A Moslem seeker after God : $b showing Islam at its best in the life and teaching of al-Ghazali, mystic and theologian of the eleventh century
Al-Ghazali · en
This bronze is the oldest piece of damascened metal work and the only
example of that epoch with _naskhi_ inscription in the possession of the
Museum. That the case was not made at a later period and presented to
Al-Ghazali’s library _after_ his death is evident from the fact that it
was the custom to present a book or celestial globe to a library, but
not a pen-case or even an inkstand. Then, too, the word “_al-marhum_,”
meaning “deceased,” does not appear on it as it does on other objects
which were offered in memory of a deceased person. An objection to the
authenticity of the bronze is the use of silver in a pen-case designed
to be used by a Sufi doctor pledged in some measure to an ascetic life.
But this objection may be answered by stating that the case was not made
to the order of Al-Ghazali personally, but by his disciples in order to
obtain his good-will and patronage.[58]
We need not, moreover, be surprised at the apparent lack of modesty
which the inscription on the pen-case indicates. Judging from other
instances of this period, Al-Ghazali himself might well have written the
inscription.
An almost complete list of Al-Ghazali’s writings as well as of the
translations of his works into other languages, especially Hebrew,
Latin, French, German, and English, is given in the appendix.[59] Before
we speak of some of his more important works a summary will interest
the reader. The _Jawahir al-Koran_ (Jewels of the Koran) contains
observations on some of the verses of the Koran which have special value;
the _ʾAqida_ is a statement of the articles of the Moslem faith, and
was published by Pococke in his Specimen; the Precious Pearl (Al-Durrat
Al-Fakhira) is a treatise on the last judgment and the end of the world,
_i. e._, his eschatology—and has been translated and published by L.
Gautier. The morality and theology of the mystics are codified in the
_Ihya ʿulum id-din_ (Revivification of the Religious Sciences). The
_Mizan Al-ʿamal_ (The Balance of Works) has been translated into Hebrew
by Ibrahim bin Hasdai of Barcelona, and published by Goldenthal. The
_Kimiya as-saʾada_ (Alchemy of Happiness) is a popular lecture founded
on mysticism; this work which was originally written in Persian, has
been twice translated into English, by H. A. Homes in 1873 and more
recently by Claud Field. _Ayyuha ’l-walad_ (O Child!) is a celebrated
moral treatise, which has been translated into German and published
by Hammer-Purgstall. Among works on jurisprudence, his treatises on
Shafiʾite law have earned great reputation in the Moslem world; his
_Basit_, _Wasit_, and _Wajiz_ are all abridgments of them. In the domain
of philosophy, the _Tahafut al-Falasifa_ (Collapse of the Philosophers)
is an attack on the adherents of the Greek Philosophy; it has been edited
by DeBoer. The _Maqasid al-Falasifa_ (Aims of the Philosophers) is a sort
of introduction to the above. The text has been published by G. Beer,