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Al-Ghazali: Deliverance from Error/The Beginning of Guidance
Deliverance from Error is the spiritual autobiography of Imam Ghazali, and The Beginning of Guidance, his other work included in this volume, complements his spiritual autobiography and sets out his ideal of how the religious man should order his life from hour to hour and day to day.
192 pages, Mass Market Paperback
Published January 1, 2012
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861 people want to read
About the author
Abu Hamid al-Ghazali
784 books2,957 followers
أبو حامد الغزالي
Muslim theologian and philosopher Abu Hamid al-Ghazali of Persia worked to systematize Sufism, Islamic mysticism, and in The Incoherence of the Philosophers (1095) argued the incompatibility of thought of Plato and Aristotle with Islam.
Born in 1058, Abū Ḥāmid Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad al-Ghazālī ranked of the most prominent and influential Sunni jurists of his origin.
Islamic tradition considers him to be a Mujaddid, a renewer of the faith who, according to the prophetic hadith, appears once every century to restore the faith of the ummah ("the Islamic Community"). His works were so highly acclaimed by his contemporaries that al-Ghazali was awarded the honorific title "Proof of Islam" (Hujjat al-Islam).
Al-Ghazali believed that the Islamic spiritual tradition had become moribund and that the spiritual sciences taught by the first generation of Muslims had been forgotten.[24] That resulted in his writing his magnum opus entitled Ihya 'ulum al-din ("The Revival of the Religious Sciences"). Among his other works, the Tahāfut al-Falāsifa ("Incoherence of the Philosophers") is a significant landmark in the history of philosophy, as it advances the critique of Aristotelian science developed later in 14th-century Europe.
أبو حامد محمد الغزّالي الطوسي النيسابوري الصوفي الشافعي الأشعري، أحد أعلام عصره وأحد أشهر علماء المسلمين في القرن الخامس الهجري،(450 هـ - 505 هـ / 1058م - 1111م). كان فقيهاً وأصولياً وفيلسوفاً، وكان صوفيّ الطريقةِ، شافعيّ الفقهِ إذ لم يكن للشافعية في آخر عصره مثلَه.، وكان على مذهب الأشاعرة في العقيدة، وقد عُرف كأحد مؤسسي المدرسة الأشعرية في علم الكلام، وأحد أصولها الثلاثة بعد أبي الحسن الأشعري، (وكانوا الباقلاني والجويني والغزّالي) لُقّب الغزالي بألقاب كثيرة في حياته، أشهرها لقب "حجّة الإسلام"، وله أيضاً ألقاب مثل: زين الدين، ومحجّة الدين، والعالم الأوحد، ومفتي الأمّة، وبركة الأنام، وإمام أئمة الدين، وشرف الأئمة.
كان له أثرٌ كبيرٌ وبصمةٌ واضحةٌ في عدّة علوم مثل الفلسفة، والفقه الشافعي، وعلم الكلام، والتصوف، والمنطق، وترك عدداَ من الكتب في تلك المجالات.ولد وعاش في طوس، ثم انتقل إلى نيسابور ليلازم أبا المعالي الجويني (الملقّب بإمام الحرمين)، فأخذ عنه معظم العلوم، ولمّا بلغ عمره 34 سنة، رحل إلى بغداد مدرّساً في المدرسة النظامية في عهد الدولة العباسية بطلب من الوزير السلجوقي نظام الملك. في تلك الفترة اشتُهر شهرةً واسعةً، وصار مقصداً لطلاب العلم الشرعي من جميع البلدان، حتى بلغ أنه كان يجلس في مجلسه أكثر من 400 من أفاضل الناس وعلمائهم يستمعون له ويكتبون عنه العلم. وبعد 4 سنوات من التدريس قرر اعتزال الناس والتفرغ للعبادة وتربية نفسه، متأثراً بذلك بالصّوفية وكتبهم، فخرج من بغداد خفيةً في رحلة طويلة بلغت 11 سنة، تنقل خلالها بين دمشق والقدس والخليل ومكة والمدينة المنورة، كتب خلالها كتابه المشهور إحياء علوم الدين كخلاصة لتجربته الروحية، عاد بعدها إلى بلده طوس متخذاً بجوار بيته مدرسةً للفقهاء، وخانقاه (مكان للتعبّد والعزلة) للصوفية.
Muslim theologian and philosopher Abu Hamid al-Ghazali of Persia worked to systematize Sufism, Islamic mysticism, and in The Incoherence of the Philosophers (1095) argued the incompatibility of thought of Plato and Aristotle with Islam.
Born in 1058, Abū Ḥāmid Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad al-Ghazālī ranked of the most prominent and influential Sunni jurists of his origin.
Islamic tradition considers him to be a Mujaddid, a renewer of the faith who, according to the prophetic hadith, appears once every century to restore the faith of the ummah ("the Islamic Community"). His works were so highly acclaimed by his contemporaries that al-Ghazali was awarded the honorific title "Proof of Islam" (Hujjat al-Islam).
Al-Ghazali believed that the Islamic spiritual tradition had become moribund and that the spiritual sciences taught by the first generation of Muslims had been forgotten.[24] That resulted in his writing his magnum opus entitled Ihya 'ulum al-din ("The Revival of the Religious Sciences"). Among his other works, the Tahāfut al-Falāsifa ("Incoherence of the Philosophers") is a significant landmark in the history of philosophy, as it advances the critique of Aristotelian science developed later in 14th-century Europe.
أبو حامد محمد الغزّالي الطوسي النيسابوري الصوفي الشافعي الأشعري، أحد أعلام عصره وأحد أشهر علماء المسلمين في القرن الخامس الهجري،(450 هـ - 505 هـ / 1058م - 1111م). كان فقيهاً وأصولياً وفيلسوفاً، وكان صوفيّ الطريقةِ، شافعيّ الفقهِ إذ لم يكن للشافعية في آخر عصره مثلَه.، وكان على مذهب الأشاعرة في العقيدة، وقد عُرف كأحد مؤسسي المدرسة الأشعرية في علم الكلام، وأحد أصولها الثلاثة بعد أبي الحسن الأشعري، (وكانوا الباقلاني والجويني والغزّالي) لُقّب الغزالي بألقاب كثيرة في حياته، أشهرها لقب "حجّة الإسلام"، وله أيضاً ألقاب مثل: زين الدين، ومحجّة الدين، والعالم الأوحد، ومفتي الأمّة، وبركة الأنام، وإمام أئمة الدين، وشرف الأئمة.
كان له أثرٌ كبيرٌ وبصمةٌ واضحةٌ في عدّة علوم مثل الفلسفة، والفقه الشافعي، وعلم الكلام، والتصوف، والمنطق، وترك عدداَ من الكتب في تلك المجالات.ولد وعاش في طوس، ثم انتقل إلى نيسابور ليلازم أبا المعالي الجويني (الملقّب بإمام الحرمين)، فأخذ عنه معظم العلوم، ولمّا بلغ عمره 34 سنة، رحل إلى بغداد مدرّساً في المدرسة النظامية في عهد الدولة العباسية بطلب من الوزير السلجوقي نظام الملك. في تلك الفترة اشتُهر شهرةً واسعةً، وصار مقصداً لطلاب العلم الشرعي من جميع البلدان، حتى بلغ أنه كان يجلس في مجلسه أكثر من 400 من أفاضل الناس وعلمائهم يستمعون له ويكتبون عنه العلم. وبعد 4 سنوات من التدريس قرر اعتزال الناس والتفرغ للعبادة وتربية نفسه، متأثراً بذلك بالصّوفية وكتبهم، فخرج من بغداد خفيةً في رحلة طويلة بلغت 11 سنة، تنقل خلالها بين دمشق والقدس والخليل ومكة والمدينة المنورة، كتب خلالها كتابه المشهور إحياء علوم الدين كخلاصة لتجربته الروحية، عاد بعدها إلى بلده طوس متخذاً بجوار بيته مدرسةً للفقهاء، وخانقاه (مكان للتعبّد والعزلة) للصوفية.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
March 28, 2019
The spiritual autobiography of famous muslim philosopher Abu Hamid Al-Ghazali, his account of
How he studied all major school of thoughts of his age most importantly the Mutakallims, the innovators, the batnis , the philosophers and the sufis in search of truth.
His search led him inward causing a major intellectual crisis, All of his certainties shattered. He found all school of thoughts except the sufis incapable of guiding the seeker to the ultimate reality i-e the god. He found reality or the true knowledge of God or the certainty can only be experienced . It cannot be known through abstract philosophical speculations. Ultimately he abandoned everything, left home spent ten years in meditation.
While reading I remember other accounts of similar crisis and spiritual enlightenment . Gautama sidharth , Paul, Saint Augustine, Rumi, Pascal, Tolstoy, Dostovesky, Gandhi and many more .Why after certain age material world with all of its seductions ,mysteries, and sufferings failed to fill our inner void. We started to long for something eternel something above and beyond this petty meaningless existence.
Ghazali and all those people were lucky , they struggled and found the ultimate reality. There is no hope for us lazy book addicts. We have no hope for finding any certainty in anything. In my younger years i tried to find certainty through the sufi path. Even found an enlightened sufi with a story similar to Al-Ghazali. For years i passionately devoted myself to the remembrance of God. The idea was something inside would definitely change and some certainty would be achieved. But nothing happened, not an ounce of certainty , something from inside told me , i m not a spiritual material. This whole business of quest for the reality must be stopped in favor of accepting the uncertainty and meaninglessness. I paid heed to that satirical inner voice and started increasing my uncertainties with books.
How he studied all major school of thoughts of his age most importantly the Mutakallims, the innovators, the batnis , the philosophers and the sufis in search of truth.
His search led him inward causing a major intellectual crisis, All of his certainties shattered. He found all school of thoughts except the sufis incapable of guiding the seeker to the ultimate reality i-e the god. He found reality or the true knowledge of God or the certainty can only be experienced . It cannot be known through abstract philosophical speculations. Ultimately he abandoned everything, left home spent ten years in meditation.
While reading I remember other accounts of similar crisis and spiritual enlightenment . Gautama sidharth , Paul, Saint Augustine, Rumi, Pascal, Tolstoy, Dostovesky, Gandhi and many more .Why after certain age material world with all of its seductions ,mysteries, and sufferings failed to fill our inner void. We started to long for something eternel something above and beyond this petty meaningless existence.
Ghazali and all those people were lucky , they struggled and found the ultimate reality. There is no hope for us lazy book addicts. We have no hope for finding any certainty in anything. In my younger years i tried to find certainty through the sufi path. Even found an enlightened sufi with a story similar to Al-Ghazali. For years i passionately devoted myself to the remembrance of God. The idea was something inside would definitely change and some certainty would be achieved. But nothing happened, not an ounce of certainty , something from inside told me , i m not a spiritual material. This whole business of quest for the reality must be stopped in favor of accepting the uncertainty and meaninglessness. I paid heed to that satirical inner voice and started increasing my uncertainties with books.
February 25, 2016
Kitab Imam al-Ghazali ini wajar dimasukkan dalam senarai wajib baca bersama-sama karya magnum opusnya, Ihya Ulumuddin. Hujjatul Islam ini diminta oleh orang yang ikhlas untuk mengetahui sebab-musabbab beliau meninggalkan kedudukannya sebagai profesor besar di institusi ilmu terpenting di Baghdad yang ditubuhkan oleh Nizamul Muluk, iaitu Madrasah Nizamiyah sehingga kembali ke Naishapur. Al-Ghazali sebenarnya berdepan dengan krisis epistemologi sehingga beliau banyak menyelidik bagaimana golongan ahli kalam, ahli falsafah, Batiniyah (Syiah) dan ahli sufi memperoleh serta mencapai kebenaran yang secara tidak langsung memperlihatkan keluasan ilmu dan wacana yang dimilikinya.
Tulisan dalam bentuk autobiografi ini, memperlihatkan bagaimana akhirnya Imam al-Ghazali menerima epistemologi dalam pandangan Islam belum sempurna dengan hanya melalui kaedah yang diikuti oleh ahli kalam meskipun beliau mengakui kepentingannya tetapi seperti kata beliau, adakalanya ubat kepada orang lain adalah racun kepada seseorang. Ini kerana secara umumnya, Imam Ghazali melihat wacana dalam ilmu kalam bertujuan mempertahankan akidah Islam daripada penyelewengan pemikiran asing dengan menunjukkan kekeliruan dan kekacauan pada pemikiran berkenaan sehingga kurang menitik-beratkan bagaimana proses epistemologi dalam mengukuh pegangan dari dalam diri.
Dalam konteks falsafah dan Batiniyah pula, Imam al-Ghazali menjelaskan kerancuan dalam berfikir yang sebenarnya sudah pun dijelaskan dengan teliti dalam kitabnya yang lain, iaitu Tahafut al-Falasifah, manakala konsep al-Taalamiyah yang menekankan kewujudan imam yang tersembunyi pula dijawab dengan tuntas dalam beberapa kitabnya termasuk al-Mustazhiri - kita sebagai pembaca akan kagum bagaimana wacana yang dikemukakan oleh Imam al-Ghazali dalam hal ini meskipun secara ringkas dalam kitab ini.
Justeru, kitab ini menjelaskan proses pencarian kebenaran yang diterima dengan keyakinan yang tuntas dan tidak diganggu oleh keraguan meskipun sedikit yang ternyata diperoleh melalui jalan sufisme serta kerohanian. Proses inilah yang penting untuk dibaca dan dijadikan pengajaran kepada kita pada akhir zaman ini kerana tampaknya bukan saja latar zamannya hampir sama, bahkan serangan pemikiran dan krisis epistemologi umat Islam menerima gugatan yang sangat besar.
Tulisan dalam bentuk autobiografi ini, memperlihatkan bagaimana akhirnya Imam al-Ghazali menerima epistemologi dalam pandangan Islam belum sempurna dengan hanya melalui kaedah yang diikuti oleh ahli kalam meskipun beliau mengakui kepentingannya tetapi seperti kata beliau, adakalanya ubat kepada orang lain adalah racun kepada seseorang. Ini kerana secara umumnya, Imam Ghazali melihat wacana dalam ilmu kalam bertujuan mempertahankan akidah Islam daripada penyelewengan pemikiran asing dengan menunjukkan kekeliruan dan kekacauan pada pemikiran berkenaan sehingga kurang menitik-beratkan bagaimana proses epistemologi dalam mengukuh pegangan dari dalam diri.
Dalam konteks falsafah dan Batiniyah pula, Imam al-Ghazali menjelaskan kerancuan dalam berfikir yang sebenarnya sudah pun dijelaskan dengan teliti dalam kitabnya yang lain, iaitu Tahafut al-Falasifah, manakala konsep al-Taalamiyah yang menekankan kewujudan imam yang tersembunyi pula dijawab dengan tuntas dalam beberapa kitabnya termasuk al-Mustazhiri - kita sebagai pembaca akan kagum bagaimana wacana yang dikemukakan oleh Imam al-Ghazali dalam hal ini meskipun secara ringkas dalam kitab ini.
Justeru, kitab ini menjelaskan proses pencarian kebenaran yang diterima dengan keyakinan yang tuntas dan tidak diganggu oleh keraguan meskipun sedikit yang ternyata diperoleh melalui jalan sufisme serta kerohanian. Proses inilah yang penting untuk dibaca dan dijadikan pengajaran kepada kita pada akhir zaman ini kerana tampaknya bukan saja latar zamannya hampir sama, bahkan serangan pemikiran dan krisis epistemologi umat Islam menerima gugatan yang sangat besar.
August 23, 2023
this book had 2 works of ghazali,
the first being -
1. Deliverance from Error (also known as his Confessions) is an autobiography of his intellectual and spiritual growth and it was a really amazing thing to read, he was a really strong skeptic and it led to him doubting everything - the things he was thought as a child, his physical senses, his logic, to the nature reality and talks about the years he spent dwelving on different ideas, schools of thoughts, philosophies and why they werent enough - and how in the end he became a mystic,
unrealted video (although he does mention his turning away from the world, and living away from everything for 11 years before his eventual return)
https://youtu.be/OjL6cUZXnI4
overall, a really amazing book and every line of it was something to ponder about.
2. The Beginning of Guidance -
in it he talks about how a ideal muslim should live like, describing rites and rituals and whats good,
someone who is reading this as a muslim will understand it all however someone who isnt may scratch his head some on the technical aspects of things like prayers, repetitions, etc.
not as touching as the first but still a nice addition to the first,
--------------------------------------------------------
conclusion - good stuff
the first being -
1. Deliverance from Error (also known as his Confessions) is an autobiography of his intellectual and spiritual growth and it was a really amazing thing to read, he was a really strong skeptic and it led to him doubting everything - the things he was thought as a child, his physical senses, his logic, to the nature reality and talks about the years he spent dwelving on different ideas, schools of thoughts, philosophies and why they werent enough - and how in the end he became a mystic,
unrealted video (although he does mention his turning away from the world, and living away from everything for 11 years before his eventual return)
https://youtu.be/OjL6cUZXnI4
overall, a really amazing book and every line of it was something to ponder about.
2. The Beginning of Guidance -
in it he talks about how a ideal muslim should live like, describing rites and rituals and whats good,
someone who is reading this as a muslim will understand it all however someone who isnt may scratch his head some on the technical aspects of things like prayers, repetitions, etc.
not as touching as the first but still a nice addition to the first,
--------------------------------------------------------
conclusion - good stuff
July 28, 2024
After being disappointed by the Alchemy of Happiness, I found this book not only refreshing but wonderfully educational. While it does possess the same religious potency, it does so without the unnecessary zealotry. I think it is an important read for the education of anyone, religious or not. It will be particularly useful for fostering meaningful dialogue amongst the different sects of the Abrahamic faith.
November 30, 2025
maybe he just needed to like… idk do telehealth therapy?? and then scrap the philosophy and maybe it’d be interesting
March 13, 2018
'It had already become clear to me that my only hope of attaining beatitude in the afterlife lay in piety and restraining my soul from passion. The beginning of all that, I knew, was to sever my heart’s attachment to the world by withdrawing from this abode of delusion and turning to the mansion of immortality and devoting myself with total ardor to God Most High. That, I knew, could be achieved only by shunning fame and fortune and fleeing from my preoccupations and attachments.'
'...I saw that I was immersed in attachments which had encompassed me from all sides. I also considered my activities — the best of them being public and private instruction — and that in them I was applying myself to sciences unimportant and useless in this pilgrimage to the hereafter.
Then I reflected on my intention in my public teaching, and I saw that it was not directed purely to God, but rather was instigated and motivated by the quest for fame and widespread prestige. So I became certain that I was on the brink of a crumbling bank and already on the verge of falling into the Fire, unless I set about mending my ways.'
'I therefore reflected unceasingly on this for some time, while I still had freedom of choice. One day I would firmly resolve to leave Baghdad and disengage myself from those circumstances, and another day I would revoke my resolution. I would put one foot forward, and the other backward. In the morning I would have a sincere desire to seek the things of the afterlife: but by evening the hosts of passion would assail it and render it lukewarm. Mundane desires began tugging me with their chains to remain as I was, while the herald of faith was crying out: “Away! Up and away! Only a little is left of your life, and a long journey lies before you! All the theory and practice in which you are engrossed is eyeservice and fakery! If you do not prepare now for the afterlife, when will you do so? And if you do not sever these attachments now, then when will you sever them?” '
Life-altering book, if there was ever one.
'...I saw that I was immersed in attachments which had encompassed me from all sides. I also considered my activities — the best of them being public and private instruction — and that in them I was applying myself to sciences unimportant and useless in this pilgrimage to the hereafter.
Then I reflected on my intention in my public teaching, and I saw that it was not directed purely to God, but rather was instigated and motivated by the quest for fame and widespread prestige. So I became certain that I was on the brink of a crumbling bank and already on the verge of falling into the Fire, unless I set about mending my ways.'
'I therefore reflected unceasingly on this for some time, while I still had freedom of choice. One day I would firmly resolve to leave Baghdad and disengage myself from those circumstances, and another day I would revoke my resolution. I would put one foot forward, and the other backward. In the morning I would have a sincere desire to seek the things of the afterlife: but by evening the hosts of passion would assail it and render it lukewarm. Mundane desires began tugging me with their chains to remain as I was, while the herald of faith was crying out: “Away! Up and away! Only a little is left of your life, and a long journey lies before you! All the theory and practice in which you are engrossed is eyeservice and fakery! If you do not prepare now for the afterlife, when will you do so? And if you do not sever these attachments now, then when will you sever them?” '
Life-altering book, if there was ever one.
July 22, 2015
first of all we ask Allah to grant him jannatul firdous.The book is very interesting.I did not fully understand the first part which is delivering from Error.The second part which is the beginning of guidance is very informative and interesting.It will teach you how to get started seeking knowledge with pure intention. The best part is he said that whoever increases in knowledge and does not increase in guidance, only increases in distance from God.its all about guidance.I would highly recommend.
June 30, 2024
My first journey of Tasawuf started with Bidayatul Hidayah (Beginning of Guidance) ten years back. I’m in awe reading this book, perhaps because I am too young during that time and I never realise how subtle our intention and heart is. It brings me to repeat the reading for more than five times and quoted everything that worth to be quoted.
I have tried to read other writers in Tasawuf and it have never brings the same impacts as Imam Ghazali writings. For me personally.
Then I started to indulge with his other books (Minhajul Abidin, Mukashafah Qulub, Ayyuhal Walad, Kimiyatus Saadah) - I realise that his writing somehow structures the feeling that have been in my longing curiosity. His writing gives me enlightenment for things that I have never realise I have been asking.
For that, I have always curious how can he attained spiritual enlightenment? What makes him gain the courage to move away from his hometown and leaving his huge title in madrasah? I hope Allah gave me the answer when I am with him (Imam Ghazali) in jannah, but I am in utter disbelief that he has already writes a confession for that. Why I have never known this is rather a surprise, since I always refer to him in any matter.
I read this with a huge curiosity. It is a hard-read for someone who are not much indulged in knowledge community like me. But I’m happy to have the answer of my lifetime curiosity. His reasons for moving away is much bigger than what I have thought, and I shouldn’t write it here since it will be considered a spoiler.
For anyone who intend to read this book, you should at least know the history of Imam Ghazali’s life and the Muslim community in Nisapur during that time to really grasp why so and so has been highlighted in this book.
Perhaps this book also can be the map of the book that can answer your next question. He has explained what is the error of the knowledge for certain community and which book of him has he write the comprehensive answer. In this book, he only gave a brief explanation that may give you the idea.
I have tried to read other writers in Tasawuf and it have never brings the same impacts as Imam Ghazali writings. For me personally.
Then I started to indulge with his other books (Minhajul Abidin, Mukashafah Qulub, Ayyuhal Walad, Kimiyatus Saadah) - I realise that his writing somehow structures the feeling that have been in my longing curiosity. His writing gives me enlightenment for things that I have never realise I have been asking.
For that, I have always curious how can he attained spiritual enlightenment? What makes him gain the courage to move away from his hometown and leaving his huge title in madrasah? I hope Allah gave me the answer when I am with him (Imam Ghazali) in jannah, but I am in utter disbelief that he has already writes a confession for that. Why I have never known this is rather a surprise, since I always refer to him in any matter.
I read this with a huge curiosity. It is a hard-read for someone who are not much indulged in knowledge community like me. But I’m happy to have the answer of my lifetime curiosity. His reasons for moving away is much bigger than what I have thought, and I shouldn’t write it here since it will be considered a spoiler.
For anyone who intend to read this book, you should at least know the history of Imam Ghazali’s life and the Muslim community in Nisapur during that time to really grasp why so and so has been highlighted in this book.
Perhaps this book also can be the map of the book that can answer your next question. He has explained what is the error of the knowledge for certain community and which book of him has he write the comprehensive answer. In this book, he only gave a brief explanation that may give you the idea.
November 28, 2017
it's definitely the best book I've ever read !
many times this book had been mistaken for making muslims abandon their faith, but to the contrary this book actually will make your faith grows even stronger.
one of best philosophical book in the history and even until this time, many scholars couldn't understand what Al Ghazali tried to persuade us with his daunting "question of faith"
many times this book had been mistaken for making muslims abandon their faith, but to the contrary this book actually will make your faith grows even stronger.
one of best philosophical book in the history and even until this time, many scholars couldn't understand what Al Ghazali tried to persuade us with his daunting "question of faith"
December 18, 2023
Islamic philosophy from the perspective of someone deeply endowed in Sufism; yet is not a sufi himself. Interesting read especially if your interested in the mysticism of Islam and one of the most notable arab philosophers.
November 18, 2016
The author is known as one of the most influential philosophers of all time. In this book, he tells about his spiritual travelling.
August 19, 2017
Enjoyed it. Though it's disagreeable on certain aspects, but still a time well spent.
October 11, 2017
Still very relevant for our time!
July 24, 2018
A very good book. It has basic guidances but very beneficial. I hope I'd read it when I was younger.
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May 26, 2020Sufi mysticism and middle ages religious philosophical thinking on knowledge, the way of mysticism and prophecies
June 23, 2021
Insightful
January 6, 2025
Faith based school of epistemology. Anti-Experience, Anti-Reason, Pro-Faith. Declared Al Farabi and Ibn Sina as disbelievers.
September 4, 2023
Deliverance from error is a great start into the works of Ghazali and the reader to gain a better understanding of what Ghazali was like as a person. It can be a bit of a complex read due to the wording of sentences and some of the scientific examples are no longer relevant, but understanding them is important because the general point for why the examples were made still stands.
Beginning of Guidance is a great primer into bettering one’s self and knowing some of the requirements of faith.
Beginning of Guidance is a great primer into bettering one’s self and knowing some of the requirements of faith.
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August 4, 2016I strongly recommend this book especially the second section, the beginning of guidance. Basically, it teaches the right thinking when performing each action in Ibadah. It demands attention to details in performing the rites of Ibadah and the attitude one should adopt if one sincerely wants to connect with the Almighty Creator. The beginning of guidance requires our effort to try and elevate our performance in Ibadah with strong hope that Allah will accept them. Only then, Allah will grant wisdom as to why such Ibadah must be performed. Surely, this book is beneficial to all. You can get one at Kinokuniya.
November 29, 2015
"Don't hope for a good harvest when you sow nothing."
The beginning of guidance talks about some subjects that seem very basic in the beginning. We already know about them, but we don't realise they have a deeper meaning. That's how they happen to become a habit: the actions lose their spiritual content.
Imam al Ghazali gives us a deeper view of these "basic subjects," so we can implement it in our daily lives with awareness.
The beginning of guidance talks about some subjects that seem very basic in the beginning. We already know about them, but we don't realise they have a deeper meaning. That's how they happen to become a habit: the actions lose their spiritual content.
Imam al Ghazali gives us a deeper view of these "basic subjects," so we can implement it in our daily lives with awareness.
August 11, 2014
Buku nipis, tapi ambil masa yang sangat lama untuk habis. Bahagian pertama, Deliverance from Error saya kirakan antara bacaan yang paling menarik pernah dibaca tapi juga antara yg paling sukar difahami. harapnya akan baca sekali lagi dalam setahun dua nanti. supaya dapat compare kefahaman yang sekarang dgn yang pada masa akan datang. andai usia panjang. iA.
February 22, 2016
A must read for all students. Going through the stages of al-Ghazzali's thought, his intellectual crises, his theory on epistemology, his stauch criticism on philosophers, Batinites and theologians, his endorsement of Sufism; one simply cant stop flipping through the pages.
April 13, 2016
It was a translation piece of al-Ghazali's منقض من الضلال and بداية الهداية. What is special about it is the conciseness may enable every level of society would consider reading, without missing the original idea and message.
June 23, 2016
An essential read for any Muslim wishing to probe a little deeper into the tradition of Islam and the meaning of submitting to God. This autobiographical and analytical admonishment has retained its importance for centuries, and will continue to do so as long as man's search for meaning continues.
December 22, 2013
As always, Ghazzali's intellect and his argumentation at its peak
April 10, 2020
As in the case of encountering many solid thinkers, I have more questions than answers.
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