Authored at a time of spiritual decay and uncertainty around external influences entering the Islamic world, this work is a guide to Islamic ethics and spirituality within Islamic law. An abridgment of the longer original, these 40 essential principles making up the book illustrate the balance between shariah, fiqh, and tasawwuf – an important measure to strive for seekers intent on sincerity in everything they do.

The well-known maxim “No tasawwuf without fiqh, and no fiqh without tasawwuf” exudes from each principle, as Sidi Aḥmad Zarrūq potently demonstrates the need for a spiritual guide to properly ground one’s actions. Each principle therefore invites the reader to deep introspection and affords the opportunity to tread upon the path of the awliya’.