FEAR AND HOPE – Imam Al-Ghazali

This is a translation of the third book from the fourth volume of Imam al-Ghazali’s magnum opus Ihya Ulum al-Din, concerning the means of salvation, that is, the techniques or therapies by which the cure of the soul is achieved. The principle objective is to outline the salutary employment of fear and hope in the cure of the soul. The book deals with a topic of pastoral psychology and is a good sample of the work of Imam al-Ghazali in so far as it illustrates some of the reasons why he has attained so commanding a position within Islam and exercised so great an influence on the course of theological thought. Content Preface Introduction Text The Argument of the Book The Book of Fear and Hope Part I Hope The essence of hope The merit of hope The therapy of hope Part II Fear The essence of fear The degrees of fear The divisions of fear The Merit of fear Dominance of fear and hope Therapy for inducing fear The Meaning of Su al-khatimah (the evil end) The fear of prophets and angels The fear of Companions, their students, the early muslim community and the sound in faith Index