Ghazali was himself a believer that everything on Earth is a manifestation of God’s spirit, thus everything belongs to kimiā. Due to its spiritual dimensions Kimiā is considered the noblest of all occult sciences (i.e. Religious philosophers emphasized its importance as a religious discipline.
In its essence, Kimiā represents a complete conception of the universe and relations between earthly beings and the cosmos. Kimiya or Kimiā ( Alchemy) is an applied and mystical science that has been studied for centuries. Ghazālī’s teachings were to help man to live a life in accordance with the sacred law, and by doing so gain a deeper understanding of its meaning on the day of Judgement. This alone, he believed, could produce ultimate happiness. Al-Ghazali believed in practical-ethical perfection and that by exercising his God-given capacity for reason man must be drawn to the spiritual alchemy that transforms the soul from worldliness to complete devotion to God. Only when a human being has liberated his/her soul completely from its corporal existence, and arrives at what is called “active intellect”. Sa’āda is considered to be part of the “ultimate happiness”, namely that of the hereafter. Sa’āda (happiness) is a central concept in Islamic philosophy used to describe the highest aim of human striving. Mu’amalat (human relations aspect of Islam).Overall, the Kimiya-yi sa’ādat has four principle parts of ten chapters each: The Kimiya-yi Sa’ādat and its subsequent translations begin with citing some councils of the Prophet. The factor that set the Kimiya-yi sa’ādat apart from other theological works at the time was its mystical emphasis on self-discipline and asceticism. Kimiya-yi sa’ādat emphasized importance of observing the ritual requirements of Islam, the actions that would lead to salvation, and avoidance of sin. Upon its release, the Kimiya-yi sa’ādat allowed al-Ghazali to considerably cut the tensions between the scholars and mystics. Al-Ghazālī, noted that there were constant disputes about the role of philosophy and scholastic theology, and that Sufis became chastised for their neglect of the ritual obligations of Islam. Imiya-yi Sa’ādat : The Alchemy of Happinessĭuring the time before it was written the Muslim world was considered to be in a state of political as well as intellectual unrest.