Jewels of the Qur'an: Al-Ghazali's Theory
Muhammad Abul Quasem
Paperback
9789675062971
Translation, with an introduction and annotation of al-Ghazali's Kitab Jawahir al-Qur'an
This book contains al-Ghazali’s views on the Qur’an. The nineteen chapters which constitute the first part of this book present us with al-Ghazali’s views on several broad problems relating to the Qur’an as a whole, e.g. the method of its understanding, its principal aims, the process by which all diverse branches of Islamic learning have stemmed from it, the reasons why similitudes and allegories are employed in it, variance in the excellence of its surahs and verses, and the relationship between the perceptible world and the world of the unseen. Various parts of the Qur’an are compared to various types of valuables, such as jewels, pearls, rubies, red brimstones, corundums, strongest musk and aloe-wood.
The two chapters which form the second part of this book contain more than 1500 verses which al-Ghazali calls the jewels and the pearls of the Qur’an - verses which concern the two greatest of the six major aims of the Scripture. Such a sifting out of the most important verses from the entire Qur’an is unprecedented in the history of Qur’anic studies.
Contents
Part One: Introductory Matters
1. The Qur’an - an ocean with jewels and valuables
2. The aims of the Qur’an and its valuables
3. An explanation of the six aims of the Qur’an
4. Divisions of sciences of the Qur’an
5. Sciences of ancients and moderns from the Qur’an
6. Explaining allegories about the Qur’an
7. The invisible world through the visible world
8. Connection between invisible world and visible worlds
9. Meaning of allegories to describe the Qur’an
10. The benefit of employing allegories in the Qur’an
11. Variance in the excellence of Qur’anic verses
12. Secrets of Surah al-Fatihah
13. Surah al-Fatihah - key to doors of Paradise
14. The Verse of the Throne
15. Surah al-Ikhlas - a third of the Qur’an
16. Surah Ya Sin - heart of the Qur’an
17. Merits of the Verse of the Throne and Surah al-Fatihah
18. The condition of the gnostics
19. Stringing the jewels and pearls of the Qur’an
Part Two: The Aims
1. The Jewels of the Qur’an
2. The Pearls of the Qur’an
Conclusion on the two classes of verses