Overview
Many consider Imam Abu Hamid al-Ghazali the all-time greatest scholar of Islam. One of the great legal scholars of his time (1058-1111), he was, also, one of the foremost scholars of theology, philosophy and Sufism. In the realm of Sufism, his writings on the interrelation of law, theology and mysticism were central in establishing Sufism as a core dimension of Orthodox Islamic practice. Muslim communities all across the world today still base much of their practice of Islam on Ghazali's writings. Forty Foundations of the Religion is Ghazali's own summary of his magnum opus, The Revival of Religious Knowledge, which he described as the 'very essence of the knowledge of the Qur'an'. The Foundations are a brief and powerful summary of Islamic faith, worship, law and spirituality. This is the first publication of significant portions of the Foundations in English. Original translations of selected highlights are accompanied by insightful commentary that makes the core message of this great spiritual master relevant to anyone seeking a balanced understanding of Islam. This volume will ,also, attract those who are interested in Eastern spirituality, Sufism and interfaith dialogue. Foundations offers a concise and affordable alternative to the extensive (and expensive) translations of the original Revival of Religious Knowledge.
Full Product Details
Author: Shaykh Faraz Rabbini ,
Aaron Spevack
Publisher: Jewish Lights Publishing
Imprint: SkyLight Paths Publishing,US
Dimensions:
Width: 14.00cm
, Height: 2.30cm
, Length: 21.60cm
Weight: 0.001kg
ISBN: 9781594732843
ISBN 10: 1594732841
Pages: 208
Publication Date: 15 December 2011
Audience:
General/trade
,
General
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: Out of stock
The supplier is temporarily out of stock of this item. It will be ordered for you on backorder and shipped when it becomes available.
Reviews
Aaron Spevack, assistant professor of Islamic studies, has recently published a partial translation of an influential 12th century Muslim text. Spevack worked with SkyLight Paths Publishing to produce Ghazalion the Principles of Islamic Spirituality. The work, published in December 2011, is a translation of selections from al-Ghazali's The Forty Foundations of Religion. Ghazali was an important Muslim theologian, jurist and mystic.Spevack said that Ghazali sought to harmonize Islam, law andSufism, a form of Muslim mysticism. Ghazali was a great reviver of Islam in his time, Spevack said.Ghazali s Forty Foundations of Religion were meant to help this harmony, according to Spevack. The text is broken down into four sections, each containing 10 foundations. These four sections focus on theology, practice, blameworthy traits and meritorious traits. Spevack provides annotated commentary for each page of translation to provide a richer context to the work. He said he provided most of the commentary through previous research, as his studies focus on Islam, Islamic law and Sufism. However, Spevack said he had to edit out some of the commentary. I planned to add commentary after I finished the text, but I started adding some in the book as I went along. When I finished the translation, I was already over the page limit, he said.Spevack s interest in Islam stemmed from taking a class in Turkish music as a jazz guitar major in the New England Conservatory of Music. While taking time off from his studies, Spevack played with a hip-hop band for five years, meeting Muslim musicians and exploring his faith. He then resumed his education and received a Ph.D. in Arabic and Islamic Intellectual History from Boston University in 2008.Spevack has not yet gone on promotional trips for his book. However, he is finishing another book that started as his dissertation. It focuses on the works of al-Bajuri, a 19th century scholar of law, theology and Sufism and an intell
[A] gem of spiritual direction . Clear and accessible illuminates without overwhelming the text. It is going to the top of my 'recommended books' list. Ingrid Mattson, PhD, director, The Macdonald Center for the Study of Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations and professor of Islamic studies and Christian-Muslim relations, Hartford Seminary; former president, Islamic Society of North America A groundbreaking event in Islamic publishing . Gives this compact manual a new life in English translation by reviving the spirit and form of this classical text and by providing invaluable commentary on the original text. Muhammad Hozien, editor, Journal of Islamic Philosophy and Ghazali.org Gift[s] seekers with a clear, cogent translation of and invaluable commentary on one of the greatest works of Islamic spirituality by one of its greatest masters. Highly recommended. Faraz Rabbani, executive director, SeekersGuidance (www.SeekersGuidance.org) A long-overdue contribution to the growing body of translations of al-Ghazali's writings and probably the best starting point for studying the thought of the man known as the Proof of Islam. Ken Garden, PhD, assistant professor, Department of Religion, Tufts University An excellent translation of a priceless book. There are few scholars whose writings captured the essence of Islam as Ghazali s did. This book deserves to be read by everyone. Shaykh Hamza Karamali, Qibla for the Islamic Sciences (Qibla.com) Professor Spevack s translation will be of value not only to students interested in al-Ghazali and Islamic traditions, but also to students of global spiritual and ethical traditions who are seeking a concise introduction to Islam. Scott Girdner, PhD, assistant professor, Department of Philosophy, Randolph-Macon College
[A] gem of spiritual direction . Clear and accessible illuminates without overwhelming the text. It is going to the top of my 'recommended books' list. Ingrid Mattson, PhD, director, The Macdonald Center for the Study of Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations and professor of Islamic studies and Christian-Muslim relations, Hartford Seminary; former president, Islamic Society of North America A groundbreaking event in Islamic publishing . Gives this compact manual a new life in English translation by reviving the spirit and form of this classical text and by providing invaluable commentary on the original text. Muhammad Hozien, editor, Journal of Islamic Philosophy and Ghazali.org Gift[s] seekers with a clear, cogent translation of and invaluable commentary on one of the greatest works of Islamic spirituality by one of its greatest masters. Highly recommended. Faraz Rabbani, executive director, SeekersGuidance (www.SeekersGuidance.org) A long-overdue contribution to the growing body of translations of al-Ghazali's writings and probably the best starting point for studying the thought of the man known as the Proof of Islam. Ken Garden, PhD, assistant professor, Department of Religion, Tufts University An excellent translation of a priceless book. There are few scholars whose writings captured the essence of Islam as Ghazali s did. This book deserves to be read by everyone. Shaykh Hamza Karamali, Qibla for the Islamic Sciences (Qibla.com) Professor Spevack s translation will be of value not only to students interested in al-Ghazali and Islamic traditions, but also to students of global spiritual and ethical traditions who are seeking a concise introduction to Islam. Scott Girdner, PhD, assistant professor, Department of Philosophy, Randolph-Macon College Aaron Spevack, assistant professor of Islamic studies, has recently published a partial translation of an influential 12th century Muslim text. Spevack worked with SkyLight Paths Publishing to produce Ghazali on the Principles of Islamic Spirituality. The work, published in December 2011, is a translation of selections from al-Ghazali's The Forty Foundations of Religion. Ghazali was an important Muslim theologian, jurist and mystic.Spevack said that Ghazali sought to harmonize Islam, law and Sufism, a form of Muslim mysticism. Ghazali was a great reviver of Islam in his time, Spevack said. Ghazali's Forty Foundations of Religion were meant to help this harmony, according to Spevack. The text is broken down into four sections, each containing 10 foundations. These four sections focus on theology, practice, blameworthy traits and meritorious traits. Spevack provides annotated commentary for each page of translation to provide a richer context to the work. He said he provided most of the commentary through previous research, as his studies focus on Islam, Islamic law and Sufism. However, Spevack said he had to edit out some of the commentary. I planned to add commentary after I finished the text, but I started adding some in the book as I went along. When I finished the translation, I was already over the page limit, he said. Spevack s interest in Islam stemmed from taking a class in Turkish music as a jazz guitar major in the New England Conservatory of Music. While taking time off from his studies, Spevack played with a hip-hop band for five years, meeting Muslim musicians and exploring his faith. He then resumed his education and received a PhD in Arabic and Islamic Intellectual History from Boston University in 2008. Spevack has not yet gone on promotional trips for his book. However, he is finishing another book that started as his dissertation. It focuses on the works of al-Bajuri, a 19th century scholar of law, theology and Sufism and an intellectual descendant of Ghazali, according to Spevack. Spevack cited al-Bajuri s words on Sufism to explain his own interest in Sufism. You can t really study Islam without studying Sufism, he said.Spevack will be leaving Loyola to take a position at Colgate University in New York next semester and said he is sadly leaving Loyola and happily joining Colgate. --Karl Gommel The Maroon (03/15/2012) [A] gem of spiritual direction . Clear and accessible illuminates without overwhelming the text. It is going to the top of my 'recommended books' list. Ingrid Mattson, PhD, director, The Macdonald Center for the Study of Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations and professor of Islamic studies and Christian-Muslim relations, Hartford Seminary; former president, Islamic Society of North America A groundbreaking event in Islamic publishing . Gives this compact manual a new life in English translation by reviving the spirit and form of this classical text and by providing invaluable commentary on the original text. Muhammad Hozien, editor, Journal of Islamic Philosophy and Ghazali.org Gift[s] seekers with a clear, cogent translation of and invaluable commentary on one of the greatest works of Islamic spirituality by one of its greatest masters. Highly recommended. Faraz Rabbani, executive director, SeekersGuidance (www.SeekersGuidance.org) A long-overdue contribution to the growing body of translations of al-Ghazali's writings and probably the best starting point for studying the thought of the man known as the Proof of Islam. Ken Garden, PhD, assistant professor, Department of Religion, Tufts University An excellent translation of a priceless book. There are few scholars whose writings captured the essence of Islam as Ghazali s did. This book deserves to be read by everyone. Shaykh Hamza Karamali, Qibla for the Islamic Sciences (Qibla.com) Professor Spevack s translation will be of value not only to students interested in al-Ghazali and Islamic traditions, but also to students of global spiritual and ethical traditions who are seeking a concise introduction to Islam. Scott Girdner, PhD, assistant professor, Department of Philosophy, Randolph-Macon College Aaron Spevack, assistant professor of Islamic studies, has recently published a partial translation of an influential 12th century Muslim text. Spevack worked with SkyLight Paths Publishing to produce Ghazali on the Principles of Islamic Spirituality. The work, published in December 2011, is a translation of selections from al-Ghazali's The Forty Foundations of Religion. Ghazali was an important Muslim theologian, jurist and mystic.Spevack said that Ghazali sought to harmonize Islam, law and Sufism, a form of Muslim mysticism. Ghazali was a great reviver of Islam in his time, Spevack said. Ghazali's Forty Foundations of Religion were meant to help this harmony, according to Spevack. The text is broken down into four sections, each containing 10 foundations. These four sections focus on theology, practice, blameworthy traits and meritorious traits. Spevack provides annotated commentary for each page of translation to provide a richer context to the work. He said he provided most of the commentary through previous research, as his studies focus on Islam, Islamic law and Sufism. However, Spevack said he had to edit out some of the commentary. I planned to add commentary after I finished the text, but I started adding some in the book as I went along. When I finished the translation, I was already over the page limit, he said. Spevack s interest in Islam stemmed from taking a class in Turkish music as a jazz guitar major in the New England Conservatory of Music. While taking time off from his studies, Spevack played with a hip-hop band for five years, meeting Muslim musicians and exploring his faith. He then resumed his education and received a PhD in Arabic and Islamic Intellectual History from Boston University in 2008. Spevack has not yet gone on promotional trips for his book. However, he is finishing another book that started as his dissertation. It focuses on the works of al-Bajuri, a 19th century scholar of law, theology and Sufism and an intellectual descendant of Ghazali, according to Spevack. Spevack cited al-Bajuri s words on Sufism to explain his own interest in Sufism. You can t really study Islam without studying Sufism, he said.Spevack will be leaving Loyola to take a position at Colgate University in New York next semester and said he is sadly leaving Loyola and happily joining Colgate. --Karl Gommel The Maroon (03/15/2012) [A] gem of spiritual direction . Clear and accessible illuminates without overwhelming the text. It is going to the top of my 'recommended books' list. Ingrid Mattson, PhD, director, The Macdonald Center for the Study of Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations and professor of Islamic studies and Christian-Muslim relations, Hartford Seminary; former president, Islamic Society of North America A groundbreaking event in Islamic publishing . Gives this compact manual a new life in English translation by reviving the spirit and form of this classical text and by providing invaluable commentary on the original text. Muhammad Hozien, editor, Journal of Islamic Philosophy and Ghazali.org Gift[s] seekers with a clear, cogent translation of and invaluable commentary on one of the greatest works of Islamic spirituality by one of its greatest masters. Highly recommended. Faraz Rabbani, executive director, SeekersGuidance (www.SeekersGuidance.org) A long-overdue contribution to the growing body of translations of al-Ghazali's writings and probably the best starting point for studying the thought of the man known as the Proof of Islam. Ken Garden, PhD, assistant professor, Department of Religion, Tufts University An excellent translation of a priceless book. There are few scholars whose writings captured the essence of Islam as Ghazali s did. This book deserves to be read by everyone. Shaykh Hamza Karamali, Qibla for the Islamic Sciences (Qibla.com) Professor Spevack s translation will be of value not only to students interested in al-Ghazali and Islamic traditions, but also to students of global spiritual and ethical traditions who are seeking a concise introduction to Islam. Scott Girdner, PhD, assistant professor, Department of Philosophy, Randolph-Macon College
Author Information
Aaron Spevack, PhD, is assistant professor of Islam in the Religious Studies Department at Loyola University, New Orleans. He specializes in Islamic intellectual history, including law, theology and Sufism. He is also a founder and director of Boston's Bukhari Institute, which offers educational programs on the arts and sciences of the Islamic world. M. Fethullah Gülen is an authoritative and popular Turkish Muslim scholar, imam, preacher and civil society activist. He has extensive knowledge and teaching experience in Islamic scholarship, and is a prolific author with more than sixty books translated into many languages.
