Never have I dealt with anything more difficult than my own soul, which sometimes helps me and sometimes opposes me. - Al-Ghazali

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.

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.

…فإن المنفرد بنفسه، أو المشارك لمن حسن

خلقه، لا تترشح منه خبائث النفس الباطنة،

ولا تنكشف بواطن عيوبه. فحق على سالك طريق

الآخرة أن يجرب نفسه بالتعرض لأمثال هذه

المحركات، واعتياد الصبر عليها، لتعتدل

أخلاقه ، وترتاض نفسه، ويصفو عن الصفات

الذميمة باطنه “.