Misbah al-Shari‘ah: A Commentary on “The Lantern of the Path” (Misbah al-Shari‘ah) Attributed to Imam Ja‘far al-Sadiq (‘a) (Islamic Mysticism ('Irfan))

This treatise is a commentary on Misbah al-ShariÔah (Lantern of the Path) attributed to Imam JaÔfar al-Sadiq (Ôa), which is written by His Eminence ÔAllamah Hasan Mustafawi, who was himself a man of divine gnosis and mystical knowledge. For citation purposes, this commentary is conspicuously and amply embellished with relevant elegant Persian poetical lines.

As a classic text on the science of ethics (Ôilm al-akhlaq) and purification of the soul (tazkiyyat al-nafs), Misbah al-ShariÔah covers a wide range of subjects that include:

degrees of the heartÕs secrets; intention (niyyah); remembrance (dhikr); gratitude (shukr); God-wariness (taqwaÕ); remembrance of death; reckoning; entrustment; certainty (yaqin); fear and hope; being pleasing and pleased (ridaÕ); gnosis (maÔrifah); love of God and love for His sake; yearning; wisdom; the essence of servanthood (Ôubudiyyah);
garment; toothstick (miswak); using the lavatory; purification (taharah); leaving oneÕs home; entering the mosque; eating and drinking; walking and lowering the gaze; sleeping and rest; sociability; speech;
different actions in the ritual prayer; fasting; pilgrimage; charity; physical wellbeing; seclusion; worship; reflection; silence; contentment; greed; abstinence; piety; heedfulness;
generosity; brotherhood; consultation; forbearance; humility; following a model; pardon; exemplary character; knowledge; recognizing the prophets, guides (aÕimmah), and companions (sahabah); honoring the believers;
goodness to parents; exhortation; admonition; truthfulness; trust in God (tawakkul); sincerity; acknowledgment of ignorance; repentance; struggle and self-discipline; tribulation; patience; sorrow; modesty;
arrogance; hypocrisy; reason and desire; satanic insinuation (waswasah); self-admiration (Ôujb); praising and reproaching; disputation; backbiting; showing off; envy and covetousness; corruption; false claim; giving judgment; enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil; and blemish of scholars and QurÕan reciters.