Ihya’ ‘Ulum al-Din: [Volume 2] The Revival of the Religious Sciences

Ihya’ ‘Ulum al-Din: [Volume 2] The Revival of the ReligiousSciences

Author: Al-Ghazali

Publisher:Islamic Book Trust (IBT)

ISBN: 9789670526164

Page: 340pp

Price: RM63

The book isa comprehensive encyclopaedia for all of a Muslim’s religious affairs,including beliefs, acts of worship, dealings and character, as well as forindividual and societal welfare. Al-Ghazali’s style is that of one whopractices what he knows, one who is determined to rise from the dry, ordinarymanner of teaching to one which encourages action. Volume two focuses on thenorms of daily conduct and consists of eleven books covering ‘The Rules ofEating and Drinking’, ‘The Secrets of Marriage’, ‘Earning a livelihood’, ‘TheLawful and the Unlawful’, ‘Love and Brotherhood’, ‘Duties to Muslims, Neighbours,Relatives, Slaves and Servants’, ‘The Rules of Living in Seclusion’ and ‘TheRules and Regulations of Travelling’.

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Abu Hamidal-Ghazali is a towering figure in Islam. His enormous influence can besummarized, in the words of Annemarie Shimmel, as the one who “teaches… only tohelp man to live a life in accordance with the sacred law, not by clingingexclusively to its letter, but by an understanding of its deeper meaning …sothat he is ready for the meeting with his Lord at any moment.” His greatestwork Ihya Ulum al-Din (Revivification of the Sciences of Religion), comprisingforty books divided into four quarters of ten books each, has helpedgenerations towards this end until today.