Al-Ghazālī’s Moral Psychology; From Self-Control to Self-Surrender; Richmond

Joel Craig Richmond [+–]

Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University, Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia

Joel Richmond is Assistant Professor Humanities and Social Sciences, at Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University, Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia.

A central difficulty when reading al-Ghazālī (d. 1111) is understanding why he attempts to bring together seemingly disconnected aspects of ethical theory. He inclines toward a more philosophical influence of virtue ethics in his earlier book, The Scale of Action (Mizān al-‘amal), while in his vast encyclopedic work, The Revival of the Religious Sciences (Iḥyā’ ‘ulūm al-dīn), his conception of religious practice was greatly informed by the emerging Sufism of his time. These two works, in particular, lay the foundation for understanding his program for Islamic practice and his unique balance of reason and revelation. Al-Ghazālī’s ethical writings are not easily explained by the existing categories and demarcations found in contemporary ethical discourse, so it becomes essential to present what was at the centre of his pedagogy. This book argues that the thread connecting each method of expression is al-Ghazālī’s dramatic and explicit emphasis on self-control as the path to felicity. It demonstrates that the underlying substrate of al-Ghazālī’s ethics is his constant focus on restraining and redirecting the body, emotions, and thought.

The study first examines the destructive vices, specifically in relation to eating, sexual desire, anger, and speech. It is then followed by looking at al-Ghazālī’s early work, The Scale of Action which explains his views on controlling the body and achieving moderation through the process of habituation. It then turns to investigate al-Ghazālī’s views on controlling the emotions and how he understands thought and its role in unification of the fragmented self. It is only in the final chapter, entitled self-surrender, that the study attempts to answer the question of why, for al-Ghazālī, the subject of self-control takes such great importance. His directions for self-control are not without purpose and are designed to culminate in a unique form of knowledge. Although the aim of acquiring knowledge is initially for the purpose of inducing proper action, the final result, according to al-Ghazālī, must culminate in recognition and love of God. For these reasons, the study naturally concludes by answering the question of why these techniques of restraint were of such great significance to al-Ghazālī.

Series: Monographs in Arabic and Islamic Studies

Introduction

Chapter 1

Relinquishing Vice [+–]

Chapter One begins by questioning whether the Aristotelian understanding of virtue remains coherent in a religious context or whether the idea of self-control provides a better description of the lived reality of temptation within a monotheistic worldview. For al-Ghazālī, the subject of vice has multiple dimensions that relate directly to the mind and body. He sees most expressions of vice as the loss of the equilibrium that determines virtue, and these particular vices directly correspond with those listed in classical and Islamic virtue ethics. On the other hand, we find that specific states, although still contextualized according to circumstances, are more dependent on the dictates of revelation and its associated commentary. An example explored at the end of the chapter is al-Ghazālī’s prohibitions regarding the tongue, which focuses more on the idea of sin than vice.

Chapter 2

The Scale of Action [+–]

Chapter Two Before the Revival, Al-Ghazālī’s first attempt to approach the field of ethics appears in his Scale of Action (Mizān al-‘amal), a book that takes for its methodology a much more philosophical emphasis than the more visible Sufism of his later work. The chapter examines how habits of desire are central to the acquisition of self-control. It is the right disposition of habit that corrects the neglect of moral responsibility in human action, and the value of correct ends and the correct choice of means to those same ends, results in a balanced person capable of directing their life toward a higher purpose. For al-Ghazālī, the directedness of moral ends and the achievement of God’s good pleasure is often fixed by a number of instrumental means, such as the law, inward intentions, motivations, emotions, and, ultimately, the concern with achieving excellence of character.

Chapter 3

Elements of Restraint [+–]

Chapter Three Nothing better explains the correct human orientation toward providence than al-Ghazālī’s reminder that two of God’s divine names (asmā’ Allāh al-ḥusnā) are the Patient (al-Ṣabūr) and the Thankful (al-Shakūr). Our immediate concern in chapter three is how these qualities manifest themselves on the path to human perfection. Throughout the chapter, the question of habituation and character reformation is looked at closely as it features in the text of the Revival. No term could be more pertinent to the meaning of self-control than patience, for almost every situation demanded by one quality requires the other, and often, they are virtual synonyms in meaning when used as a pedagogical tool by al-Ghazālī. He mentions that the power to struggle against appetites is itself named patience. This is shown through a host of Qur’anic verses, in addition to numerous narrations and reports, as his methodology requires.

Chapter 4

Reorientations of Thought [+–]

Chapter four explains how self-control cannot be only limited to the physical restraint of bodily desires but must also encompass new directions of thinking and emotional reactions. The chapter provides a detailed analysis of intention, sincerity, repentance, hope and fear, the development of inward attention, and finally, the nature of the self as it is understood by al-Ghazālī and other thinkers. As with many books in the Revival, the ultimate aim is to move through various Sufi stations and attain nearness to God’s acceptance and presence, in both this life and the next. If we turn to al-Ghazālī’s methodology, we can gain a greater understanding of how the therapeutic reorientation of thought can lead the person to greater self-control.

Chapter 5

Self-Surrender [+–]

Chapter Five The preceding chapters explain the methods and directives for self-control that al-Ghazālī makes use of throughout his ethical writings. Whereas in previous chapters, the techniques he uses to teach the attainment of self-control were explained, in the second section, the aim is to answer the question of why, exactly, he finds the subject of self-control so compelling and urgent. By explaining the aim of his ethical teachings, it becomes possible to demonstrate the fundamental reasons why he focuses so closely on self-mastery. The final chapter tackles questions of theodicy, the rejection of the lower world, love overcoming pleasure, Divine grace and human action, and the resulting complete awareness of God’s all-encompassing presence.

End Matter

Bibliography

Conclusion

Reviews

Joel Richmond’s careful study of the virtues in the thought of Abū Ḥāmid al-Ghazālī is a very welcome contribution to the literature on Islamic ethics. Through meticulous analysis of primary sources, original translations, and rigorous scholarship, Richmond explores the tortuous path of self-cultivation and the subtleties of human will. The result is an important intervention that bridges practical philosophy, Sufi treatises, Islamic intellectual history, and the interdisciplinary spirit of al-Ghazālī’s writings.
Cyrus Ali Zargar, Al-Ghazali Distinguished Professor, Department of Philosophy, University of Central Florida

Monographs in Arabic and Islamic Studies

Books and Journals in Humanities, Social Science and Performing Arts

Al-Ghazālī’s Moral Psychology

From Self-Control to Self-Surrender

Joel Craig Richmond [+–]

Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University, Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia

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