Al-Ghazali on Training the Soul — A Presentation in Six Parts

by Ayman Hossam Fadel

Al-Ghazali's Ihya Ulum al-Din — The Revival of the Religious Sciences — is among the most influential books in Islamic history, a twelfth-century synthesis of jurisprudence, Sufi inner discipline, and moral philosophy. In April and May of 1991, a graduate student at Georgia Tech named Ayman Hossam Fadel posted a careful six-part presentation of one of the Ihya's central sections: Kitab Riyadat al-Nafs, the Book of Training the Soul. Fadel translated the Arabic with unusual precision, preserving technical terms in transliteration alongside their English meanings, and drew extensively from Quranic verses, prophetic hadith, and the sayings of the salaf.

The series appeared in soc.religion.islam, one of the first dedicated Islamic discussion groups on the internet, at a moment when American Muslim students were beginning to use the early internet to share scholarship across campuses. Fadel's voice is that of a student deeply engaged with the text — noting errors in his own editions, asking the community to help locate misattributed verses, sharing both the substance and the difficulty of the work.

The six parts cover: the importance of good moral character (khuluq) in the Prophetic tradition; the definition of khuluq and its four pillars; Quranic and Prophetic descriptions of the true believer; the possibility of moral reform through training; the centrality of controlling one's whims (hawaa); the diagnosis and treatment of the diseases of the heart; and the proper Islamic upbringing of children. The series is preserved here in full.

Part One — The Importance of Good Morals

A PRESENTATION OF KITAB RIYADAT AL-NAFS WA TAHDHIB AL-AKHLAQ WA MU'ALAJAT AMRAD AL-QALB (THE BOOK OF TRAINING THE SOUL AND IMPROVING ONE'S MORALS AND TREATING THE DISEASES OF THE HEART) IN THE BOOK IHYA' 'ULUM AL-DIN BY AL-IMAM AL-GHAZALI

Is it not strange that we spend so much of our time being concerned with the diseases of the body, when the worst that can happen is the passing of our finite life (al-Hayatu l-faniya)? Is not the treatment of the diseases of the heart, which threaten the lasting life (al-Hayatu l-baqiya), more worthy of our attention? It is with this in mind that al-Ghazali begins to instruct us on the importance of good morals (khuluq Hasan) and how to achieve them in ourselves and in our children.

This, according to al-Ghazali, is the meaning of God's words (qad aflaHa man zakkaaha wa qad khaab man dassaaha) (Surat al-Shams, ayat 9-10): Whoever purifies [the soul] is successful and whoever impurifies it is lost.

The Importance of Good Morals in the Prophetic Traditions

God subhanahu praised the messenger alayhi ssalam by revealing (wa innaka la 'alaa khuluqin 'aZiim) (Surat al-Qalam, ayah 4): Indeed, you (Muhammad) are of high moral character.

'A'isha radiy allahu anha said, "The messenger's morals were the Quran."

A man asked the messenger of God alayhi ssalam, "What are good morals?" The messenger responded by reciting the 199th ayah of al-A'raf: (khudh al-'afwa wa'mur bil-'urfi wa a'riD 'an al-jaahiliin), whose translation may be Be forgiving, command that which is known among the people, and avoid the argumentative. The messenger alayhi ssalam added to this by saying, "Good morals are to renew ties with him who broke ties with you, give to him who refused to give to you, and forgive transgressions against you."

The messenger of God alayhi ssalam, on the authority of Abu Hurayra, radiy allahu anh, said, "I was sent to perfect the virtues of morality."

Abu al-Darda' said that God's messenger said: "The heaviest thing that can be placed in a person's scales on the day of judgement is God-consciousness and good morals."

According to Abu al-'Ala' ibn al-Shakhir a man came to the messenger alayhi ssalam and said, "What is religion?" So the messenger said, "Good morals." The man moved to the messenger's right and asked him, "O messenger of God, what is religion?" He said, "Good morals." The man moved to the messenger's left and asked the same question. The messenger alayhi ssalam replied, "Good morals." The man moved behind him and asked, "O messenger of God, what is religion?" The messenger alayhi ssalam turned and said, "Do you not understand? It is that you do not become angry."

According to Abu Dharr radiy allahu anh, a man came to the messenger alayhi ssalam and said, "Enjoin upon me [a righteous act.]" The messenger of God alayhi ssalam said, "Be conscious of God wherever you are." The man said, "And after that?" The messenger alayhi ssalam said, "Follow up an ill-deed with a good deed to erase it." The man said, "And after that?" The messenger said, "Treat people with good morals."

The messenger alayhi ssalam used to say in his du'a', "O God, you have created me beautiful so make my morals beautiful (Hassanta khalqii fa Hassin khuluqii). This hadith was reported by Abu Mas'ud al-Badri.

It is reported that the messenger alayhi ssalam said, "The honor of a believer is his religion, his final recourse is good morals, and his manliness is his reason." (karam al-mu'min diinuh wa Hasabuhu Husn al-khuluq wa muruu'atuhu 'aqluh)

Abu Hurayra radiy allahu anhu is reported to have said: The messenger alayhi ssalam said, "The most beloved of you to me and the closest of you to me on the day of judgement are those of you with the best morals."

Ibn Abbas radiy allahu anhuma reported that the messenger alayhi ssalam said: "There are three things if you don't find them — or at least one of them — in a person then you should not give any of his works any weight: God-consciousness such that it prevents him from disobeying God, wisdom (Hilm) with which he can ward off the foolish, or morals by which he can live among people."

Ali ibn Abi Talib (radiy allahu anhu) said that the messenger alayhi ssalam used to say at the beginning of his prayer, "O God guide me to the best morals. None guide to them except you. O God, divert bad morals away from me. Indeed, none divert bad morals except you."

Anas radiy allahu anhu said that the messenger alayhi ssalam said, "The servant may achieve by good morals some of the highest degrees in the next life and some of the most honored positions, even though he may have been weak in 'ibada (formal acts of worship.)" — Please note that weak in worship refers to nafl (supererogatory prayers), not fara'iD, or the required prayers.

Anas radiy allahu anhu said that the messenger salla allahu alayhi wa sallam said, "The servant may reach the lowest levels of Hell through bad morals."

The Importance of Good Morals in the Sayings of al-Salaf al-Salih (The Pious Ancestors)

Yahya ibn Mu'adh said: In the generosity of morals are the treasures of provision. (fi si'at al-akhlaaq kunuuz al-arzaaq)

Wahb ibn Munabbih said: "The parable of a person with bad morals is the broken porcelain vase — it can neither be repaired nor will it return to clay."

Part Two — The Meaning of Khuluq and Its Four Pillars

Meaning of the Word Khuluq

The words "khalq" and "khuluq," according to al-Ghazali, are closely related. The Arabs say: fulanun hasan ul-khuluqi wal-khalqi. (So and so is good in appearance and morals.) Khalq refers to the structure of the human which is perceived by physical vision (baSar), and khuluq is the structure of the human which is perceived by inner vision (baSiira.) A person's khuluq, or moral structure, is good when the actions which flow easily from it are praiseworthy, both rationally ('aqlan) and legally (shar'an.) If instead a person's moral structure lends itself to prohibited actions, we say the person has bad khuluq.

It is important to realize that there is not an essential relationship between khuluq and actions. For example, there are many people with the virtue of sakha' (liberality with their property), but who do not give for want of property. Moreover, there are many people who give much, but do so to show off (riya' al-nas.)

The Four Pillars of Good Khuluq

According to al-Ghazali, the first of the four pillars of good khuluq is knowledge of what is good and bad and right and wrong and truth and falsehood. This knowledge is wisdom, or Hikma. And God jalla jalaalu said in the Quran (wa man yu'ta al-Hikmata fa qad 'uutiya khayran kathiiran) (Surat al-Baqara, ayah 269): And whosoever has been granted wisdom, he has indeed been granted a great good.

The second pillar is mastering the suppression and release of anger as reason and law (al-'aql washshar') dictate.

The third pillar is mastering desire (ashshahwa) under the guidance of reason and law.

The fourth pillar (quwat al-'adl) is that which balances out the extremes of the second and third pillars, anger and desire.

If anger is uncontrolled, then we say that person is rash and transgressive (mutahawwir). If anger is overly suppressed, then we say that person is a coward. If desire is uncontrolled, then we say that person is lustful. If desire is absent, then we say that person is lifeless.

Thus the bases of all good morals are wisdom, the faculty of balancing, courage, and restraint (al-'iffa).

Part Three — Quranic Descriptions of the Believer

Descriptions in the Quran of Good Morals

Many of us believe that avoiding the forbidden things (Haraam) makes the struggle with the nafs unnecessary. If, however, we pondered some of the ayaat in al-tanzil al-'aziz which describe the true believers and then compared ourselves with these descriptions, we would realize that mujahada al-nafs (struggle against the soul) is a necessity for everyone.

God tabaraka said in the first 10 ayaat of Surat al-Mu'minun: (qad aflaHa al-mu'minuun alladhiina hum fii Salaatihim khaashi'uun walladhiina hum 'an al-laghwi mu'riDuun...'uulaa'ika hum al-warithuun)

The believers are indeed the successful — those who tremble in fear and hope in their prayers and those who avoid idle talk, those who pay zakaat (poor dues), those who guard their private parts, except for their wives and those whom their right hands possess, for whom they are not blamed — and whosever desires more than that is indeed a transgressor — the ones who are conscious of their trusts and contracts, and the ones who are steadfast in prayer. Indeed they will be the inheritors.

God ta'ala said in the second and third ayaat of Surat al-Anfal:

Indeed the believers are those who when God is mentioned their hearts tremble in fear; those who, when they hear God's signs recited upon them, their belief is strengthened; those who put complete trust in their Lord; those who establish prayer and spend of that which God has provided for them. They are the true believers.

God ta'ala said beginning with the 63rd ayah of Surat al-Furqan:

The worshippers of God who walk gently and softly, and if the argumentative address them, they bid them farewell with "peace"; those whom night finds prostrating to their Lord and standing in prayer to Him; those who say "O our Lord, divert from us the torture of hell, indeed its torture is eternal, never departing. Indeed, it is a bad resting place and a bad abode; those who, when they spend, do not do so except in obedience to God and do not withhold from spending when God commands — they are balanced between the two —; and those who do not call with God any other god, nor do they kill a soul which God has forbidden its killing, except with justice; nor do they fornicate — and whoever does any of that will find the rewards of his sins. His punishment will be doubled on the day of Judgment and he will live with his punishment forever, disgraced — Except those who repent and believe and do good works, for those God will replace their bad deeds with good deeds. Indeed God is oft-forgiving, full of mercy. Whosoever repents and does good deeds has indeed repented in truth — and those who do not give false witness; and those who, when they walk by people talking idle talk, continue walking, maintaining their dignity. Those who, when they are reminded of God's signs, do not lean close to listen while remaining deaf and blind (like the hypocrites); those who say, "O God, grant us from our wives and children happiness, and make us a good example for the God-conscious." They will be rewarded precious rooms because of their perseverance, and they will be greeted with the greetings of "salaam (peace)." They will abide therein forever, a good resting place and a good abode.

Descriptions of the Believers in the Prophetic Traditions

Anas radiy allahu anh reported that God's messenger salla allahu alayhi wa sallam said: The believer loves for his brother what he loves for himself.

Abu ShurayH al-Khuzaa'i and Abu Hurayra radia allahu anhuma both reported that the messenger alayhi ssalam said: "Whoever believes in God and the Day of Judgement should honor his guests."

They also reported that the messenger alayhi ssalam said: "Whoever believes in God and the Day of Judgement should honor his neighbors."

They also reported that he alyahi ssalam said: "Whoever believes in God and the Day of Judgement should say good things or remain silent."

It is reported that the messenger of God alyahi ssalam said: "If you see a believer who is silent and respectable in his manner (Samuut wa waquur) then get closer to him, for he teaches wisdom."

The Salaf's Description of Good Morals

Some of them tried to give a listing of good morals and they said: "Good morals is to be quick to feel shame, to hurt people as little as possible, to reform as much as possible, to be truthful in speech, to speak rarely, and to work hard. Good morals is to make few errors and have little curiosity in the affairs of others. It is to be righteous, to mend that which has been torn (waSuul), to be dignified in manner, to be perseverent, and to be thankful. It is to be content, forebearing, gentle, undemanding, and full of pity for others. It is not to be one who curses others, or one who insults others, nor one who backbites. Nor is it to be hasty, petty, miserly or envious. It is to be friendly in greeting and happy to be asked to help (bashshaash wa hashshaash). It is to love for God and hate for God, to be content for God and be angry for God.

Haatim al-aSamm said: "The believer is busy in thought and pondering, while the hypocrite is concerned with material things and hopes false hopes. The believer has lost hope in all but God, while the hypocrite hopes from all except God. The believer feels secure from everybody except God, while the hypocrite fears everyone except God. The believer will sacrifice his money before his religion, while the hypocrite will sacrifice his religion before his money. The believer will do a good deed and cry, while the hypocrite will do a bad deed and laugh. The believer likes empty places and being alone, while the hypocrite likes mixing with people. The believer plants for good, yet fears corruption, while the hypocrite stirs things up and hopes for a good harvest. The believer commands and forbids to ensure the correct policy is implemented, while the hypocrite commands and forbids in order to become the leader, and thus he causes corruption.

Yusuf ibn Asbat said: "There are ten characteristics of good morals: to disagree rarely, to be just and fair, not to ask about the mistakes of others, to explain away what appears to be bad deeds of others, to seek out excuses for others, to blame oneself, to busy oneself exclusively with finding out one's own shortcomings instead of others', to have a smile on one's face for both the young and the old, and to be beautiful in speech to those below you in station as well as those above you."

Sahl ibn Hasan was asked about good morals so he said: "The least of them is to bear the hurt caused by others, not to ask for compensation for a good deed, to have mercy on a transgressor, to ask for his forgiveness and have pity for him.

Examples of the Practice of the Companions and the Salaf

'Ali bin Abi Talib karrama allahu wajhah was reported to have called to a servant, but he didn't answer. He called a second time, and then a third. So he went to him and found him lying down on his side. He said, "Did you not hear me?" The boy said, "Yes, I did hear you." He then asked, "Why didn't you come then?" He replied, "I feel secure from your punishment so I became lazy." He then said, "Go away, for I free you for God's sake."

It is said that a man was insulting al-Ahnaf ibn Qays. Al-Ahnaf didn't respond to the insults. Then, when he approached his neighborhood he turned and said, "If you have anything else you want to tell me, say it here and now because I'm scared that if some of the foolish people in the neighborhood hear you they might hurt you."

'Umar ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz was asked, "When should I speak?" He replied, "Speak when you desire to remain silent." He was then asked, "When should I remain silent?" He replied, "Remain silent when you desire to speak."

Part Four — The Possibility of Moral Reform Through Training

The Possibility of Reforming Morals Through Training

Some have said it is impossible to reform a human's morals. They have used two arguments. The first is that just as you cannot change a person's outer appearance, you cannot change his inner appearance or structure, i.e. his morals. The second is that anger and desire are matters of personality which cannot be suppressed.

If the first argument was true, then what is the value of injunctions, admonitions and lessons in manners? Moreover, if wild animals can be trained, then certainly humans can.

As far as the second argument, it is true that you cannot suppress completely anger and desire, for both are present in the human being. However, it is possible to guide them in accordance with reason and law. In addition, their total suppression is not good, since without a desire for food, for example, the human would die.

Characteristics of Humans Which Help or Hinder Reform

The first characteristic is the length of time during which a bad characteristic was allowed to flourish unhindered. Since every human is born with desire, restraining desire is in general harder than restraining anger, which usually emerges in the child at approximately seven years of age.

The second characteristic affecting treatment is the nature of a person's error. The easiest type of person to reform is he who doesn't know how to differentiate between right and wrong. All he needs is a teacher and some motivation.

The next category of people is those who know what right and wrong are, but for one reason or another has continued to do sinful acts. Reform in this case is harder, for the person's soul has become accustomed to ill acts. It takes a great amount of seriousness and determination to reform successfully.

The third category is those who believe wrong is right and right is wrong. There is little hope of reform in this category, primarily due to the overlapping and mutually reinforcing causes of error.

The last category is he who sees virtue in evil and destruction, and this person is the hardest to reform.

The Means by Which a Person Comes to Have Good Morals

The first of the two means is God's beneficence and mercy in creating in some people good morals from birth.

The second means, the one with which we are concerned, is the winning of good morals through struggle and training. The only way to do this is to do the actions which good morals dictate. For example, if someone wishes to acquire the virtue of liberality with his property (juud), he must spend of his money until it becomes a burden for him (takalluf.) With the passing of time, spending money will become easier and more natural. Soon, it will become a pleasure to spend money.

This is the meaning we should draw from the 45th ayah of Surat al-Baqara: (wa innahaa la kabiiratun illaa 'alaa al-khaashi'iin) — Indeed, it is a great burden except for those who tremble at the thought of God.

Similarly, Anas reported that the messenger salla allahu alayhi wa sallam said: I have made my greatest happiness in ritual prayer. (ja'altu qurrata 'aynii fi al-Salaa) With the passing of time, the obedient servant finds true happiness in his obedience. Abu Bikra reported that God's messenger alayhi ssalam was asked, "Which people are the best?" He replied, "Those whose life was long and their works good."

We see that any repetitive action produces in the human being happiness in performing that action. For example, the gambler finds his happiness in gambling even though he might have lost all of his property. The trainer of pigeons comes to find happiness at the mere sight and smell and touch of his birds.

All of this is part of the strange relationship between the heart and the extremities of the human being. Every characteristic found in the heart shows itself in the limbs, without exception. In addition, every action the limbs perform leaves its trace on the heart. It is a cyclical relationship.

An example of this is he who wishes to become an expert in penmanship. He first burdens himself with the actions of penmanship experts, i.e. he practices penmanship, but of course it is difficult for him. With the passing of time, the habits of good penmanship become ingrained in his heart and he comes to write well naturally.

Just as we swallow bitter medicine to heal our bodies, we should accept the bitterness of perseverance and struggle (al-Sabr wa al-mujaahada) in the treatment of our souls.

The Specific Treatment of the Soul Is Different for Every Individual

Just as a doctor cannot prescribe the same treatment for every sick person, the murshid or shaykh cannot prescribe the same treatment for every seeker of reform (muriid.) The shaykh should look at the muriid's age, personality traits, physical strength and level of knowledge. If for example the muriid is ignorant of basic rules of law, the shaykh should teach him the rules of purification, prayer and other acts of worship.

Resistance to Reform Can Be Broken in Stages

If the muriid is unable to free himself of a bad characteristic all at once, it is advisable that the shaykh try to replace that characteristic with one that is less harmful.

Part Five — Controlling the Whim

All Treatment Is Essentially Controlling One's Whim (Hawaa)

God subhanahu wa ta'ala said in the 40th and 41st ayaat of Surat al-Nazi'at: (wa ammaa man khaafa maqaama rabbihi wa nahaa 'an il-hawaa ** fa inna al-jannata hiya al-ma'waa)

As for him who fears the station of his Lord and forbids himself from following his whims, he shall have Paradise as his abode.

FaDaala ibn Ubayd radiy allahu anhu said: The messenger alayhi ssalam said,

"Stop hurting your soul, and don't follow its whims by disobeying God. If you do, it will be an enemy to you on the day of Judgement, when parts of you will curse each other, except if God forgives and chooses to cover up your misdeeds."

Sufyan al-Thawri said: "I have never treated anything more difficult than my soul. One time, I win, another time, it wins."

Al-Hasan said: "The wild animal is not in more need of a strict saddle than your soul."

Yahya ibn Mu'adh said: Mankind has three enemies: His world, his shayTaan, and his soul.

Some of the wise people said: Whoever has become ruled by his own soul becomes a prisoner in the love of his desires, and trapped in the prison of his whims. He is defeated, enchained. Whims lead him where they want, and they prevent his heart from obtaining any benefits.

Ja'far ibn Hamid said: "The scholars and the wise people have come to a consensus that bounty cannot be gained except by forsaking bounty."

Abu Yahya al-Warraq said: "Whoever pleases his extremities with desires has planted in his heart the tree of regret."

Wuhayb ibn al-Ward said: Whoever loves the desires of this world, he should prepare for humiliation.

Ali ibn Abi Talib radiy allahu anhu said: "Whoever desires paradise should avoid desires in this world."

Malik ibn Dinar radiy allahu anhu would be walking in the market and if he saw something he desired he would say, "Be patient, my soul, for I do not deprive you of it except because of your high place in my sight."

There Is Danger in the Mubah (The Permissible)

Al-Ghazali points out that some would say that desiring the permissible (al-mubaah) cannot be a bad thing. Al-Ghazali responds by saying that the desire which causes you to strive for the mubaah is the same desire which causes you to strive for the Haram (the forbidden.) Love of the world is the beginning of every evil, and only by being able to ignore the bounty of the world can we hope to succeed in the next life.

The wise ones know that they will be held to account for the permissible things, punished for the bad things, and rebuked for those things which are neither clearly Halal nor Haram.

Part Six — The Diseases of the Heart and the Upbringing of Children

Signs of Diseases of the Heart and Their Successful Treatment

We say that an organ of the body is sick if it fails to perform what it is supposed to. The purpose of the heart is to love and worship God 'azza sha'nuh. If the servant prefers anything over God's pleasure, then he knows he needs treatment.

This is as God tabaarak said in the 24th ayah of Surat al-Tawba: (qul in kaana aabaa'ukum wa ikhwaanukum wa azwaajukum) ila qawlihi (aHabba ilaykum min allaahi wa rasuulihi wa jihaadin fi sabiilihi fa tarabaSSuu Hattaa ya'tiya allaahu bi amrih).

Say: If your parents, your brothers, your wives, your clan, your properties which you have accumulated, your trade which you fear its decline, and homes with which you are pleased are more beloved to you than God, His messenger and jihad in His path then beware of the day when God comes with His command.

As has been mentioned previously, most virtues lie between two distasteful extremes. The way to detect whether or not a moral inclines to one of the two is to know what kinds of actions they cause, and then see if the heart is more inclined to these improper actions than it is to proper actions. For example, should the heart be inclined to withhold money from a worthy cause, then the disease is miserliness (bukhl). If the heart is inclined to give money for an unworthy goal, the disease which must be treated is tabdhir (unrestrained wastefulness.)

The Four Ways by Which a Person May Know His Defects

The first is by accompanying a wise shaykh and accepting fully his diagnosis.

The second is to request a truthful, religious friend to inform him of his defects. 'Umar radiy allahu anhu used to say: May God have mercy on people who guide me to my defects. He used to ask Salman radiy allahu anhu about his defects. Salman would decline to mention anything, but 'Umar would persist in asking. Finally Salman said, "It has reached me that you have two bread softening trays on your table, and that you eat two bowls, one during the day and one at night." 'Umar said, "Have you heard anything else that you dislike about me?" Salman replied in the negative. 'Umar said, "As far as those two things, I'll stop doing them." In addition, 'Umar used to ask Hudhayfa radiy allahu anhu if he saw in him any signs of hypocrisy.

Dawud al-Ta'i removed himself from people, so people would come to him and ask, "Why have you removed yourself from the rest of the people?" He replied, "What should I do with people who hide my defects? The desire of those of religion used to be that they be informed of their defects by somebody else. It has now gotten to the point that the most hated of all creation is he who advises us sincerely and points out our defects. This almost proves weak belief since bad morals are poisonous snakes and scorpions. Consider if someone warned you of a scorpion under your robe. We would bear with his expecting favors from us, we would be happy with him, and we would concern ourselves with removing the scorpion from the robe, distancing it from us and killing it. The scorpion's attack is on the body, and the pain lasts no more than a day. But the attack of bad morals is on the inner heart, and it is to be feared more for it lasts forever and thousands of years. But instead we don't become happy when someone points out our mistakes, nor do we busy ourselves with correcting them. Rather we concern ourselves with responding to the one who advised us sincerely by criticising him, saying, 'Well, you do this and that...' Our ill-will causes us to become unable to benefit from his sincere advice. It seems that all of this is part of the hardness of the heart which is the fruit of sins, and the source of it all is weak iman (belief.) So we ask God 'azza wa jalla to illuminate to us the path of righteousness and make us see our defects and make us concerned with their treatment. We also ask God to grant us the success of fulfilling our obligation to the one who pointed out our defects by thanking him for his gift and graciousness."

The third way to know one's defects is to listen to what your enemies say about you. Most often, unfortunately, we attribute what our enemies say about us to jealousy. But we can benefit more from a bitter enemy who mentions our mistakes than we can from a companion who tries to make us feel good by praising us. The seeing person does not neglect to benefit from the criticisms of his enemies.

The fourth and final way to know your defects is to mingle with people and make note of whatever you find to be blameworthy in their deeds. Then look at your own deeds and see if you can find those same things there.

The Four Tools of Training the Nafs

Sahl ibn Abdallah al-Tasturi said: The ascetics (abdal) did not become ascetics except through four means: Starving their stomachs, going long periods of time without sleep, silence and separation from people.

In addition, it is critical for the servant to perform what he intends to perform. If he fails to fulfill his intention, he should punish himself as a way of strengthening his resolve.

Bringing Up Children with Good Morals

The proper upbringing of children is an obligation for Muslims. God ta'ala said in the sixth ayah of Surat al-Tahrim: Protect yourselves and your families from a fire whose fuel is stones and people.

The first thing the Muslim must do is ensure that everything that the child eats and drinks is Halal, in substance and source of revenue. Then, as soon as the father notices that the child has acquired powers of discrimination, he must encourage him to avoid bad things and in general show him what is good and what is bad.

The first place to begin the child's disciplining is at the table. The child must eat only with his right hand, and he must say bismillah before eating. Nor should the child be allowed to eat before others, nor should he be allowed to examine the food closely nor examine closely how or what others are eating. The child should not eat quickly, and he should chew the food well. The child should completely swallow his food before he takes another spoonful. He should not soil his hands or his clothes. He should be made to eat hard, dry bread at times so that he does not come to believe that all he eats must be fresh. Eating a lot should be made to look undesirable in his eyes by comparing those who eat too much to animals. You should criticize those children he sees who eat too much, and praise in front of him those well-mannered children who eat little. You should encourage him to give his food to others and not to concern himself with food. You should also encourage him to be content with any type of food, even if it is rough and unpleasant. As far as clothing, the child must be made to like plain clothes, and he must be convinced that wearing multi-colored, expensive clothes is unworthy of real men.

As soon as the child is able, he should begin to learn Quran and the reports of the companions and the pious, so that love of the pious can grow in his heart.

Whenever the child does a good thing, he should be praised openly and given a reward. If he does a bad thing once, it should be ignored so that his privacy is protected and he is not embarrassed in front of strangers. Thus, the parent will demonstrate that he does not believe the child will be so bold as to do the same thing again. Announcing what the boy did might make him reckless enough to ignore the consequences of announcing mistakes. This is especially true if the child tried hard to keep his mistake a secret. If he does it again, he should be criticized and made to understand that what he did was a very bad thing. He should be warned not to repeat the same mistake and threatened with announcing his mistake to others. It is important not to overdo the criticism, for if overdone it will become a small thing in his eyes and it will have no effect on his heart. Moreover, the father should remain dignified in speech and posture the entire time he is instructing his children.

The child should be prevented from sleeping during the day so he does not become lazy, and he should be given a hard mattress so his body becomes strong and he does not become addicted to bounty and ease. The child should be prevented from doing anything he does secretly, for if he does it secretly that is a sign that he himself considers it a bad action.

The child should be made to walk and practice a sport during the day so he does not become lazy. He should not walk at a fast pace, and he should keep his hands at his breasts and not let them fling about. He should be prevented from bragging about any superiority he has over his peers, especially about anything his family has given him in terms of food, clothing or personal belongings. He should be taught to honor everyone and to speak kindly with everyone. He should be made to understand that honor lies in giving, not taking, and he should refuse gifts from the children of rich people.

The child should be warned of the dangers of gold and silver more often than he is warned of the dangers of snakes. He should be taught to remain silent in the company of others, unless asked a question and then only to respond as necessary. He should sit still and be prevented from crossing his legs and supporting his chin with his palm, for all these are signs of laziness. He should be absolutely prevented from swearing or taking oaths, be they true or false. He should be made to listen closely to whatever is being said. He should get up to greet whoever is older than him, and make room for him to sit.

The child should be protected from those children with bad habits.

If the teacher chooses to strike the child, the child should be taught not to scream and to be perseverent in taking his punishment. The child should be given time away from the kuttab to play and relax, however. Constantly being in the schools will cause his senses to become dull and cause him to hate learning.

The child should be taught to obey his parents and teachers and whoever is older than him, be they relatives or not. He must stop playing when they come before him.

When the child becomes able to discriminate between things, he must not be allowed not to pray and not to obey laws of purity. He should be ordered to fast some of the days of Ramadan, and in general should be taught everything about the shariah that he needs to know.

When the child becomes more mature, he should be made to understand that the dunya passes and is not permanent, and that all actions must be undertaken for the sake of the next life. He should be made conscious that death is near for everyone at any time.

Sahl ibn 'Abdallah al-Tasturi said: When I was three years old I used to get up at night and see my maternal uncle Muhammad ibn Suwwar praying, so he said to me, "Do you make dhikr (remembrance) of God, the One Who created you?" I said, "How should I make dhikr?" He said, "Say in your heart when you turn over at night in your bed, 'God is with me, God is looking at me, God sees me' three times without moving your tongue." So I did that for some nights and then told him about it. So he told me to say it seven times, and then eleven times. So I would say it, and soon I began to find happiness in saying it. After a year, my uncle said, "Remember what I have taught you, for it will benefit until you enter your tomb, both in this life and the next." I continued to do this for years until one day my uncle asked me, "O Sahl, does someone with whom is God and at whom God is looking and whom God sees disobey God?"

Colophon

Ayman Hossam Fadel was a graduate student at Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta. He posted this six-part presentation to soc.religion.islam in April and May of 1991, presenting key material from al-Ghazali's Ihya' Ulum al-Din — specifically from the Kitab Riyadat al-Nafs wa Tahdhib al-Akhlaq wa Mu'alajat Amrad al-Qalb (The Book of Training the Soul, Improving One's Morals, and Treating the Diseases of the Heart). The series was approved for the moderated group by the newsgroup moderator at Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

The presentation was originally planned as a seven-part series; the author revised it to six parts between April and May 1991. The text as published here unifies the six posts into a single document, with minor structural edits to remove duplicate passages created by the revision.

Abu Hamid Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Ghazali (1058–1111 CE, 450–505 AH) was an Ashari theologian, jurist, philosopher, and Sufi mystic, born in Khorasan. The Ihya' Ulum al-Din is his masterwork, written after a period of spiritual crisis and withdrawal from public life. It synthesizes legal, theological, and mystical Islamic scholarship into a comprehensive guide to living a God-conscious life.

Message IDs of original posts:

Preserved from the Usenet archive for the Good Work Library by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026.

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