Overview

The Condemnation of Pride and Self-Admiration is the twenty-ninth chapter of The Revival of the Religious Sciences, a monumental work of classical Islam written by the theologian-mystic Abu Hamid Muhammad al-Ghazali. Perhaps the most important chapter in the whole of Revival, The Condemnation of Pride and Self-Admiration delves into the fundamental spiritual ailments and major impediments of the soul, namely pride and self-admiration. In Part One, Ghazali focuses on pride, firstly by showing how the Qur'an condemns it, then by demonstrating what pride is and what its symptoms are, how pride manifests outwardly, as well as the seven causes of pride, the root cause being self-admiration. In seeking ways to cure the soul of pride, Ghazali presents the virtue of humility as the spiritual virtue par excellence; he offers examples of true humility, of false humility, and the manner by which the seven causes of pride can be uprooted. In Part Two, Ghazali hones in on the root cause of pride: self-admiration. As with pride, Ghazali defines self-admiration, shows the various ways it manifests inwardly, how it causes negligence, delusion and complacency, how each of these can be remedied. Just as humility is recognised as the virtue par excellence, pride is recognised as the vice par excellence; and this by all religions. The Condemnation of Pride and Self-Admiration is therefore a genuine contribution to the field of virtue ethics and will be of interest to all those engaged in the religious and spiritual life.

Full Product Details

Author:   Abu Hamid al-Ghazali ,  Mohammed Rustom
Publisher:   The Islamic Texts Society
Imprint:   The Islamic Texts Society
Dimensions:   Width: 15.60cm , Height: 1.50cm , Length: 23.40cm
Weight:   0.395kg
ISBN:  

9781911141136

ISBN 10:   1911141139
Pages:   227
Publication Date:   01 July 2018
Audience:   General/trade ,  College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  General ,  Tertiary & Higher Education
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Language:   English

Table of Contents

Al-Ghazali's Introduction to the Revival of the Religious Sciences Citations and Abbreviation Preface & Acknowledgements Introduction Notes to Introduction Prologue Part I: On Pride    Chapter One: The Condemnation of Pride    Chapter Two: The Condemnation of Ostentation and the Display of the Traces of Pride in One's Gait, and in the Dragging of One's Garments    Chapter Three: The Virtue of Humility    Chapter Four: The Reality of Pride and its Defect    Chapter Five: The Objects of Pride, their Degrees and Categories and the Consequences of Pride Towards Them    Chapter Six: Reasons for Pride    Chapter Seven: The Causes of Pride and the Means that Provoke It    Chapter Eight: The Character Traits of the Humble and the Effects of Humility and Pride    Chapter Nine: The Method for Treating Pride and Acquiring Humility    Chapter Ten: The Objective in Practicing Humility Part II: On Self-Admiration    Chapter One: The Condemnation of Self-Admiration and its Defect    Chapter Two: The Defect of Self-Admiration    Chapter Three: The Reality of Self-Admiration and Presumptuousness, and their Definitions    Chapter Four: Treating Self-Admiration in General    Chapter Five: Types of Causes for Self-Admiration and How to Treat Them Notes Appendix: Persons Cited in Text Bibliography Index to Qur'anic Quotations Index

Reviews

Mohammed Rustom's annotated translation of one of the most important parts of al-Ghazali's hugely influential Revival admirably combines lucidity with scholarly accuracy, and is a pleasure to read. I recommend it without hesitation to anyone interested in al-Ghazali, Sufism, or virtue ethics in Islam. ----Dr Ayman Shihadeh, SOAS University of London

Al-Ghazali's moral psychology forms the most lasting part of his legacy: his piercing yet thoroughly humane observations on our many foibles, in particular, have lost none of their currency. Anybody willing to examine how the vice of pride can sour the human heart and warp not only our relations with one another, but our very perception of reality, will stand to benefit from Mohammed Rustom's excellent English translation. ---Taneli Kukkonen, NYU Abu Dhabi.--- Mohammed Rustom's annotated translation of one of the most important parts of al-Ghazali's hugely influential Revival admirably combines lucidity with scholarly accuracy, and is a pleasure to read. I recommend it without hesitation to anyone interested in al-Ghazali, Sufism, or virtue ethics in Islam. ----Dr Ayman Shihadeh, SOAS University of London.--- In his vivid and lively English translation of the twenty-ninth book of the Revival , Mohammed Rustom has gone to great pains to accurately convey the highly nuanced nature of the original Arabic, thereby bringing al-Ghazali's thought to life for the contemporary reader. ---Steven Styer, Oxford University.

Author Information

Abu Hamid al-Ghazali (d. 505/1111), theologian, logician, jurist and mystic, was born and died in Tus in Central Asia, but spent much of his life lecturing at Baghdad or leading the life of a wandering dervish. His most celebrated work, Revival of the Religious Sciences, has exercised a profound influence on Muslim intellectual history by exploring the mystical significance of the practices and beliefs of Islamic orthodoxy, earning him the title of Hujjat al Islam, the 'Proof of Islam'.

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