Hawa
Definition
Hawa — passion or desire — is the primary danger that al-Ghazali associates with poorly conducted sama'. When music or poetry stirs sensual desire rather than divine longing, or when it feeds the ego's desire for beautiful experiences rather than pointing beyond itself toward Allah, it has become an instrument of hawa rather than a path to the divine. Al-Ghazali argues that the same melodies and words can stir different inner realities depending on the state of the heart receiving them — what speaks to the spiritually prepared heart of divine longing speaks to the unprepared heart of worldly desire. This is why the conditions for sama' matter so absolutely.
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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