Ghazali on the Principles of Islamic Sprituality

Aaron Spavack

Description

The wisdom of one of the greatest scholars of Islam can be a companion on your own spiritual journey.

Considered by many to be the all-time greatest scholar of Islam, Imam Abu Hamid al-Ghazali (1058–1111) was also one of the foremost sages of theology, philosophy and Sufism. His writings on the interrelation of law, theology and mysticism were central in establishing Sufism as a core dimension of orthodox Islamic practice. Muslim communities all across the world today still base much of their practice of Islam on Ghazali's writings.

The Forty Foundations of Religion, Ghazali’s own summary of his magnum opus, The Revival of the Religious Sciences, serves as a brief and powerful summary of Islamic faith, worship, law and spirituality. It outlines the basis of Islamic belief, the foundational matters of ritual and practice, and the character traits a person must cultivate and avoid in the perfection of faith.

Now you can experience the wisdom of Ghazali even if you have no previous knowledge of The Forty Foundations of Religion or Islam. This SkyLight Illuminations edition—the first publication of significant portions of The Forty Foundations of Religion in English—provides original translations of selected highlights accompanied by insightful commentary that makes the core message of this great spiritual master relevant to anyone seeking a balanced understanding of Islam.

Foreword: Al-Ghazali and the Tradition of Islamic Renewal ix
Introduction xv
Al-Ghazali's Introduction 3

BOOK I
The Science of Belief
The First Foundation: Allah’s Entity 9
The Second Foundation: His Sacredness 13
The Third Foundation: Allah’s Omnipotent Power 17
The Fourth Foundation: Allah’s Omniscient Knowledge 19
The Fifth Foundation: Allah’s Will 21
The Sixth Foundation: Allah’s Hearing and Seeing 25
The Seventh Foundation: Allah’s Speech 27
The Eighth Foundation: His Actions 29
The Ninth Foundation: The Last Day 33
The Tenth Foundation: Prophecy 37
Conclusion 39

BOOK II
Outward Actions
The First Foundation: Ritual Prayer 43
The Second Foundation: Poor Tax and Charity 51
The Third Foundation: Fasting 59
The Fourth Foundation: Hajj, the Pilgrimage to Mecca 63
The Fifth Foundation: Recitation of Qur’an 69
The Sixth Foundation: Regarding Remembrance of Allah Mighty and Majestic in Every State 79
The Seventh Foundation: Seeking the Permissible 85
The Eighth Foundation: Establishing the Rights of the Believers and Keeping Good Company 91
The Ninth Foundation: Commanding the Right and Forbidding the Wrong 99
The Tenth Foundation: Regarding Following the Sunnah 105
Conclusion: Regarding the Ordering of Your Litanies That Incline You Toward These Ten Foundations … 109

BOOK III
Purification of the Heart
The First Foundation: The Evils Related to Food 115
The Second Foundation: The Evils Related to Speech 121
The Third Foundation: Anger 131
The Fourth Foundation: Envy 135
The Fifth Foundation: Stinginess and Love of Wealth 141
The Sixth Foundation: Frivolity and Love of Prestige 151
The Seventh Foundation: Love of the World 163
The Eighth Foundation: Arrogance 171
The Ninth Foundation: Pride 181
The Tenth Foundation: Ostentation 187
Conclusion: The Entirety of [Blameworthy] Character Traits and the Places Where You Fall into Delusions with Regard to Them 205

BOOK IV
Meritorious Character Traits
The First Foundation: Repentance 213
The Second Foundation: Fear 219
The Third Foundation: Abstinence 225
The Fourth Foundation: Patience 233
The Fifth Foundation: Gratitude 241
The Sixth Foundation: Sincerity and Truthfulness 245
The Seventh Foundation: Reliance on Allah 257
The Eighth Foundation: Love 267
The Ninth Foundation: Contentment with Divine Destiny 281
The Tenth Foundation: Remembering Death and Its Reality, and the Categories of Spiritual Punishments 287
Conclusion 295

Epilogue 296
Notes 297
Selected Bibliography 300

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie
• Islamic theology
• Sufism
• Religion
• Islam

Informations

• Publié par: Turner Publishing Company
• Date de parution: 01 novembre 2011
• Nombre de lectures: 7
• EAN13: 9781594734106
• Langue: English

Extrait

Selected Books in the SkyLight Illuminations Series

The Art of War-Spirituality for Conflict: Annotated & Explained
Bhagavad Gita: Annotated & Explained
The Book of Mormon: Selections Annotated & Explained
Celtic Christian Spirituality: Essential Writings-Annotated & Explained
Chuang-tzu: The Tao of Perfect Happiness-Selections Annotated & Explained
Confucius, the Analects : The Path of the Sage-Selections Annotated & Explained
Dhammapada: Annotated & Explained
The Divine Feminine in Biblical Wisdom Literature: Selections Annotated & Explained
Ecclesiastes: Annotated & Explained
The End of Days: Essential Selections from Apocalyptic Texts-Annotated & Explained
Ethics of the Sages: Pirke Avot -Annotated & Explained,
Ghazali on the Principles of Islamic Spirituality: Selections from Forty Foundations of Religion -Annotated & Explained
Gnostic Writings on the Soul: Annotated & Explained
The Gospel of Philip: Annotated & Explained
The Gospel of Thomas: Annotated & Explained
Hasidic Tales: Annotated & Explained
The Hebrew Prophets: Selections Annotated & Explained
The Hidden Gospel of Matthew: Annotated & Explained
The Infancy Gospels of Jesus: Apocryphal Tales from the Childhoods of Mary and Jesus-Annotated & Explained
John and Charles Wesley: Selections from Their Writings and Hymns-Annotated & Explained
The Lost Sayings of Jesus: Teachings from Ancient Christian, Jewish, Gnostic, and Islamic Sources-Annotated & Explained
Maimonides-Essential Teachings On Jewish Faith and Ethics: The Book of Knowledge and the Thirteen Principles of Faith-Annotated & Explained
The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius: Selections Annotated & Explained
Native American Stories of the Sacred: Annotated & Explained
Philokalia: The Eastern Christian Spiritual Texts-Annotated & Explained
Proverbs: Annotated & Explained
The Qur an and Sayings of Prophet Muhammad: Selections Annotated & Explained
Rumi and Islam: Selections from His Stories, Poems, and Discourses-Annotated & Explained
The Sacred Writings of Paul: Selections Annotated & Explained
Saint Augustine of Hippo: Selections from Confessions and Other Essential Writings-Annotated & Explained
The Secret Book of John: The Gnostic Gospel-Annotated & Explained
Selections from the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna: Annotated & Explained
Sex Texts from the Bible: Selections Annotated & Explained
Spiritual Writings on Mary: Annotated & Explained
St. Ignatius Loyola-The Spiritual Writings: Selections Annotated & Explained
Tanya , the Masterpiece of Hasidic Wisdom: Selections Annotated & Explained
Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained
The Way of a Pilgrim: The Jesus Prayer Journey-Annotated & Explained
Zohar: Annotated & Explained



Ghazali on the Principles of Islamic Spirituality: Selections from The Forty Foundations of Religion —Annotated & Explained
2012 Quality Paperback Edition, First Printing Translation, annotation, and introductory material © 2012 by Aaron Spevack Foreword © 2012 by M. Fethullah Gülen
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
For information regarding permission to reprint material from this book, please mail or fax your request in writing to SkyLight Paths Publishing, Permissions Department, at the address / fax number listed below, or e-mail your request to [e-mail] .
Excerpts from the Qur an in Aaron Spevack s annotations are drawn from The Holy Qur an: Original Arabic Text with English Translation & Selected Commentaries , by Abdullah Yusuf Ali (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Saba Islamic Media, 2000). Ali s translation is widely available online.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Ghazzali, 1058–1111.
[Kitab al-arba in fi usul al-din. Selections. English]
Ghazali on the principles of Islamic spirituality : selections from Forty foundations of religion annotated & explained / translation and annotation by Aaron Spevack ; foreword by M. Fethullah Gülen.
p. cm. — (Skylight illuminations series)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-59473-284-3 (quality pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Islam—Doctrines—Early works to 1800. I. Spevack, Aaron. II. Gülen, Fethullah. III. Title.
BP88.G47K513 2011
297.2—dc23
2011039874
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Cover Design: Walter C. Bumford III, Stockton, Massachusetts Cover Art: ©iStockphoto.com/Witold Ryka Manufactured in the United States of America
SkyLight Paths Publishing is creating a place where people of different spiritual traditions come together for challenge and inspiration, a place where we can help each other understand the mystery that lies at the heart of our existence.
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Contents

Foreword : Al-Ghazali and the Tradition of Islamic Renewal
Introduction
Al-Ghazali Introduction
Book I The Science of Belief
The First Foundation: Allah s Entity
The Second Foundation: His Sacredness
The Third Foundation: Allah s Omnipotent Power
The Fourth Foundation: Allah s Omniscient Knowledge
The Fifth Foundation: Allah s Will
The Sixth Foundation: Allah s Hearing and Seeing
The Seventh Foundation: Allah s Speech
The Eighth Foundation: His Actions
The Ninth Foundation: The Last Day
The Tenth Foundation: Prophecy
Conclusion
Book I | Annotations
Book II Outward Actions
The First Foundation: Ritual Prayer
The Second Foundation: Poor Tax and Charity
The Third Foundation: Fasting
The Fourth Foundation: Hajj, the Pilgrimage to Mecca
The Fifth Foundation: Recitation of Qur an
The Sixth Foundation: Regarding Remembrance of Allah Mighty and Majestic in Every State
The Seventh Foundation: Seeking the Permissible
The Eighth Foundation: Establishing the Rights of the Believers and Keeping Good Company
The Ninth Foundation: Commanding the Right and Forbidding the Wrong
The Tenth Foundation: Regarding Following the Sunnah
Conclusion: Regarding the Ordering of Your Litanies That Incline You Toward These Ten Foundations …
Book II | Annotations
Book III Purification of the Heart
The First Foundation: The Evils Related to Food
The Second Foundation: The Evils Related to Speech
The Third Foundation: Anger
The Fourth Foundation: Envy
The Fifth Foundation: Stinginess and Love of Wealth
The Sixth Foundation: Frivolity and Love of Prestige
The Seventh Foundation: Love of the World
The Eighth Foundation: Arrogance
The Ninth Foundation: Pride
The Tenth Foundation: Ostentation
Conclusion: The Entirety of [Blameworthy] Character Traits and the Places Where You Fall into Delusions with Regard to Them
Book III | Annotations
Book IV Meritorious Character Traits
The First Foundation: Repentance
The Second Foundation: Fear
The Third Foundation: Abstinence
The Fourth Foundation: Patience
The Fifth Foundation: Gratitude
The Sixth Foundation: Sincerity and Truthfulness
The Seventh Foundation: Reliance on Allah
The Eighth Foundation: Love
The Ninth Foundation: Contentment with Divine Destiny
The Tenth Foundation: Remembering Death and Its Reality, and the Categories of Spiritual Punishments
Conclusion
Book IV | Annotations
Epilogue
Notes
Selected Bibliography
About SkyLight Paths
Copyright



Foreword
Al-Ghazali and the Tradition of Islamic Renewal M. Fethullah Gülen
God Almighty, who introduces Himself in the Qur an as the All-Merciful and the All-Compassionate, and deals with His servants on the basis of mercy and compassion, sent numerous prophets to humankind in order to convey His messages to them. God Almighty has equipped humankind with a mind, a heart, and certain other inner and outer faculties, and created the universe as a collection of clear signs pointing to Him so they can deduce the existence of God. However, since different factors can prevent these faculties from functioning properly, out of His mercy, He sent prophets in order to guide human beings to what is right and true in all areas of their life, and to happiness in both worlds (this life and the next).
In the terminology of Islam, a prophet is the one who communicates with God via Revelation, receiving messages from Him to convey them to people. 1 Among the prophets there are those called messengers who are given a divine scripture. Every messenger is a prophet, but not every prophet is a messenger. The scriptures or books that are given to messengers contain divine commandments or laws concerning individual life and social life with its various aspects.
The religion that the prophets communicated to people was always the same, with its basic rules of belief, worship, action, morality, and good conduct. It is based on submission to God Almighty and aims at peace and happiness in both worlds. The diffe