Al-Ghazali on Vigilance and Self-Examination : Book 38 of the Revival of the Religious Sciences (Ihya' ‘Ulum al-Din) Imam Abu Hamid al-Ghazali

ISBN: 9781903682456
Author: Imam Abu Hamid al-Ghazali
Publisher: Islamic Texts Society (2015)
Pages: 142 Binding: Paperback

Description from the publisher:

Al-Ghazali on Vigilance and Self-examination is the thirty-eighth chapter of the Revival of the Religious Sciences and follows on from Al-Ghazali on Intention; Sincerity & Truthfulness. Here Ghazali focuses on the different stations of steadfastness in religion (murabata); vigilance and self-examination being its cornerstones. As in all his writings; Ghazali bases his arguments on the Qur'an; the example of the Prophet and the sayings of numerous scholars and Sufis.

Abu Hamid al-Ghazali (1058-1111); theologian; logician; jurist and mystic; was born and died in Tus in Central Asia; but spent much of his life lecturing at Baghdad or leading the life of a wandering dervish. His most celebrated work; of which this is an important chapter; has exercised a profound influence on Muslim intellectual history by exploring the mystical significance of the practices and beliefs of Islamic orthodoxy; earning him the title of Hujjat al Islam; the ‘Proof of Islam'.

Please refer to the Islamic Texts Society Al-Ghazali Series for further translations from Al-Ghazali.

Anthony F. Shaker holds a PhD in Islamic Studies from McGill University and is the author; among other works; of Thinking in the Language of Reality: Sadr al-Din Qunavi and the Philosophy of Reason. He writes on the philosophical and Sufi traditions of Islam; contemporary developments around the world; and is a professional consultant and researcher.

‘…the series as a whole; [is] a significant contribution to our understanding of this key figure in Islamic intellectual thought.'Oliver Leaman; BRISMES Bulletin.