What is your eminence's opinion on the book "Ghout al-Qulub fi al-Raqa'iq" (Sustenance of Hearts in Heart-Softening Matters)? Is it the best, the most extensive, and the fundamental among books on heart-softening matters?

The book "Qūt al-Qulūb" by Abu Talib al-Makki is better than "Iḥyāʾ" by al-Ghazali in the science of the hearts, but it contains weak and fabricated hadiths. The best book for softening the hearts is the Holy Quran, followed by the Prophetic Sunnah. Among the helpful books are: the books of Ibn Abi al-Dunya, Ibn Taymiyyah, Ibn al-Qayyim, and Ibn Rajab, and books such as "Al-Zuhd wal-Raqā'iq" by Ibn al-Mubarak, "Madārij al-Sālikīn" by Ibn al-Qayyim, and "Laṭā'if al-Maʿārif" by Ibn Rajab, among others. It is important to emphasize that these books do not substitute for pondering the Quran.