“The tongue is a wild beast: if you leave it free, it will devour you. The intellect is its keeper: if you strengthen the keeper, the beast is tamed.”

The English PDF translation (available through various Islamic publishers and academic repositories) is typically organized into logical sections. Major themes include:

The search for an is ultimately a search for a roadmap to a balanced life. In a world of extremes—where people either abandon the world for a hollow spirituality or abandon the soul for material gain—al-Mawardi offers a middle path.