This is the crucial question for anyone looking for a . The honest answer: No full, complete translation of all 10 volumes exists in English yet.
Some Islamic blogs and forums have produced amateur translations of individual biographies (e.g., the section on Hasan al-Basri or Rabi‘a al-‘Adawiyya). While useful, these lack scholarly verification and complete chains of narration. Hilyat Al-awliya English Pdf
: Al-Isfahani wrote the work partly to show that Sufi concepts of asceticism ( zuhd ) and devotion are deeply rooted in orthodox Sunni tradition. This is the crucial question for anyone looking for a
Imam al-Dhahabi said: "Hilyat al-Awliya is a beneficial book, vast in knowledge, reliable in its transmission." While useful, these lack scholarly verification and complete
Hilyat al-Awliya wa Tabaqat al-Asfiya (The Beauty of the Righteous and Ranks of the Elite) by Abu Nu'aym al-Isfahani is a monumental 10-volume encyclopedia of early Sufi saints, ascetics, and pious predecessors (Salaf). While a complete, single-volume English translation of all 10 volumes is rare, partial translations, summaries, and digital copies of the original text are available. UBA Universidad de Buenos Aires