and its script dates to the fourteenth century AH; the copyist is unknown, and it appears that he relied on copy (C), occasionally abridging or omitting passages.

The manuscript introduces the treatise with the words: “The shaykh, the learned imam, the eminent scholar, Shams al-Dīn, the ocean of knowledge, Abū ʿAbd Allah Ibn al-Qayyim—may Allah have mercy on him—said.”

Title of the Treatise
Ibn al-Qayyim did not assign a specific title to this letter, even though he is known for choosing his book titles with great care.

In the catalogues of the libraries that house its manuscripts it is listed under the following names:
1 – A Treatise by Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya.
2 – A Letter that Ibn al-Qayyim Sent to One of His Brothers.
3 – Treatise on Guidance.
4 – Treatise on Blessing.

Those who called it “on guidance” were guided by its overall aim, while those who called it “on blessing” were looking at the topic with which it opens.

Shaykh Bakr Abū Zayd entitled it “Ibn al-Qayyim’s Letter to One of His Brothers,” and under this title it has become well known among a number of contemporary scholars. For that reason I have adopted the same title, so that no confusion arises from citing a name unfamiliar to the scholars—especially since the three copies