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The Revival of the Religious Sciences #32
Al-Ghazzali On Patience and Gratitude
Al-Ghazzali discusses the virtues of patience and gratitude in great detail using examples from the Quran and the Traditions (ahadith). Patience is considered to be half of faith and is necessary at all times in all situations according to al-Ghazzali. He explains how one can gain patience. In regard to the virtue of gratitude, he explores its opposite of ingratitude, the true nature of blessings, how knowledge is good and ignorance is evil and blessings and their various degrees. This is Book XXXII of Part Four of the Alchemy of Happiness entitled The Deliverers.
64 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
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688 people want to read
About the author
Abu Hamid al-Ghazali
785 books2,961 followers
أبو حامد الغزالي
Muslim theologian and philosopher Abu Hamid al-Ghazali of Persia worked to systematize Sufism, Islamic mysticism, and in The Incoherence of the Philosophers (1095) argued the incompatibility of thought of Plato and Aristotle with Islam.
Born in 1058, Abū Ḥāmid Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad al-Ghazālī ranked of the most prominent and influential Sunni jurists of his origin.
Islamic tradition considers him to be a Mujaddid, a renewer of the faith who, according to the prophetic hadith, appears once every century to restore the faith of the ummah ("the Islamic Community"). His works were so highly acclaimed by his contemporaries that al-Ghazali was awarded the honorific title "Proof of Islam" (Hujjat al-Islam).
Al-Ghazali believed that the Islamic spiritual tradition had become moribund and that the spiritual sciences taught by the first generation of Muslims had been forgotten.[24] That resulted in his writing his magnum opus entitled Ihya 'ulum al-din ("The Revival of the Religious Sciences"). Among his other works, the Tahāfut al-Falāsifa ("Incoherence of the Philosophers") is a significant landmark in the history of philosophy, as it advances the critique of Aristotelian science developed later in 14th-century Europe.
أبو حامد محمد الغزّالي الطوسي النيسابوري الصوفي الشافعي الأشعري، أحد أعلام عصره وأحد أشهر علماء المسلمين في القرن الخامس الهجري،(450 هـ - 505 هـ / 1058م - 1111م). كان فقيهاً وأصولياً وفيلسوفاً، وكان صوفيّ الطريقةِ، شافعيّ الفقهِ إذ لم يكن للشافعية في آخر عصره مثلَه.، وكان على مذهب الأشاعرة في العقيدة، وقد عُرف كأحد مؤسسي المدرسة الأشعرية في علم الكلام، وأحد أصولها الثلاثة بعد أبي الحسن الأشعري، (وكانوا الباقلاني والجويني والغزّالي) لُقّب الغزالي بألقاب كثيرة في حياته، أشهرها لقب "حجّة الإسلام"، وله أيضاً ألقاب مثل: زين الدين، ومحجّة الدين، والعالم الأوحد، ومفتي الأمّة، وبركة الأنام، وإمام أئمة الدين، وشرف الأئمة.
كان له أثرٌ كبيرٌ وبصمةٌ واضحةٌ في عدّة علوم مثل الفلسفة، والفقه الشافعي، وعلم الكلام، والتصوف، والمنطق، وترك عدداَ من الكتب في تلك المجالات.ولد وعاش في طوس، ثم انتقل إلى نيسابور ليلازم أبا المعالي الجويني (الملقّب بإمام الحرمين)، فأخذ عنه معظم العلوم، ولمّا بلغ عمره 34 سنة، رحل إلى بغداد مدرّساً في المدرسة النظامية في عهد الدولة العباسية بطلب من الوزير السلجوقي نظام الملك. في تلك الفترة اشتُهر شهرةً واسعةً، وصار مقصداً لطلاب العلم الشرعي من جميع البلدان، حتى بلغ أنه كان يجلس في مجلسه أكثر من 400 من أفاضل الناس وعلمائهم يستمعون له ويكتبون عنه العلم. وبعد 4 سنوات من التدريس قرر اعتزال الناس والتفرغ للعبادة وتربية نفسه، متأثراً بذلك بالصّوفية وكتبهم، فخرج من بغداد خفيةً في رحلة طويلة بلغت 11 سنة، تنقل خلالها بين دمشق والقدس والخليل ومكة والمدينة المنورة، كتب خلالها كتابه المشهور إحياء علوم الدين كخلاصة لتجربته الروحية، عاد بعدها إلى بلده طوس متخذاً بجوار بيته مدرسةً للفقهاء، وخانقاه (مكان للتعبّد والعزلة) للصوفية.
Muslim theologian and philosopher Abu Hamid al-Ghazali of Persia worked to systematize Sufism, Islamic mysticism, and in The Incoherence of the Philosophers (1095) argued the incompatibility of thought of Plato and Aristotle with Islam.
Born in 1058, Abū Ḥāmid Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad al-Ghazālī ranked of the most prominent and influential Sunni jurists of his origin.
Islamic tradition considers him to be a Mujaddid, a renewer of the faith who, according to the prophetic hadith, appears once every century to restore the faith of the ummah ("the Islamic Community"). His works were so highly acclaimed by his contemporaries that al-Ghazali was awarded the honorific title "Proof of Islam" (Hujjat al-Islam).
Al-Ghazali believed that the Islamic spiritual tradition had become moribund and that the spiritual sciences taught by the first generation of Muslims had been forgotten.[24] That resulted in his writing his magnum opus entitled Ihya 'ulum al-din ("The Revival of the Religious Sciences"). Among his other works, the Tahāfut al-Falāsifa ("Incoherence of the Philosophers") is a significant landmark in the history of philosophy, as it advances the critique of Aristotelian science developed later in 14th-century Europe.
أبو حامد محمد الغزّالي الطوسي النيسابوري الصوفي الشافعي الأشعري، أحد أعلام عصره وأحد أشهر علماء المسلمين في القرن الخامس الهجري،(450 هـ - 505 هـ / 1058م - 1111م). كان فقيهاً وأصولياً وفيلسوفاً، وكان صوفيّ الطريقةِ، شافعيّ الفقهِ إذ لم يكن للشافعية في آخر عصره مثلَه.، وكان على مذهب الأشاعرة في العقيدة، وقد عُرف كأحد مؤسسي المدرسة الأشعرية في علم الكلام، وأحد أصولها الثلاثة بعد أبي الحسن الأشعري، (وكانوا الباقلاني والجويني والغزّالي) لُقّب الغزالي بألقاب كثيرة في حياته، أشهرها لقب "حجّة الإسلام"، وله أيضاً ألقاب مثل: زين الدين، ومحجّة الدين، والعالم الأوحد، ومفتي الأمّة، وبركة الأنام، وإمام أئمة الدين، وشرف الأئمة.
كان له أثرٌ كبيرٌ وبصمةٌ واضحةٌ في عدّة علوم مثل الفلسفة، والفقه الشافعي، وعلم الكلام، والتصوف، والمنطق، وترك عدداَ من الكتب في تلك المجالات.ولد وعاش في طوس، ثم انتقل إلى نيسابور ليلازم أبا المعالي الجويني (الملقّب بإمام الحرمين)، فأخذ عنه معظم العلوم، ولمّا بلغ عمره 34 سنة، رحل إلى بغداد مدرّساً في المدرسة النظامية في عهد الدولة العباسية بطلب من الوزير السلجوقي نظام الملك. في تلك الفترة اشتُهر شهرةً واسعةً، وصار مقصداً لطلاب العلم الشرعي من جميع البلدان، حتى بلغ أنه كان يجلس في مجلسه أكثر من 400 من أفاضل الناس وعلمائهم يستمعون له ويكتبون عنه العلم. وبعد 4 سنوات من التدريس قرر اعتزال الناس والتفرغ للعبادة وتربية نفسه، متأثراً بذلك بالصّوفية وكتبهم، فخرج من بغداد خفيةً في رحلة طويلة بلغت 11 سنة، تنقل خلالها بين دمشق والقدس والخليل ومكة والمدينة المنورة، كتب خلالها كتابه المشهور إحياء علوم الدين كخلاصة لتجربته الروحية، عاد بعدها إلى بلده طوس متخذاً بجوار بيته مدرسةً للفقهاء، وخانقاه (مكان للتعبّد والعزلة) للصوفية.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
September 23, 2018
What a phenomenal read! Al Ghazali is an eloquent thinker and student of Islamic fiqh. I love how he divided the book by defining and understanding patience then thankfulness and then the both together.
What I found cathartic about this book is learning to distinguish when to resort to patience and when to thankfulness. According to Al Ghazali, one resorts to the former in distress and latter in joy. In fact, there are five matter for people to rejoice and be thankful during times of tribulations. The first is, for every misfortune and disease there is one that is even worse. Second, misfortune could be in one's faith and religion. Third, it is possible for every punishment to be delayed until the Hereafter where it becomes continuous. Fourth, the trial is preordained and a person finds relief after it is over. Fifth, the reward for misfortune is greater than the tribulation.
What I found cathartic about this book is learning to distinguish when to resort to patience and when to thankfulness. According to Al Ghazali, one resorts to the former in distress and latter in joy. In fact, there are five matter for people to rejoice and be thankful during times of tribulations. The first is, for every misfortune and disease there is one that is even worse. Second, misfortune could be in one's faith and religion. Third, it is possible for every punishment to be delayed until the Hereafter where it becomes continuous. Fourth, the trial is preordained and a person finds relief after it is over. Fifth, the reward for misfortune is greater than the tribulation.
February 22, 2017
"Faith has two halves. One half is patience and the other is thankfulness."
"Christ said 'You come to understand what you love only through patience with what you abhor'"
"It should be understood that one departs from the station of patience only through anxiety"
"The pinnacle of faith is patience in the judgement of God and contentment with the divine predestination"
"What is meant by patience is acting according to certainty, for certainty makes one perceive that disobedience is harmful, and obedience is beneficial."
"Even if patience seems arduous or impossible, it is possible to attain it with a combination of knowledge and action."
"The best conduct for the servant who is not able to be patient in affliction and with what is decreed, and whose weakness leads him to complaint, is for his complaint to be to God. For He is the Afflicter and He is the Capable of removing the affliction...complaint to other than Him is humiliation."
"Thankfulness is that you should not consider yourself worthy of blessing"
"The prophet (saws) said 'He who awakens healthy in his body, secure in his home, with enough provision for the day, it is as if he were given the world and its entirety.'".
"Abandoning inner sin that other cannot see, like envy, suspicion, malicious intentions, is thankfulness for the invisible blessings. Abandoning the outward sin of the limbs of the body is thankfulness for the visible blessing."
"For contentment is at a higher station than patience. This is why the Prophet (saws) said 'Worship God with contentment. But if you cannot, then there is great benefit in having patience with what you dislike."
"Christ said 'You come to understand what you love only through patience with what you abhor'"
"It should be understood that one departs from the station of patience only through anxiety"
"The pinnacle of faith is patience in the judgement of God and contentment with the divine predestination"
"What is meant by patience is acting according to certainty, for certainty makes one perceive that disobedience is harmful, and obedience is beneficial."
"Even if patience seems arduous or impossible, it is possible to attain it with a combination of knowledge and action."
"The best conduct for the servant who is not able to be patient in affliction and with what is decreed, and whose weakness leads him to complaint, is for his complaint to be to God. For He is the Afflicter and He is the Capable of removing the affliction...complaint to other than Him is humiliation."
"Thankfulness is that you should not consider yourself worthy of blessing"
"The prophet (saws) said 'He who awakens healthy in his body, secure in his home, with enough provision for the day, it is as if he were given the world and its entirety.'".
"Abandoning inner sin that other cannot see, like envy, suspicion, malicious intentions, is thankfulness for the invisible blessings. Abandoning the outward sin of the limbs of the body is thankfulness for the visible blessing."
"For contentment is at a higher station than patience. This is why the Prophet (saws) said 'Worship God with contentment. But if you cannot, then there is great benefit in having patience with what you dislike."
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January 7, 2015Humbling; makes you repent
August 3, 2024
It was an incredibly written book. You can expect nothing less from imam Ghazali. He has dispersed many hidden gems throughout the book that I struggled to hold onto as I flipped through the pages. The part about the “breezes” was one of my absolute favourites. And the fact that the Imam gives a detailed perspective into what should be done in times of tribulations and blessings is truly an eye opener. 10/10!
February 21, 2020
Very good book, a little bit over structured though, but it's Ghazali's style, always splitting things and classifying them etc. Anyway, got lots of cool stories and examples from it.
January 13, 2026
I was about to rate it 4 stars but then something happened, and what I learned from this book came in handy. That's Al-Ghazali for you. Even when he seems not as strong as usual, he is still incredibly relevant.
Some ideas in this book that are a part of my worldview now:
- The only perfect blessing is nearness to God. Even food and health are a tribulation if they don't bring you closer to God.
- Every deed and object has a divine wisdom. Thankfulness is to use your faculties/resources as per their divinely intended purpose.
- The question of what is the divine purpose of something is what a Muslim should ponder regularly. This is the main goal of all intellectual activity. The divine purpose of economic activity for example is the welfare of mankind, and when businesses start to hurt people then ...
- There's a religious impulse and an impulse of desire in all people. To act by the former consists of patience and thankfulness both; it is patience against desire, and thankfulness because it is according to the divine wisdom.
- Sin and virtue can be measured against two axes: Heedlessness vs Reflection, Lassitude vs Struggle. A heedless struggle (e.g., a crime of passion) is a sin. Sloth resulting from reflection (e.g., analysis paralysis or procrastination) is a sin. Virtue is thoughtful action, in essence.
- We interpret blessings only when they are particular to us, but it's the general blessings - the sun, air, water, etc. - that we should be utterly thankful for at all times. No amount of wealth suffices when you are dying of thirst or if the sun disappears tomorrow. They are the true meaning of God's words, "If you count his blessings, you will never be able to do so".
Some ideas in this book that are a part of my worldview now:
- The only perfect blessing is nearness to God. Even food and health are a tribulation if they don't bring you closer to God.
- Every deed and object has a divine wisdom. Thankfulness is to use your faculties/resources as per their divinely intended purpose.
- The question of what is the divine purpose of something is what a Muslim should ponder regularly. This is the main goal of all intellectual activity. The divine purpose of economic activity for example is the welfare of mankind, and when businesses start to hurt people then ...
- There's a religious impulse and an impulse of desire in all people. To act by the former consists of patience and thankfulness both; it is patience against desire, and thankfulness because it is according to the divine wisdom.
- Sin and virtue can be measured against two axes: Heedlessness vs Reflection, Lassitude vs Struggle. A heedless struggle (e.g., a crime of passion) is a sin. Sloth resulting from reflection (e.g., analysis paralysis or procrastination) is a sin. Virtue is thoughtful action, in essence.
- We interpret blessings only when they are particular to us, but it's the general blessings - the sun, air, water, etc. - that we should be utterly thankful for at all times. No amount of wealth suffices when you are dying of thirst or if the sun disappears tomorrow. They are the true meaning of God's words, "If you count his blessings, you will never be able to do so".
September 12, 2021
A long, intense read that required a lot of breaks and reflection. But ultimately I learned a lot and I know I'll be thumbing through this to read certain passages again and again. A bit heavy on the esoteric phrasing, but that's to be expected with such a complicated book that's been translated.
December 1, 2025
truly an eye opener and i always enjoy reading Al Ghazali's.
the topic of patience is easy to understand but on Thankfulness ,need longer time to reflect and repeated reading required.
Overall,it is also one of the gem ,a life changing book for me.
the topic of patience is easy to understand but on Thankfulness ,need longer time to reflect and repeated reading required.
Overall,it is also one of the gem ,a life changing book for me.
May 30, 2020
Beautiful set of books (Ihya) for those who are on the spiritual path in Islam and wants to read more than the Quran and books of hadiths. Style of writing may be complex initially.
August 29, 2022
I wish that myself and others can put this knowledge into practice as patience and thankfulness are foundations of faith, without them is impossible.
October 31, 2022
Good start in repairing your heart...
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews