Spiritual Medicine from al-Ghazali's Ihya 'Ulum al-Din

Imam al-Ghazali’s Ihya ‘Ulum al-Din is a proven guide to tazkiyah or self-purification. This foundational text provides both a framework to understand the maladies and struggles of the human spiritual condition, as well as a clear process to address such issues within oneself and one’s own life.

The Ihya is widely considered the most important book in the Islamic tradition outside of the Qur'an and Hadith. Imam al-Nawawi stated: "Were the books of Islam all to be lost, excepting only the Ihya, it would suffice to replace them all."

Closely based on the Ihya, Ibn Daud’s Jamal Parekh’s A Handbook of Spiritual Medicine organizes al-Ghazali's framework into an easy-to-understand format, which is quite accessible to modern readers. Over the next 10 weeks, Shaykh Abdullah Anik Misra will utilize both al-Ghazali's Ihya as well as A Handbook of Spiritual Medicine to guide students through the process of self-assessment, recovery, and healing from such issues. The course will utilize selections from Qur'an, Hadith, and the Ihya, following the outline established in Ibn Daud's text.

This course will include the following:

• Ten live sessions held via Zoom
• Time for Q&A in each class session 
• Access to recordings of all class sessions
• Invitation to a private Telegram chat with Shaykh Abdullah Misra to facilitate discussion and Q&A

While not required, students are encouraged to obtain a copy of A Handbook of Spiritual Medicine in order to best follow along with the material.

Course Details

Course schedule: Wednesdays starting February 22, 2023, until April 26, 2023 (12 pm ET; 9 am PST; 5 pm British; 7 pm Medina) – 10 sessions total

All sessions will be recorded if you cannot attend live.

Your Teacher

Abdullah Misra was born in Toronto, Canada in 1983. His family hails from India and he was raised in the Hindu tradition. He embraced Islam in 2001 while at the University of Toronto, from where he completed a Bachelor of Business Administration. He then traveled overseas in 2005 to study the Arabic language and Islamic sciences in Tarim, Yemen for some time, as well as in Trinidad, West Indies. He spent 12 years in Amman, Jordan where he focused on Islamic Law, Theology, Hadith Sciences, Prophetic Biography and Islamic Spirituality while also working at the Qasid Arabic Institute as Director of Programs. He holds a BA in Islamic Studies and authorization in the six authentic books of Hadith, and is currently pursuing specialized training in issuing Islamic legal verdicts (ifta’). He holds a certificate in Counselling and often works with new Muslims and those struggling with religious OCD. His personal interests include Indian history, comparative religion, English singing and poetry.