The Alchemy of Happiness

The Alchemy of Happiness (Persian: Kīmīyā-yi Saʿādat) is a work of practical spirituality that al-Ghazali wrote in Persian late in his life, shortly before 1105. It is his own condensed version of his much larger Arabic work, The Revival of the Religious Sciences (Iḥyāʾ ʿulūm al-dīn). The book is built around a saying attributed to the Prophet Muhammad, “He who knows himself knows God,” and works outward through four kinds of knowledge: of the self, of God, of this world, and of the next world. Around this frame al-Ghazali sets out the duties of religious life and the discipline of the heart that he held to be the real substance of faith.

The book sits where law, theology, and Sufism meet. Al-Ghazali argues that keeping the outward requirements of Islam and turning inward through self-examination and the remembrance of God are not opposed but parts of one path. The English text most readers meet is Claud Field’s translation, first published around 1910, which abridges the Persian original rather than rendering it in full; a complete two-volume English translation by Jay Crook appeared later. Because the widely circulated English version is condensed, it carries the argument and tone of the original more than its full length.

Now nothing is nearer to thee than thyself, and if thou knowest not thyself how canst thou know anything else?

Chapter I, “The Knowledge of Self”

First lines

Knowledge of self is the key to the knowledge of God, according to the saying: “He who knows himself knows God,” and, as it is written in the Koran, “We will show them Our signs in the world and in themselves, that the truth may be manifest to them.” Now nothing is nearer to thee than thyself, and if thou knowest not thyself how canst thou know anything else?

Contents

Reception

The Alchemy of Happiness is one of the most widely read works of classical Sufi devotional literature and has stayed in print in many languages for centuries. It is usually treated as an accessible entry point to al-Ghazali’s larger project of reconciling orthodox Islamic practice with the inner life of Sufism, the same project that runs through his Revival of the Religious Sciences. Scholars caution that the popular English text, Claud Field’s translation, is abridged and rearranged, and that readers wanting the full argument should use a complete translation of the Persian. Some modern readers also note that parts of the book reflect the social assumptions of eleventh-century Khorasan, for example in its chapter on marriage. Within Islamic tradition al-Ghazali remains a contested as well as celebrated figure: honoured by many as “the Proof of Islam,” and criticised by some later philosophers who held that his critique of philosophy slowed its development in the Muslim world.

Frequently asked

What is The Alchemy of Happiness about?

It is al-Ghazali’s short guide to the religious and inner life, organised around four kinds of knowledge: of the self, of God, of this world, and of the next. It teaches that knowing oneself is the way to knowing God, and that outward religious practice and inward self-discipline belong together.

How does it relate to al-Ghazali’s larger work?

Al-Ghazali wrote it in Persian as a condensed version of his much longer Arabic work, The Revival of the Religious Sciences (Iḥyāʾ ʿulūm al-dīn). It covers the same ground in a shorter, more accessible form aimed at a general reader.

Which English translation is most common?

The version most readers encounter is Claud Field’s, first published around 1910. It is an abridgement rather than a complete translation. A fuller two-volume English translation by Jay Crook was published later for readers who want the entire text.