The Alchemy of Happiness [Facsimile] [Hardcover]

Mohammed al-Ghazzali (Author), Claud Field (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1991

The influence of Al-Ghazzali upon both the Christian and Islamic thinkers of the Middle Ages and beyond is being more and more widely documented. Known as 'The Proof of Islam', Ghazzali finally won acceptance for Sufism in Islam, and his methods of argument and analysis powerfully impressed the Schoolmen of the West, who imitated him extensively. In the East, "Al-Ghazzali has been acclaimed by both Muslim and European scholars as the greatest Muslim after Muhammad" (Professor W. Montgomery Watt). Above all, Ghazzali was a Sufi, and ‘The Alchemy of Happiness’ is his own abridgement designed for the ordinary reader, of his colossal masterwork, ‘The Revival of Religious Sciences’.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English, Persian, Hindi (translation)

From the Publisher

Gazzali's own abridgement, in Persian, of his masterwork ‘The Revival of Religious Sciences’. This excellent English version is designed for the ordinary reader.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 122 pages
• Publisher: Octagon Press, Limited; Facsimile of 1910 ed edition (August 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0900860715
• ISBN-13: 978-0900860713
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 4.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,594,232 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars This book is a great disservice to the Imam's original!, June 26, 2001

By 

Mr. A. Jehangir - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Alchemy of Happiness (Hardcover)

Without doubt the original work by Imam al Ghazzali, entitled "Keemiya-i-Sa'adaat" (Alchemy of Happiness) is one of the great works of world religious literature, especially mystical. However, although it is an abridgement of Imam Ghazzali's magnus opus, "Ihya al Ulum ud-Din" (The Revival of the Religious Sciences) made by the master himself, this translation presents but a TINY portion of the abridged work. To give you an indication of just how much has been left out of this book, I have seen a full Urdu translation of the Keemiya and it runs to approx. 1000 pages. This work is 122 small sized pages!! (The Ihya of course is about 4000 large pages).Obviously therefore most of the book is missing. Secondly, this is an English translation of a French translation of the Urdu version of the Persian from the original! The number of errors in that sequence will be large. Also the translator has made some glaring errors in the translation of some technical Sufi terms used by the Imam. e.g. the word "sama'" has been translated, incorrectly, as it almost invariably is by Orientalists as "music". Now, "sama'" as understood by the Sufis themselves does NOT mean music. Its actual meaning is to listen to melodious voices or singing without musical accompaniment.That is what sama' gatherings were: gatherings of Sufis and disciples to listen to mystical poems sung in melodious voices with the rules of musical rhythms etc. with NO accompanying instruments NOT musical concerts as is often implied.

Therefore as a general taster of the great work by Imam Ghazzali this is ok but it is a poor substitute. Alas, the English speaking world must still wait for the first complete and accurate translation of the Alchemy of Happiness.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars wonderful book, September 16, 2010

By 

F. Hosseini - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Alchemy of Happiness (Kindle Edition)

I disagree with the other person! Although this book cannot be compared to Imam's orginal book in persian language,it is still a wonderful translation for those who are not familiar with Ghazzali's works.I highly recommend it.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not a translation of the original, July 14, 2009

By 

groggy in Seattle - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Alchemy of Happiness (Dodo Press) (Paperback)

There is now a full translation from the Persian of this work by Jay Crook published by Great Books of the Islamic World (2 volumes, 1003 pages). Field's translation is a very abridged version translated from Urdu. If you really want to read the Alchemy, get the Crook translation.