Al-Ghazali Quotes

A wise man said: When knowledge increases, loquacity decreases.

إذا رأيت الفقيه بضاعته فقط الفقه يخوض في التكفير والتضليل فأعرض عنه، ولا تشغل به قلبك ولسانك

"فلو وجد العالم عاميا يتعاطى له غسل الثياب محتاطا فهو أفضل فإنه بالإضافة إلى التساهل خير وذلك العامي ينتفع بتعاطيه إذ يشغل نفسه الأمارة بالسوء بعمل المباح في نفسه فيمتنع عليه المعاصي في تلك الحال والنفس إن لم تشغل بشيء شغلت صاحبها "
من كتب أسرار الطهارة

فالكِبر والعُجب داءان مهلكان، والمتكبّر والمعجب سقيمان مريضان، وهما عند الله ممقوتان بغيضان

Others there are, and a great number, who have some love to God, but the love of the world so preponderates in them that they will have to suffer a good deal of pain after death before they are thoroughly weaned from it.

From my early youth, since I attained the age of puberty before I was twenty, until the present time when I am over fifty, I have ever recklessly launched out into the midst of these ocean depths, I have ever bravely embarked on this open sea, throwing aside all craven caution; I have poked into every dark recess, I have made an assault on every problem, I have plunged into every abyss, I have scrutinized the creed of every sect, I have tried to lay bare the inmost doctrines of every community. All this have I done that I might 68 distinguish between true and false, between sound tradition and heretical innovation. Whenever I meet one of the Bātiniyyah, I like to study his creed; whenever I meet one of the Zāhiriyyah, I want to know the essentials of his belief. If it is a philosopher, I try to become acquainted with the essence of his philosophy; if a scholastic theologian I busy myself in examining his theological reasoning; if a Sufi, I yearn to fathom the secret of his mysticism; if an ascetic (muta'abbīd) , I investigate the basis of his ascetic practices; if one of the Zānadiqah or Mu'ațțilah, I look beneath the surface to discover the reasons for his bold adoption of such a creed.

Marilah kita bersatu untuk menghadapi musuh bersama kerana pada suatu titik waktu kritikal, kita harus melupakan pertelingkahan peribadi kita.

For 'tis a hazardous thing to plunge into the fathomless sea of the Divine mysteries; and hard, hard it is to essay the discovery of the Lights Supernal that are beyond the Veil.

(من مسوغات العزل) الخوف من كثرة الحرج بسبب كثرة الأولاد، و الاحتراز من الحاجة إلى التعب في الكسب و دخول مداخل السوء. و هذا أيضاً غير منهيّ عنه، فإن قلة الحرج معين على الدين، نعم الكمال و الفضل في التوكل، و الثقة بضمان الله حيث قال: (و ما من دابة في الأرض إلا على الله رزقها)، و لا جرم فيه سقوط عن ذروة الكمال، و ترك للأفضل، و لكن النظر إلى العواقب و حفظ المال و ادخاره – مع كونه مناقضاً للتوكل – لا نقول: إنه منهي عنه.

Firsyt of all, it must be realized that only God
truly knows about Himself ( ya-
rif aqq ma-
rifatih) and fully comprehends
the essence of His majesty. This need not be considered strange. For I
say, only an angel truly knows about angels. Only a prophet truly knows
about prophets. Indeed, only a scholar truly knows about scholars. I
would even say that as long as a student has not attained his professor’s
rank in scholarship, he does not truly know his professor. When he has
attained his professor’s rank, he knows him almost in the way the pro-
fessor knows himself . . . I would even say that it cannot be conceived
that an impotent man could truly know about the condition attained
by a person during cohabitation . . .” Al-Ghazzâlî goes on to say that
even for low animal life such as ants and gnats, it must be assumed that
any true knowledge of their being is possible only for ants and gnats,
that man has no true knowledge of himself and as a rule knows about
himself only through the actions and characteristics of his self (soul),
while ignoring its quiddity, “and once man knows that he is of necessity
unable to perceive the essence of God’s majesty, he has attained what
is the end of his perfection, as this is the goal of human perfection.

The lowest degree of education is to distinguish oneself from the ignorant ordinary man. The educated man does not loathe honey even if he finds it in the surgeon's cupping-glass; he realizes that the cupping glass does not essentially alter the honey. The natural aversion from it in such a case rests on popular ignorance, arising from the fact that the cupping-glass is made only for impure blood. Men imagine that the blood is impure because it is in the cupping-glass, and are not aware that the impurity is due to a property.

(12) TWELVTH SIGN: Another sign of the learned man of the next world is that he saves himself from innovations even though the people are unanimous on innovations and novelties. He is rather diligent in studying the conditions of the companions, their conduct and character and their deeds. They spent their lives in jihad, meditation, avoidance of major and minor sins, observation of their outer conduct and inner self. But the greater object of thought of the learned men of the present time is to teach, compose books, to make argumentation, to give Fatwa, to become mutawali of Waqf estates, enjoy the properties of orphans, frequent the rulers and enjoy their company.

"هذا هو مذهب الشافعي رضي الله عنه وكنت أود أن يكون مذهبه كمذهب مالك رضي الله عنه في أن الماء وإن قل لا ينجس إلا بالتغير إذ الحاجة ماسة إليه ومثار الوسواس اشترط القلتين ولأجله شق على الناس ذلك وهو لعمري سبب المشقة ويعرفه من يجربه ويتأمله"
من كتاب أسرار الطهارة

فَالْقَلْبُ إِذنْ مَوْضِعُ نَظَرِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ ، فَيَا عَجَباً مِمَّنْ يَهْتَمُّ بِوَجْهِهِ الَّذِي هُوَ مَوْضِعُ نَظَرِ الْخَلْقِ ، فَيَغْسِلُهُ وَيُنَظِّفُهُ مِنَ الأقْذَارِ وَالأَدْنَاسِ ، وَيُزَيِّنُهُ بِمَا أَمْكَنَهُ ، لِئَلاَّ يَطَّلِعَ مَخْلُوقٌ فِيهِ عَلَى عَيْبٍ ، وَلاَيَهْتَمُّ بِقَلْبِهِ الَّذِي هُوَ مَوْضِعُ نَظَر رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ ، فَيُطَهِّرَهُ وَيُزَيِّنَهُ وَيُطَيِّبَهُ ، كَيْ لاَ يَطَّلِعَ الرَّبُّ جَلَّ وَعَلاَ عَلَى دَنَسٍ فِيهِ وَشَيْنٍ وَآفَةٍ وَعَيْبٍ ، بَلْ يُهْمِلُهُ بِفَضَائِحَ وَأَقْذَارٍ وَقَبَائِحَ ، لَواطَّلَعَ الْخَلْقُ عَلَى وَاحِدٍ مِنْهَا ، لَهَجَرُوهُ وَتَبَرَّؤوا مِنْهُ وَطَرَدُوهُ! واللَّهُ المُسْتَعَانُ .