house; surely the spider's house is the weakest house if they but knew." Koran, Chapter 28 verse 41.
The day is not far off when you will be ashes or a skeleton and either a name, or not even a name. And there is nothing more precious in the world than seclusion. I have carefully avoided the pleasant visits to my friends and correspondence with them.
You do not know with what pleasure I have heard the news of your assumption of the office of the Prime Minister of the Seljuk Empire. That is why I have written these few lines by way of congratulating you and warning you against the life of this world which is fraught with hypocrisy, deceitfulness and debased morality.
After offering prayers of the state, it is the sacred duty of the dervishes to advise the kings, sultans and viziers and I am glad to think that by writing this letter I have fulfilled my duty as a theologian and as dervish.
A long time has passed since the city of Jurjan was deprived of a learned man with true knowledge of religion and ability to act upon these himself, and instruct others. I am gratified to know that Ibrahim Mubarak, a highly learned and enlightened man has come to reside permanently in Jurjan.
Possessor of Divine knowledge, he is the center of powerful, religious revival and has left an indelible impression on society. It is because of the fresh testimony of his own experience to the depth of the soul and the pathway to Allah, his extra-ordinary power as a preacher and his rare gift of interpreting the deepest truth of life and religion that he is held in the highest esteem by the popular audience of learned persons.
He is a man enveloped in a radiant Divine light, obedient to his heavenly vision and possessed of that inspiring trait of personality which makes his life count for much more than his words. He does not teach out of books, but out of his own heart's experience and makes it a little easier for ordinary people through his help to live a good life. He has accompanied me for nearly twenty years during my extensive travels through Tus, Nishapur, Baghdad, Syria and the Hejaz, where I taught more than one thousand disciples. I have learned more from his conversation than any other man ever taught me. His facile tongue has illuminated the whole world and his life conforms perfectly with the truths which he preaches. I believe, if there were only one true friend of Allah in a country, or among a people as Ibrahim Mubarak is, that the entire country, or nation, if it followed the counsels of such a man would be preserved from the calamities that are to smite the world. Meantime his own boldness of thought and speech have brought him under suspicion on the part of some of the guardians of orthodoxy and charges of heretical teachings have been leveled against him, but, it is only because of his nobility and piety. Some of the influential, but ignorant Mullahs, of course, have turned against him and he is scorned and hated. Consequently he has withdrawn into a quiet retreat to heal the wounds which the world has inflicted upon him.
I earnestly entreat and humbly pray that you should take good care of him and draw him near to yourself and lavish your bounties on him, as it is your practice to do with holy men, for it is out of the mercy of the rich that He favors the poor with bounties.
May Allah protect your kingdom against disturbance and decline, and bestow upon you the mysterious gift of mystic perception, not for your own glory alone, but for the sake of the whole world as well.
Your Excellency's humble servant, Al Ghazali Fifth letter To His Excellency Nizamuddin Fakhrul Mulk The Holy Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, said that there are some enlightened worshippers of Allah whom He has blessed with beneficent favors. They are brothers to all the worshippers of Allah and have nothing to do with the wicked world and whatever they have they distribute for the love of Allah amongst the poor and needy. If they perform their duties honestly and diligently, Almighty Allah uses them as instruments for bringing relief to suffering humanity and they become the transmitting centers of Divine Light. There are no words to describe the way in which such persons are made to imbibe some of the qualities of the Divine Being.
It is also true that Allah has favored some bad people with some of His bounties, but the main purpose behind this generosity is that He wants them to cultivate within themselves a profound sense of remorse for their past and a deep regret that their will has been left free to go wrong. This has been explained in the Holy Koran in the following words: "As for those who belie Our verses, We will draw them on little by little, from where they cannot tell; and I respite them, My stratagem is firm." Koran, Chapter 7 verses 182-183.
The wealthy are of two types: "Indeed, We have guided him to the path, he is either grateful or ungrateful." Koran, Chapter 76 verse 3. The least of His Mercy in the worldly kingdom which He bestows upon His worshippers, and the best gratitude which could be offered on this account is to support the truth, administer justice, eliminate cruelty and oppression, and to be kind and also merciful to those subjects who are humble and poor. Allah alludes to this in the following verses: "(We said): 'David, We have made you a caliph in the earth, Judge with justice among people and do not yield to your own preference in case it should lead you from the Path of Allah...'" Koran, Chapter 38 verse 26.
Those whom He strikes with His punishment and anger are those who, as they attain higher and even higher stages of fame, wealth and power, pursue pleasure as good and are very cruel men. It is laid down in the Holy Koran: "Did We not destroy the ancients and cause others to follow them? Thus shall We deal with the sinners." Koran, Chapter 77 verses 16-18.
They are like those whose building is on the edge of a bank undermined by the eroding torrent of indifference to their fellow-men and ungratefulness to their Creator which eventually forces them to declare: "I do not think that this will ever perish!" Koran, Chapter 18 verse 35.
Those who are finally guided hold their wealth in trust and use it for the service of mankind. They have complete and undivided love towards all men. They neither severe themselves from this spirit of universal love nor fail to miss the overflow of Divine love which fills their vessels to the brim as Allah bestows the treasure of merciful wisdom in the hearts of His good worshippers. Thus removing the thick veils of obscurity and thereby brightens them with the light of understanding His Holiness. The result is they show an almost insane hostility to the forces of darkness, and feel compelled to engage in a ceaseless warfare with their enemies until no trace of them is left. Through their good deeds they rise to the highest plane, and they experience in the new world what neither eye has seen nor ear has heard, that which has not occurred to any human mind, which surpasses understanding and for which no explanation can suffice.
I am sure, your Excellency will spare no pains to attain such proximity in the high station and lofty standing in loyalty as I know you have the makings of these virtues in yourself.
Your Excellency's humble servant Al Ghazali.