The document discusses the cultivation of virtues according to al-Ghazali. It states that acquiring virtues leads to prosperity of the soul and closeness to God. Virtues are divided into means and ends, with ends sought for their own sake. Repentance is at the bottom of the hierarchy and love at the top, with means virtues preparing one for love. Cultivating virtues involves gaining knowledge, developing the right disposition, and engaging in actions. Each virtue has these three elements. Repentance specifically involves knowledge of sin's harms, feeling regret, and resolving to act differently.

1. Cultivation of virtues

2. • -acquisition of these virtues is identified by al-
Ghazali with the prosperity of the inward self,
with the enlightenment of soul and with
making it beautiful
• -without acquiring them no one can attain
nearness to God n entitled to the highest
happinness

3. • -these virtues are to be acquired for the
special purpose of attaining proximity to God
• -these virtues are not of the same grade and
importance
• -they are of 2 division
• 1)those which are means
• 2)those which are ends

4. • -the latter are sought for their own sake and
not for any other virtues; they will remain in
the soul eternally after death
• -the means function is to help the novice
acquire the ends virtues

5. • -al-ghazali presents these virtues in the form
of a gradually ascending order
• -He puts repentance at the bottom and love at
the top
• -all the means n the ends virtues that are
below love are thought to be those which
prepare one for it

6. • -when one acquiring one virtue, passes to
another, one concern with it is not finished,
rather one must cultivate it through out one’s
life, what is finished is one’s mortification and
self training

7. • -each station consisting of 3 elements
• 1)knowledge
• 2)disposition
• 3)action
• -when knowledge is present, disposition
produced in the soul, when disposition is
created, certain action proceed from it

8. • -knowledge which forms the cause of the
virtue concerned with the benefit of that
virtue in the hereafter n with the evils of its
opposite
• -hal(disposition) is a quality of the soul that is
fixed and established quality
• -action proceeds from disposition is of 2 kinds;

9. • 1) that of the bodily members
• 2) that of the soul
• -if the disposition is produced in the soul, it
must give rise to action, n the action will leave
its influence upon the soul as a result of which
the quality will be strengthen, all actions for
the benefit of the soul

10. • Repentance
• -it is of 3 elements
• 1-knowledge-man’s awareness of the harm of
sin, of the fact that it produces veil between
him and that he loves. When he knows this,
pain for his isolation from his beloved, owing
to sin, is roused in his soul, this state is known
regret

11. • 2-disposition-regret, there hastens to it
resolution for action. Knowledge causes
regret, in turn causes resolve to act
• 3-action