Can I recommend some books that I personally found nourishing for the Soul?

“The Invocation of God” by Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah – http://islamicbookstore.com/b6378.html

I personally found this book a life/heart saver. In short, my Heart was dying, from years of dry, legalistic, ‘Sa***i Dawah’. This book was like an Ocean of life sustaining water that my Heart needed to prevent it from drying up completely.
Mashallah, Ibn Qayyim’s Sheikh was correct (point 3 above).

“The Book of Assistance” by Imam Abdallah al-Haddad – http://islamicbookstore.com/b4939.html

Subhanallah, Short, sweet, highly beneficial.

“Standing Firm in Islam: Weakness of Faith and The Means to Steadfastness” – by Sheikh Salih Al Munajjid – http://islamicbookstore.com.au/product.asp?pID=800&cID=24

Subhanallah, the book reels off a litany of symptoms that you may be suffering from and also provides the cures. It’s more complete version of writings found here http://www.islamqa.com/en/ref/books/6
and here http://www.islamqa.com/en/ref/books/27

“Forty Hadith on the Islamic Personality” – by Sheikh Ali Hasan Abdul Hamid
http://islamicbookstore.com/b2883.html

A nice general guide on how we should construct our character. Gold. What more can I say.

There’s an online (legal ! ) version readable here.

http://www.sunnahonline.com/ilm/purification/0039.htm

Hopefully you’ll find these titles beneficial.

Salams

Marcus.

May Allah reward Imam Zaid! I like the translation of Qiyam to night vigil. Of course there are many words which don’t cross over well and thus may be better transliterated from Arabic, but in order to seriously integrate and present ourselves as a valid modern English speaking enitity we must do more to articulate ourselves in a way that is more familiar to the common English speaker regardless of their background.

mashaAllah that was great, Jazakum Allahu khayran.

I was a bit puzzled when I saw the ‘soul food’ title and the pic of the restaurant, but mashaAllah what a pleasant surprise.