Public Culture and Islam in Modern Egypt by Hatsuki Aishima

Author:Hatsuki Aishima [Aishima, Hatsuki]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: History, Middle East, General, Social Science, Anthropology, Cultural & Social
ISBN: 9780857727602
Google: PBKMDwAAQBAJ
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Published: 2016-04-25T03:33:29+00:00

Al-Ghazali's arguments are based on an understanding that Sufis are tantamount to a threat to the common good of society. They cease being productive at any level because of their ignorance of correct Islam, their backwardness and passive relation to social reality. Although this article was signed by a pen name, Shaykh Magahid finds out that it was written by Muhammad al-Ghazali, who was detained in prison for unknown reasons. In episode 23, ‘Abd al-Halim visits al-Ghazali to ask his opinion about this article, without mentioning that he is aware that he is its author. Even after a long and tense debate, they cannot reach any agreement.

Later on in the serial, during his tenure as the Minister of Pious Endowments, ‘Abd al-Halim manages to gain al-Ghazali's confidence by entrusting him with the responsibility to carry out da‘wa at the ‘Amr bin al-‘As Mosque in Old Cairo (episode 26). Al-Ghazali is deeply impressed by ‘Abd al-Halim's fairness and generosity; that in spite of the conflicts between them, ‘Abd al-Halim had appointed him to this important office. Yet al-Ghazali cannot overcome his suspicions toward Sufism. One evening, he is visiting ‘Abd al-Halim at his home. Al-Ghazali first compliments ‘Abd al-Halim as the best Shaykh al-Azhar ever, then attempts to convince him to leave behind his Sufi devotion:

Al-Ghazali: You should leave behind the ecstatic expressions of Sufism (shatahat al-sufiya), which is making you imperfect, and start adhering to the prophetic Sunna.

‘Abd al-Halim: Do you mean that I have gone astray from your position because of my attitude towards Sufism?

Al-Ghazali: Nothing other than that.

‘Abd al-Halim: Will you change your mind if you learn more about Sufism?

Al-Ghazali: I have learned enough about Sufism through books, and I don't agree with it.

‘Abd al-Halim: You don't know Sufism until you taste it.

Al-Ghazali: Aaaaah! That's a typical phrase from Sufism, which indicates the stagnation (jumud)!

‘Abd al-Halim: What do you mean by ‘stagnation’? If you were asked about the taste of an apple, would you be able to know it without tasting it? This is Sufism. You don't know until you taste it. Listen to me, al-Ghazali, if you wanted to know about Sufism, you need to imbibe (yatamaqq‘) it, live it and practise it for years. (Episode 29)

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.