The Beginning of Guidance (Bidayat al-Hidaya)
The Beginning of Guidance (Bidāyat al-Hidāya) is Imam al-Ghazālī's concise manual for those setting out on the path of guidance, built on the foundation of God-consciousness (taqwa). Imam al-Ghazālī teaches that just as this noble path has an end, it also has a beginning, and that beginning must be made firm if the seeker is to succeed. The work lays out, with clarity and warmth, the fundamentals a believer needs to start well and continue steadily.
The manual is structured as a detailed daily timetable, moving through the etiquette of waking, purification, prayer, and sleep, and extending to the etiquette of Friday and of fasting. It is divided into three main sections: obedience, refraining from disobedience, and the etiquette of companionship with the Creator and with creation. Within these, Imam al-Ghazālī addresses matters such as guarding the eyes and ears, and cautions against faults like lying, breaking promises, backbiting, quarrelsome argument, and self-praise.
This White Thread Press edition, published in 2010 and running 171 pages, presents the translation for the first time alongside the facing Arabic text, with extensive notes and transliteration provided for the supplications contained in the work. It is a fitting companion for readers beginning a structured study of character and practice, and is used as a set text in the SeekersGuidance curriculum on spirituality, sunna, and good character.
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The Beginning of Guidance (Bidāyat al-Hidāya) is Imam al-Ghazālī's concise manual for those setting out on the path of guidance, built on the foundation of God-consciousness (taqwa). Imam al-Ghazālī teaches that just as this noble path has an end, it also has a beginning, and that beginning must be made firm if the seeker is to succeed. The work lays out, with clarity and warmth, the fundamentals a believer needs to start well and continue steadily.
The manual is structured as a detailed daily timetable, moving through the etiquette of waking, purification, prayer, and sleep, and extending to the etiquette of Friday and of fasting. It is divided into three main sections: obedience, refraining from disobedience, and the etiquette of companionship with the Creator and with creation. Within these, Imam al-Ghazālī addresses matters such as guarding the eyes and ears, and cautions against faults like lying, breaking promises, backbiting, quarrelsome argument, and self-praise.
This White Thread Press edition, published in 2010 and running 171 pages, presents the translation for the first time alongside the facing Arabic text, with extensive notes and transliteration provided for the supplications contained in the work. It is a fitting companion for readers beginning a structured study of character and practice, and is used as a set text in the SeekersGuidance curriculum on spirituality, sunna, and good character.
