Dunyā
Definition
Dunya literally means 'the lower' or 'the nearer' — this present world of temporal existence, in contrast to the akhira (the Hereafter). Al-Ghazali insists that dunya is not inherently evil: it is the stage on which the Muslim's entire spiritual drama unfolds, the arena in which worship is performed, character is developed, and the eternal destiny is shaped. What is condemned is not the dunya itself but the excessive attachment to it — treating it as a permanent home rather than a way-station, loving it as an end rather than using it as a means. The Muslim who lives in the dunya with the orientation of the traveller — taking what the journey requires and releasing what it does not — is using creation correctly.
As understood in the classical tradition of Imam al-Ghazali and the scholars of his school.
Appears in
1 book in the library
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