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TAUBA (Repentance)
An Extract from Imam Al-Ghazali's Ihya Ulum-id-din
Translated by Al-Haj Maulana Fazlul Karim
Paperback 59 Pages Published in India
KNOW that sins are a barrier between you and Allah.
Keeping away from that
which makes you far from Allah is obligatory.
It is achieved by 1)
knowledge 2)
regret and 3) determination
If one does not truly KNOW that sins are the cause
of being far from Allah, he will have no regrets over committing sins. He will
not feel the pain of his path far from his Lord. When that pain is not felt, he
will not return nor have the determination to stay away from sin.
The
translation is not excellent but reasonably good
About Imam Ghazali
Abu Hamid Muhammad, famous in the world of learning as al-Ghazzal was
born in 450 AH (1058 A.D). in Persia . He graduated from the Nizamia Madressa at
Nishapur, with distinction.a very famous educational institution in Nishapur.
Later he was appointed as a teacher at the Nizamia College in Baghdad, where he
proved very successful in imparting knowledge to the scholars under his care.
This valuable gift of sustaining interest of his pupils and passing on his
knowledge to them made him so famous that students from all parts of the country
flocked to study under him.
Imam al-Ghazzali was fondly referred to as the "Hujjat-ul-lslam",
Proof of Islam, He is honoured as a scholar and a saint by learned men all over
the world.
Al-Ghazali is generally acclaimed as the
most influential thinker of the Classical period of Islam, in
his autobiography The Deliverance from Error, the Imam
describes his education and his intellectual crisis, which left him so
paralysed by doubt that he he gave up his academic pursuits and
worldly interests and became a wandering ascetic. This was a process (period)
of mystical transformation. Later, he resumed his teaching duties, but again
left these. An era of solitary life, devoted to contemplation and writing then
ensued, which led to the authorship of a number of everlasting books (Many
of which have been translated in English)
Imam al-Ghazzali's life was spent in self-sacrificing service of God and his fellowmen. He left behind him a fine example for all men to follow. He died in 505
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