O SON! A TRANSLATION OF AYYUHAL WALAD IBD

Sinopsis

One of al-GhazaliâÇÖs advanced students wrote to the Imam with a question: From all the fields of knowledge, what will benefit us most in the grave? The student clarified that, while he could certainly find the answer to his question within al-GhazaliâÇÖs longer works, such as theáIhya âÇÖUlum al-Din, he wished for his teacher to give him a formal opinion, short enough that he could keep it with him at all times and refer to it constantly.Ayyuhal Walad is the great ImamâÇÖs response: a personal note from al-Ghazali to his student, and by extension to anyone who desires to follow their way. Imam al-Ghazali elucidates the following for his student, and for the modern reader:The precise nature of the relationship between knowledge and action, and the role of each in oneâÇÖs striving for paradiseThe significance of the night prayerSome advice from Luqman the Wise to his son, and its enduring meaning and importanceA concise definition of obedience and worship, which al-Ghazali states is the quintessence of knowledgeThe four matters that are required of a spiritual travelerA single hadith that contains the entirety of the knowledge of the ancients as well as the men and women of latter daysEight lessons that are sufficient for deliverance and salvationAyyuhal Walad, translated here as 'O Son,' is designed to be read and reread, and referred to frequently throughout oneâÇÖs life. The reader must take note that the original recipient of this letter was a top student of Imam al-Ghazali, and therefore likely a scholar of the highest calibre himself. This book is thus invaluable simply as a record of the interaction between one of the UmmaâÇÖs greatest teachers and his esteemed disciple. However, al-GhazaliâÇÖs prescriptions are conveyed with such clarity that any Muslim of high aspiration will benefit from this text.This edition includes Ustadh Moustafa ElqabbanyâÇÖs meticulous English translation side-by-side with al-GhazaliâÇÖs original Arabic epistle. This arrangement allows the English-speaking reader to get a taste of al-GhazaliâÇÖs unique style, while students of Arabic may peruse the ImamâÇÖs masterful Arabic prose alongside Ustadh MoustafaâÇÖs elegant English rendition.