Some religious and moral teachings of Al-Ghazzali : $b Being brief extracts from his Ihya-u-Ulum-id-din — John Shaqi
Some religious and moral teachings of Al-Ghazzali : $b Being brief extracts from his Ihya-u-Ulum-id-dinGhazzali
Islamic
Some religious and moral teachings of Al-Ghazzali : $b Being brief extracts from his Ihya-u-Ulum-id-din
Ghazzali
Islamic ethics -- Early works to 1800
It is reported in the Hadith that two men were quarrelling before
the Prophet. One said to the other; “I am the son of such and such
illustrious man, tell me who thy father is?” The Prophet, addressing
the boastful man said; “There were two men in the time of Moses who
boastfully spoke of their pedigree. One said to the other: “Look how
my nine ancestors all in one line were men of renown.” And God said to
Moses: “Tell this man: All thy nine ancestors are in Hell and thou art
the tenth.”
4. Women generally feel proud of their beauty. This leads to finding
fault with others, and this gradually assumes the form of contempt and
disdain. Ayesha, the wife of the Prophet, says: “One day a woman came to
the Prophet and I said to him: ‘Look at this dwarf.’ The Prophet turned
towards me and said: ‘Ayesha, repent of what thou hast said, for it is
slander.’”
5, 6, 7. People feel a sort of elation at the sight of their possessions.
A merchant is elated with his stores, a landowner with his fields and
groves, and a nobleman with his retinue and riches. In short, every
person feels proud of his worldly possessions and looks down on those
who are lacking in them. He believes in riches and worships mammon.[46]
He has no idea of what is meant by: “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for
their’s is the kingdom of Heaven”.[47]
We may quote a parable from the Quran. “And set forth to them a parable
of two men. For one of them we made two gardens of grape vines, and
we surrounded them both with palms, and in the midst of them we made
corn-fields. Both these gardens yielded their fruits and failed nothing.
We caused a river to gush forth in their midst. The man possessed much
wealth and he said to his companion while he disputed with him: I have
greater wealth than you and am mightier in followers. While he entered
his garden he was unjust to himself. He said: I do not think that this
will ever perish. I do not think the hour will come, yet even if I return
to my Lord I shall most certainly find a place better than this. His
companion said to him, while disputing with him: Do you disbelieve in Him
who created you from dust, then from a small germ life, then he made you
a perfect man? But as for me, Allah is my Lord and I do not associate any
one with my Lord. When you entered your garden, why did you not say: It
is as Allah has pleased. There is no power save Allah. If you consider me
to be inferior to you in wealth and children, perhaps my Lord will give
me something better than your garden, and send on it a reckoning from
heaven, so that it shall become even ground with no living plant. Or the
waters may sink into the ground so that you are unable to find them. His
wealth was indeed destroyed, and he began to wring his hands for what he
had spent on it. While it lay there (for it had fallen down from the
roofs) he said: Ah me! would that I had not associated anyone with my
Lord. He had none to help him besides Allah nor could he defend himself.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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