Istidrak
Definition
Istidrak — 'recovery' or 'catching up' — is the complementary practice to muʿaqaba: when the muhasaba reveals that one has fallen behind in one's spiritual obligations or practices, istidrak is the deliberate effort to make up the deficit. Al-Ghazali presents it as an act of spiritual accountability: the serious practitioner does not simply accept that today was a bad day and move on unchanged — they actively compensate, out of a genuine desire not to allow heedlessness to become a habit. Istidrak prevents the spiritual life from being managed by accumulated excuses rather than genuine effort.
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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