Al-Ghazali On Vigilance & Self-Examination

In this work from the Revival of the Religious Sciences, Abu Hamid l-Ghazali builds on the previous chapter of Intention, Sincerity & Truthfulness with the qualities that support good intention. While this present work is entitled Vigilance and Self-examination, the main virtue steadfast commitment (murabata); vigilance and self-examination being two of its stations. Ghazali refers to the Qur an and states that God has enjoined upon creation patience and steadfast commitment and that the latter is made up of six stations: agreeing the conditions he soul must follow (musharata), vigilance (muraqaba), self-examination muhasaba), punishment (mu aqaba), renewed striving (mujahada) and, Finally, censure (mu ataba). Of these six stations, Ghazali gives particular attention to vigilance and self-examination which he considers to be the cornerstones of steadfast commitment. The Islamic Texts Society has also included a translation of Imam Ghazali s own Introduction to the Revival of the Religious Sciences which gives the reasons that caused him to write the work, the structure of the whole of the Revival and places each of the chapters in the context of the others.