Imam Ghazali

NAME IC NUMBER MATRIC NUMBER

Nur Zairul Syafira Idayu bt 980207035734 1170884
Mohd Saufi
Siti Najiha bt Mohd Tahir 980114075104 1170850
Julia Hayati bt Saipol 981030115564 1170865
Bahri
Nurul Wahida bt Abdul 981220065844 1170862
Razak
Ainul Mardhiah bt Mansor 1170848
 Life of Imam Ghazali
Imam al Ghazali or his full name Abu Hamid Muhammad ibn Muhammad Al
Tusi al Shafi’I al Ghazali.He is well known as Al Ghazali as he was born in
Ghazzalah which is a village in Thus town in Khurasan, Persia (Iran).He was known
as Al Ghazzal or Alchemist of Happiness in the the west. Imam al Ghazali was also
known as Abu Hamid that was actually a father of Hamid.He was also known as
Hujjatul Islam as a respected title because of his power and strength to argue in
defending Islam. Furthermore he memorized about 300,000 of Hadith in his
lifetime.He was born in 450H (1058CE)

He was from a poor and religious family. They made an end meet by
weaving garments from wool then they sold them in Thus town.Eventhough they
were poor they did not accept any sodaqah. His father is really fond to learn religious
knowledge and accompanying the sufi scholars. His father died during Al Ghazali
and his brother,Ahmad was still young but he managed to give his friend, Ahl –
Tasawwuf, a deed in a form of money to take care and teach of his children because
he really wanted Al Ghazali to become a pious and great person in the
future.Fortunately, his friend managed to teach both of them writing until all the
money had been spent.Then he adviced Imam al Ghazali and his brother Ahmad to
go to Thus to learn at a school that was built by the Prime Minister,Nizam. At this
school he learned ilm-Kalam wa Fiqh with Syeikh Ahmad Ibn Muhammad al
Radhkhani.

In 469H Al Ghazali furthered his study to Jurjan that was near to Caspian
sea for higher study with a leading scholar Abu Nasr Al Ismaili. He learned Hadith Al
Bukhari from Abu Sahl Muhammad Ibn Ahmad Al Hafsi, Nasr Ibn Ali Ahmad Al
Hakimi al Thus, Abdullah Ibn Muhammad Ibn Ahmad Al-Khawari and Muhammad
Ibn Yahya Ibn Muhammad Ibn Suja’I Al Zawzani.There, he got married then he went
back to Thus for about three years.

In his way back to Thus from Jurjan, he was robbed by Brigands.Ghazali

pleaded with the Brigand’s leader to return only his precious dissertation offering him
the rest of his possesions in return. The brigand leader ridiculed Ghazali’s claim to
knowledge and mocked him by showing that a thief could so easily take it
away.Struck by this insight, Ghazali later commented: ‘’ He [the leader of brigands]
was an oracle whom God made to speak, in order that He could guide me through
him’.After that episode, Ghazali went back to Thus and committed all his noted to
memory about three years.

In the meantime, he also learned Ilm-Tasawuf with Syeikh Yusuf Al

Nassaj .Then, in 471 H, he was about 20 years old, he went to Maktab Nidzamiyah
in Nishapur and learned with Imam Al Haramain which is Abu Al Ma’ali al Juwaini
that is the fourth generation to study with Imam Al Asha’ri in their own academy for
example, Usuluddin, Fiqh, Philosophy, Ilm-Mantiq ,sciences knowledge ,Tasawuf
and others Imam Al Haramain gave him a freedom to his students to think and to
speak out their opinion .Besides, he encouraged his students to take part in debate
and discussed about the variety of problems that they faced. In his debate with his
friends, he was able to show his ability to think widely and the ability to debate
fluenty.

Not long after that, he was able to give lecture to his friend and start to write.
His lecture has began more interesting when hundreds of well-known and respected
people came to listen to his lecture.

When he was in Nishapur,he learned Islamic mysticism (tasawwuf) from Abu

Ali al-Farmadhi. It is not clear what al-Ghazali did from roughly after seven years
completing his formal studies in Nishapur. In 1091 CE, Nizam al-Mulk appointed al-
Ghazali as a professor of Syafie Law at the Nizamiyyah College in Baghdad. It is in
Baghdad that Ghazali’s intellectual reputation culminated in the honorific “Defender
of Islam” .He wrote several books, on logic and law. It was also during this period
that wrote his famous refutation of the controversial doctrinal beliefs held my Muslim
philosophers about the eternity of the world, their rejection of corporeal resurrection
and that God only knew universals.

The incoherence of the philosophers (Tahafut al-falasifa), followed by a

vitriolic exposure of the of the doctrines of the Ismaili Shia called the obscenities of
the esoterists (Fadaih al-batiniyya). But his meteoric rise came to an abrupt and
dramatic end when he experienced a debilitating spiritual crisis, which he described
in some detail in his spiritual testimony, Deliverance from error (al-Munqidh min al-
dalal).He decided to abandoned his public life of teaching embarked on a life
contemplative reflection and asceticism. Explanations abound for this dramatic turn
in Ghazali’s life. Some argue that he suffered intellectual self-doubt in his
engagement with philosophy.

There is a view that he found his political alliances with the Seljuk rulers and his
ties to Abbasid caliphal palace to be a source of moral suffocation. Perhaps
cumulatively all this pressures had a deleterious impact on his mind and soul. He
performed Hajj in 488 H. Then he continues his journey to Syam (Syria) visiting
Baitulmaqdis. After that, he stay in Damsyik to perform ibadah in Masjid al-Umawi.
He open a halaqah corner in the mosque that now known as al-Ghazaliah. While he
was there, he managed to complete his writing Kitab Ihya ‘Ulumuddin. This is now a
classic in Muslim religious writing and is widely used to this day. The book was
responsible to strengthen mazhab ahl Sunnah wa Jamaah. He lived in full of
modesty by only wearing cheap garment and reduced the intake of food and drinks
but always visited the mosque to tighten his relationship with Allah.

Then, under the pretext of making the pilgrimage to Mecca, Ghazali left his
family in province of Khurasan and sought the anonymity of Jerusalem and
Damascus, where his spent time meditating at the Dome of the Rock and the
Umayyad mosque. After an absence of nearly five years (1095 – 1099) M, Ghazali
returned to his native Thus. During this period as a novice on the mystical path, he
engaged in reflection and disciplinary practices of the self as taught by master
mystics such as Junayd of Baghdad, Harith al-Muhasibi, and others.One of his last
writing, Minhajul Abidin, the last book regarding Ilm Kalam.

Al-Ghazali died in Thus on Monday, 14 Jamadil Akhir 505 H, that was equal to 19
Dicember 1111 M and was rested in Tabiran and left several daughters.
 CONTRIBUTIONS OF IMAM GHAZALI
IMAM AL Ghazali is well known to the world through his writing where he is a great
writer. His ability to write cannot be denied especially by the west scholar. He has
wrote more than three hundred books that covered a wide range of knowledge in
the world such as philosophy field, religion, nationality, and his responsibility as a
leader of a country.

PHILOSOPHY FIELD

Al Ghazali’s contributions in philosophy field started with the writing of kitab

Maqasid Falasifah that discussed about philosophy theory and kitab Tafahut al-
Falasifah that explained about the deviation of west scholar regarding physic and
metaphysic through Islamic view. Al-Ghazali critic loudly and bravely Aristotle’s
philosophy regarding the existence of this world since eternity and there is no
beginning, meanwhile Al-Ghazali stated that this world is doesn’t exist yet until it was
created by Allah S.W.T. Furthermore, Imam Al-Ghazali contributed in defending
Islam from, influence of bidaah and from Yunain rationalisme stream. These could
be seen through his writing when he can evidences to the extremes during
discussing about the current issues on that time especially Ilmu Kalam.

Al-Ghazali divided philosophy field into 3 groups which are Atheist, Natural,
Theology. Atheist is a group of people that denied the existence of creator. While
Natural is a group of educational people that searched about habit, human anatomy,
plant and animal. Theology is a group of people that discussing about deity such as
Plato, Aristotle and Socrates.

He is the first scholar that reclassified the philosophy field into 6 parts which
mantik, mathematics, physic, deity and the attitude. Kitab Al-Ma’riful Aqaliyyah
discussing about the reality of existence rational knowledges and it purposes.
 Besides, his famous contributions is in religious knowledge and his kitab Ihya’
Ulumuddin. This kitab written by him when he is in 50 years old and that kitab
become a solution to various believes. It also consists of akidah knowledge, fiqh,
philosophy, attitude and tasawwuf that still become a reference to muslims nowdays.
Kitab Al-Ayytha Al-Walad ( O’ My Children) is also important because it consists of
Iman Al-Ghazali advices to his pupils about the best knowledge that comprises of 8
things and was translated to Turkish language.

Al-Ghazali is famous in science politic field where his writing is divided into 2 parts
which are theory of nationality and leadership. His books are Mumtazh-hiri, Al-
Munqiz, Minad Dhalal, Al-Iqtisod Jil-I’tiqad (modesty in believing) discussing about
leadership in Islamic country.

Al-Ghazali also give a lot of opinions in education based on his experiences as a

student, teacher and leader in Madrasah Nizamiyyah. Al-Ghazali is an Islamic
scholar that left a lot of deeds that can be evaluate through his writings. Some of his
writings had been translated into variety of European languages and become
reference for the center of high learning. Imam Al-Ghazali writings had influenced the
next Islamic scholar such as Jalaluddin Ar-Rumi, Ibnu Rush and Syah-waliyullah
REFERENCES

 Imam Abu Hamid Ghazali an Exponent of Islam in its

Totality, Hamid Algar, 2001 – Islamic publication
International.
 Imam Al-Ghazali: A concise life, 2012 – Kube
publishing.
 Al-Ghazali The Islamic Reformer, Mohamed Abu Bakar
Al-Musleh, 2012- The Other Press
 Ajaran- ajaran akhlak Imam Al-Ghazali, Hussein
Bahreisj, 1981- Usana offset Printing, Surubaya-
Indonesia.