About this Course

'Were all books of Islam to be lost, and only the Ihya Ulum al Din remain, it would suffice by itself to revive the religion.' This statement, made by many of the leading Ulama of the past, attests to the unique status of the Ihya in world history.

In this course, Shaykh Asim will be covering a short book of the Ihya Book 16: Kitab Adab al-Uzla - The Transformational Ethics of Solitude. 

In this book Imam Ghazali covers the essential topic of seclusion and having the time and space to engage in worship and contemplation.   The relationship between seclusion, contemplation, one’s relationship with the Divine and spiritual realisation is emphasised. This was the first aspect of Prophetic worship, prior to the first revelation.   In a time when social media is so central to our lives, and we have so much interaction with others, this book provides essential wisdom about how to ‘switch off’ from the world around us, and particularly aspects of heedlessness. 

The Ihya of Imam Hujjat al-Islam Abu Hamid al-Ghazali is unquestionably one of the most important and influential works ever composed. Comprising forty books on the outward and inward aspects of Islam, it traces Ghazali's Ilm Tariq al-Akhira (the knowledge needed for the journey to the life eternal).

Shaykh Dr Asim Yusuf is recognised as an expert in Ghazali and Islamic spirituality and philosophy. Over the past few years, he has been working his way through the Ihya in one of the only full recitations and teaching of the text being undertaken anywhere in the world.

In addition to the recitation and translation of the Ihya, he provides both valuable commentary that keeps the work relevant to the contemporary world, but also uncovers the deep philosophy that underpins the work in terms of Ghazali's 'higher theology' and how this has been understood and transmitted by mystics and philosophers through the ages.

The Shaykh will analyse the words and wisdom of the Imam, seeking to draw out the eternal principles and contextualising his teachings so as to maximise the benefit for the students.

Course Information

  • The Text

    The Arabic text used is the Dar al-Minhaj edition of the Ihya Ulum al-Din in ten volumes. This course covers Volume 4, from pages 243-326. The English edition recommended for this course is the Fons Vitae edition, entitled 'the Proprieties of Retreat', translated by James Pavlin, available here.

  • Class Details

    NEW SEMESTER START DATE 27th APRIL 2024. Each week there will a live session of approximately 90 mins. The live lessons are held on zoom, and are accessible via this link. They take place on Saturdays 10am GMT/BST. The classes are live recordings, and so may contain questions, comments and (occasional in-jokes!).   This will be recorded and separated into two or three videos as well as brief accompanying notes.

  • Do I qualify?

    We recommend an age of at least 16 years as this course is mainly aimed at adults. The class does not require detailed or advanced knowledge of Islam, though a basic level will be assumed. Some discussions will naturally reference previous semesters, but no previous knowledge of the Ihya is required. Students will be expected to contribute to a group note-taking (covering approximately one lesson every two semesters).

Teacher Biography

Shaykh Dr Asim Yusuf is recognised as an expert in Ghazali and Islamic spirituality and philosophy. Over the past 8 years, he has been working his way through the Ihya in one of the only full recitations and teaching of the text being undertaken anywhere in the world. In addition to the recitation and translation of the Ihya, he provides both valuable commentary that keeps the work relevant to the contemporary world, but also uncovers the deep philosophy that underpins the work in terms of Ghazali's 'higher theology' and how this has been understood and transmitted by mystics and philosophers through the ages.

Shaykh Dr Asim Yusuf

Instructor

'Were all books of Islam to be lost, and only the Ihya Ulum al Din remain, it would suffice by itself to revive the religion.

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