Mughtarr
Definition
The mughtarr — the deluded person — is al-Ghazali's clinical subject throughout this book: the person whose assessment of their own spiritual condition is systematically more favourable than reality warrants. He describes many types: the scholar who knows religion well but practices it poorly and mistakes the knowing for the doing; the habitual sinner who relies on divine mercy as permission rather than as gift; the outwardly religious person who has never examined the inner dimensions of their worship; and the person who confuses social respectability with genuine righteousness. Each type has their characteristic delusion, and each requires a specific intervention.
As understood in the classical tradition of Imam al-Ghazali and the scholars of his school.
How the scholars use Mughtarr.
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"Yet, God allows many of them respite, not punishing them in this world, and some even converted to Islam without experiencing any worldly or afterlife mishap. The deluded person then thinks himself grander to God than the prophets, believing God avenges him uniquely. Such a person might find himself in God's disdain due to his conceit and arrogance, all the while being oblivious to his own destruction."
— Imam al-Ghazali, Book 29: Condemnation of Pride and Conceit
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"This deluded individual often, despite his bad character, acts harshly with people and remains polluted internally by vanity and the love of praise. When told, "You are among the pillars of the earth and the friends of God," the deluded person rejoices in this, believes it, and becomes more deluded, thinking that people's commendation of him is evidence of his being accepted by God."
— Imam al-Ghazali, Book 30: The Condemnation of Self-Delusion
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"The absence of entry does not imply non-entry, as entering is broader than mere entry, and denying the specific does not negate the general. If this deluded person considered the following verse, they would realize they are not assured of being spared. Regarding the fire being prepared for the disbelievers, Allah also says about paradise, prepared for the devout."
— Ibn al-Qayyim, The Disease and The Cure
Appears in
1 book in the library
Hear the term in context.
Every book above uses Mughtarr the way the classical scholars meant it. Listen with the full Study Kit in the app.