This short work is a translation of Imam al-Ghazali's al-Risala al-Waziyya, a concise personal note to a beloved brother and scholar who sought his advice. The Epistle of Admonition - as translated by Ahmad Shaist Khan - unveils al-Ghazali's sincere counsel not just to a beloved brother, but himself too.
The Imam writes:
"I warned my lower self (nafs) of their (lessons), which it believed in and accepted, verbally as well as intellectually. However, in practice it rejected their [warning]. So I said to it, 'Do you not believe that the Qur'an is a verbal admonition and a sincere counsellor? After all, it is the revealed word of Allah that can never be proven false from any angle.' It replied in the affirmative."
This edition includes al-Ghazali's Arabic text as well as a new English translation. This arrangement allows the English-speaking reader to get a taste of the author's unique style, while students of Arabic may peruse the Imam's masterful Arabic prose alongside this elegant English rendition.
