The Beginning of Guidance (Bidayat al-Hidayat) is one of the last books written by the great 12th century Persian scholar, Imam al-Ghazali. It is intended to be a guidebook for structuring daily activities and rectifying the state of your heart as you strive to be a worshipful servant of God.
The book covers three sections: acts of worship, avoiding misconduct and advice on keeping company with others. It begins with the intentions of seeking knowledge, the etiquettes of waking in the morning, the basics of ritual purification, prayer, the etiquettes of the mosque and congregational worship, preparing for sleep and fasting. Advice is given on the illnesses of the heart and how to purify oneself of them, and on the etiquettes of choosing friends, mixing with people and social life in general.
This book is often the first classical text that new Muslims, students of sacred knowledge and older children study. It is taught in English using the translation published by Whitethread Press. The meanings of Imam al-Ghazali's words are enriched with a close reading of the classical commentary, Maraqi al-’Ubudiyyah by Shaykh Muhammad Nawawi al-Jawi.
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