What Are the Ethical Teachings of Al-Ghazali and How Important and Relevant Are They to Contemporary Muslims? Critically Discuss

* 20-21 List 5 parallels between moral and intellectual virtues. ---Cultivating the virtues is a developmental process extending through a lifetime/ Growth in the virtues is not automatic/ We are not alone on our efforts to become morally and intellectually virtuous people/ our careers as a moral and intellectual agents are enveloped in a community context/ We must work to sustain our gains in the moral and intellectual life, since regression is a real possibility/ Growing in intellectual virtue requires that we grow in moral virtues, and vice versa.---

If these compiled virtues are the ultimate freedom, the main goal of a person should be to develop their character. “The good for man is an activity of the soul in accordance with virtue, or if there are more kinds of virtue than one, in accordance with the best and most perfect kind.” (Nicomachean Ethics, 1.7) These virtues are achieved by constant interaction with society and any obstacles that present themselves. This interaction must be an activity of the mind; only through internal activity can one hope to further an internal change. “The expectations of life depend upon diligence the mechanic that would perfect his work

4. In what ways do these hadiths reflect common themes in many of the world’s “wisdom traditions,” and in what respects are they distinctly Islamic?

For Schleiermacher, in particular, and, additionally, the Islamic mystic Al-Ghazali, true religion was completely experiential and it should therefore be felt rather than thought. He believed that logic destroys religious experience because religious experience is a matter of intuitive knowledge, not processed knowledge. Intuition is belief, where as logic creates doubts. In many spiritual systems (religious or independent of religion) the human instinct is held in high regard. It was for this reason that Iqbal, the late Islamic philosopher of the modern era, disagreed with Al-Ghazali.

The Sunni Creed of Adud al-Din-Iji and the Zaydi creed of Imam al-Mutawakkil have some major fundamental differences, as you may expect since both come from opposite spectrums of Islam; but, after careful analysis, one may be surprised to find that both creeds hold a fair amount of similarities. In this essay, I plan to compare and contrast the Sunni creed and Zayid creed by showing you evidence of the significant similarities and differences in these two short texts. Even though one branch may have something that the other may not have, one can still see that both creeds of Islam provide the instructions and general beliefs of how a Muslim must act, how God is the most powerful. The biggest

In the second section, he outlines the principle, or cardinal virtues: Prudence, Temperance, Justice and Fortitude, which could also be termed wisdom, self-control, fairness, equity, and steadfastness. He uses the vivid illustration of an athlete, or mathematician who practices a virtue, making a shot in tennis, or solving problems till they become internalized, a part of the person who disciplined himself to perfect them.

Islam was founded by Muhammad and during his life, he was able to gain many followers, even conquering the city of Mecca from which fled because of prosecution (1). Because of the zeal of its followers, Islam

Although there are several ways to interpret these virtues, Beauregard elaborates mostly on the theological aspects these objects. He relates these

in Al-Ghazal). Interpretations of the Qur’an also associate the gaining of knowledge with comprehension of religion (Rosenthal 29). “Islamic philosophy was … concerned with the basic issue of the harmony between human reasoning and the revelations provided to the Muslims in the holy Qur’an” (Al-Ghazal). This emphasis coupled with a lack of scientific censorship by Islam, provided an impetus for the study of many branches of science, including medicine (Al-Ghazal).

Islam's unambiguous ethical standards are very significant when one considers the affect it has on the day to day lives of its adherents. The goal of walking the straight path and doing it well without any crooks or curves requires a resolve and dedication only facilitated through clearly defined rules and guidelines.

Mevlana Jalal al- Din Rumi is one of the most influential Islamic mystics of all times. It is no surprise that even seven hundred years after his death; he remains to be the best selling poet in North America. His poetry reflects the teachings of Islam and his opinions on various matters such as faith, prayer, love, free will etc. are assembled in a book called “The signs of the Unseen”. Occasionally, commentators dissociate Rumi poetry’s from Islam but the fact is that Rumi’s entire writings are inspired from the Quran and sayings of Prophet (PBUH) and represent the essence of Islam.

hapter three of Malise Ruthven’s book, Islam: A Very Short Introduction, is dedicated to the subject of divine unicity and the fact that, although it is a very important belief in Islam, the Muslim world is characterised by disunity. The word tawhid means unicity, and there is an “insistence that it is unicity above all that defines divinity,” which is not directly mentioned in the Quran, but is implied. The idea can be traced back to 657, when Mu‘āwiya’s soldiers placed pages of the Quran on their lances, symbolizing that they are also Muslims like ‘Alī’s supporters, calling upon this sacred unicity to reach arbitration. Throughout the history of Islam, similarly to Christianity, there have been countless breaks and divisions, ultimately leading

Within Sufism, Al-Ghazali defined the difference between Ilham (inspiration) and Ta’allum (reasoning or learning). He believes that inspiration and revelation in union with religion hold a superior position than reasoning that originates from philosophy. Rational knowledge, according to Al-Ghazali, is always relative to the senses. The knowledge of the senses, however, cannot be trusted as valid. True knowledge, known as the Truth, only comes through inspiration and revelation (McCarthy 378). Al-Ghazali introduces the aspect of God, or Allah, in the acquisition of perfect knowledge. “Inspiration can bring one closer to Allah than philosophical learning alone” (Inglis). Ultimately, this idea of Ilham brings with it the Supreme Reality which is equivalent to Truth (McCarthy 378). In practical terms, Al-Ghazali believes that the necessary Truths of the intellect begin from “a light which God most high cast into my breast. That light is the key to the greater part of knowledge” (Al-Ghazali 25). An individual can only experience this light of God if he or she has reached the “state.”

The essay shall explore the concept of the jahiliyyah and demonstrate the importance and impact it has to understand the origins and development of Islam. The Jahiliyyah is a core and critical part of the foundations of Islam, that certain elements of the jahiliyyah were borrowed, adopted and developed; whilst other elements were discarded as Islam evolved. It is important as aspects of the jahiliyyah period continues to have an influence after the advent of Islam. Elements of the jahiliyyah such as the geographical location; the political, social and religious life; pre-islamic literature, rituals of the Ka 'ba and the role of Women have shaped the understanding of Islam.

To admit this would be devastating to the religion of Islam. Yet, if Islam is to be defended as a spiritually adequate, Sufi doctrine and practice must be proven to be inherently Islamic in nature, as “to suggest that Islamic mysticism is, in fact, a borrowing from outside raises the spectre of denial of the intrinsically spiritual nature of Islam and thence the spiritual nature of Muslims themselves.”3