The Book of Direction to the Duties of the Heart: On the True Love of God

Baḥya’s theological and ethical work, The Book of Direction to the Duties of the Heart (Kitāb al-hidāya ilā farā’iḍ al-qulūb) written in Judeo-Arabic, reveals influences from Sufism and other forms of Islamic thought. Baḥya emphasizes the “duties of the heart”—the commandments that relate to the mind and to an individual’s relationship with God—which he feels were neglected in favor of the “duties of the limbs.” The work was translated by Judah Ibn Tibbon (ca. 1120–after 1190) in the second half of the twelfth century (the first book was translated in 1161) and was immensely popular among Jews for centuries.