Reflections from Al-Ghazali
Reflections from Al-Ghazali
Excerpts from A Treasury of Ghazali
Published by Kube Publishing and Distributed in Pakistan by Institute of Policy Studies Press
Seek Felicity
The otherworldly felicity we are concerned with is subsistence without end, pleasure without toil, happiness without sadness, richness without impoverishment, perfection without blemish and glory without humiliation. In…
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तेरे ख़ुशबू में बसे ख़त,
मैं जलाता कैसे?
प्यार में डूबे हुये ख़त,
मैं जलाता कैसे?
तेरे हाथों के लिखे ख़त,
मैं जलाता कैसे?
तेरे ख़त आज मैं गंगा में
बहा आया हूँ।
आग, बहते हुये पानी में,
लगा आया हूँ।
- जगजीत सिंह (Jagjit Singh)
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Oh you, Dear Seeker, will not be able to rise to carry out the commands of Allah Most High until you monitor your heart and limbs in your every moment and every breath, from the time you wake up until the time you sleep.
~The beginning of Guidance, Imam GHAZALI
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खुलती ज़ुल्फ़ों ने सिखायी
मौसमों को शायरी
झुकती आँखों ने बताया
महकशी क्या चीज़ है

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Soul, a Divine manifestation.
The discussions on the epistemology of the soul have given rise to many fields of study, from ethics, psychology, education, and philosophy to the commentary of Qur’anic verses and relevant Ahadith, among which philosophical speculations have a special place.
In the Quraʾān, in addition to the grammatical reflexive use of nafs as “self,” the term is used to refer to the human soul, whereas…
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On Music
"Therefore if a man has in his heart that love to God which the Law enjoins, it is perfectly lawful, no, laudable in him to take part in exercises which promote it. On the other hand, if his heart is full of sensual desires, music and dancing will only increase them, and are therefore unlawful for him. While, if he listens to them merely as a matter of amusement, they are neither lawful nor unlawful, but indifferent.
The innocent character of music and dancing, regarded merely as a pastime is also corroborated by an authentic Tradition which we have from Lady A'ishah, who narrates: "One festival-day some Africans were performing in the mosque. The Prophet said to me, 'Do you wish to see them?' I replied, 'Yes.' Accordingly he lifted me up with his own blessed hand, and I looked on so long that he said more than once, 'Haven't you had enough'?"
Another Tradition from the Lady A'ishah is as follows: "One festival-day, two girls came to my house and began to play and sing. The Prophet came in and lay down on the couch, turning his face away. Presently Abu Bakr as-Siddiq entered, and seeing the girls playing, exclaimed, 'What! the pipe of Satan in the Prophet's house!' Whereupon the Prophet turned and said, 'Let them alone, Abu Bakr, for this is a festival-day'."
- Imam Ghazali
From this, it seems that music carries a different consequence for different people. So it makes sense that music becomes haram for some. Yet, if one listens to it for nothing more than amusement, then it does nothing to him.
It sounds like I am justifying why music is okay, but understandably so, it remains a polarizing issue in the religion, even until today. But Imam Ghazali did hit the nail in the head saying:
"Passing over the cases where music and dancing rouse into a flame evil desires already dormant in the heart, we come to those cases where they are quite lawful..." and goes on to explain how nasheed, and music which reminds you the sorrow of sin, music that reminds you to ask blessings from God for the union of a marriage: those are what Imam Ghazali defines as lawful.
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"Praise be to God, who with death did break the necks of tyrants, shattering with it the backs of Persia's kings, cutting short the aspirations of the Caesars, whose hearts were long averse to recalling death, until the true promise came to them and cast them into the pit."
Abu Hamid Al-Ghazali - Revival of the Religious Sciences
All the wealth, stations and achievements of Dunya are temporary and subject to decay, loss and collapse.
The Shahanshah (King of Kings) of Persia and the Caesars of Imperial Rome and Byzantium believed themselves, their dynasties and their empires to be eternal and everlasting. Though they built and fought, killed and conquered over the centuries, they could not escape death. Now their cities and monuments lay in ruins, and few can recall their names or deeds or lineages. They forgot death but the Lord of death forgot them not, just as He will not forget any of us.
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Never have I dealt with anything more difficult than my own soul, which sometimes helps me and sometimes opposes me.
Imam al-Ghazali
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