Al-Ghazali's concept of happiness in The Alchemy of Happiness

Soleh, Achmad Khudori ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5145-6046 (2022) Al-Ghazali's concept of happiness in The Alchemy of Happiness. Journal of Islamic Thought and Civilization, 12 (2). pp. 196-211. ISSN 2520-0313

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Abstract

Al-Ghazali's book entitled The Alchemy of Happiness describes happiness. It often becomes a reference of behaviour of mysticism and psychology, especially Islamic psychology. However, there are no studies that specifically examine this book. This study analyzes al-Ghazali's concept of happiness in The Alchemy of Happiness. The research data sources consist of literature having The Alchemy of Happiness as their main references. The researcher uses the content analysis method to analyze the data. The research results show that (1) Al-Ghazali's concept of happiness refers to the Qur'an, Hadīths, Islamic philosophy, Sufism teachings, and al-Farabi’s leadership concept. (2) Al-Ghazali's happiness principle is twofold: that happiness must be pursued and tiered. Al-Ghazali's concept of happiness consists of four aspects: appetence, reason, heart, and love for Allah. (3) Furthermore, the method of achieving happiness has three stages, (1) recognizing the nature and character of the self, (2) placing the heart as the leader of the self, and (3) contemplation of God. Al-Ghazali's concept of happiness has several advantages,namely using many Quranic references does not eliminate the potential for lust, and does not teach fatalism. In fact, he motivates people to pursue their happiness.

Buku Al-Ghazali berjudul Kimia Kebahagiaan menjelaskan tentang kebahagiaan. Buku ini sering menjadi acuan perilaku ilmu tasawuf dan psikologi, khususnya psikologi Islam. Namun, belum ada penelitian yang secara khusus mengkaji buku ini. Kajian ini menganalisis konsep kebahagiaan al-Ghazali dalam Kimia Kebahagiaan. Sumber data penelitian berasal dari literatur khususnya buku Kimia Kebagaiaan sebagai referensi utamanya. Peneliti menggunakan metode analisis contents untuk menganalisis data. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa (1) Konsep kebahagiaan Al-Ghazali mengacu pada Al-Qur'an, Hadits, Filsafat Islam, ajaran tasawuf, dan konsep kepemimpinan al-Farabi. (2) Prinsip kebahagiaan Al-Ghazali ada dua: bahwa kebahagiaan itu harus dikejar dan berjenjang. Konsep kebahagiaan Al-Ghazali terdiri dari empat aspek: nafsu, akal, hati, dan cinta kepada Allah. (3) Cara mencapai kebahagiaan terdiri atas tiga tahapan, (1) mengenali sifat dan karakter diri, (2) menempatkan hati sebagai pemimpin diri, dan (3) mengarahkan hati kepada Allah. Konsep kebahagiaan Al-Ghazali memiliki beberapa keunggulan, yaitu menggunakan banyak referensi, tidak menghilangkan potensi nafsu, dan tidak mengajarkan fatalisme. Bahkan, dia memotivasi orang untuk mengejar kebahagiaan mereka.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Keywords:	Al-Ghazali; Alchemy of Happiness; concept of happiness; aspects of happiness; methods of achieving happiness
Subjects:	17 PSYCHOLOGY AND COGNITIVE SCIENCES > 1701 Psychology 22 PHILOSOPHY AND RELIGIOUS STUDIES > 2203 Philosophy
Divisions:	Faculty of Psychology
Depositing User:	Dr Achmad Khudori Soleh
Date Deposited:	15 Dec 2022 08:41

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