Written by one of the most famous theologian-
tics of all time,^ Book of Patience a nd Thankfulness discusses two of
'iTdrtuesofthe religious a nd spiritual life that are of universal interest
‘’",in this chapter, Ghazali first discusses the virtue of patience a nd its
different fo r ms, the necessity fo r patience, the degrees of patience, a nd
why patience is considered to be half of faith. This is followed by a longer
discussion on thankfulness a nd the multiple blessings that God grants fr om
everyday needs such as food, to the blessings of the intelligence a nd the
will. Conscious of his function as teacher a nd spiritual master, Ghazali not
only encourages his readers to practice patience a nd thankfulness, but also
alerts them to those causes that can divert them fr om doing so. In this way,
q]le Bwkrf Patience of Thankfilness is a manual of spiritual instruction a nd
an aid in the goal of all aspirants: spiritual perfection. Dr Henry Littlejohn
provides an extensive introduction to the subject which illustrates the
impo r tance of patience a nd thankfulness in Islamic literature throughout -
die centuries.
Abu Hamid al-Ghazali (1058-1111), theologian, logician, jurist a nd
mystic, was bom a nd died in Tus in Central Asia, but spent much of his
life lecturing at Baghdad o r leading the life of a wondering dervish. His
most celebrated wo r k, of which this is an impo r tant chapter, has exercised
a profound influence on Muslim intellectual histo r y by explo r ing the
mystical significance of the practices a nd beliefs of Islamic o r thodoxy,
earning him the title of Hujjat al Islam, the ‘Proof of Islam’.
Dr Henry T. Littlejohn is a retired university lecturer a nd pasto r . He
spent long periods in the Middle East a nd studied with many scholars of
Ghazali.