A Guide to a Life of Moral Integrity

The tenth-century Bustān al-ʿārifīn is a manual for believers in which the jurist Abū al-Layth al-Samarqandī (from Balkh and Samarqand, d. ca. 986) offers counsel on religio-legal questions. The text is composed of 159 chapters, most of which open with a question about Islamic law and answer it by offering contrasting scholarly opinions and then establishing where Hanafi law stands on the question. The strong moral character of Bustān al-ʿārifīn derives from the aspiration of Islam to cover every possible human contingency, from birth to death and beyond, in the grace of God. Examples of the concerns in the text are whether one can have dealings with non-Muslims, when to invoke God in prayer, staying clear of exposing oneself to suspicion, the aversion to spitting in the mosque, the interpretation of dreams, and whether it is allowed to play the tambourine, kiss a child, accept a gift from rulers, or wail for the dead. Despite its considerable currency among past and present-day Muslims, little study has been devoted to Bustān al-ʿārifīn, much less a translation. The translation of the text is accompanied by an introduction to its literary and historical contexts and an accessible commentary exploring the larger themes encountered in the work.