50 PRINCIPLES OF ISLAM Articulated by Shaykh Ahmad Darwish Proofread by Ryan O’Meallie Confronting and Guiding The Theologians, Authoritarians, Talkers/Talks (Kalam and Mutakallemon) are those who believe in opinion and examination, together with the secular politicians and their affiliations, The Christian who reject Prophet Muhammad and the rest of the Prophets of Allah, Jews who reject Prophet Muhammad, and the rest of the Prophets of Allah and the Muslims who do not practice Science of Spiritual Perfection (Ihsan) Battiniya – the people who covet and conceal their spiritual false orders, Zahiriya (and Kharijis: the Wahabis), and Philosophers. Admiring the Sufis: the people who follow the Science of Spiritual Perfection (Ihsan) The Ghazali’s Heritage Collection Algazle (al-Ghazali, died 505/1058-1111 A.D) “Deep study of al-Ghazali may suggest to Muslims steps to be taken if they are to deal successfully with the contemporary situation. Christians (Nazarenes) at the west, too, now that the world is in a cultural melting-pot, must be prepared to learn from Islam, and are unlikely to find a more sympathetic (spiritual) guide than al-Ghazali.” W. Montgomery Watt, The Senior Lecturer in Arabic University of Edinburgh 1952 The Savior from Spiritual Error and the Deliverance to the Lord of Might and Majesty - A Journey from Doubt in Spiritual Road to Certainty of Faith Table of Contents The Ghazali’s Whole-Life Authorship Roadmap i. Preface (1) ii. Overview (5) iii. Ghazali Introduction (3) iv. Reason of Spreading Knowledge after Withdrawal (8) The Approach of Sophists and Rejecting Knowledge (3pages) The Categories of Knowledge Seekers Science of Logic and Debate: Its Aim and Its Total Essence (2) Philosophy and Philosophers (2) Types of Philosophers and their Emblem of Disbelief (3) The Science of Categories of Philosophy (7) Academia, Education, and their Deception (5) The Ihsanic Sufi Paths (5) The Reality of the Prophethood and the Need of All Humanity for it (3) The Ghazali’s Whole-Life Authorship Roadmap Your best roadmaps to get ready to meet Allah and all His Prophets by Ahmad Darwish Al-Shaykh Allah.com Muhammad.com Imam Ghazali has two roadmaps a. Spiritual safety from error roadmap b. And this 50 principles of Islamic Knowledge and Practice c. One should add to the above the 70 and odd of branches of Faith (shuab al Iman) by Bayhaqi d. and the 40 descriptions that Grantee its practitioner to enter paradise as collected for the first time by my late Shaykh Imam Muhaddith Abdullah Ibn Siddique Al Ghumari – thereby outperforming all Huffaz before him. Imam Ghazali mentioned his authorship road map using the hierarchy of jewelry and chemistry classification in his book “al Jawahir wa al Yawaqit” as it was the fashion of his day and age. In December 1980 I extracted them all and translated them into the following regular chart as follow, it was also translated into German by Fatema Heren in 1980s Ghazali listed 50 Principles of Islamic knowledge that he wrote books covering them all. 40 of 50 the principals are covered in Ghazali’s Ihya, the Revitalization of Religious Sciences: The Foundation of Islamic Knowledge and Practice ISLAM, IMAN, IHSAN Religion is based on numerous principles, for example, the five Principles of ISLAM and the six Principles of IMAN which are more than seventy sections (branches) like those described in the Prophetic quotation and the principals IHSAN Classification of the 50 Principles of Islamic Knowledge and Practice (Forty principals covered in Ghazali’s Ihya. The remaining 10 were covered in the rest of His books) First: Knowing the Important Principles Know the One God: Allah (Him, His Divine Descriptions, and His Divine Actions) Him Divine Exaltation Divine Ability Divine knowledge Divine Will – Divine Hearing Divine Speech Divine Actions The Day of Judgment The Prophethood Know the Right Path to meet Him (On the Day of Judgment) Allegiance to the Caliph The Visible Actions: The Prayer Obligatory Charity Fasting Pilgrimage Reciting Al Koran (The Holy Reading) Extra daily prayer Gaining Sustenance from lawful Islamic Sources Good manners Order to do right actions and avoid wrong actions Following the footsteps of the Prophet (praise, peace be upon him) The Invisible Actions The roots of wrong actions: Excessive eating Unnecessary speech Anger Envy Love of US Dollars, foreign and local currency Love of fame Love of this material world Conceit Pride Deceit (Insincerity by attracting attention, see Allah.com for “Deception by Ghazali” The roots of right actions: Asking forgiveness and turning away with regret Fear and hope Self denial Patience Thanking Sincerity and Truth Trust Love Satisfaction Death and its realization Second: Know the Principles which complete the above Know the Conditions of the Followers of the Right Path History of the Prophets History of the Friends of Allah and His Prophets History of the Families of the Prophets Know the Conditions of the unbelievers-in-the-Right-Path (the enemy of the followers) The cursed and stoned satan The Leaders of the unbelievers (like Pharaoh) Idolaters and the rejecters if truth (see Ghazali’s spiritual Roadmap) Third: Know the Principles of the sciences (Jurisprudence, Tafseer, Hadith, Seerah of the Prophet) see the download area of Allah.com Muhammad.com for free download