Al-Ghazali letter to an Emir
- Language:
- English
- Status:
- Complete work
- Authorship:
- Written by the author
- Condition of the text:
- No scanning noise detected (automatic measure over the whole text, not checked by hand)
- Extent:
- ~1,900 words · 9 passages
Cite this work
- APAAl-Ghazali. (n.d.). Al-Ghazali letter to an Emir. Digital reproduction: SigPhi. https://sigphiai.com/en/works/al-ghazali/al-ghazali-letter-to-an-emir
- MLAAl-Ghazali. Al-Ghazali letter to an Emir. Digital reproduction, SigPhi, https://sigphiai.com/en/works/al-ghazali/al-ghazali-letter-to-an-emir.
- ChicagoAl-Ghazali. Al-Ghazali letter to an Emir. Digital reproduction, SigPhi. https://sigphiai.com/en/works/al-ghazali/al-ghazali-letter-to-an-emir.
Reference to the edition that SigPhi reproduces: SigPhi is its digital reproduction, not its publisher. The edition's year is not in the metadata (hence "n.d."), and the translator appears only when recorded.
What it is about
A letter to an unnamed emir.
Context and history
The anonymity of the addressee makes it read as what it fundamentally is: a model of what should be said to those who rule. It comes from the Fada'il al-anam, the collection of al-Ghazali's Persian correspondence, and appears in the catalogue as a separate piece. **It is none of his major works**: for those, see The Alchemy of Happiness and The Confessions of al-Ghazzali, also here. The original is Persian; this is an English translation.
Editorial context, not a citable source: unlike the passages of the work itself, these statements cannot be checked against the corpus.
The mind of the writer, his hand and fingers are above the pen and his body lies below. He alone is the wisest who rises stage by stage from the lowest level to the highest spiritual stage. "Indeed, We created the human with the fairest stature and We shall return him to (a state) lower than the young." Koran, Chapter 95 verses 4 - 5. It is a pity that some people believe in the miraculous cures by a doctor. A policy of total reliance on medical aid would be disastrous. When we are ill, the best course left open to us is that we should surrender ourselves entirely, taking refuge with Allah, as men in sore affliction, who have no other resources or supporters left. If one is pious and learned, his prayer can easily reach the Malakute world of self which is the highest of the high. This height is not to be reached with an astronomic ladder to the stars or with the wings of an angel. Perception or intelligence can never lead to this conviction or reveal this glorious mystery, that is the province of the Divine Light alone. Wealth and dignity have caused many to stray from the right path, they are the gods people worship. Renunciation is the practice of those who know Allah and the characteristic mark of the wise, if one has expelled the love of this from one's heart you may be sure that you will arrive at your destination. The guide which will conduct him on his path assumes the form of good works. "Good deeds would elevate him to the contemplation of spiritual things through the medium of his impressionable feelings."