Translated from the Arabic with an Introduction and Notes by M. Abdurrahman Fitzgerald
In the Mysteries of the Pilgrimage (Kitāb asrār al-ḥajj), book 7 of the forty books of the Revival of the Religious Sciences (Iḥyāʾ ʿulūm al-dīn), Abū Ḥāmid al-Ghazālī discusses the fundamentals of the pilgrimage, including its pillars, preconditions, and obligations. The book begins with an introduction on the merits of the pilgrimage and its rewards. Al-Ghazālī explains the Qurʾānic statement announcing the pilgrimage: And proclaim to the people the pilgrimage; they will come to you on foot and on every lean camel; they will come from every distant pass—that they may witness benefits for themselves and mention the name of God on known days [22:27–28].
In chapter 1, al-Ghazālī enumerates the merits and the profound significance of Mecca and Medina, the sacred mosque, the black stone, and the Kaʿba. In the next chapter, he explains the outward actions, from the beginning of the journey until the return home. In the concluding chapter, he details the rules of conduct and inward practices, lessons, re – flections, and insights regarding their mysteries and its inner meaning, from the beginning of the pilgrimage to its end. By symbolically linking the actions of the pilgrimage to events of daily life, al-Ghazālī ultimately reveals its true meaning. This edition also includes helpful diagrams of the rites of the pilgrimage and the supplications (in Arabic and English).
Al-Ghazali: The Mysteries of the Pilgrimage
Al-Ghazali: The Mysteries of the Pilgrimage
Abū Ḥāmid al-Ghazālī (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.
The Imam Ghazali Children’s Series is a gift to our children who deserve a pedagogy of Islam that allows them to develop the innate goodness which God has placed within each human being so they can become moral, kind and happy adults.
This work is nothing less than a revolution in developing humane, ethical, and committed Muslim youth. Imam al-Ghazali is the “Proof of Islam”, and these teachings, presented in a beautiful life-affirming way, will prove to be a major shift in the way Islam is taught to young people, who are in desperate need of guidance in today’s confusing times. As a community, we owe much to Fons Vitae for bringing them to fruition. Let the transformation begin!