation and renewed focus.
July 9, 2024
So so good, last chapter or so felt very off and I really wished he discussed daughters as well as sons when it came to positive parenting but given this was over 1000 years old I’ll give it more than a pass.
October 28, 2021
‘How many desires ripped from their participants the garment of religion and virtue’.
Some many beneficial reminders subhanallah. Definitely a book that one can refer back to.
Some many beneficial reminders subhanallah. Definitely a book that one can refer back to.
October 2, 2024
Amazing work by Ibn al-Jawzi (rahi mullah).
January 28, 2025
veryy good for the nafs I need to go back to this book alot bc theres so much I need to learn and implement
November 14, 2025
It is one of those quick reminder type books. Another gem from Imam ibn al-Jawzi, excellent job by Darus Sunnah Team!
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January 1, 2026recommended ❤️❤️
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews