We intend to cover the first two books from the third quarter in the first module, namely ‘Marvels of the Heart’ and ‘Taming the Ego.’  As understood from two manuscripts, this course is a study of a summary by Imam al-Ghazali of his magnum opus,  Ihyā’ ‘ulum al-din ‘Revival of the Religious Sciences’, entitled. Lubāb al-Ihyā’ – ‘The Core of the Ihyā’.’  

Arguably, the most authored genre among Muslim scholars from the earliest generations to the present is that of the Purification of the Heart. This shouldn’t surprise us when we consider the two main corpora of Islam, namely the Quran and the Sunnah, frequently call upon believers to be vigilant towards the condition of their spiritual heart, for when orientated correctly, it is the locus where Divine realisations and understandings of the higher orders of existence present themselves. Upon the heart’s rectification reside both worldly and eternal success. Being genuinely attentive to this goal requires learning the Quranic and Prophetic framework and the suggested strategies by the erudite scholars of this Ummah. Actingupon this knowledge entails the heart’s receptivity to know reality as willed and designed by the One and Almighty. 

This first purification series is divided into three modules, each comprising ten weeks. In his summary, Imam al-Ghazali observes the same book and quarterly order as in his original work, with Purification as the focus of this course. We will go through the last two-quarters of his summary, ‘Lubāb al-Ihyā’ – The Core of the Ihyā.’ ‘ because they are dedicated to unpacking key terms and providing important definitions, allowing for what follows, as in advised methods and approaches, to replace our particular destructive qualities with salvific ones is undertaken with a willingness and a hope to attain a sound heart.