The niche of lights =
Subtitle: Mishkāt al-anwār
By: al-Ghazali ; a parallel English-Arabic text translated, introduced, and annotated by David Buchman.
Contributors: Buchman, David, 1964-
Edition: 1st ed.
Series: Islamic translation series
Publisher: Brigham Young University Press
Published: 1998
Place of publication: Provo, Utah
Language: eng; ara
Number of pages: 80
Subjects: Koran. -- Sūrat al-nūr, 35 -- Criticism, interpretation, etc.; Sufism -- Doctrines -- Early work to 1800.
Other titles: Mishkāt al-anwār
Work titles: Mishkāt al-anwār.
Description: The Niche of Lights, or Mishkat al-anwar, is an accessible and richly rewarding text by one of the most fascinating and important thinkers in the history of Islam. Born in the eastern Iranian city of Tus in 450 A.H. (1058 C.E.), Abu Hamid Muhammad al-Ghazali also died there, relatively young, in 505 A.H. (1111 C.E.). Between those two dates, however, he established himself as a pivotal figure throughout the Islamic world.

In The Niche of Lights, al-Ghazali maintains that one who truly desires to understand the relationship between God and the world must recognize not only His distance and absolute transcendence, as emphasized in Islamic theology and jurisprudence, but also His proximity to His creation - His inherent presence. The "symbolism" of the Qur'an, suggests al-Ghazali, should not be thought of primarily as literary imagery, as mere similes and metaphors.

On the contrary, God employs the language that He does in order to clarify the actual nature of reality. An understanding of the structure of the cosmos and of the human soul depends upon how accurately one perceives that reality.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 69-72) and indexes.