66 



Ghazzali's Alchemy of Happiness., 



who knows how to play chess, boasts over him who does 

 not know : and if he is looking on while a game of chess 

 is played, it is of no use to tell him not to speak, for as soon 

 as he sees an improper move, he has not patience to restrain 

 himself from showing his skill, and glorying in his know- 

 ledge, by pointing it out. . . . 



Now that it is clear that the happiness of the heart con- 

 sists in the knowledge and love of God, we may say that the 

 heart that does not feel the necessity of the knowledge of 

 God, and a longing for the love of God, but rather craves 

 after and seeks the world, resembles a sick person who has 

 no appetite for food, but even prefers such things as 

 earth and clay to meat, regarding them as necessary, not- 

 withstanding they have no nourishing qualities. If no 

 remedy can be found, speedily, to recover his appetite 

 for food, and if he continue indulging in perverse notions 

 of what is necessary, his malady will grow in strength ; 

 until if he continue in this state, he will perish and 

 lose the joys this world can give. In the same manner 

 the heart which does not feel a necessity for the knowledge 

 and love of God, and where the love of other objects reigns, 

 is a heart that is sick and ready to perish, unless a remedy 

 be applied, unless its affections be turned away from other 

 things, and the love of God become predominant. Future 

 bliss will be lost and eternal misery will be its portion. 

 Our refuge is in God ! 



You should know also that the enjoyments of this world 

 that are procured through the senses are cut off at death. 

 The en joyment of the love and knowledge of God, which 

 depends upon the heart, is alone lasting. At death the 

 hindrances that result from the presence of the external 

 senses being removed, the light and brilliancy of the heart 

 come to have full play, and it feels the necessity of the 

 vision of beauty. What has hitherto been said is suffi- 

 cient to enable a person of intelligence to comprehend the 



