Al Ghazali S Adapted Summary Of Ihya Ulum Al Din

AL-GHAZALI’s adapted summary of Ihya Ulum al-Din – The Forty Principles of the Religion THE FORTY PRINCIPLES OF THE RELIGION is a comprehensive distillation of Imam al-Ghazali’s magnum opus, Ihya Ulum ad-Din (The Revival of the Religious Sciences), in which he explores the spiritual depth of virtually every aspect of Islam. This condensed work presents Imam al-Ghazali’s profound insights regarding man’s lifelong struggle to draw closer to Allah in a simple framework, providing the reader with a step-by-step tried and proven method for spiritual development. The result is an essential guide to improving one’s relationship with both the Creator and the creation and a perfect introduction to Imam al-Ghazali’s other great works. English translation by Nasir Abdussalam. Editing and footnotes by Mariam Madge Conlan. A careful and idiomatic English translation of one of Imam al-Ghazali’s most powerful books, which shows the comprehensive depth of the Qurans teachings. Shaykh Abdal Hakim Murad (T.J. Winter) Cambridge Muslim College About the author The Proof of Islam Imam Abu Hamid Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Ghazali (d. 1111) jurist, legal theorist, logician, theologian, and mystic was a master of both the outer and inner sciences of the Shariah who is regarded by many as the greatest Muslim thinker to have lived after the Pious Predecessors. Credited with dealing the deathblow to Aristotelian philosophy in the Muslim world and bringing authentic Islamic spirituality into the mainstream, his life and thought were extremely influential in shaping the spiritual values and practices of medieval society and are no less relevant today.

Covers those dimensions of Islamic rituals of worship – prayer, almsgiving, fasting, Pilgrimage, etc. which are essential to the fulfilment of inner quality. Consists of selections from al-Ghazali's Ihya, a pivotal work in the history of Islamic thought.

The Revival of the Religious Sciences by Imam al-Ghazali can be described as a book that will never die. This is because it contains a vital cognitive force that time cannot obliterate. In it the Imam discusses Islamic rulings, beliefs and character, in the style of an admonisher who understands the psyche and its secrets as well as spiritual diseases. What distinguishes this book from others is its strong spiritual influence on the reader which makes him seek both soundness of heart and his Lord's pleasure through acts of worship, rather than the mere performance of acts of worship so that they are legally valid. The book is a comprehensive encyclopaedia for all of a Muslim's religious affairs, including beliefs, acts of worship, dealings and character, as well as for individual and societal welfare. Al-Ghazali's style is that of one who practices what he knows, one who is determined to rise from the dry, ordinary manner of teaching to one which encourages action. Abu Hamid al-Ghazali is a towering figure in Islam. His enormous influence can be summarized, in the words of Annemarie Schimmel, as the one who "teaches... only to help man to live a life in accordance with the sacred law, not by clinging exclusively to its letter, but by an understanding of its deeper meaning ... so that he is ready for the meeting with his Lord at any moment." His greatest work Ihya' 'Ulum al-Din (The Revival of the Religious Sciences), comprising forty books divided into four quarters of ten books each, has helped generations towards this end until today.

This book describes the importance of prayer and its requirements. It describes what is essential for the disciple in terms of the external acts and its inner secrets of prayer, and revealing its refined hidden meanings in terms of humility, sincerity and intention. Presented to the English speaking public is a translation of two chapters of Ghazal's great work, Ihya .ulum al-din. The chapter is entitled kitabasrar al-salah (the book of the secrets of prayer and its requirements). This translation was originally carried out by E E Caverley which I have edited in places to give the reader a clearer understanding of the text and correcting the Quranic references. I have also included in the book the prophetic narrations in the original Arabic to give the reader of Arabic a fuller flavour of the intended meaning. The two chapters selected are entitled "fefadail al-salahwa al-sajudwa-aljama.hwa al-azaanwaibarihaï" (virtue of the prayer, prostration, congregation, call to prayer and its precepts). And the third chapter from the book entitled fee shuruut al-batinah min a.amaal al-qalb. (Inward stipulations for the acts of the heart) The first chapter generally focuses on the pre-eminent status of prayer and its superiority over all other forms of worship in Islam. Instilling in the one who is about to initiate the prayer the enormity and seriousness of the action. The second chapter in the book focuses on the mind-set of the one who is engaged in prayer, humility being a fundamental pillar in this regard. Imam Ghazali also offers practical remedies to attain this status of humility and describes the base nature of heedlessness before one's Creator. I hope this book acts as a means of proximity since nothing can facilitate this noble goal to reach one's Lord but the Prayer. But prostate in adoration, and bring thyself the closer (to Allah) Surah Alaq.19

Imam Tirmidhi narrates that the Prophet ﷺ ordered people to 'Be modest before Allah, as is His due.' The Prophet ﷺ then explained that 'Modesty before Allah means protecting the head and all that is in it; and protecting the stomach and all that is inside it. Furthermore, you should remember death and decay, for one whose eyes are set on the Hereafter keeps away from worldliness. One who accomplishes all of this is one who is modest before Allah, as is His due.' This work is an elaborate commentary on the aforementioned hadith. It covers Divine and Prophetic injunctions, as well as scholarly discussions relating to a variety of subjects, such as having pure belief in Allah; the various facets of spiritual purification; how to use the bodily parts in a lawful manner; maintaining honest financial transactions; the rules of good social conduct; and the remembrance of death and rulings connected to it. The treatise ends with a detailed outline of the substantial events heralding the End of Time and the events of the life after death; in the grave and on the Day of Judgement, and a description of the final abodes of Heaven and Hell.