Ал-Газалидің «Бақыттың Алхимиясы» кітабы

Book by Al Ghazali

Kīmīyā yi Sa'ādat (کیمیای سعادت The Alchemy of Happiness/Contentment) is a book written by Abū Ḥāmid Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad al Ghazālī, a Persian theologian, philosopher, and prolific Muslim author, often regarded as one of the greatest systematic thinkers and mystics of Islam, in Persian. The Kimiya yi Sa'ādat was written towards the end of his life shortly before 499 AH/1105 AD. During the time before it was written, the Muslim world was considered to be in a state of political, as well as intellectual unrest. Al Ghazālī, noted that there were constant disputes about the role of philosophy and scholastic theology, and that Sufis became chastised for their neglect of the ritual obligations of Islam. Upon the release of this book, the Kimiya yi sa'ādat allowed al Ghazali to considerably cut the tensions between the scholars and mystics. Sa'āda is considered to be part of the "ultimate happiness", namely that of the hereafter. Only when a human being has liberated his/her soul completely from its corporal existence, and arrives at what is called "active intellect". Al Ghazali believed in practical ethical perfection and that by exercising his God given capacity for reason man must be drawn to the spiritual alchemy that transforms the soul from worldliness to complete devotion to God. This alone, he believed, could produce ultimate happiness.

Kimiya or Kimiā (Alchemy) is an applied and mystical science that has been studied for centuries. In its essence, Kimiā represents a complete conception of the universe and relations between earthly beings and the cosmos.

It is a common misconception that the Kimiya yi sa'ādat is a rewrite of the Iḥyā′ 'Ulūm al Dīn. Iḥyā′ 'Ulūm al Dīn was written by al Ghazali after abandoning his duties as a professor due to a "spiritual crisis", which led him to live in seclusion for several years. It was composed in Arabic, and was an attempt to show ways in which the lives of a Sufi could be based on what is demanded by Islamic law. There are definite parallels between Iḥyā′ 'Ulūm al Dīn and Kimiya yi sa'ādat, however the four introductory chapters of the Kimiya yi sa'ādat contain relevant theological discussions that set the two apart. The Kimiya yi sa'ādat is noticeably shorter than the Iḥyā′ 'Ulūm al Dīn, however in the original Persian introduction of the Kimiya yi sa'ādat, Ghazālī explicitly states he wrote Kimiya yi sa'ādat to mirror the essence of Iḥyā′ 'Ulūm al Dīn and a few of his other theological writings; he wrote it in Persian so that it could reach a broader, popular audience in his homeland.