The Refinement of Character By Imam Ibn Qudamah al-Maqdisi (d.689H)

The fourth volume of Imam Ibn Qudamah al-Maqdisi's series addresses the refinement of outward character — the Islamic etiquettes governing eating, companionship, marriage, earning a livelihood, travel, enjoining good and forbidding evil, and the other dimensions of a Muslim's social and daily life that reflect the character of their inner formation.

The Refinement of Character understands that tazkiyah is not only internal. A soul that has been genuinely purified expresses itself in refined outward conduct — and these chapters address that outward expression in the detail it requires.

What This Book Covers

The Ethics of Eating

The Islamic etiquettes of food — what to eat, how much, with whom, and with what intention — are addressed from their Sunnah basis. Ibn Qudamah connects the etiquettes of eating to the health of the heart, establishing that excessive eating in particular dulls the heart and weakens worship.

The Ethics of Companionship and Social Life

How to choose companions, how to conduct oneself in their presence, the rights of brotherhood in Islam, the etiquettes of speech and silence, and the Islamic guidance on gatherings — all addressed with their textual basis and practical application.

Marriage, Earning, Travel, and More

The remaining chapters address the other major domains of social life: the etiquettes of marriage and the rights of spouses, the Islamic framework for earning a livelihood and avoiding the prohibited, the conduct of the traveler, and the obligation to enjoin what is good and forbid what is evil.

About the Author

Imam Ibn Qudamah al-Maqdisi (541–620 AH) was one of the greatest scholars of the Hanbali school. Published by Dar as-Sunnah Publishers.

Who This Book Is For

Muslims who want their Islamic character to be expressed in the details of daily conduct, not just in acts of formal worship. Part of the Ibn Qudamah series on the heart sciences and character.