Author: Obaidullah Nimruzi
The Biography of Abu Hamed Imam Mohammad al-Ghazali [MABH] (Part 20)
Emphasis on Reforms in Public Life
Imam Ghazali (MABH) tried to cleanse the public life of Muslims from vices. He pointed out that many people at that time, due to ignorance, engaged in behaviors that were condemned in Islamic law and unacceptable according to religious teachings. Imam Ghazali (MABH) tried to rectify this situation by providing solutions and advised Muslims to avoid religious and social pollution and return to the true teachings of religion in order to rebuild the Islamic society.
Imam Ghazali (MABH) extensively criticized and examined people who were caught in the trap of various errors and deceptions in the section on Zamm Al-Ghorur (The Defilement of pride) of his book Ihya’ Al-Ulum Al-Din. In this section, he pays special attention to the psychological characteristics of people who are self-deception and pride. Imam Ghazali (may Allah b him) uses precise and psychological analyses to determine in which social and scientific areas these people are deviant and how these deviants lead to misunderstanding and self-deception. He tries to warn those who are caught in these errors and invite them to a correct and true understanding of the truth.
Intrapersonal Errors and Deceptions
Imam Ghazali (MABH) specifically addresses people who are immersed in self-deception and internal errors. These people do not consciously understand their true situation and based on misconceptions or self-made thoughts, make incorrect decisions and go astray. In Imam Ghazali’s analyses, these errors can be identified in various ways, including in the individual’s spiritual, psychological, and even social characteristics. He specifically points out that these people not only stray from the truth of religion and morality, but may also, as a result of their self-deception, take wrong and false paths in their religious and social lives.
Analysis of the Different Classes of Society and Their Errors
In this section of the Ihya’ Al-Ulum Al-Din, Imam Ghazali (MABH) has carefully analyzed the different classes of society, focusing especially on those people who have fallen into social and scientific deceptions. Among these classes can be mentioned the scholars, the worshippers, the ascetics, the nobles and the rich, and the Sufis. Imam Ghazali (MABH) clearly and explicitly presents the psychological and social characteristics of each of these groups. He has criticized the intellectual and scientific behavior of scholars and worshippers in particular, stating that some of them seek fame and scientific power instead of using science as a means of improving themselves internally and getting closer to Allah. These people have become involved in scientific details and theoretical disagreements and have become oblivious to the main goal of science, which is getting closer to Allah and improving oneself.
Criticism and Analysis of the Behavior of Scholars and Worshippers
In this section, Imam Ghazali (MABH) criticizes scholars and worshippers in detail and warns them against some wrong actions and behaviors. In his consideration of scholars, he points to those scholars who have only dealt with minor issues and legal disputes, and this attention to detail has caused them to neglect more key and moral issues. In this regard, Imam Ghazali (MABH) criticizes those worshippers and ascetics who, instead of paying attention to morality and self-purification, are involved in useless physical exercises or austerities that only show the appearance of asceticism and piety and distance themselves from the depth of the meaning of religion.
Criticism of science and its deceptions
Imam Ghazali (MABH) also criticized religious sciences and emphasized that instead of using science as a means to get closer to Allah and improve themselves internally, some people make it a means to deceive themselves and others. He states, especially with regard to religious sciences, that some people imagine that knowledge in itself can lead them to high positions, while the main goal of science should be to get closer to Allah and improve society. Imam Ghazali (MABH) observed this phenomenon particularly in the religious sciences and criticized that some of these people, instead of paying attention to the true essence and goals of science, are involved in gaining fame, social prestige, and religious status.
Criticism of self-deception in scholars and other groups
He also addressed self-deception in other groups, including Sufis and ascetics. In this section of his book, Imam Ghazali (MABH) examines and analyzes the ways in which these people are deceived and shows that many of them are involved in unrealistic notions of spirituality and piety. In this regard, he specifically criticizes the moral and religious behavior of these people and invites them to examine themselves more closely, and the ultimate goal of knowledge and worship.
Separation of religious sciences from secular sciences
Imam Ghazali (MABH) also discusses the separation of religious and secular sciences in this section. He emphasizes that in secular sciences such as medicine, mathematics, and other industries, individuals usually seek to improve their personal and social status, and it is rare to see self-deception in these areas. However, in religious sciences, instead of considering science as a means of improving the inner self and getting closer to Allah, some people consider it a means of attracting attention and fame. Imam Ghazali (MABH) states that this phenomenon causes individuals to neglect the main purpose of their science and religion and fall into the trap of self-deception. In this section, he criticizes the self-deception in religious sciences and considers this issue to be a serious harm to the Islamic society and the individual growth of Muslims.
Imam Ghazali (MABH) by his profound and meticulous analyses, tries to make people aware of these intellectual and psychological traps that keep them away from the main goal of their religious life, and to guide them to the correct use of knowledge and worship as tools for getting closer to Allah.
Criticizing the behavior of his contemporary worshippers and ascetics and paying attention to their hidden flaws
Imam Ghazali (MABH) criticized the behavior of his contemporary worshippers, ascetics, and Sufis with particular precision and acuity. Through a precise and comprehensive analysis of the lives of these groups, he concludes that many of these people are involved in slips that not only divert them from the correct path of worship and morality, but also lead to deep deception and self-deception. Many of these worshippers and ascetics adhere only to the appearance of worship and display their actions without paying attention to the true intention and purpose of worship. Imam Ghazali (MABH) clearly points out that these people are in fact caught up in egoism and hypocrisy. Especially in Sufism, many people seek to attract the attention of others and show off their spirituality, instead of seeking spiritual perfection and closeness to Allah. As a result, Imam Ghazali (MABH) severely criticizes these groups and calls on Muslims to not only pay attention to appearances in their worship, but also consider the right intention and the deep meaning of worship.
Criticism of capitalists and their deceptive behavior in Hajj
Imam Ghazali (MABH) also has important criticisms of the behavior of some capitalists, which he especially focused in the matter of Hajj. Instead of seeking the right intention and gaining the pleasure of Allah during the Hajj journey, these people seek to attract attention and show off their wealth. Imam Ghazali (MABH) points out in his works that many of these capitalists go on Hajj without any real need, while at the same time, the people around them who are extremely needy and poor are neglected from their help. In Imam Ghazali’s view, this behavior is a form of self-deception and hypocrisy. In criticizing this behavior, he points out that those who go on Hajj should pay attention to the fact that the purpose of this spiritual journey is to seek the pleasure of Allah, not to show off their wealth to others. Imam Ghazali (MABH) shows by citing numerous examples, that performing religious acts without the right intention is not only worthless but also destroys the virtue of worship.
Criticism of deceptive acts and disregard for social responsibilities in worship
In criticizing the improper behavior of some worshippers and ascetics, Imam Ghazali (MABH) also points out that many of these people engage in physical acts of worship such as prayer and fasting but neglect their social duties. These people mostly engage in outward acts that appear attractive and beautiful on the surface, but do not have any positive impact on society. For example, many people pray on special days and fast during the days of Ramadan, but they refrain from helping the poor and needy. Imam Ghazali (MABH) specifically points out in this regard that acts of worship performed without regard for social responsibilities are not only worthless but can also lead to the loss of the individual’s spirituality. By these analyses, Imam Ghazali (MABH) advises Muslims that worship should be performed with sincere intentions and attention to the needs of society, and that one should not only pay attention to appearances.
Continues…
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