Ihya’ ‘Ulum al-Din: [Volume 4] The Revival of the Religious Sciences

Ihya’ ‘Ulum al-Din: [Volume 4] The Revival of the ReligiousSciences

Author: Al-Ghazali

Publisher:Islamic Book Trust (IBT)

ISBN: 9789670526188

Page: 576pp

Price: RM89

The Revivalof the Religious Sciences by Imam al-Ghaz?l? can be described as a book thatwill never i.e. This is because it contains a vital cognitive force that timecannot obliterate. In it the Imam discusses Islamic rulings, beliefs andcharacter, in the style of an admonisher who understands the psyche and itssecrets as well as spiritual diseases. What distinguishes this book from othersis its strong spiritual influence on the reader which makes him seek bothsoundness of heart and his Lord’s pleasure through acts of worship, rather thanthe mere performance of acts of worship so that they are legally valid. Thebook is a 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-Ghaz?l?’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.

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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.