Essentials of Islam

By Ahmad ibn Zayn al Habashi

Translated by Shaykh Abdul Aziz Ahmed.

For over three centuries the text al-Risalah al-Jamiah has been used across the Muslim world as a ‘primer’ for people embarking upon the study of Islam and its key principles. This is a thorough yet concise manual, which navigates the reader carefully through the essential elements of Aqida, Fiqh (of the classical Shafi’i school of law) and Tasawwuf, making it an invaluable resource for people seeking knowledge, clarity and guidance.

The translation, accompanied by the original Arabic, has made this classical work even more accessible by being rendered into the English Language. Its style and manner makes it easy for the reader to follow the basic principles without any prior knowledge or reading of Islam.

The Author

The text was penned by one of the greatest sages of Hadramaut, Shaykh Ahmed ibn Zayn al Habashi (b.1069H/1659CE). A man of great character and learning, he spent forty years under the tutelage of the blessed Imam Abdullah bin Alawi al Haddad who described him as,‘The learned ascetic who was sent to me’, alluding to his mastery of the Islamic Sciences as well as Tasawwuf.

Dedicated to the pursuit and promotion of knowledge from an early age, he was known not only for his wisdom and scholarship, but also for the establishment of mosques across the ancient region of Hadramaut. To this day his works remain as a testament to the calibre of his scholarship and rank among the Awliyaa. He died on 19th Sha’ban 1145H, on a Friday.