Customer Reviews

Al-Ghazali's Path to Sufism: His Deliverance from Error (al-Munqidh min al-Dalal) and Five Key Texts

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Almost all of the works of al-Ghazali have been translated so far. The entire Ihya has already been translated (though not very well) by a Pakistani translator and the Islamic Text Society seem to be translating (one over priced chapeter at a time) the Ihya again to a much higher standard. This book, the Munqidh known as the 'Deliverance from error' has also been translated by W Montomery Watt (called the 'Faith and practice of al-Ghazali') I was not aware that R.J. Mc Carthy (another famous orientalist and author of several books on Islamic law) had also written a translation (This seems to have been translated in 1970 and based upon an Istanbul manuscript, it does not mention which library but I would assume the famous Sulaymaniyye) so I was interested to see what this was like.

This is not a bad translation at all, the beauty in it is that it is al-Ghazalis personal biography, his own soul searching and how he finally came to the Sufi path. It is an interesting read in that he seems to have examined all of the available Islamic paths at the time before finally finding comfort in Sufism. His 'crisis of faith' so to speak his teaching, his leaving his post and then returning to it. It truly is a journey of a life of a man of faith and conviction who wished to submit to a belief that he could both feel at one with and submit to heart and soul.

An exellent book recomended for all.

As someone who enjoys al-Ghazali's work (espeically the Kimyaet Saada- Alchemy of Happiness, entirely translated into English by Jay Crook), I felt necessary to read this autobiographical work to further understand this great scholar. This book was much more than I expected. Although short, it conveys the development of one of the most brilliant minds of human history. One is most struck with the intellectual fearlessness of al-Ghazali- particularly towards Hellenist philosophy, the greatest challenge to faith in his time. His sincerity is something rare in any age and an example worthy of emulation.

As a scientist myself, I was completely blown away by Imam Ghazali's arguments. Even today you'll be hard pressed to find someone who can articulate his ideas so well and then back them up with good evidence. Regardless of what religion you are, you'll be able to connect with Imam Ghazali. And even beyond the spiritual aspect, I'm sure you'll appreciate his logic and rationale. It's such a short read, but it impacted me greatly and made me realize the shortcomings of our modern day holy grail (the scientific method). Highly recommended!

This is an excellent, concise guide that is still highly relevant today. Although coming after Al-Ghazali's other works, it seems like a very good introduction as it places his thoughts in firm relation to other schools of thought of the day. Interestingly, you can directly see the descendants of those schools still arguing over the same issues and suffering from the same complaints he raises.

The only problem I have with this book (and the reason for only 4 stars) is that the original translation seems to have been part of a much larger text, and there are references here to things that are missing. One thing that is wonderful about McCarthy's translation is the very detailed and scholarly notes. They use an abbreviated bibliography where sources are referenced to things like M 74 or JC 63, but the detailed annotated bibliography which explains these mysterious references is not included. There are references to other notes and details which are not included.

Ghazali's personal spiritual journey exploring various school of thought.While Ghazali was analyzing philosophical,theological and spiritual thoughts he faced various challanges and difficulties. This book is about his deliverance from error.Great work written in scholorly fashion.