TY - JOUR
T1 - Aḥmad al-Ghazālī’s al-Tajrīd fī Kalimat al-Tawḥīd: “A Primer on the Statement of Tawḥīd”
AU - Lumbard, Joseph E.B.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 Joseph E. B. Lumbard.
PY - 2024/12
Y1 - 2024/12
N2 - This article presents an introduction to and the first complete English translation of Ahmad al-Ghazali's (d. 517/1123 or 520/1126), al-Tajrid fi kalimat al-tawhid, his most widely received Arabic text. The title has a double entendre, meaning both "A Primer on the Statement of Tawhid, " and "Disengaging Through the Statement of Tawhid." It is designed to serve both purposes. The first half provides a spiritual typography, juxtaposing "the people of grace" ( ahl al-fall) to "the people of justice" ( ahl al-fadl). The former are those who maintain their covenant with God and follow the Prophet Muhammad. The latter are those who break the covenant and follow Iblis. The second half guides aspirants through the levels of spiritual development and the corresponding modes of remembrance ( dhik r ), detailing three modes of dhikr- la ilaha illa Llah (No god, but God), Allah, and huwa huwa (He, He). These correspond to three levels within the human being, the heart ( al-galb ), the spirit ( al-ruh ), and the secret ( al-sirr ). The goal is to provide an overview of the means whereby one can disengage from the blameworthy inclinations of their soul through the progressive levels of dhikr until the secret predominates over the spirit and the spirit predominates over the heart, such that one is able to focus solely upon God.
AB - This article presents an introduction to and the first complete English translation of Ahmad al-Ghazali's (d. 517/1123 or 520/1126), al-Tajrid fi kalimat al-tawhid, his most widely received Arabic text. The title has a double entendre, meaning both "A Primer on the Statement of Tawhid, " and "Disengaging Through the Statement of Tawhid." It is designed to serve both purposes. The first half provides a spiritual typography, juxtaposing "the people of grace" ( ahl al-fall) to "the people of justice" ( ahl al-fadl). The former are those who maintain their covenant with God and follow the Prophet Muhammad. The latter are those who break the covenant and follow Iblis. The second half guides aspirants through the levels of spiritual development and the corresponding modes of remembrance ( dhik r ), detailing three modes of dhikr- la ilaha illa Llah (No god, but God), Allah, and huwa huwa (He, He). These correspond to three levels within the human being, the heart ( al-galb ), the spirit ( al-ruh ), and the secret ( al-sirr ). The goal is to provide an overview of the means whereby one can disengage from the blameworthy inclinations of their soul through the progressive levels of dhikr until the secret predominates over the spirit and the spirit predominates over the heart, such that one is able to focus solely upon God.
KW - Dhikr
KW - Ghazali
KW - Spiritual path
KW - Sufism
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85207113218&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1163/22105956-12341345
DO - 10.1163/22105956-12341345
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85207113218
SN - 2210-5948
VL - 13
SP - 109
EP - 154
JO - Journal of Sufi Studies
JF - Journal of Sufi Studies
IS - 2
ER -