Al-Ghazali on Proper Conduct in Seclusion: Book XVI of the Revival of the Religious Sciences (The Islamic Texts Society's al-Ghazali Series)

Al-Ghazali on Proper Conduct in Seclusion is the sixteenth chapter of the Revival of the Religious Sciences (Ihya' ?ulum al-din), a monumental work of classical Islam written by the theologian-mystic Abu Hamid al-Ghazali (d. 505/1111).In this chapter, Ghazali addresses the question, ‘Is it better to engage in society or to withdraw from it in order to perfect one’s relation to God?’ In presenting the arguments for and against seclusion (?uzla), Ghazali starts with the example of the Prophet Muhammad and his Companions, and follows this with the opinions of later schools of thought: those who gave preference to seclusion and those who preferred socialising (mukhalata) over seclusion. In the second half of the work, Ghazali presents his own opinions on the advantages and disadvantages of seclusion. The advantages of seclusion are divided into the religious benefits and the worldly benefits. Among the religious benefits are: the ability to fully engage in acts of obedience and to maintain