In the footsteps of the Prophets

Ghazali clearly states that the “way to the Beyond” (Tariq Al-Akhira) cannot be explored solely through dialectical theology and religious jurisprudence, that is to say without the spiritual discipline which constitutes the very essence of the message of the Quran and of the Prophet Muhammad, as of all the prophets before him – may the grace and peace of God be upon them all.

The essential thing is that inner interpretation and spiritual deepening cannot, outside the limits set by the framework of religious orthodoxy, be wrongly interpreted, or worse, instrumentalized, to legitimize a distancing from the faithful and assiduous practice of sacred rites.

The Imam recommends avoiding crude and material representations that lead to getting attached to the words describing the Kingdom of Heaven and Earth, so as not to fall into an academicism that forgets the route to take to pass from one world to the Other. He encourages us to seek the reality of things in themselves, and not in the terms that express them.

In fact, the haqiqa is the essence, the spirit of reality. It represents this “pulp” (lubb) beyond the “bark” (qishr), this inner or hidden part that it will be possible to know by going beyond the appearances of forms, through the practice of an inner and outer discipline, of a well-guided “path”, while taking care not to pay attention to the speculations of philosophers or the dialectic of theologians, more harmful than useful as regards the transparency and solidity of faith.

Imam Ghazali explains that the believer is called, during his life on earth, to gradually go through all the stages of “spiritual maturity” which rise parallel to the degrees of faith. These degrees go from simple acceptance to firm conviction, then to deepening thanks to the lights of Quranic recitation, worship, and the invocation of God, in the company and testimony of virtuous men who demonstrate spiritual servitude and respectful fear of God.

Sincere faith in God is like a seed planted in the heart. It will grow and blossom into a fragrant tree with roots firmly anchored in the ground and branches spreading to the highest heavens. But to achieve this growth of faith and knowledge, it is up to the believer, with the help of God, to purify his heart from the passionate attachments and illusions that darken it.

In his book on “fear and hope”Ghazali specifies:

“Men of spiritual heart know that life here below is like a field to be cultivated for the Otherworld. The heart is like the earth, and faith is like the seed. Acts of obedience serve to turn the earth and purify it, to irrigate it. The heart that frivolously abandons itself to this world and drowns in it is like the swamp in which the seed of faith does not grow. Faith profits very little with a dirty heart and vile characters.”

The Imam teaches that acts of obedience and worship, as well as the practice of virtues and the fight against the vices of the soul, lead to spiritual elevation and proximity to God, to the extent that all participate concretely in the journey of purification, transparency, and preparation of the heart for the Knowledge of God:

” Happy is he who has purified his soul!” The aim of this purification of the heart is to bring back to life the light of faith, that is to say, to bring forth the light of Knowledge.

Like the body, the heart is exposed to illness which threatens to cause its irremediable annihilation in the Otherworld. Only the “heart” will be safe. he who comes to God with a healthy heart ” Does not the Quran say of infidels that ” in their hearts there is evil ». Ghazali warns: “Ignoring God is a deadly poison, disobeying Him by allowing oneself to be dominated by one’s passions leads to infirmity of the heart.” He advocates “Knowledge of God (as) a remedy that vivifies Him. Obeying Him by dominating one’s passions is the remedy that heals the heart.”

In the chapters of theIhya’ describing the path to God from the perspective of the science of action (‘ilm al-mu’âmala) relating to rites, daily customs, causes of perdition, and salutary virtues, Imam Ghazali repeatedly recalls the reason for pious works and the need to put religious science into practice with the sincere intention of a heart turned towards God. Without recourse to religious knowledge, reason and rational knowledge are not enough to achieve inner purification and perfection of the heart.

However, understanding comes through reason. This is why the Imam compares rational knowledge to food, and religious knowledge to medicine: “Food is harmful to the sick person who has not taken medicine. Thus, diseases of the heart can only be cured by means of the remedies taken from Revelation. Such are the functions of the rites and obligatory acts that were composed by the prophets in order to amend hearts. Whoever does not cure his sick heart by means of the treatment offered by the works of worship, but is content with rational knowledge, will suffer from it as the sick person suffers from food.”

Acts of worship are remedies for diseases of the heart. As medicines are composed of different species and quantities of ingredients with specific properties, these acts are made up of gestures and positions whose kind and quantity differ, and this by virtue of a divine Wisdom.

“For example, prostration is worth twice as much as bowing, and morning prayer is half as much as afternoon prayer: there is a secret here analogous to that of the specific properties of plants, which can only be understood through the light of Prophecy,” explains Ghazâlî.

Does not God reveal: O mankind! There has come to you a call from your Lord, a remedy for the evil that gnaws at the hearts, and a guide and a mercy for the faithful.. Thus Ghazâlî calls the prophets “doctors of hearts” to whom God has revealed secrets and wisdoms that reason cannot grasp by its own strength: “The utility and action of reason consists only in instructing us on these things, in order to attest the authenticity of the Prophecy, by recognizing its own inability to perceive what the eye of Prophecy perceives.

Reason has therefore taken us by the hand and led us to the Prophecy, just as the blind are led to the guide, and the staggering sick to the compassionate physician. The path traveled by reason ends at this point; it is excluded from what lies beyond, except from the understanding of what the physician communicates to it. The sure path to the beatific Vision of God in the Hereafter is none other than the path traced and taught by all the Prophets, from Adam to Muhammad.

Only those, like them, who have traveled it know all the dangers, the obstacles, and the spiritual stations that mark it. It is through them that knowledge of the Invisible and the keys to salvation and Happiness in this world and in the Next have been brought to men. Their message, their teachings, like their entire life, constitute remedies against the diseases of the soul that corrupt the heart and prevent it from tasting the “sweetness of faith” (halâwat al-îmân) in the light of Certainty.

This is the indispensable method on the path to eternal life to reach a higher level. For the one who aspires to “certain knowledge” and wishes to take the path to the Otherworld, through spiritual discipline and the fight against his ego, the doors of guidance will open. Then, he will know by unveilings, by means of a divine light sent into his heart, the profound realities which are expressed in the doctrine (‘aqîda). »

The lights of Knowledge are always revealed to him who attains the reality of piety through worship if he purifies his inner self from the residues of this world, and if he is assiduous in the invocation of God (dhikr). “So it is as if he could see and contemplate the things he had first accepted by simple adhesion.

This is the profound reality of Knowledge which can only come about when the knot of beliefs has been untied, and when the chest has been opened to the light of God:

“How happy is he whose chest God has opened to Islam! “The Messenger of God explained the meaning of this opening of the chest by saying that It is a light that God projects into the heart of the believer. When asked what the sign was, he replied: Flee the abode of illusion to return to that of Eternity.

The various teachings and meanings that we have discussed so far could be summarized by this explanation given by Ghazali in his Book of the wonders of the heart :

“The Divine Reality was revealed to the prophets and saints of God. It was not through learning, study or the composition of works that the Light penetrated into their hearts. Illumination was achieved for them by renouncing the lower world, by freeing themselves from their attachments, by emptying the heart of earthly concerns, and by running towards God with all the spiritual energy of which they were capable. It is thus that the servant exposes himself to the breaths of Divine Mercy.

He does not choose to provoke them. All that is incumbent upon the servant is to purify himself in order to receive the Mercy that God grants, as He granted it to the prophets, and continues to grant it to the saints. If the will of the servant of God is sincere, if his spiritual aspiration is pure, and if his efforts are constant, the flashes of Truth will illumine his heart, and the secret grace of God will lift the veil. Then the invisible world of Mystery is unveiled, and the servant attains Certainty.