The Deliverer from Error and the Declarer of States Abu Hamid al-Ghazali

Deliverance from Error and the Clarifier of Spiritual States

Written by al-Ghazali Deliverance from Error was written after his return from his seclusion, during which he journeyed between the Levant, Jerusalem and Mecca. It therefore belongs to the 2nd stage of al-Ghazali’s life, the stage of maturity and of clarifying his final choice

In Deliverance from Error, written when he returned to teaching at the Nizamiyya to explain the reality of prophethood, his age at the time of writing was at the end of 499 AH and the beginning of 500 AH, in Nishapur

He was asked to set out for the questioner: “I will tell you what I went through to extract the truth amid the variety of sciences and their secrets, the secrets of beliefs and their mysteries, and the confusion of differing opinions.” Whether this was a genuine motive or whether there were other motives,  it is worth noting that through his Deliverance al-Ghazali wanted to show us the course of his intellectual and spiritual life, and how he came out of doubt and reached his final choice, attaining the light of certainty and ultimate conviction.

Al-Ghazali found no grounds for conviction in speculative theology (kalam), in philosophy, or in the doctrine of authoritative instruction (Ta‘lim). In the case of Sufism, the purpose of the book Deliverance is to demonstrate the soundness of the Sufi doctrine. Whatever the considerations that drove him to make this choice, whether intellectual, spiritual or political, answering these questions requires a careful reading of this book. And regardless of the answer or how it is reached, one cannot deny that al-Ghazali’s main purpose was to rescue people from being lost and to reveal the true state of affairs. This is possible only by spreading the truth of prophethood and what follows from that truth

It is worth noting that the manuscript of the book is more accurate than other manuscripts and not far removed from the original source, in which deliberate distortions or unintentional errors may have crept in, as it dates from only two years after al-Ghazali’s death, that is, 507 AH, making it the oldest copy ever found

This edition is distinguished by the work of its editor, which includes an introduction to al-Ghazali’s era and life, a description of the manuscript,  an analysis of the content of the book “Deliverance from Error,” and explanatory notes and commentary