Essential 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.

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.

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.

In book twenty of the forty books which compose the Revival of the Religious Sciences (Ihya' 'ulum al-din), Abu hamid al-Ghazali gives a full account of the customs and character of the Messenger of God, Muhammad. It is not a biography of Muhammad (peace and blessing of God be upon him) but a roadmap for those who want to strengthen their faith, increase their knowledge, and deepen their understanding of the second part of the testimony of faith, namely the first pillar of Islam. The author details the Messenger's noble nature and his miracles, while removing doubts regarding his message. He deals with the issue of the imitation of Muhammad (peace and blessing of God be upon him) noting that the ultimate source of knowledge is revelation from God which comes to us through the Messenger. This volume lays clear that the aim of the imam in this Series is to call for a return to the Sunna and the imitation of the Messenger in all aspects of life.

Although prayerfulness and the remembrance of God suffuse all the formal practices of Islam, there are times when the Muslim simply 'sits alone with his Lord' to repeat formulas drawn from the Qur'an and the sayings of the Prophet, seeking remission of his sins and the purification of his heart. The present volume is probably the most widely read compendium of such material, popular not only for its comprehensiveness and beauty, but also for the analytical approach of its author, who explores the psychological and spiritual effects of prayer and the celebration of God's name. The original translation by Kojiro Nakamura, now Head of the Islamic Studies Department at the University of Tokyo, has been substantially revised and augmented with 'hadith' identification.