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Glossary Entry

Maʿād

Definition

Maʿad refers to the reality of the Return — the belief that every soul will return to Allah after death for a reckoning that is perfectly just and comprehensive. Al-Ghazali dedicates considerable attention to the hereafter throughout the Ihya, and here he establishes its theological foundation: the resurrection of bodies, the gathering, the scales, the bridge, and the final destinations of paradise and hellfire are realities, not metaphors. He argues that weak belief in the maʿad is the root cause of most moral failure — when the hereafter feels distant or uncertain, the worldly appetites take over.

As understood in the classical tradition of Imam al-Ghazali and the scholars of his school.

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