Hilyat al-Awliya' wa Tabaqat al-Asfiya' () is a biographical encyclopaedic book authored by Abu Nu'aym al-Isfahani. It provides a glance of the lives of more than 200 saints from the first three generations of Muslims (pious predecessors).
The author explains that he composed this workâÂÂdetailing the lives of ascetics, devout worshippers, and Sufis, and transmitting their aphorisms on religious and ethical lifeâÂÂin order to defend them against misrepresentation and to demonstrate their innocence of the accusations levelled against them. He observes that although certain libertine or incarnationist elements (zandaqa) and unbelievers (kuffÃÂr) had infiltrated these circles, and that criticism by the exoteric scholars (ulama) of such individuals was justified, it was nevertheless erroneous to extend such censure to the virtuous ascetics and Sufis whose piety and moral integrity distinguished them from the heretical fringe.
The Hilyat al-Awliya' is recognized as one of the most important sources for the early development of Sufism, as it contains the largest known collection of biographies of Sufis. It consists of 689 biographies in ten volumes (approx. 4,000 pages). Abà « Nuÿaym followed a roughly chronological order in Ḥilyat al-AwliyÃÂþ, though at times he introduced individuals earlier when he believed them to be of greater merit. The work opens with a discussion on sainthood and Sufism, followed by accounts of the first generation of Muslims, specifically the four Rightly Guided Caliphs and the ten promised Paradise. It then proceeds to include, in roughly chronological order, the first six Imams according to Shia theology, the eponymous founders of three of the four major Sunni schools of jurisprudence, as well as theologians and other pious figures celebrated for their asceticism, devotion, and mysticism. After describing the Companions known for their piety and worship, Abà « Nuÿaym turns to the People of the Veranda (Ahl al-á¹¢uffa) and introduces around twenty-eight women among the Companions. The ascetics of the generation of the Followers (tÃÂbiÃ¿à «n) are arranged sometimes according to their fame, and sometimes by the regions in which they lived.
The work generally omits the birth and death dates of the ascetics and Sufis, and provides little information regarding the locations in which they lived. It is composed almost entirely of transmitted reports and narratives, without any explicit authorial commentary, evaluation, or interpretation. The ornate, rhymed prose employed by Abà « Nuÿaym in introducing each figure has been criticized as artificial, affected, and frequently tangential to the subject under discussion. The author systematically presents the anecdotes, sayings, and reports concerning the ascetics and Sufis along with their chains of transmission (isnÃÂds), subsequently recording the hadiths they narrated or which were narrated from them, again with full isnÃÂds. Given that certain hadithsâÂÂparticularly those addressing asceticism and moral conductâÂÂare not preserved in any other sources, the work is considered of considerable significance in the study of hadith. The author gets involved in sensitive subjects and refutes heresy that contradicts the tenets of the Islamic faith.
Abà « Nuÿaym derived the majority of the information in Ḥilyat al-AwliyÃÂþ from his teachers and contemporary scholars, while also consulting major hadith compilations, particularly those of al-BukhÃÂrë and Muslim. He made extensive use of Abà « Saÿëd Ibn al-AÿrÃÂbë's ṬabaqÃÂt al-NussÃÂk and al-Sulamë's ṬabaqÃÂt al-á¹¢à «fiyya. In presenting the ascetics of the Followers (tÃÂbiÃ¿à «n), Abà « Nuÿaym relied primarily on Ibn al-AÿrÃÂbë, whereas for Iranian and Khurasani Sufis he drew on al-Sulamë, incorporating nearly all the information found in ṬabaqÃÂt al-á¹¢à «fiyya.
Ibn al-Jawzi criticized the author for including the Companions of the Prophet, so then he went on to make his version of the book in two volumes entitled Sifat al-Safwa; in it, he attempts to avoid the words "Sufi" or "Tasawwuf."
Abu Tahir al-Silafi said: âÂÂNo work like Hilya has yet been written.âÂÂ
Al-Dhahabi similarly said: âÂÂWe have never written such a book as Hilyat al-Awliya'âÂÂ.
It was related that Hilyat al-Awliya was among one of Imam Taqi al-Din al-Subki's favourite books.
With numerous manuscript copies surviving, Ḥilyat al-AwliyÃÂþ has been printed twice: first in ten volumes (Cairo, 1351âÂÂ1357/1932âÂÂ1938), and later in twelve volumes edited by Muá¹£á¹ÂafàÿAbd al-QÃÂdir ÿAá¹Âà(Beirut, 1418/1997).