On Spirituality: Living the Sunna, Leaving Sin, and Acquiring Good Character: Ghazali’s Beginning of Guidance
Introduction
The Prophet Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace) warned that those who learn sacred knowledge to gain the admiration of other people would be among the first to be thrown into the Hellfire. (Muslim) Take this course to learn how to be sincere in your quest for sacred knowledge by (1) avoiding the sins of the outward limbs, (2) avoiding the sins of the heart, and (3) having a good character with other people.
Curricular Context
- Before taking this course, take The Absolute Essentials of Islam (Hanafi) or The Absolute Essentials of Islam (Shafi‘i)
- Take this course before all courses in Step Two
Course Prerequisites: The Absolute Essentials of Islam (Hanafi) or The Absolute Essentials of Islam (Shafi‘i)
Course Outline
LESSON 1: Introduction to the Text and Author
LESSON 2: Importance of Routines and Courtesy to the Divine
LESSON 3: On Purification
LESSON 4: On Visiting the Mosque and the Time Before Sunrise
LESSON 5: The Value of Time
LESSON 6: One’s Daily Afternoon Routine
LESSON 7: The Etiquette of Sleep
LESSON 8: The Method and Etiquette of the Ritual Prayer
LESSON 9: On Facing Allah Most High With Awe and Reverence in the Prayer
LESSON 10: The Etiquette of Leading and Following in the Prayer
LESSON 11: The Etiquette of Friday
LESSON 12: The Etiquette of Fasting
LESSON 13: Introduction to the Sins Committed By the Limbs
LESSON 14: Sins of the Tongue
LESSON 15: Sins of the Tongue (Continued)
LESSON 16: Sins of the Stomach, Private Parts, Hands, and Feet
LESSON 17: Envy and Ostentation
LESSON 18: Conceit, Arrogance, and Pride
LESSON 19: Etiquette of Companionship With the Creator and Creation
LESSON 20: Etiquette With the Book of Allah
LESSON 21: Etiquette of the Teacher
LESSON 22: Etiquette of the Student
LESSON 23: Etiquette of Dealing With People You Don’t Know
LESSON 24: Duties With Brothers and Friends
What You Will Learn:
- Distinguish between true religious knowledge that is beneficial and ostensibly religious knowledge that is not
- Identify instances of the sins of the limbs (particularly those of the tongue)
- Identify instances of the sins of the heart
- Complete a regimen of protecting your tongue from sin
- Improve your character with your teachers, relatives, friends, and strangers
- Appreciate the spiritual value of good company
Course Format: 24 downloadable lessons, plus live sessions.
About the Course Text
This course is an exposition of Bidayat al-Hidaya (“Beginning of Guidance”), the greatest scholar of his time and arguably the most famous scholar of Islam who ever lived, Imam Abu Hamid al-Ghazali (d. 505 A.H. / 1111 C.E.). Imam al-Ghazali is unanimously regarded as the renewer (mujaddid) of Islam of his century, first for his intellectual defense of traditional Islamic beliefs against Avicennan philosophy, and then for his powerful spiritual reinvigoration of the Islamic sciences through his magnum opus, the 40-part Ihya ‘Ulum al-Din (“Revival of the Religious Sciences”). The textbook for this course, Bidayat al-Hidaya, one of his last works, is written for students who are beginning their religious studies to warn them against the dangers of ostentation, and to teach them how to use their religious knowledge towards their own benefit for eternity.