Identifier: moslemseekeraft00zwem (find matches)
Title: A Moslem seeker after God : showing Islam at its best in the life and teaching of al-Ghazali, mystic and theologian of the eleventh century
Year: 1920 (1920s)
Authors: Zwemer, Samuel Marinus, 1867-1952
Subjects: Ghazzl, 1058-1111
Publisher: New York : Fleming H. Revell
Contributing Library: Robarts - University of Toronto
Digitizing Sponsor: University of Toronto

View Book Page: Book Viewer
About This Book: Catalog Entry
View All Images: All Images From Book
Click here to view book online to see this illustration in context in a browseable online version of this book.

Text Appearing Before Image:
t profit. Who-soever takes his passions for a God he is under thereign of the devil and not in the safe keeping ofhis Lord. He gives a long spiritual interpretation of thefatihah which is beautiful. At the conclusion ofyour formal prayer, he says, offer your humblepetitions and thanksgivings and expect an answerand join in your petition your parents and the restof true believers. And when you give the finalsalaams remember the two angels who sit on yourshoulders. In the giving of alms he says seven things arerequired: promptness, secrecy, example—(and inthis connection he quotes a Tradition ascribed tothe Prophet about the left hand not knowing whatthe right hand doeth)—absence of boasting orpride, the gift must not be spoken of as great, ourbest is demanded, for God is supremely good andHe will only take the best, and we must give ouralms to the right persons. Of these he mentionssix classes: the pious, the learned, the righteous,the deserving poor, those in need because of sick-
Text Appearing After Image:
A Mihrab or prayer-niche made of cedar wood and dat-ing from the Eleventh Century. (Cairo Museum.) AL-GHAZALI AS A MYSTIC 243 ness or family distress, and relatives. With him,charity ends at home. It is clear, however, from Al-Ghazalis teachingthat only Moslems are intended in his classificationof those who may receive the Zakat. There is nouniversal brotherhood in Islam. Jews and Chris-tians are outside the pale, save as they have therights of neighbours. Christians might well regard Al-Ghazalis mys-tical method of reading the Koran in their perusalof the Scriptures. He tells us we must regardeight things: the greatness of the revelation; themajesty of the Speaker; the need of a preparedheart; meditation; understanding the content ofthe passage, not twisting its meaning; we are tomake the application to ourselves; and finally wemust read it so that its effect may show in ourlives. By the word Koran, he says, we mean notthe reading but the following of the teaching, forthe movement of

Note About Images