Title:
|
A study of some works of S̥ūfīsm commonly attributed to Al-Ghazālī
|
This thesis is a study of three works normally attributed to Abu Hamid Muhammad b. Muhammad al-Ghazali, namely al-Risalah al-Laduniyyah, Minhaj alcArifin and Jam? al-Haqa'iq bi Tajrid al-Ala'iq, but whose authenticity has been questioned by scholars. The aims of the thesis are to translate, annotate and_analyse the three works in order to assess whether they were written by al-Ghazali or not. For these reasons, the thesis is arranged into a general introduction which is followed by three major parts each of which consists of two chapters. The first part (Chapters One and Two) deals with the Risalah, the second (Chapters Three and Four) concentrates on the Minhaj and the third (Chapters Five and Six) focuses on the Jamic. A major section of the thesis (the first, third and fifth Chapters) provides for the first time in English the translations with annotations of the three works mentioned above. The second, fourth and sixth Chapters attempt to compare and contrast the approach to Sufism presented in the three works with that revealed in al-Ghazali's securely attributed works. The thesis argues that it is rather doubtful that any of these works were written by al-Ghazali and that their authors, who probably came from circles close to al-Ghazali, combined some of his ideas with those from other Sufi quarters. The study ends with a select bibliography and appendices.
|