مراقي العبودية شرح بداية الهداية-التقوى

Maraqi al-Ubudiyyah: Sharh Bidayat al-Hidayah

Bidāyat al-Hidāyah — بداية الهداية

A celebrated work of Imam Abū Ḥāmid al-Ghazālī on spiritual discipline, practical piety and the refinement of character. Bidāyat al-Hidāyah presents the foundations by which a Muslim may combine outward observance of the Sharīʿah with inward purification and true taqwā, showing that religious rulings possess both an outward form and an inner purpose.

Al-Ghazālī guides the reader through the proper ordering of one’s daily life and worship, obedience to Allah, avoidance of sins, discipline of the limbs and heart, and the manners governing one’s relationship with Allah and with other people. Concise yet rich in practical guidance, the work has enjoyed an eminent place among books of Islamic spirituality and ethical instruction and has been widely studied and taught by scholars.

Marāqī al-ʿUbūdiyyah Sharḥ Bidāyat al-Hidāyah — مراقي العبودية شرح بداية الهداية

A valuable commentary on Imam al-Ghazālī’s Bidāyat al-Hidāyah by the renowned Javanese scholar Shaykh Muḥammad Nawawī al-Jāwī. Although relatively concise, the commentary greatly enriches the original, explaining difficult expressions and expanding upon its lessons in fiqh, worship, spiritual purification and Islamic character, thereby bringing together the outward and inward dimensions of religious practice.

The commentary is distinguished by its clear and accessible style, its use of Qurʾān and Sunnah in explaining rulings and principles, and its frequent citation of earlier authorities, including al-Ghazālī, al-Nawawī, Ibn Ḥajar and al-Munāwī. While both author and commentator follow the Shāfiʿī school, al-Jāwī also occasionally compares its rulings with those of other schools, including the Ḥanafī and Mālikī madhhabs. The work became a widely circulated and well-received commentary on Bidāyat al-Hidāyah, particularly among scholars and students of the Malay-Indonesian world.