In the East, "Al-Ghazzali has been acclaimed by both Muslim and European scholars as the greatest Muslim after Muhammad" (Professor W. Montgomery Watt). Above all, Ghazzali was a Sufi, and The Alchemy of Happiness is his own abridgement, designed for the ordinary reader, of his colossal masterwork, The Revival of Religious Sciences.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Idries Shah calls the Masnavi: "...a special art form, created by Rumi for the express purpose of conveying meanings which he himself concedes have no actual parallel in ordinary human experience." -- The Sufis by Idries Shah: Octagon Press, London, p. 117. Copyright © 1964, 1977 by Idries Shah.
Biological evolution, how basic psychological drives motivate human behavior, and the process of conditioning -- all are described some 700 years before being identified by Western science.
This one-volume abridgement is a direct translation from the original Persian.
I died as a plant and rose again an animal.
I died as an animal and arose a man.
Why then should I fear to become less by dying?
I shall die once again as a man
To rise an angel perfect from head to foot!
Again when I suffer dissolution as an angel,
I shall become what passes the conception of man!
Let me then become non-existent, for non-existence
Sings to me in organ tones, "To him shall we return."
Copyright © 1973, 1994. Octagon Press. All rights reserved.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Shipping:
US$ 4.13
Within U.S.A.
Book Description Condition: New. New. In shrink wrap. Looks like an interesting title! 0.8. Seller Inventory # Q-0525473874