The Cure of Souls: Curriculum of Study

The Cure of Souls (Ṭibb al-nufūs) written in Judeo-Arabic, is a wide-ranging ethical and psychological treatise on the soul, extant in manuscript but still unpublished, which treats not only the nature and activities of the soul, but also, using a common medical metaphor for ethics, how to improve (or “cure”) it. Here, Ibn ‘Aqnīn outlines a curriculum of study. The course progresses from reading and writing to metaphysics. A firm foundation in religious education is required before learning other topics.