A summary of Ghazālian teachings

Let us have the honour of looking at one part of Imam al-Ghazālī’s final book, Minhāj al-ꜤĀbidīn. Let us see what he mentions regarding ways we can improve ourselves as Muslims. The central theme of this work is based on the 56^th verse of Surah al-Dhāriyāt, in which Allah Almighty states:

وَ مَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَ الْاِنْسَ اِلَّا لِیَعْبُدُوْنِ(۵۶)

And I did not create jinn and mankind but to worship Me.^[1]

In light of this verse, how can we become devoted worshippers? Imam Ghazālīرَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه  explains that there are several essential qualities, without which a person cannot become a true worshipper.

The first quality is knowledge. Only the one who possesses knowledge can become a worshipper. A person who does not know what acts are considered worship and what are not, can never become a true worshipper. If someone has not learnt how to perform salah, not studied the Quran, or learnt the rulings of fasting, how will he ever worship correctly? What nullifies worship? What turns worship into sin? How can daily, worldly tasks that are not acts of worship be transformed into worship? Unless a person knows these matters, they cannot use their time correctly, nor can they become a worshipper in this world. Without knowledge, how could this ever be achieved?

The second quality is repentance. Knowledge is of two types: 1) عِلْمٌ عَلَی اللِّسَان - knowledge that remains only on the tongue and does not enter the heart. This knowledge is of no benefit; on the Day of Judgment, it will testify against its bearer. 2) عِلْمٌ فِی الْقَلْبِ - knowledge that enters the heart. This is true knowledge. When such knowledge is acquired, a person becomes absorbed in self-reflection; he begins to see his sins, recall his mistakes, envision the grave before his eyes, and remember the Day of Judgment and standing before Allah