Ranks of The Elite Vol 2 By Imam Ibn al-Jawzi

The second volume of Imam Ibn al-Jawzi's Sifat al-Safwah — his refined abridgement of al-Asbahani's Hilyat al-Awliya — expands the biographical record to over 250 figures, moving from the cities of the Hijaz outward to Yemen, Damascus, Baghdad, and the broader Islamic world. Each figure is selected for their knowledge, piety, sacrifice, and scholarship — people who carried the religion through the generations after the Companions with integrity and distinction.

Ranks of the Elite (Volume 2) opens with the noble wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and outstanding female Companions — a distinctive feature that makes this volume particularly rich for understanding the women of the first generations of Islam.

What This Book Covers

The Noble Wives of the Prophet and Female Companions

Ibn al-Jawzi opens this volume with the Mothers of the Believers — the Prophet's wives — and selected female Companions known for their scholarship, worship, and piety. Their biographies are among the most carefully preserved in the Islamic tradition and among the least known to English-speaking audiences.

Scholars and Worshippers of Madinah and Makkah

The volume then moves through the great scholars and worshippers of the two holy cities — figures from the Tabi'een and their successors who lived and taught in the most blessed places on earth and whose proximity to the sources of revelation shaped their learning.

Scholars from Damascus, Baghdad, and Beyond

The Islamic world expanded rapidly in the generations after the Prophet, and so did its scholarship. This volume covers major figures from Syria, Iraq, and surrounding regions — demonstrating the geographic breadth of Islamic learning in its classical period and the consistency of the tradition across those distances.

About the Author

Imam Ibn al-Jawzi (510–597 AH / 1116–1201 CE) was born and taught in Baghdad, where he was known as a preacher whose gatherings drew large crowds. He wrote several hundred works across hadith, biography, tafsir and the heart sciences. Published by Dar as-Sunnah Publishers.

Who This Book Is For

The continuation of Volume 1 — for anyone reading the complete Sifat al-Safwah series. Particularly valuable for its coverage of the women of the first generations and its breadth across the Islamic world. Suited for students of Islamic history, those seeking spiritual inspiration from the lives of the righteous, and Muslim women who want to know the female Companions and Mothers of the Believers in depth.

Continue Reading

The set begins with Ranks of the Elite Volume 1, which covers the Companions promised Paradise and the major Tabi'een. Browse more works by Ibn al-Jawzi. For more on the women of the first generations, see The Illustrious Women of Islam and our guide to the best Islamic books for Muslim women.