The book contains some very powerful counsel and is a deep source knowledge, guidance and inspiration - Rated 
The book is divided into two sections. The first section is titled "Mutual Reminding" and is described in the book as "The treatise of Mutual Reminding among loving brothers, people of goodness and religion". It was dictated by the author when he was twenty five years old. He explains that the foundation of mutual reminding is taqwa (described as an active consciousness and fear of God) and detachment from worldly matters. Further along he focuses on the factors which inhibit this taqwa which are ignorance, weakness of faith, long hopes and illicit and dubious sources of sustenance.
The first treatise starts by talking about taqwa and it's importance. It then goes on to discuss the fear of God and quotes a series of Quranic verses in this regard. A number topics related to taqwa are then discussed some of these include: the meaning of taqwa, the recompense of works, delight in obedience, sincerity and ostentation. These are very short sections consisting of a few paragraphs and are easily understood.
The first treatise concludes by warning against prioritizing this world over the Hereafter. First Quranic verses are mentioned in this regard, then hadith of the Prophet (May Allah bless him and grant him peace) and finally the words of the sages of Islam.
The content of the second treatise can be very succinctly described by quoting the author who once said "The path's outward [dimension] is knowledge; its inward is understanding; its yield is a secret; and its ultimate end is to lose oneself in God." [1] The translator goes on to say that the second treatise is "to do with the first two of these four." [2] The full title of the treaty is `The treatise on the Good Manners of the spiritual disciple's wayfaring'.
The second treatise consists of eighteen short sections which talk about different aspects of the manners required of the spiritual wayfarer. The first section is titled: `The beginning of the path is a powerful urge of divine origin which should be strengthened, protected and responded to' - in this section referring to this urge the author says:
"He whom God honors with such a noble urge must know how precious it is. Let him also know that it is one of the greatest favors of God, Exalted is He, such that he will never fully know how truly precious it is, nor will he ever be able to show gratitude enough for it... How many a Muslim reaches the age of eighty or more and neither finds this yearning nor is affected by it a single day of his life!" [3]
As in the first treatise there follows a series of topics all consisting of a few paragraphs which carry the same theme forward. Some of these sections are: Repentance, its conditions, and protecting oneself from sins, The states of the soul and being patient and Being patient when harmed by others and being wary of being tempted by them. All of these sections consist of clear and insightful advice for the wayfarer.
In the section titled Repentance, its conditions, and protecting oneself from sins the author says the following:
"The body is a target for disease, soon to be destroyed by death. Its death, however, means only that one has to leave this grief and anxiety-laden world. But if the heart is ruined, the Hereafter is ruined. The only one to be rescued from the wrath of God and gain His rewards and win His pleasure will be the one who comes to Him with a heart that is "whole"" [4].
In another section which warns against being deceived by this world the author says:
"Know that hearing and eyesight are two open doors, whatever enters through them reaches the heart. How many a thing does a man hear or see, which he should not have, but once they have entered the heart, it proves difficult to remove? For the heart is rapidly affected by what enters it, then the effect is difficult to erase." [5]
The book contains some very powerful counsel and is a deep source knowledge, guidance and inspiration. The surprising aspect of this book is that it covers such a broad range of topics and describes the most important aspects of that topic in a few paragraphs.
The original treatises were written over three hundred and fifty years ago but the words are as relevant today as when they were first written.
References
[1] Imam Abdallah ibn Alawi al-Haddad. Two Treatises: Mutual Reminding & Good Manners. Starlatch Press. 2002 - page xiii.
[2] ibid - page xiii.
[3] ibid - page 49-50.
[4] ibid - page 51.
[5] ibid - page 54.
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