[p. ix
[Ghazzâlî’s sections and titles have been supplemented. The page-references enclosed within square brackets in the Introduction, Translation, and foot-notes are references to the pages of the Arabic text,(Cairo A.H. 1922, Matba`at as Sidq), the numbers of which will be found in the text of the Translation, enclosed in square brackets.]
I. Date, Object, and General Contents 2
II. Mysteries left Veiled in this Treatise 4
III. A Ghazzâlian Philosophy of Religion 6
IV. Ghazzâlî Problems Raised by the Foregoing 14
V. The Problem of the Vicegerent in Ibn Rushed and Ibn Tufail 17
VI. One Solution of the Problem of the Vicegerent 24
VII. Another Solution 32
VIII. AI-Ghazzâlî and the Seven Spheres 46
IX. Anthropomorphism and Theomorphism in al-Mishkât 50
X. Pantheism and al-Ghazzâlî, in al-Mishkât 61
Exordium and Introduction. The “Light” Verse and the “Veils”-Tradition 75
[p. x
¶ PART I. LIGHT, AND LIGHTS Preliminary Studies.
“Light” as Physical Light; as the Eye; as the Intelligence 79
The Koran as the Sun of the Intelligence 91
The Worlds Visible and Invisible; with their Lights 93
These Lights as Lamps Terrestrial and Celestial: with their Order and Grades 98
The Source of all these Grades of Light: ALLAH 100
The Mystic Verity of Verities 103
The “God-Aspect”: an “advanced” explanation of the Relation of these Lights to ALLAH 108
The Relation of these Lights to ALLAH: Simple Illustrations and Explanations 116
(i) The Outward and the Inward in Symbolism Type and Antitype 122
The Two Worlds: their Types and Antitypes 123
An Example of Symbolism, from the Story of Abraham in the Koran 126
Fundamental Examples of Symbolism: especially from the Story of Moses in the Koran 129
The Permanent Validity of the Outward and Visible Sign: an Example 136
Another Example of this Two-sided and Equal Validity of Outward and Inward 141
(ii) The Psychology of the Human Soul: its Five Faculties or Spirits 143
[p. xi
¶ PART III. THE APPLICATION OF ALL THE FOREGOING TO THE LIGHT-VERSES AND THE VEILS-TRADITION
(i) The exposition of the Symbolism of the Light-Verse 150
The Sensory Spirit 150
The Imaginative Spirit 150
The Intelligential Spirit 152
The Ratiocinative Spirit 152
The Transcendental Prophetic Spirit 153 154
(ii) The Exposition of the Symbolism of the Seventy Thousand Veils 157
Those veiled by Pure Darkness 158
Those veiled by mixed Light and Darkness 163 a ) The darkness of the Senses 163 b ) The darkness of the Imagination 167 c ) The darkness of the (ratiocinative) Intelligence 169
Those veiled by Pure Light 169
The Goal of the Quest 171