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O Disciple (Letter to a Disciple)

Al-Ghazali

A letter of advice to a disciple who, after years of study, asks which knowledge will benefit him. The answer insists that knowledge without action is useless, on the need for a master, on sincerity and on the remembrance of death, with the refrain "O son!". Short and accessible, it is one of the most translated texts attributed to al-Ghazali; Hammer-Purgstall published it in German in 1838.