Al-Ghazālī on Condemnation of Pride and Self-Admiration (Kitāb dhamm al-kibr wa’l-ʿujb); Book XXIX of The Revival of the Religious Sciences (Iḥyāʾ ʿulūm al-dīn). Translated with introduction and notes by Mohammed Rustom

Abstract

First Paragraph: The book under review forms part of a large-scale project undertaken by The Islamic Texts Society to offer a critical translation of every book which comprises al-Ghazālī’s Iḥyāʾ ʿulūm al-dīn (The Revival of the Religious Sciences). The explicit aim of the endeavor is to produce volumes which are not only for scholars working in the field, but also for the wider public. Meeting both demands is no easy task for a translator. Fortunately, the translator of The Condemnation of Pride and Self-Admiration (the twenty-ninth book of the Iḥyāʾ) Mohammed Rustom has eminently succeeded on this front. He offers a very accessible, easy-to-read translation. At the same time, he pays serious attention to the Arabic text and points out difficult passages for which, on occasion (namely, when it is both grammatically and doctrinally possible), he does not hesitate to present an alternative translation. In cases where a given translation is not literal (see e.g., p. 91) or includes an interpolation (see e.g., p. 85), Rustom indicates this, and when there is a clear need for it, explains the reason(s) for doing so.