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Al-Ghazali
on Disciplining the Soul & on Breaking the Two Desires
Books XXII and XXIII of the Revival
of the Religious Sciences (Ihya’`Ulum al-Din)
Translated by:
T.J.Winter
The spiritual life in Islam begins with riyadat
al-nafs, the inner warfare against the ego. Distracted and
polluted by worldliness, the lower self has a tendency to drag the
human creature down into arrogance and vice. Only by a powerful
effort of will can the sincere worshipper achieve the purity of
soul which enables him to attain God's proximity.
This translation of two chapters from The Revival of the Religious
Sciences (Ihya’ ‘Ulum al-Din) details the sophisticated
spiritual techniques adopted by classical Islam. In the first step,
On Disciplining the Soul, which cites copious anecdotes
from the Islamic scriptures and biographies of the saints, Ghazali
explains how to acquire good character traits, and goes on to describe
how the sickness of the heart may be cured. In the second part,
Breaking the Two Desires, he focusses on the question of
gluttony and sexual desire, concluding, in the words of the Prophet,
that 'the best of all matters is the middle way'.
The translator has added an introduction and notes which explore
Ghazali’s ability to make use of Greek as well as Islamic
ethics. The work will prove of special interest to those interested
in Sufi mysticism, comparative ethics, and the question of sexuality
in Islam.
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