On disciplining the soul & On breaking the two desires : books XXII and XXIII of The revival of the religious sciences = Kitāb riyāḍat al-nafs, & Kitāb kasr al-s̲ẖahwatayn : Iḥyāʾ ʻulūm al-dīn

Description: The spiritual life in Islam begins with riyadat al-nafs, the inner warfare against the ego. Distracted and polluted by worldliness, the lower self has a tendency to drag the human creature down into arrogance and vice. Only by a powerful effort of will can the sincere worshipper achieve the purity of soul which enables him to attain God's proximity. This translation of two chapters from The Revival of the Religious Sciences (Ihya' 'Ulum al-Din) details the sophisticated spiritual techniques adopted by classical Islam. In the first step, On Disciplining the Soul, which cites copious anecdotes from the Islamic scriptures and biographies of the saints, Ghazali explains how to acquire good character traits, and goes on to describe how the sickness of the heart may be cured. In the second part, Breaking the Two Desires, he focusses on the question of gluttony and sexual desire, concluding, in the words of the Prophet, that 'the best of all matters is the middle way'. The translator has added an introduction and notes which explore Ghazali's ability to make use of Greek as well as Islamic ethics.

Table of Contents: The book of disciplining the soul, refining the character, & curing the sicknesses of the heart : Kitāb riyāḍat al-nafs wa-tahd̲h̲īb al-ak̲h̲lāq wa-muʻālajat amrāḍ al-qalb : book XXII of The revival of the religious sciences = Iḥyāʼ ʻulūm al-dīn
The book of breaking the two desires = Kitāb kasr al-s̲h̲ahwatayn : book XXIII of The revival of the religious sciences = Ihyāʼ ʻulūm-al-dīn

FY2003 /