Winter’s Al-Ghazali on Disciplining the Soul

Abstract

Al-Ghazali on Disciplining the Soul (Kitab Riyadat al-Nafs) and On Breaking the Two Desires (Kitab Kasr alShahwatayn)- Book XXII and XXIII of the Revival of the Religious Sciences (Ihya Ulum h al-Din). Islamic Texts Society, Cambridge, 1995, translation with notes and Introduction by T.J. Winter. Winter’s translation is the first accurate translation of Books XXII and XXIII of the Ihya’ (Revival) into English. Although Fazlul Karim’s Imam Gazzali’s Ibd’ ‘Ulum al-Din was an attempt at translating the Ihya’ (Revival) in four volumes, it is in fact an abridged and mutilated translation. Winter’s translation is also supported by a scholarly introduction and notes; therefore, my review will focus on two aspects: the scholarly approach of the author and the quality of his translation. We shall present a critical evaluation of Winter’s text as a whole. When comparing the English text with the original Arabic, it is to assess whether the translator managed to capture the content, message, and style of the Ihya’. We also pay attention to the choice of words, particularly the English equivalents of key Arabic terms. As a kind of practical criticism we look at the scholarly and literary style of the introduction in the form of book reviewing and subject the text to “literary appreciation” as an academic exercise in critical reading. Winter’s study of Al-Ghazli’s ethics in English is just one of the contributions that have emerged in recent years. Among those worthy of mentioning is Sherif‘s Ghazali‘s Theory of Virtue, which deals mainly with philosophic, religious, and mystical virtues. Unlike Winter, he regards the Mizan al-‘Amal as an authentic work by Al-Gazali and makes frequent reference to it. Sherif divides his book into thirty sections, of which the fourth discourse-“The Refinement of the Soul”- overlaps with Book XX and XXIII of Winter’s translation of the Ihya’ ...