Ghazali – If you had just one day to live, what would you do?
Munazarat an Nafs – debating with yourself The Forty Principles of the Faith ends with a debate between Ghazali and himself, and he recommends that we do this as well – rather than debating...
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Ghazali on remembering death IV
True life is after death وَمَا هَٰذِهِ ٱلۡحَيَوٰةُ ٱلدُّنۡيَآ إِلَّا لَهۡوٞ وَلَعِبٞۚ وَإِنَّ ٱلدَّارَ ٱلۡأٓخِرَةَ لَهِيَ ٱلۡحَيَوَانُۚ لَوۡ كَانُواْ يَعۡلَمُونَ The present life is nothing but sport and amusement. The true life is in...
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Ghazali on remembering death III – aspects of the soul
The People of Allah are disconnected from dunya On the topic of remembering death, dhikr al mawt, Ghazali talks about the people of Allah – those with gnosis – their state, their connection with...
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Ghazali on Reliance (part 2)
Ghazali looks at tawakkul, breaking it into divisions and levels of tawakkul. The essence of tawakkul is putting your trust in Allah which comes from 3 things: The 3 pillars of tawakkul ILM –...
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Ghazali on Reliance
Ghazali lived in 5th century Hijri and his book, Kitaab Al-Arba’in Fi Usul ad-Din, ‘The Forty Principles of the Religion,’ which he wrote before his death, is a summary of Ihya Ulumuddin (Revival of...
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Tyranny is born of ignorance and arrogance
Allah Almighty mentions in the Quran in different surahs, and on different occasions the continuous fight between truth and falsehood, since Adam was sent down to earth. There has been a battle between shaytan...
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Ghazali on love of dunya (hub ad dunya)
Imam Ghazali’s book, Kitaab Al-Arba’in Fi Usul ad-Din, ‘The Forty Principles of the Religion,’ which he wrote before his death, is a summary of Ihya Ulumuddin, and his life’s works and thoughts. In his...
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Ghazali on love of status vs true perfection
Imam Ghazali’s book, Kitaab Al-Arba’in Fi Usul ad-Din, ‘The Forty Principles of the Religion,’ which he wrote before his death, is a summary of Ihya Ulumuddin, and his life’s works and thoughts. In purification...
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Ghazali on Backbiting – why people do it, when you can do it, how to stop doing it
Imam Ghazali’s book Kitaab Al-Arba’in Fi Usul ad-Din, The 40 Principles of the Faith is a summary of his great work, Ihya Ulumuddin which he wrote before he died. In the chapter on the...
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Ghazali’s third secret – control desire
Following the Sunnah In Imam Ghazali’s Kitaab Al-Arba’in Fi Usul ad-Din, The Forty Principles of the Religion, which is a summary of his great work, Ihya Ulum ad-Din, he has a chapter on Following...
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Command the good and forbid evil. Al Ghazali breaks down the principle.
Let there be a group among you who call ˹others˺ to goodness, encourage what is good, and forbid what is evil—it is they who will be successful. (3:104) The believers, both men and women,...
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Ghazali’s 20 rules for dealing with people. Rules 9-11 Deal according to their status.
Rule 9. Do good to everyone, whether they are worthy of it or not O you who have believed, bow and prostrate and worship your Lord and do good – that you may succeed...
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Ghazali’s 20 rules for dealing with people Rules 7-8 Dealing with gossip and arguments.
Rule 7: Do not pass on gossip Ghazali says do not listen to rumours about others and do not pass them on. We need this very sound nugget of advice because we are flooded...
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