Al-Harith ibn Asad al-Muhasibi was born in Basra in 781 CE, later moving to Baghdad, where he combined the study of hadith and jurisprudence with a deep examination of human psychology and its ailments.
He earned the epithet 'al-Muhasibi' ('the self-examiner') for his constant scrutiny of his own thoughts and deeds. In his book 'al-Ri'aya li-Huquq Allah' he laid out a precise method for purifying and monitoring the soul, blending practical asceticism with fine psychological analysis.
Legacy
Some contemporaries among the hadith scholars opposed him for engaging in speculative theology, but his method of self-examination went on to profoundly influence Abu Hamid al-Ghazali and other later figures of Sunni Sufism.
