The Epistle of Admonition

In this beautiful work, Imam al-Ghazali pens a concise personal note to a beloved brother and scholar who sought his advice. The Epistle of Admonition - as translated by Ahmad Shaist Khan - unveils al-Ghazalt's sincere counsel not just to a beloved brother, but himself too.

He says, "I warned my lower self (nafs) of their [lessons), which it believed in and accepted, verbally as well as intellectually. However, in practice it rejected their [warning]. So I said to it, "Do you not believe that the Qur'an is a verbal admonition and a sincere counsellor? After all, it is the revealed word of Allah that can never be proven false from any angle." It replied in the affirmative."

This edition includes the Arabic text as well as the English translation. This arrangement allows the English-speaking reader to get a taste of the author's unique style, while students of Arabic may peruse the Imam's masterful Arabic prose alongside this elegant English rendition.