Himma
Definition
Himma is the word al-Ghazali uses for the quality of serious spiritual ambition — the resolve to actually achieve something in the relationship with Allah rather than merely maintaining the minimum of religious observance. The person of high himma structures their entire life around the spiritual ascent; the person of low himma does the obligatory and goes back to sleep. Al-Ghazali sees himma as one of the primary dividing lines between people who grow spiritually and people who stagnate, and he argues that himma is not a fixed personality trait but a disposition that can be developed through deliberate choices about how to spend time.
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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