The Validity of Salah according to al-Ghazali with Special Reference to the Obligation to Observe Hudur al-Qalb throughout the Salah

Abstract

This paper investigates how al-Ghazali tried in his Ihya 'Ulum al-Din to justify the obligation to observe hudur al-qalb (presence of mind and remembrance of Allah) throughout the whole prayer. In order to reach this goal, this paper is primarily divided into three subsections: A reply of al-Ghazali to his opposition, his arguments and the way hudur al-qalb can be observed in the prayer. After analyzing the Quranic, Sunnaic and rational argument, this paper concludes that although the majority of Muslim jurists maintained that hudur al-qalb is an obligatory only at the time of the first takbir, al-Ghazali maintained that hudur al-qalb is obligatory during the whole prayer, without which a prayer would remain incomplete.