Al-Ghazali : The Book of Knowledge,
Kitab al Ilm,
*[A5+] Paperback - 336 pages,
Book [1] of The Revival of the Religious Sciences,
Ihya Ulum al-Din,
by Imam Abu Hamid al-Ghazali,
Translated from Arabic with Notes by Kenneth Honerkamp,
Foreword by Hamza Yusuf Hanson,
Published by Fons Vitae.
Back in Stock June 2024
Description :
The Book of Knowledge (Kitab al-'ilm) is the foundation of the Forty Books of the Revival of the Religious Sciences (Ihya' 'ulum al-Din), Imam al-Ghazali’s magnum opus. In the Book of Knowledge, he defines knowledge, its relation to faith, theology, and jurisprudence.
The book deals with the virtue of knowledge from both rational and traditional points of view. It elucidates the types of knowledge and the nature of people’s obligation to seek knowledge. Imam al-Ghazali defines jurisprudence and theology as branches of Islamic knowledge, then outlines those fields that people incorrectly consider to be Islamic disciplines, and distinguishes the praiseworthy from the blameworthy. He describes in detail the perils of disputation and the reasons people engage in debate and dialectics. He also considers the conduct incumbent on the teacher and student, and warns of the perils that can befall those pursuing knowledge. Finally, Imam al-Ghazali discusses the virtues and categories of the intellect and the prophetic traditions related to it.
'' Humankind are divided into those who attain mindfulness from
within themselves and comprehend, and into those who only
understand through exhortation and instruction, and those for
whom neither exhortation nor instruction render any benefit. ''
Each chapter includes a discussion of the Qur'anic verses, Hadith, and traditions from the Companions and the pious predecessors related to the subject at hand. Imam al-Ghazali then engages his readers in a heartfelt discourse; he offers proofs, metaphors, and examples to encourage seekers along the path to knowledge of the hereafter.
Abu Hamid al-Ghazali (d. 1111) was a leading scholar, jurist, and theologian of the golden age of Islam, and he remains its truest advocate in modern times. As a teacher of both inward and outward faith, he recorded these practical teachings in his forty-book compendium of Islamic knowledge.
Kenneth Lee Honerkamp, a graduate of the Quarawiyyine University of Morocco and the University of Aix-en-Provence, France has worked extensively in the manuscript libraries of Morocco. His research interests lie in the fields of teacher/disciple relationships in formative Sufism, Islamic law, Quranic sciences and the study and translation of letters of spiritual guidance written by Moroccan Sufis. He has edited and translated several previously unpublished works of Abu Abd al-Rahman al-Sulami (d. 412/1021). His critical edition of the Rasa’il al-kubra of Ibn Abbad of Ronda (d. 792/1390) is being published by Dar al-Machreq, in Lebanon. He presently holds the position of associate professor in the Department of Religion at the University of Georgia at Athens.
Table of Contents :
---Foreword,
---Publishers Note,
---Translators Preface,
---Acknowledgements,
---Author's Introduction,
------Outline,
------Previous Works on the Subject,
------Arrangement of this Book,
------Outward and Inward Knowledge,
---The Book of Knowledge,
---Chapter [1]. The Virtue of Knowledge,
------Textual Evidence from the Qur'an,
------The Prophetic Reports,
------The Traditions of the Companions and Others,
------The Virtue of Learning,
------Verses from the Qur'an,
------Rational Proofs,
------Elucidation,
---Chapter [2]. An Elucidation of Knowledge that is Compulsory for each Individual,
------An Elucidation of Knowledge that is Communal Obligation,
------Imams of Jurisprudence,
------Imam al-Shafi'i, may Allah be pleased with him,
------Imam Malik, may Allah be pleased with him,
------Imam Abu Hanifa, may Allah be pleased with him,
------Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal and Sufyan, may Allah be pleased with them,
---Chapter [3]. An Elucidation on the Reason Some Knowledge is Blameworthy,
------An Elucidation of the Names of the Disciplines that have been Altered,
------The First Term: Jurisprudence,
------The Second Term: Knowledge ('ilm),
------The Third Term: Unity (tawhid),
------The Fourth Term: Remembrance and Admonition,
------The Fifth Term: Wisdom (hikma),
------An Elucidation of the Praiseworthy Elements in the Praiseworthy Disciplines,
---Chapter [4]. Knowledge of Variant Opinions and the Perils of Disputation,
------An Elucidation of the Duplicity Involved on Comparing these Disputations with the Deliberations of the Companions and the Mutual Consultations of the Predecessors,
------An Elucidation of the Perils of Disputation and the Destruction of Morals that Results from it,
---Chapter [5]. On the Comportment Incumbent upon the Student and the Teacher,
------An Elucidation of the Functions of the Guide and the Teacher,
---Chapter [6]. The Perils of the Pursuit of Knowledge,
------An Elucidation of the Traits of the Scholars of the Hereafter and of the Reprehensible Scholars,
------The Traditions from the Companions,
------The Traits of the Scholars of the Hereafter,
------Hatim al-Asamm,
------Letter to Imam Malik b. Anas, may Allah be pleased with him,
------Imam Ali, may Allah be pleased with him,on Scholars of the Hereafter,
------Scholars of the Hereafter and Certitude,
------Increase and Decrease of Certitude,
------Most Worthy Acts,
------Worldly Scholars,
------Remembrance and Admonition,
------Invented Matters,
---Chapter [7]. On the Intellect and Its Noble Nature: Its Real Nature and Categories,
------An Elucidation of the Noble Nature of the Intellect,
------An Elucidation of the Real Nature of the Intellect and its Categories,
------An Elucidation on People's Disparities in the Intellect.
---Bibliography,
------Works in Western Languages,
------Works in Arabic,
---Indexes,
------Qur'anic Verses Cited,
------Index.
See the rest of the Imam al-Ghazali book range.
*Dimensions : 22.9 x 15.2 x 2.4cm.