Al-Ghazali: The Proprieties of Retreat (Book 16 of The Revival of the Religious Sciences)
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Translator
James Pavlin
Description
About The Book
Al-Ghazali’s Kitab Adab al-‘Uzla (The Proprieties of Retreat) is the sixth book in the Rub’ al-‘Adat (Quarter of Customary Practices) in his monumental work known as Ihya’ ‘Ulum al-Din (Revival of the Religious Sciences). Focusing on the issue of seclusion, or retreat from society, the main discussion in this book is the question of whether it is better to engage in social intercourse (al-mukhalata) or remove oneself from society to focus on perfecting one’s relation to God.
As he addresses this issue, al-Ghazali takes us through the numerous benefits and dangers of seclusion while laying out the rules to guide the one who chooses this option. He explains that although it depends on many factors, the most important is the person’s intention and purpose for going into seclusion. If it is not done for the sole purpose of drawing near to God, seclusion becomes a harmful path of self-deceit.
Although Kitab adab al-‘uzla is premised on approaching the issue of spiritual fulfillment in the Islamic context, al-Ghazali presents to us his deep insight into the human condition that relates to Muslims and non-Muslims alike. This is perhaps one of the great appealing aspects of al-Ghazali, for he delves into the human psyche to explain the behavior of his fellow Muslims. As such, the reader is invited to embark on this journey through the heart and mind of a spiritual traveler.
About the Contributor(s)
About the author
al-Ghazali: Abu Hamid Muhammad al-Ghazali (450-505 AH / 1058-1111 CE) was born in Tus, in the Khorasan region of Persia, and is remembered as one of Islam's most influential thinkers. Losing his father young, he studied at Nishapur and was appointed, while still in his thirties, to the prestigious Nizamiyya college in Baghdad. He was Shafiʿi in law and Ashʿari in creed, and his contemporaries honored him as Hujjat al-Islam, the Proof of Islam. At the height of his fame al-Ghazali passed through a profound spiritual crisis, recounted in his autobiography al-Munqidh min al-Dalal (Deliverance from Error). He abandoned his teaching post, traveled, and devoted years to the inward discipline of the Sufis before returning to instruction with a renewed purpose. His landmark work, Ihyaʾ ʿUlum al-Din (The Revival of the Religious Sciences), reconstructs the religious life across four parts, acts of worship, social custom, the vices that ruin the soul, and the virtues that save it. In philosophy he wrote Tahafut al-Falasifa (The Incoherence of the Philosophers), a careful critique of the Hellenistic thinkers of his age. Bridging law, theology, philosophy, and mysticism, al-Ghazali shaped the direction of Sunni thought for centuries, and his books remain widely read and translated. His many works are available here in English translation.
About the translator
James Pavlin: James Pavlin is an American scholar of Islamic studies and comparative religion. He received his doctorate in philosophy from the Department of Middle Eastern Studies at New York University in 1998 and has served as a part-time lecturer in the Department of Religion at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, since 1999, where he teaches courses on Islam and comparative religion. He also held a position as adjunct professor in the History Department at William Paterson University in New Jersey from 1998 to 2017. As a translator, Dr. Pavlin has contributed to the English transmission of Imam al-Ghazali's Ihya Ulum al-Din, rendering into English The Properties of Friendship and Brotherhood (Book 15 of The Revival) and The Proprieties of Retreat (Book 16 of The Revival), as well as the Epistle On Worship.
Specifications
EAN 13 / ISBN
9781941610633
Binding
Paperback
Publisher
Fons Vitae
Author
al-Ghazali
Pages
128
Translator
James Pavlin
Year Published
2023
Size
W-6 in | H-9 in | D-0.4 in
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