03: Purification – Renewing Religion: An Overview of Ghazali’s Ihya – Ustadh Amjad Tarsin

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In this episode, Ustadh Amjad Tarsin continues this series on  Imam Ghazali’s Ihya Uloom ud-Din,  with an overview of the Book of the Mysteries of Purification. Imam Al-Ghazali highlights both the outward and inward importance of purification. Imam Al-Ghazali explains both the rulings of purifications from a fiqh perspective and the inner secrets of purification.

The chapter begins by describing that the Quranic verses and Hadiths that detail the benefits and rewards for purification. The purification that is intended here is at the basic level the purification of the limbs. However purification has 4 degrees:

[1] Purifying the outward from impurities and vile things.

[2] Purifying your limbs from sins and corruption

[3] Purifying the heart from blameworthy characteristics and destructive qualities

[4] Purifying your inner most core of your being from everything other than the Exalted.

The degrees described above correspond with the degrees of faith and a person will not be able to attain a higher level without attaining the one below it first. When one cleans their limbs they are purifying that which people see, as such, one should be ashamed of facing Allah without purifying your heart upon which Allah gazes.

Lastly, Ustadh Amjad emphasizing that delving into the deeper levels of purification takes work and practice. As you work on these deeper levels of purification you will become someone who is always aware of being in the presence of Allah at all times.

In this brief overview of Imam Ghazali’s opus magnum, Ihya Uloom ud-Din (Renewing the Religious Sciences), this series will serve as blueprint for how the believer can bring to life their religion. It will aim to help the believer to not just practice the form of the religion properly, but to also practice it with excellence.

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