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Rating: 
Summary: My 2001 Book
Review: "My Father, which gave them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one." John 10:30"That they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us ... so that they may be one, as we are one ... I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one," John 17:20-3 By finishing this book, I was left in a state of hallelujah. I've known God never as before. We may become in complete unity, we may become completely one, "so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me." John 17:23
Rating:
Summary: Everybody needs this light
Review: Imam Al Ghazzali's book"The Niche of lights" is a classic book in Islamic Philosophy that explains Koranic " verse of light". Althogh short, its philosophical substance is deeply rich. Al-Ghazzali was one of the most prolific and original of the orthodox Moslem philosophers. His other two famous books are " The Incoherence of the Philosophers" , and his Opus Magnum " The Revivication of Religious Sciences".
Yes, I applaud the Brigham Young University for puplishing this book, as well as the rest pf its "Al-Hikma: Islamic Translation Series". The translation is great. It can not ,in my opinion , comes any closer to convying to the English reader what I think Imam Al-Ghazzali wrote in Arabic. Lastly, the quality of the pulication and the paper is excellent.
Rating:
Summary: Everybody needs this light
Review: Imam Al Ghazzali's book"The Niche of lights" is a classic book in Islamic Philosophy that explains Koranic " verse of light". Althogh short, its philosophical substance is deeply rich. Al-Ghazzali was one of the most prolific and original of the orthodox Moslem philosophers. His other two famous books are " The Incoherence of the Philosophers" , and his Opus Magnum " The Revivication of Religious Sciences".
Yes, I applaud the Brigham Young University for puplishing this book, as well as the rest pf its "Al-Hikma: Islamic Translation Series". The translation is great. It can not ,in my opinion , comes any closer to convying to the English reader what I think Imam Al-Ghazzali wrote in Arabic. Lastly, the quality of the pulication and the paper is excellent.
Rating:
Summary: Like a mind expanding drug
Review: Like a mind expanding drug Imam Ghazali's book Mishkat Al-Anwar took my breath and left me gasping for air. A truly mind expanding experience. The Light Verse: "Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The Parable of His Light is as if there were a Niche and within it a Lamp: the Lamp enclosed in Glass: the glass as it were a brilliant star: Lit from a blessed Tree, an Olive, neither of the east nor of the west, whose oil is well-nigh luminous, though fire scarce touched it: Light upon Light!" - 24:35 Imam Ghazali takes the Light Verse from Surah Nur of the Quran and writes a book on it. He explains first what the verse means, and explains man's relation to his creator. Then before he finishes the book, he decides to totally blow your mind away by explaining how the whole cosmos works. I can relate to the other reviewers of this book, this book will blow your socks off. But be warned, this is a philosophical book, that reaches some very deep levels.
Anybody ready for deep philosophy and willing to examine man's relation to God, will find this book very illuminating. Esspecially since the cheaper translation called "Mishkat al-Anwar" translated by Erle Stanley Gardner costs 6.95. Judging from some of the non-Muslim reviews, you dont need to be a muslim to read this.
Rating:
Summary: Like a mind expanding drug
Review: Like a mind expanding drug Imam Ghazali's book Mishkat Al-Anwar took my breath and left me gasping for air. A truly mind expanding experience. The Light Verse: "Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The Parable of His Light is as if there were a Niche and within it a Lamp: the Lamp enclosed in Glass: the glass as it were a brilliant star: Lit from a blessed Tree, an Olive, neither of the east nor of the west, whose oil is well-nigh luminous, though fire scarce touched it: Light upon Light!" - 24:35 Imam Ghazali takes the Light Verse from Surah Nur of the Quran and writes a book on it. He explains first what the verse means, and explains man's relation to his creator. Then before he finishes the book, he decides to totally blow your mind away by explaining how the whole cosmos works. I can relate to the other reviewers of this book, this book will blow your socks off. But be warned, this is a philosophical book, that reaches some very deep levels.
Anybody ready for deep philosophy and willing to examine man's relation to God, will find this book very illuminating. Esspecially since the cheaper translation called "Mishkat al-Anwar" translated by Erle Stanley Gardner costs 6.95. Judging from some of the non-Muslim reviews, you dont need to be a muslim to read this.
Rating:
Summary: Illuminating
Review: What could a man who died almost 900 years ago have to say of any interest to people of our advanced age? A man for whom common aspects of our everyday lives would appear as miracles and might even be incomprehensible? One reason might be antiquarian interest - to learn about how people were in the past. Another could be historical - to learn how we got where we are now since the past has shaped our present. But as we turn to authors from "distant" times another benefit appears. Whether it is this author or others, we find that the basic issues of life and attitudes toward them haven't changed that much. In some cases, where the reader has access to the original language of composition, he will find expressions and thoughts strikingly "modern" or, perhaps, more correctly strikingly human. Technologically we may be far advanced, but on the fundamental human level we are much closer than the gap in years would suggest. There are two key benefits to this discovery. First, earlier ages have wrestled with the same issues of life as we do. Their perspectives can broaden our own thinking. Second, such an endeavor teaches a salutary lesson, one particularly pertinent to our own age. It is common to look back and down upon earlier times and peoples. Much of this arises from confusion of the intrinsic worth of a civilization or a person with the possession of material goods. Such a misconception is reflected not only in attitudes to those from the past but also to our less advantaged contemporaries. At its crudest level the logic is that if I own a Mercedes and you a Chevrolet, that somehow I am better person than you are, more developed, and in some pathological manifestations of this attitude more favored by the Divinity. When we discover our closeness to these earlier ages on the fundamental issues of life, we may well recognize that we are less advanced than our stock of material toys might lead us to believe and that intrinsic worth should be measured in reference to values and not things. But why read this particular book? At its core the book deals with man's relationship to the Divine, in other words, the purpose of life, the most fundamental issue we all confront. While the topic justifies a look, what are the reasons we should look to this particular author? Man's relationship with God can take place on various levels: legal, rational, and spiritual. On the first level, there are various "do's and don'ts" codified in sacred law and the rituals of the cult. At the second level, man attempts to know God (or whatever he can comprehend about God) through reasoning. This is the realm of the philosophers. At the third level, the knowledge sought is direct - an experience of God. Islamic mystics ("Sufis") use the term "taste" to distinguish between physical seeing, rational understanding, and this deeper knowledge. AlGhazali was a prodigious writer on faith and is one of Islam?s most respected teachers. He is a master of all three of the aspects of man's relationship to God: a recognized expert in Islamic law, a distinguished philosopher, and a practicing Sufi (mystic). Despite attaining mystical insights, he did not abandon the law or philosophy. This holistic approach to faith is evident in and greatly advances the task that he undertakes in this work: to describe the indescribable. This short book, which is in three parts, uses the "Light Verse" (Verse #35) from the Sura an-Nur (Light) and the Seventy Veils Hadith as the basis for exploring man's relationship to God. The Light Verse is: "God is the light of the heavens and the earth, the similitude of His light is like a niche in which is a lamp, the lamp is in a glass, the glass is as if it were a brilliant shimmering star kindled from a blessed tree, an olive (tree) neither of the East nor of the West, whose oil illuminates even if fire does not touch it; light upon light, God leads to His light whom He wills. And God gives parables to men (for their understanding). And God has knowledge of everything." (SAA) The Veils Hadith is: "God has seventy veils of light and darkness. Were He to lift them, the majestic glories of His face would burn completely anyone whose eyesight perceived Him." (SRA) In the first part of the book, AlGhazali uses light as a metaphor to make several points. As the uncaused absolute existent, God is the fundamental and only reality. All that we see about us flows from and is dependent on that reality. We and the world in which we live are contingent beings. This does not mean that we do not exist, nor does it imply pantheism. He then moves on to use light to discuss how man knows God. In the second section, he discusses the meanings embodied in the allegorical descriptions in the Light Verse and the implications for man in his relationship with God. In the third section, he explores the meaning of the Veils Hadith - the various stages and types of knowledge of God, including what it means to return to God. These are difficult topics given the limitations of the human mind and human language in the face of the Divine. AlGhazali succeeds in lifting the veil a bit and giving the reader much to think further on. The book includes a very detailed and scholarly (though not necessarily inaccessible to the general reader) introduction. The Arabic text is clear and appears opposite the English. This feature makes the book very useful for one following the translation from the Arabic to see how the translator had dealt with certain words and phrases. BYU is to be commended for making this text and others in the Islamic Translation Series available. David Buchman for spending the time he did to produce this splendid translation.
Rating:
Summary: Illuminating
Review: What could a man who died almost 900 years ago have to say of any interest to people of our advanced age? A man for whom common aspects of our everyday lives would appear as miracles and might even be incomprehensible? One reason might be antiquarian interest - to learn about how people were in the past. Another could be historical - to learn how we got where we are now since the past has shaped our present. But as we turn to authors from "distant" times another benefit appears. Whether it is this author or others, we find that the basic issues of life and attitudes toward them haven't changed that much. In some cases, where the reader has access to the original language of composition, he will find expressions and thoughts strikingly "modern" or, perhaps, more correctly strikingly human. Technologically we may be far advanced, but on the fundamental human level we are much closer than the gap in years would suggest. There are two key benefits to this discovery. First, earlier ages have wrestled with the same issues of life as we do. Their perspectives can broaden our own thinking. Second, such an endeavor teaches a salutary lesson, one particularly pertinent to our own age. It is common to look back and down upon earlier times and peoples. Much of this arises from confusion of the intrinsic worth of a civilization or a person with the possession of material goods. Such a misconception is reflected not only in attitudes to those from the past but also to our less advantaged contemporaries. At its crudest level the logic is that if I own a Mercedes and you a Chevrolet, that somehow I am better person than you are, more developed, and in some pathological manifestations of this attitude more favored by the Divinity. When we discover our closeness to these earlier ages on the fundamental issues of life, we may well recognize that we are less advanced than our stock of material toys might lead us to believe and that intrinsic worth should be measured in reference to values and not things. But why read this particular book? At its core the book deals with man's relationship to the Divine, in other words, the purpose of life, the most fundamental issue we all confront. While the topic justifies a look, what are the reasons we should look to this particular author? Man's relationship with God can take place on various levels: legal, rational, and spiritual. On the first level, there are various "do's and don'ts" codified in sacred law and the rituals of the cult. At the second level, man attempts to know God (or whatever he can comprehend about God) through reasoning. This is the realm of the philosophers. At the third level, the knowledge sought is direct - an experience of God. Islamic mystics ("Sufis") use the term "taste" to distinguish between physical seeing, rational understanding, and this deeper knowledge. AlGhazali was a prodigious writer on faith and is one of Islam?s most respected teachers. He is a master of all three of the aspects of man's relationship to God: a recognized expert in Islamic law, a distinguished philosopher, and a practicing Sufi (mystic). Despite attaining mystical insights, he did not abandon the law or philosophy. This holistic approach to faith is evident in and greatly advances the task that he undertakes in this work: to describe the indescribable. This short book, which is in three parts, uses the "Light Verse" (Verse #35) from the Sura an-Nur (Light) and the Seventy Veils Hadith as the basis for exploring man's relationship to God. The Light Verse is: "God is the light of the heavens and the earth, the similitude of His light is like a niche in which is a lamp, the lamp is in a glass, the glass is as if it were a brilliant shimmering star kindled from a blessed tree, an olive (tree) neither of the East nor of the West, whose oil illuminates even if fire does not touch it; light upon light, God leads to His light whom He wills. And God gives parables to men (for their understanding). And God has knowledge of everything." (SAA) The Veils Hadith is: "God has seventy veils of light and darkness. Were He to lift them, the majestic glories of His face would burn completely anyone whose eyesight perceived Him." (SRA) In the first part of the book, AlGhazali uses light as a metaphor to make several points. As the uncaused absolute existent, God is the fundamental and only reality. All that we see about us flows from and is dependent on that reality. We and the world in which we live are contingent beings. This does not mean that we do not exist, nor does it imply pantheism. He then moves on to use light to discuss how man knows God. In the second section, he discusses the meanings embodied in the allegorical descriptions in the Light Verse and the implications for man in his relationship with God. In the third section, he explores the meaning of the Veils Hadith - the various stages and types of knowledge of God, including what it means to return to God. These are difficult topics given the limitations of the human mind and human language in the face of the Divine. AlGhazali succeeds in lifting the veil a bit and giving the reader much to think further on. The book includes a very detailed and scholarly (though not necessarily inaccessible to the general reader) introduction. The Arabic text is clear and appears opposite the English. This feature makes the book very useful for one following the translation from the Arabic to see how the translator had dealt with certain words and phrases. BYU is to be commended for making this text and others in the Islamic Translation Series available. David Buchman for spending the time he did to produce this splendid translation.
Rating:
Summary: A Very Fine Book
Review: What is so controversial about this book is that it's written by one of the most orthodox Muslim scholars. Indeed, for almost all great Muslims scholars they don't usually publish or even discus in public any figurative interpretation of the Quran. It's very precious to find such great orthodoxy figure, Abu Hamad al-Ghazali, unveiling metaphors and images from the Quran with such depth. However, this book must be used wisely and with care because what al-Ghazali is discussing can't be granted as Islamic views, but rather just as Ghazali's personal views. The translation is also great. Buchman really did a great job.
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