The Islamic Texts Society

Fakhr al-Din al-Razi’s commentary on the Qur’an, known as The Great Exegesis or Keys to the Unseen, is one of the great classics of Arabic and Islamic scholarship and has remained until today an indispensable reference work. The Great Exegesis is a compendium not only of Qur’anic sciences and meanings, but also Arabic linguistics, comparative jurisprudence, Aristotelian and Islamic philosophy, dialectic theology and the spirituality of Sufism. The present volume focuses on two Chapters from the Qur’an: Surat al-An‘am and Surat Ya-Sin. Razi’s commentary on Surat al-An‘am covers much ground, but the main themes are two areas of theological and philosophical argument: arguments against polytheism and for monotheism; and arguments against the Mu‘tazili view of divine and human will. In his commentary on Surat Ya-Sin, Razi presents this Chapter as an extended meditation on the principles of prophethood, monotheism and the Resurrection, all of which pertain to the action of the heart. Surat Ya-Sin is traditionally known as ‘the heart of the Qur’an’. This scholarly yet accessible translation gives readers a thorough understanding of two much-recited Chapters of the Qur’an; it also opens up for readers a window into the thought and practice of one of Islam''s greatest theologians.

Al-Ghazali on Proper Conduct when Listening to Music and the Experience of Ecstasy is the eighteen chapter of the Revival of the Religious Sciences (Ihya'' ''ulum al-din), a monumental work of classical Islam written by the renowned theologian-mystic Abu Hamid al-Ghazali (d. 1111). This chapter of the Revival deals with the controversial topic of music. In the Islamic legal tradition, there is disagreement as to whether or not performing and listening to music is lawful, even more, whether music might be used as a path to ecstasy. Basing himself on the Qur’an, hadith, the first generations of Muslims and the mystical tradition, Ghazali presents the arguments both for and against listening to music. Ghazali''s own position is that music in itself is permissible, though under certain circumstances it can be unlawful or undesirable. Ghazali gives lyrical expression to his love of poetry and music, and their legitimate place not only in human celebrations, but in divine worship and as aids on the path to gnosis and ecstasy. All such responses he sees exemplified in the life of the Prophet with his family.  

Al-Ghazali on Proper Conduct for Reciting the Qur?an is the eighth chapter/book of Abu Hamid al-Ghazali’s magnum opus, the Revival of the Religious Sciences (Ihya ulum al-din), a monumental work of classical Islam written by the renowned theologian-mystic Abu Hamid al-Ghazali (d. 1111). In this Book of the Revival, after establishing the pre-eminence of the Qur’an and of those who are devoted to its recitation (Chapter One), Ghazali outlines the outer proper conduct for recitation of the Qur’an (Chapter Two): the state of the reciter; the quantity of recitation; properly dividing the recitation; manner of writing; measured recitation; weeping while reciting; giving the verses their proper due; what to say before, during and on finishing one’s recitation; reciting aloud and beautifying one’s recitation.Ghazali then proceeds to identify the inner actions while reciting the Qur’an (Chapter Three): understanding the grandeur of the Speech; venerating the Speaker; maintaining presence of heart; contemplation; striving to understand; ridding oneself of barriers to understanding; self-reference; reacting to what one reads; ascension and self-negation.In the fourth and final Chapter, Ghazali deals with an issue which continues to be a source of contention today: the problem of the permissibility of generating new interpretations of the Qur?an based on personal opinion (tafsir bi’l-ra’y).This translation of Book VIII also includes a translation of Imam Ghazali’s own Introduction to the Revival of the Religious Sciences which gives the reasons that caused him to write the work, and which gives the structure of the whole of the Revival and places each of the forty Books in the context of the others.

Al-Ghazali on Proper Conduct for Reciting the Qur?an is the eighth chapter/book of Abu Hamid al-Ghazali’s magnum opus, the Revival of the Religious Sciences (Ihya ulum al-din), a monumental work of classical Islam written by the renowned theologian-mystic Abu Hamid al-Ghazali (d. 1111). In this Book of the Revival, after establishing the pre-eminence of the Qur’an and of those who are devoted to its recitation (Chapter One), Ghazali outlines the outer proper conduct for recitation of the Qur’an (Chapter Two): the state of the reciter; the quantity of recitation; properly dividing the recitation; manner of writing; measured recitation; weeping while reciting; giving the verses their proper due; what to say before, during and on finishing one’s recitation; reciting aloud and beautifying one’s recitation.Ghazali then proceeds to identify the inner actions while reciting the Qur’an (Chapter Three): understanding the grandeur of the Speech; venerating the Speaker; maintaining presence of heart; contemplation; striving to understand; ridding oneself of barriers to understanding; self-reference; reacting to what one reads; ascension and self-negation.In the fourth and final Chapter, Ghazali deals with an issue which continues to be a source of contention today: the problem of the permissibility of generating new interpretations of the Qur?an based on personal opinion (tafsir bi’l-ra’y).This translation of Book VIII also includes a translation of Imam Ghazali’s own Introduction to the Revival of the Religious Sciences which gives the reasons that caused him to write the work, and which gives the structure of the whole of the Revival and places each of the forty Books in the context of the others.

Al-Ghazali on Proper Conduct when Listening to Music and the Experience of Ecstasy is the eighteen chapter of the Revival of the Religious Sciences (Ihya'' ''ulum al-din), a monumental work of classical Islam written by the renowned theologian-mystic Abu Hamid al-Ghazali (d. 1111). This chapter of the Revival deals with the controversial topic of music. In the Islamic legal tradition, there is disagreement as to whether or not performing and listening to music is lawful, even more, whether music might be used as a path to ecstasy. Basing himself on the Qur’an, hadith, the first generations of Muslims and the mystical tradition, Ghazali presents the arguments both for and against listening to music. Ghazali''s own position is that music in itself is permissible, though under certain circumstances it can be unlawful or undesirable. Ghazali gives lyrical expression to his love of poetry and music, and their legitimate place not only in human celebrations, but in divine worship and as aids on the path to gnosis and ecstasy. All such responses he sees exemplified in the life of the Prophet with his family.  

Treatises on the Sufi Way is a translation into English of five of Sulami’s treatises that portray the breadth of classical Sufi wisdom and the extent of Sulami’s own contribution in preserving and teaching this wisdom: ?The Ways of Companionship and Good Fellowship ?Proper Comportment in the Presence of Sufi Masters and Maintaining Reverence for Them ?Treatise on the Essence of Poverty and its Ways ?Explanation of the States of the Sufis ?Treatise on Shame Taken together the treatises present an introduction to Sufism including the relationship between the aspirant and the spiritual master, good fellowship between companions on the Sufi path, the centrality of spiritual poverty before God, the proper sense of shame and remorse for sin that mark true piety, and the different ecstatic states that Sufis undergo. The five treatises, translated into English for the first time, combine theoretical and mystical elements of Sulami’s teaching with his concrete and practical advice for Sufi aspirants. In Treatises on the Sufi Way, Dr Jason Welle provides a general introduction to: the life of Sulami, the Sufism practised in Khurasan during the fifth/eleventh century, the importance of Prophetic traditions for this school of Sufism and Sulami’s own literary corpus. In addition, Dr Welle includes an introduction to each of the five treatises and extensive notes.