A Study of the Relation of Virtue, Love and Art as Viewed by Sheikh Ahmad Ghazzali

The Sufism of Sheikh Ahmad Ghazali is a love-based mysticism in which virtue and love are considered as the main elements of a mystical journey. Virtue follows manifestation, tajalli, and love follows virtue. A mystic, having seen virtue, attain the love-based passion. Love, therefore, always follows the manifestation of virtue. In this article, first, we have explained love and virtue as viewed by Ghazzali and, then, we have examined some of their main features in relation to one another as: love`s state of being for mankind, inviting glance of virtue and that of being loved, derivation of lover and loved from love and manifestation of virtue respectively and gradual state of virtue and love. Finally, we have discussed art as viewed by Ghazali. He relates art with simile. An artist sees virtue and represents it in his work; an artist, therefore, as sees virtue, is lover and as represents virtue is of simile. In the end, we speak Ghazali's desirable art; the one coming from the selflessness of the artist, and is technically called "artless art".