A Wayfarers’ Guide towards Spiritual Well-Being
بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ The following is an extract from “Prescriptions for the Self: A Wayfarer’s Guide towards Spiritual Well-Being” by Shaykh Ahmad ibn Ahmad az-Zarruq ( q.s. ), as translated by Ustadz Luqman ‘Ali. The original document was written as a form of poetry. For easy reading, I have edited the translation into prose so that it is easier to read. Allah ( s.w.t. ) has Made Evident the shortcomings of the self and what it contains in the way of illnesses and turbulence, in the story of Yusuf ( a.s. ) and elsewhere in Surah al-Jatsiyah and Surah an-Nazi’ah, wherein is the forbiddance from following whims and the lower self and from neglecting that which will bring about contentment and intimacy. According to a hadits of Muswthafa ( s.a.w. ), “There are three things concealed in the clay of Adam. They are affliction, desire, and lust.” So, seek refuge in our Lord, the Possessor of Might, through perseverance, dzikr and effor...