The Book of Assistance

Imam Abdullah ibn Alawi al-Haddad lived in Tarim, in the Hadramaut valley between Yemen and Oman and is widely held to have been ‘the Renewer’ of the faith of the twelfth Islamic century. A direct descendant of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), he was renowned as an authority in all the Islamic sciences and in Sufism.

The hallmark of Imam al-Haddad’s is that he writes in a clear fashion, using an economy of words, which makes this book easy to read. The excellent translation by Mostafa al-Badawi aids this outcome.

The book is written for Muslims, advising what is required in each aspect of their religion, each contained in short chapters, commencing with Certainty and Intention, moving through such subjects as Remembrance, Reflection and Religious Obligations, and completing with such subjects as Kindness, Charity, Divine Love and Contentment. As the book is written from the perspective of the ‘Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Jama’a’ (the majority of Muslims who follow the Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) example), these subjects are presented from the ‘middle way’ of Islam, that accepted by the majority of Muslims.

As the author was a relative late-comer in Muslim history, the book includes a wide range of relevant and helpful supporting information.

The outcome is an authoritative guide, allowing Muslims to inform, review and more completely practice their religion.