Tentative Response: How does the physical body fit in the path to the goal of the mystics?

The physical body is critical to the mystics in its ability to lead to a new state. Ghazali talks about this alternate state that is perceived not through intellect or reason, but rather dreams and asceticism. This state, which cannot be accessed through the senses, is the equivalent to enlightenment by God. Ghazali states that this enlightenment can only be reached by knowledge and practice, of which the practice aspect entails “ ‘tasting,’ the ‘state,’ and a ‘transformation of attributes.’” This is the difference between being aware of enlightenment and actually being enlightened. The body enables this change—the physical challenges it endures allows a religious scholar to fully plumb physical asceticism, asceticism of the soul, and withdrawal from the world. The changes to the body are reflected in changes to soul.

Ghazali expounds that this asceticism bars fame and wealth and passion, by “releasing oneself from preoccupations and attachments.” The body maintains as much a toll as the mind in this departure from the temporal world. In this course that leads to God—by way of soul purification, moral education, and cleansing of the heart—Ghazali and others that practiced mysticism relinquished all bodily pleasures in exchange for isolation and spiritual exercises. The body bears a significant burden in the deprivation of all that it found familiar and comforting and nurturing.  Food, sex, and every other pleasure is stripped away, leaving the body in pain and lacking of all the prior stimuli. This deprivation is necessary to progress to the state closer to God, according to mystics.