Al-Muḥāsibī on Scrupulousness and the Pursuit of Livelihoods: Two Excerpts from His al-Makāsib waʾl-Waraʿ

Abstract

Adi Setia Al-Muḥāsibī’s concern in his Makāsib is to articulate the dy- namic balance and proper relation between the outward pursuit of livelihoods and the inner cultivation of the spiri- tual virtues, such as tawakkul (reliance on Allāh), waraʿ (scru- pulousness) and ṭāʿa (obedience). Once this balance and rela- tion are understood and put into practice, then it can be seen that the cultivation of the inner virtues is compatible with engagement in the daily life of the world, and even demands it for their realization.