Page:A Moslem seeker after God - showing Islam at its best in the life and teaching of al-Ghazali, mystic and theologian of the eleventh century (IA moslemseekeraft00zwem).pdf/243



AL-GHAZALI AS A MYSTIC 225

ecstasy. 1 One of their favourite sayings was that attributed to God by the Prophet, " I was a hidden treasure and I desired to be known, so I created the creation in order that I might be known." Just as the universe is the mirror of God’s being, so the heart of man is to the Sufi the mirror of the uni verse. If he would know God or Truth he must look into his own heart.

To quote Al-Ghazali himself: "The aim which the Sufis set before them is as follows: To free the soul from the tyrannical yoke of the passions, to deliver it from its wrong inclinations and evil in stincts, in order that in the purified heart there should only remain room for God and for the in vocation of His holy name.

"As it was more easy to learn their doctrine than to practise it, I studied first of all those of their books which contain it: The Nourishment of Hearts, by Abu Talib of Mecca, the works of Hareth el Muhasibi, and the fragments which still remain, of Junaid, Shibli, Abu Yezid, Bustami and other leaders (whose souls may God sanctify). I acquired a thorough knowledge of their researches, and I learned all that was possible to learn of their methods by study and oral teaching. It became clear that the last stage could not be reached by

tween these high ideals and practical morality. A surprising statement is made by Al-Ghazali regarding Junaid in this connection. " Ihya," Vol. II, p. 19.
 * Yet strange to say there was often an utter divorce be