Ghazali Book Set 5 & 6 | The Mysteries of Charity & Fasting

2 Book bookset for Ghazali Books 5 & 6

1) The Mysteries of Charity & Fasting- Parents/Teachers

In the Mysteries of Charity and Its Important Elements (Kitāb asrār al‑zakāt wa-muhimātiha; book 5), and the Mysteries of Fasting and Its Important Elements (Kitāb asrār al-ṣiyyām wa-muhimātiha; book 6), of the forty books of the Revival of the Religious Sciences (Iḥyāʾ ʿulūm al-dīn), Abū Ḥāmid al-Ghazālī explains the inner and outer meanings of charity and fasting, two pillars of worship for Muslims. These are two of the five books that deal with the inner dimensions of Islamic worship; books 3, 4, and 7 address purification, prayer, and pilgrimage, respectively.

2) The Mysteries of Charity & Fasting for Children (Incl. Workbooks & Teacher’s manual)

Understanding the spiritual meanings on which the practices of Islam are based, opens up the vastness of the inner life. Even though young Muslim children are not yet obliged to fast or pay zakat, the virtues and spiritual dimensions on which these are based can easily be introduced and comprehended even by five-year olds. Imam al-Ghazali’s stories and metaphors offer an effective way for parents to communicate with their children, in a language which can be used and directly related to the occurrences within everyday life. In the following two books of the Ihya, such virtues as generosity, gratitude, selflessness, reflection, self-discipline, patience, honesty, moderation, and trust in God’s loving wisdom are no longer abstract concepts but can be clearly seen instead as urgent and absolutely relative to each individual. We are indeed blessed to have Imam al-Ghazali’s systematic presentation of aspects belonging to the inner sunna and his detailed map for guarding and perfecting our innate and noble nature.

Table of Contents

A Word from the Publisher
Introduction to Imam al-Ghazali’s The Mysteries of Charity and Fasting for Children by Shaykh Hamza Yusuf
Chapter One: Why Are Some People Rich and Others Poor?
Chapter Two: At the Family Farm
Chapter Three: Five Necessary Parts of Charity
Chapter Four: The First Inward Manner of Giving Charity
Chapter Five: Something You Should Be Sure Not to Do and Other Inward Duties
Chapter Six: The Story of the King and His Servants and The Fifth Inner Duty
Chapter Seven: Going More Deeply into Greed, Pride, Conceit, Generosity, and Humility and The Sixth Inner Duty
Chapter Eight: The Example of Grandfather and His Pure Orange Blossom Honey and The Seventh Inner Duty
Chapter Nine: Knowing Who Most Deserves to Receive and The Final Inner Requirement
Chapter Ten: Hiking Through the Forest
Chapter Eleven: Reaching the Summit Sadaqa – Voluntary Charity – Its Virtues and the Manners for Giving and Receiving It
Workbook and Teacher’s Manual