Al-Ghazali: The Proprieties of Retreat (Book 16 of The Revival of the Religious Sciences)

The Proprieties of Retreat (Kitab adab al-‘uzla) Book 16 of The Revival of the Religious Sciences (Ihya’ ‘ulum al-din) 176 pp. Translated by James Pavlin.

Al-Ghazali’s Kitab adab al-‘uzla (The Proprieties of Retreat) is the sixth book in the Rub’ al-‘adat (Quarter of Customary Practices) in his monumental work known as Ihya’ ‘ulum al-din (Revival of the Religious Sciences). Focusing on the issue of seclusion, or retreat from society, the main discussion in this book is the question of whether it is better to engage in social intercourse (al-mukhalata) or remove oneself from society to focus on perfecting one’s relation to God.