Assignment # 2

Submitted To :
Mohammed Qasim Khan
Submitted By :
Eima Naseer
Department :
Bs (English)
Semester :
Second
Subject :
Philosophy
Topic :
History of Imam-al-Ghazali
INTRODUCTION :
Abu Ḥāmid Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad aṭ-Ṭūsiyy al-
Ġaz(z)ālīy1‫ي‬ ُّ ‫ْغ َزا ِل‬
َ ‫ي ٱل‬
ُّ ِ‫ٱلطوس‬
ُّ ‫م ٍد‬
َّ ‫م َح‬
ُ ‫م ُد ْب ُن‬
َّ ‫م َح‬
ُ ‫ام ٍد‬
ِ ‫ابو َح‬
ُ َ.
َ Known in Persian speaking
countries as “Abu Hamid al-Ghazali”. He was born in Tabaran, a town in the
district of Tus in 1058 and died on December 18, 1111, Tus at the age of fifty five2.
Some Muslims consider him to be a Mujaddid (one who renews religion)
according to the prophetic Hadith, which appears once every century to restore
the faith of the ummah (the Islamic community). Also awarded by the titles of
hijjat-al-Islam (proof of Islam), Sharaf-ul-imma , Zayn-ud-din. who was one of
the most prominent and influential philosopher, thologian, jurist, logicians and
mystics of Islam. He was born in a poor family. His father was a darwish and sufi,
he was very interested to get knowledge from Ulamas but due to poverty, he
couldn’t get education from Madrasa. Imam al-Ghazali was only five or maybe six
when his father died. He entrusted his two sons (Ahmad and Al-Ghazali) to his sufi
friend. Al- Ghazali began to receive instruction in fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) from
Ahmad al-Radhakani3 . At the age of twenty, Al-Ghazali went to Madrassa
“Nazamiyyah” in Nishapur. He learned Theology canon-law, Philosophy, logic,
dialectics, natural sciences and Sufism under the guidance of Al-Juwayni 4. Al-
Ghazali was engaged in debates and discussions of all kinds. Al-juwayni described
him as “a plenteous ocean to be drowned” 5. After the death of Imam al-
Haramain, Al-Ghazali joined the court of Nizam al-Mulk( the powerful vazir of
seljuk sultan’s). He was appointed head of Nazamiyah college at Baghad at 1091.
DISCUSSION :
Imam al-Ghazli knew sufist though, Sufism, philosophy and sharia
also. Suni's claim that after the Holy Prophet (PBUH) he was the most influential
thinker and writer in Islamic history. Imam al-Ghazali fell into a serious spiritual

1 al-Islām, H., & Seljuq, G. I. Al-Ghazali-Al-Ghazali.

2 Hozien, Muhammad. "Ghazālī and His Early Biographers." Islam and Science 9, no. 2 (2011): 95.
3 Griffel, F. (2009). Al-Ghazali's philosophical theology. Oxford University Press.
4 Corbin, H. (2014). History of Islamic philosophy. routledge.
5 Salleh, K. H. (2004). Some Reflections on al-Ghazali Intellectual Development and Spiritual

Crisis. Islam: Past, Present AND Future, 412

crisis in 10956 . He left Baghdad and wandered in Syria and Palestine for about
two years and finished the Pilgrimage to Macca. he returned to Tus, where he
was engaged in sufi practices and teaching his disciples until his death 7. Basically,
Imam al-Ghazali opposed philosophy especially he criticised the philosophy of
Ibn-e-Sina and Al-Farabi. And that criticism was so influential, after Imam al-
Ghazali the tradition of philosophy faded away.
Works of Imam al-Ghazali :
Imam al-Ghazali wrote different books and also wrote on
different topics. A total of about 70 works can be attributed to Al-Ghazali. He also
wrote a “fatwa” against the Taifa kings of Al Andalus, declaring them to be
unprincipled, not fit to rule and that they should be removed from power. This
fatwa was used by Yusuf ibn Tashfin to justify his conquest of alfromalus 8. But his
most famous works are Incoherence of the Philosophers, Deliverance from Errors,
The Revival of Religious Sciences, The Alchemy of Happiness etc.

• Incoherence of the Philosophers:

His 11th century book titled The Incoherence of the Philosophers marks a
major turn in Islamic epistemology. The encounter with skepticism led al-Ghazali
to investigate a form of theological occasionalism , or the belief that all causal
events and interactions are not the product of material conjunctions, but rather
the immediate and present will of God 9. In this book, He rejected Plato and
Aristotle philosophy because he believe that they are non-Muslim. Only the
philosophy they adopted from Prophet Musa(A.S) and Ibrahim(A.S) was true.
Imam al-Ghazali criticise ibn-e-Sina and Al-Farabi because they adopted their
philosophy in his work.

• The Revival of Religious Islam:

Another amazing work of Ghazali was “The revival of Religious Islam”
Also known as “Ihya Ulum al-Din”. It covers almost all fields of Islamic sciences:

6 Salleh, K. H. (2004). Some Reflections on al-Ghazali Intellectual Development and Spiritual

Crisis. Islam: Past, Present AND Future, 412.
7 Griffel, F. (2009). Al-Ghazali's philosophical theology. Oxford University Press.
8 Mourtada-Sabbah, N., & Gully, A. (2003). ‘I am, by God, fit for high positions’ On the political role of

women in al-Andalus. British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies, 30(2), 183-209.

9 Griffel, F. (2009). Al-Ghazali's philosophical theology. Oxford University Press.
Fiqah (Islamic jurisprudence), Kalam (theology) and Sufism. It contains four major
sections: Acts of worship (Rub al-ibadat), Norms of Daily Life (Rub al-adatat), The
ways to Perdition (Rub al-muhlikat) and The Ways to Salvation (Rub al-
munjepistomiyat). The Ihya became the most frequently recited Islamic text after
the Qur'an and the hadith 10 . Its great achievement was to bring orthodox Sunni
theology and Sufi mysticism together in a useful, comprehensive guide to every
aspect of Muslim life and death.

• The Deliverance From Error:

This is the autobiography that Imam al-Ghazali wrote about his life. This
is also known as (‫) المنقذ من الضلال‬al-munqidh min al-ḍaalā , is considered a
work of major importance. In it, al-Ghazali recounts how, once a crisis of
epistemological scepticism had been resolved by "a light which God Most High
cast into my breast ... the key to most knowledge 11. Using reason then he set out
to examine the teaching of the seekers after the truth: the Theologians, Batinites,
Philosophers and Sufis. As a result of these studies, he chooses sufism as a path
of reaching God.
Philosophy of Imam al-Ghazali:
The staple of his religious philosophy was arguing that the
creator was the center point of all human life that played a direct role in all
world affairs. Al-Ghazali thought that it should not be necessary to force equality
of income in society but that people should be driven by "the spirit of Islamic
brotherhood" to share their wealth willingly, but he recognized that it is not
always the case. He believed that wealth earned could be used in two potential
manners. One is for good, such as maintaining the health of oneself and their
family as well as taking care of others and any other actions seen as positive for
the Islamic community. The other is what Al-Ghazali would consider misuse,
spending it selfishly on extravagant or unnecessary material items.

10 Van Bruinessen, M. (1994). Pesantren and kitab kuning: maintenance and continuation of a tradition of
religious learning. Texts from the islands. Oral and written traditions of Indonesia and the Malay world
[Ethnologica Bernica, 4](Berne: University of Berne, 1994), 121-145.
11 Alexander, M. S. (2020). 4 Abu Hamid al-Ghazali: The Greatest Midlife Crisis in the History of Islam.

In Making Peace with the Universe (pp. 61-96). Columbia University Press.
Quotations of Imam al-Ghazali:
Here i share some beautiful quotations of Abu Hamid al-Ghazali:
• “Do not allow your heart to take pleasure with the praises of people, nor be
saddened by their condemnation”.
• “Never have I dealt with anything more difficult than my own soul, which
sometimes helps me and sometimes opposes me”.
• “Dear friend, Your heart is a polished mirror. You must wipe it dean of the
vail of dust that has gathered upon it, because it is designed to reflect the
light of divine secrets”.
CONCLUSION:
When we take a closer look at Al-Ghazali's life and his work, we will find
deeper wisdom and true spirituality. We recognize from his works, who we are
and where we come from. A-Ghazli teaches us the happiness comes from self-
knowledge, the knowledge that we have a heart or spirit that is originally perfect
but has become obscured by passion or desires. After analysing the approached
of Islam through different means, he came to the conclusion that the only way
the world is through authentic practice of as was taught by Allah (S.W.T) and
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

THANK YOU