THE CONCLUSIVE ARGUMENT FROM GOD

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1 THE CONCLUSIVE ARGUMENT FROM GOD Shah Wali Allah of Delhi's Hujjat Allah al-baligha TRANSLATED BY MARCIA Κ. HERMANSEN New Delhi

2 CONTENTS Acknowledgments Translator's Introduction xiii xv The Conclusive Argument from God. Hujjat Allah al-bàligha VOLUME I The General Principles from Which Are Derived the Beneficial Purposes Considered in the Rulings of the Divine Law Shah Wali Allah's Preface 3 Shah Wali Allah's Introduction 11 BOOK I The First Investigation: The Causes of Religious Obligations and Requital Absolute Origination, Creation of the Material World and Divine Management The World of Images (Warn al-mithal) The Highest Council God's Customary Way of Acting (Sunna) The True Nature of the Spirit (Ruh) The Inner Dimension of the Imposition of Religious Obligations How Religious Obligation is Derived from What is Divinely Decreed Why Religious Obligation Necessitates Requital The Variations in the Natural Dispositions of People The Causes of the Thoughts Which Motivate Actions The Adhering of Acts to the Soul and Its Being Held Accountable for Them The Connection of Actions to Psychological Attitudes The Causes for Requital 87

3 viii CONTENTS BOOK II The Second Investigation: The Manner of Requital during Life and after Death Punishment for Acts in This Life The True Nature of Death The Variation of the States of People in the Intermediary World Concerning Some of the Secrets of the Events of the Day of Assembly 106 BOOK III The Third Investigation: The Supports of Civilization (The lrtifaqat) The Manner of Discovering the Irtifaqat The First Irtifaq The Art of the Proper Manner of Livelihood (The Second Irtifaq) The Management of the Household The Art of Economic Transactions (Mu'amalat) The Governing of the City-State (the Third Irtifaq).., The Conduct of Kings The Policy towards Assistants The Fourth Irtifaq (the Caliphate) The Agreement of People on the Principles of the Irtifaqat The Conventions Current Among People 142 BOOK IV The Fourth Investigation: Human Felicity Concerning the True Nature of Felicity The Differences among People in Felicity The Divisions among People in their Manner of Obtaining This Felicity The Principles to Which the Attainment of the Second Way Goes Back The Way of Acquiring These, Qualities The Veils Preventing the Manifestation of the Sound Original Nature (Fitra) The Way of Removing These Veils 168

4 CONTENTS ix BOOK V The Fifth Investigation: Piety and Sin Preface: Concerning the True Nature of Piety and Sin The Unity of God (Tauhid) Concerning the True Nature of Associationism (Shirk) The Categories of Associationism (Shirk) Belief in the Divine Attributes Belief in Predestination Belief that Worship is the Right of God, May He be Exalted Honoring the Emblems of Allah, May He be Exalted The Inner Meanings of the Ablution and Full Bath The Inner Dimensions of Prayer The Inner Meanings of the Zakat The Inner Dimensions of the Fast The Inner Dimensions of the Pilgrimage The Inner Meanings of Various Types of Pious Actions The Ranks of Sin The Harmful Influences of Sins The Acts of Disobedience of a Person which Have an Impact on Himself The Sins which are Between a Person and Other People 241 BOOK VI The Sixth Investigation: The Regulation of Religion The Need for the Guides to the Paths and the Founders of Religions The True Nature of Prophecy and Its Characteristics The Explanation of the Fact that the Basis of Religion (Din) is One and the Religious Laws (Shara'i') and Codes (Manahij) Vary The Causes of the Revelation of the Divine Laws Relating to One Age Rather than Another, and to One People Rather than Another 262

5 CONTENTS xi 76. The Difference Between the Beneficial Purposes (Masalih) and the Religious Laws The Way the Community Received the Divine Law from the Prophet The Ranks of the Books on Hadith The Manner of Understanding What is Meant by the Utterance (Kalam) The Manner of Understanding the Legal (Shar'ï) Meanings From the Qur'an and the Sunna Judging Among Divergent Hadiths The Causes of the Disagreement of the Companions and the Successors Concerning Applied Jurisprudence The Causes for Disagreement Among the Schools of the Jurists The Difference Between the People of the Hadith and Those Who Exercise Personal Opinion An Account of the Condition of People Before the Fourth Century and After 451 Bibliography 479 Indices 483 Qur'anic Citations 483 Hadith Citations-English 488 Subjects and Terms 496 Proper Names 503

χ CONTENTS 58. The Causes for Being Held Accountable for the Codes (Manahij) - 271 59. The Secrets of the Ruling (Hukm) and the Reason for Legislation ('Illα) 275 60.

6 χ CONTENTS 58. The Causes for Being Held Accountable for the Codes (Manahij) The Secrets of the Ruling (Hukm) and the Reason for Legislation ('Illα) The Beneficial Interests (Masalih) which Require the Obligatory Religious Acts, the Pillars, the Proper Behaviors, and Their Like The Inner Meanings of the (Appointed) Times The Inner Meanings of the Numbers and the Fixed Quantities The Inner Meanings of Making Up (Qada) (for Missed Religious Obligations) or Receiving Dispensations (Rukhsa) (to Diminish Them) The Establishment of the Supports of Civilization (Irtifaqat) and the Reformation of Conventions Rules which Bring into Effect Other Rules Rendering the Ambiguous Precise, Solving the Problematic, and Deriving Rulings from All-Embracing Principles and So On The Facilitation (of Religious Duties - Taisir) The Inner Meanings of Encouragement (to Righteousness) and Deterrence (from Sin) The Ranks of the Community with Regard to Arriving at the Desired Perfection or Its Opposite The Need for a Religion which Abrogates the Other Religions Fortifying the Religion Against Distortion The Causes for the Differing of the Religion of Our Prophet, from the Religion of the Jews and Christians The Causes of Abrogation The Explanation of What Had Been the Condition of the People of the Jahiliyya which the Prophet Reformed 361 BOOK VII The Seventh Investigation: The Derivation of the Shari'a Laws from the Reports of the Prophet The Explanation of the Categories of the Prophet's Knowledge 373

SELF DISCIPLINE IN ISLAM

SELF DISCIPLINE IN ISLAM By Haroon S. Kably AL HASANAT BOOKS PVT. LTD Contents Preface CHAPTER I What is self discipline Thought Accurate and Creative Thinking Habit Persistence Faith The Voice within