This book is one of a series about "Tibb al-Qulub", the Medicine of the Hearts. It is a collection of selected passages from the writings of Ibn al-Qayyim (d. 751 AH, rahimahullah) and his teacher, Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (d. 728 AH, rahimahullah), explaining key concepts from the Qur'an and Sunnah about self-purification, strengthening the heart, and refining moral character.
This first book in the series discusses the states of the heart, the forces at war within it, and the means the two Imams describe for strengthening it against what would corrupt it.
Why "War Within" Is the Right Description
Because that is exactly how these two scholars framed it. The heart, in their treatment, is genuinely contested ground — between the pull of the lower self (an-nafs al-ammarah), the whispering of Shaytan, and the angels who inspire toward good. Nothing about spiritual life, in their account, is passive.
That framing is more honest than most popular writing on the subject, which tends to describe spiritual growth as a straightforward accumulation of good habits. Ibn al-Qayyim and Ibn Taymiyyah describe it as a genuine contest, won or lost repeatedly.
What Is Covered
The nature of the heart and its various states, the roles of the self, the angels and the devils in shaping a person's choices, and the practical means — drawn from the Qur'an and Sunnah — for strengthening the heart in that ongoing contest.
Who It Is For
Any Muslim engaged in the ordinary struggle against their own weaknesses, and readers of Ibn al-Qayyim's fuller works looking for a more accessible entry point.
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